Marketplace Fee Calculator
See exactly how much a marketplace takes from each sale and what you actually pocket. Essential before listing on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or any platform with layered fees.
About this calculator
Selling on a marketplace means multiple parties take a cut before you see any profit. The net profit formula is: Net Profit = salePrice − (salePrice × marketplace/100) − (salePrice × paymentProcessing/100) − shippingFee − productCost. The marketplace fee and payment processing fee are both percentages of the sale price, so they scale with what you charge. The shipping fee and product cost are flat deductions. Understanding this breakdown helps you identify which cost category is eroding your margin most. For example, a platform with a 15% marketplace fee plus a 3% payment processing fee effectively removes 18 cents from every dollar of revenue before any fixed costs are touched. Mapping out these layers lets you compare platforms objectively and decide where your products are most profitably listed.
How to use
Say you sell an item for $50. Your product cost is $10, shipping is $5, the marketplace fee is 12%, and payment processing is 2.9%. Step 1 — Marketplace fee: $50 × 0.12 = $6.00. Step 2 — Payment fee: $50 × 0.029 = $1.45. Step 3 — Net Profit: $50 − $6.00 − $1.45 − $5.00 − $10.00 = $27.55. You keep $27.55 on a $50 sale, a 55.1% net margin. Adjusting the sale price or negotiating lower fees are the fastest levers to improve that figure.
Frequently asked questions
What are the typical marketplace fees for Amazon, eBay, and Etsy sellers?
Amazon charges referral fees that typically range from 8% to 15% depending on product category, with additional FBA fulfillment fees if you use their warehousing. eBay's fees generally run between 10% and 14.35% of the sale price, including a final value fee and a payment processing charge. Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee plus a 3% and $0.25 payment processing fee and a $0.20 listing fee per item. These figures change periodically, so always verify current rates on each platform's official fee schedule before making pricing decisions.
How do payment processing fees differ from marketplace referral fees?
Marketplace referral fees are charged by the platform for the right to sell to their audience and are typically a fixed percentage of the sale price. Payment processing fees are charged by the payment gateway or processor, such as Stripe or PayPal, for handling the financial transaction securely. Some marketplaces bundle these together under one combined rate, while others list them separately. When comparing platforms, it's important to add both together to understand the true percentage of revenue lost to fees before any product or shipping costs are considered.
How can I increase my net profit per sale without raising prices on a marketplace?
The most effective levers are reducing product cost through supplier negotiation or buying in larger volumes, and cutting shipping costs by using regional carriers or optimizing package weight and dimensions. You can also eliminate unnecessary overhead allocations per unit by spreading them over a higher sales volume. On some platforms, achieving top-seller or preferred status can unlock lower fee tiers. Finally, shifting your product mix toward higher-margin items within the same store allows you to grow profit without changing the pricing of existing listings.