eBay Promoted Listings Fee Calculator

See your profit after the Promoted Listings ad fee and eBay's final value fee, plus the ad rate where you break even.

Your numbers

The sale

Item price

Shipping you charge

Buyer's sales tax

eBay charges both fees on the total including tax. 7% is a typical US rate.

How eBay charges for Promoted Listings

With the general strategy you pay only when a promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad (a click includes add to watchlist, add to cart and quick view). The fee is your ad rate, between 2% and 100%, times the total sale amount: item price, shipping, sales tax and other fees.

Profit = item + shipping − final value fee − (ad rate × total with tax) − item cost − label

The final value fee is 13.6% of the total with tax in most categories, plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 on orders of $10 or less).

Example (the calculator's starting numbers)

Item + shipping: $60 + $8 = $68.00
Total with 7% sales tax: $72.76
Final value fee: 13.6% × 72.76 + $0.40 = $10.30
Ad fee at 8%: 8% × 72.76 = $5.82
Item cost + label: $20 + $7

Profit = 68 − 10.30 − 5.82 − 27 = $24.88. Without the ad it's $30.70, so the break-even ad rate is 30.70 ÷ 72.76 = 42.2%.

Final value fees used in the calculator

Category	Rate	Above the threshold
Most categories, no Store	13.6% up to $7,500	2.35%
Most categories, Basic Store or higher	12.7% up to $2,500	2.35%
Books, movies, music	15.3% up to $7,500	2.35%
Trading cards, comics, coins (no Store)	13.25% up to $7,500	2.35%
Guitars and basses	6.7% up to $7,500	2.35%

Store rates vary a lot by category (cameras, phones and computers are lower). If yours isn't listed, pick Other rate and enter it. Sellers rated Below Standard pay an extra 6% on final value fees, and sales to buyers outside the US add a 1.65% international fee unless you use eBay International Shipping.

Setting an ad rate that pays

Stay well under your break-even rate. The ad only pays if it brings sales you wouldn't have made anyway.
Check the suggested rate in the Advertising tab of Seller Hub, then promote your highest-margin listings first.
Use a fixed rate on thin-margin items. A dynamic rate follows eBay's daily suggestion and can climb.
Review the sales report in the Advertising dashboard monthly and drop listings whose ad fees outrun their extra sales.

Rates last checked 30 Sep 2026.

Questions people ask

How much does eBay charge for Promoted Listings?

With the general strategy, the ad rate you choose (2% to 100%) times the total sale amount including shipping and tax. You pay only if the item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad.

Do I still pay the final value fee on a promoted sale?

Yes. The ad fee is on top of the final value fee, so a promoted sale in most categories costs about 13.6% + 40¢ plus your ad rate.

What's a good ad rate on eBay?

One well below your break-even rate that still gets impressions. Many sellers start near eBay's suggested rate for the category and lower it on items that sell without help.

Why is the ad fee charged on sales tax?

eBay defines the total sale amount as item price, shipping, taxes and other fees, and charges both the final value fee and the general ad fee on it. That's why this calculator asks for the buyer's tax rate.

Last reviewed 30 September 2026.

Sources: eBay Help: Selling fees · eBay Help: Store selling fees · eBay Help: Promoted Listings general strategy