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Reseller fees explained: what eBay, Poshmark, Mercari and Depop actually take in 2026

9 min read
A worn leather boot on a parcel scale beside shipping supplies and a calculator.

On a US clothing sale, eBay takes 13.6% of the total order plus a $0.30–$0.40 per-order fee, Poshmark takes 20% (or a flat $2.95 under $15), Mercari takes a flat 10%, and Depop charges US sellers no selling fee at all — only a 3.3% + $0.45 payment processing fee. Depop is cheapest on fees; eBay is usually still cheapest per dollar of profit because it sells for more.

Short answer: on a US clothing sale, eBay takes 13.6% of the total order plus a $0.30–$0.40 per-order fee, Poshmark takes 20% (or a flat $2.95 under $15), Mercari takes a flat 10%, and Depop charges US sellers no selling fee at all — only a 3.3% + $0.45 payment processing fee. Depop is cheapest on fees. eBay is usually still cheapest per dollar of profit, because it sells the same item for more.

Fees are the single most misunderstood number in reselling. Almost every beginner prices from the sticker: "I paid $6, it sells for $40, that's $34." It isn't. Between the marketplace cut, the per-order charge, the shipping label and the payout fee, that $34 is routinely closer to $18 — and on a cheap item it can be nothing at all.

This page is the reference table. Every figure below was checked against the marketplace’s own fee documentation on 10 September 2026, not off another blog.

The comparison table

Fees for a US-based seller listing clothing, without a paid store subscription.

Marketplace Seller fee Payment processing Per-order fee Charged on
eBay (no Store) 13.6% up to $7,500 Included in the fee $0.30 (order ≤ $10)
$0.40 (order > $10)
Item + shipping + sales tax
eBay (Basic Store or higher) 12.7% up to $2,500 Included in the fee Same as above Item + shipping + sales tax
Poshmark 20% on sales of $15+
flat $2.95 under $15
Included in the fee — Listing price
Mercari Flat 10% None — Item + buyer-paid shipping
Depop (US seller) None 3.3% + $0.45 — Item + shipping + tax

A few eBay categories break the pattern and are worth knowing if you source them:

eBay category Final value fee (no Store)
Women's bags & handbags 15% up to $2,000, then 9%
Most jewelry & watches 15% up to $5,000, then 9%
Sneakers sold for over $150 8%, and no per-order fee

That sneaker rate is the single best fee in resale clothing. If you flip athletic shoes and you can get them over the $150 line, eBay pays you materially more than anywhere else.

What the table doesn't show: the three fees people forget

1. eBay charges its fee on the shipping and the sales tax

This is the most expensive misunderstanding in the whole category. eBay's final value fee is calculated on the total amount of the sale — the item price, the shipping the buyer paid, and the sales tax eBay collected. On a $40 item with $9 shipping, the 13.6% is charged on $49, not $40. That is an extra $1.22 you did not budget for, on every single order.

Poshmark’s commission is based on the listing price; buyer-paid shipping is separate. Depop’s payment-processing fee is charged on the item sale price plus shipping costs and applicable taxes. Mercari charges its seller fee on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping.

2. The shipping label is usually yours

"Free shipping" means free for the buyer. On eBay and Mercari you can push the label onto the buyer; on Poshmark the buyer pays the platform’s published postage; on Depop it depends how you list. Quote a label only after packing: the carrier, destination, packed weight and dimensions determine the actual amount. If you offer free shipping and do not add that quote to the price, you have handed away most of a cheap flip.

3. Getting the money out

Mercari's ACH direct deposit is free, but there is a $2 fee on a rejected withdrawal and Instant Pay costs $3. That $3 is 6% of a $50 sale. It is a fine trade if you need the cash today and a bad habit if you do it every time.

Worked example: the same $45 sale on all four

A wool coat, sourced for $7. Sold for $45 with the seller covering a $9 shipping label. Sales tax is ignored here because eBay remits it and it varies by state — in reality it makes eBay slightly worse still.

eBay Poshmark Mercari Depop
Sale price $45.00 $45.00 $45.00 $45.00
Marketplace fee −$6.12 −$9.00 −$4.50 $0.00
Processing fee included included none −$1.94
Per-order fee −$0.40 — — —
Shipping label −$9.00 buyer pays −$9.00 −$9.00
Cost of goods −$7.00 −$7.00 −$7.00 −$7.00
Net profit $22.48 $29.00 $24.50 $27.06

Two things fall out of this table, and they matter more than the fee percentages.

Poshmark's 20% is not automatically the worst deal. Because the buyer always pays Poshmark's flat shipping rate, the seller never eats a label. On a heavy, cheap item — a coat, boots, a chunky knit — that shipping subsidy is worth more than the extra six-odd points of commission. Poshmark is a genuinely good home for bulky clothing.

Depop's zero selling fee is real, and it is the best headline rate in US resale. The catch is not the fee, it is the audience: Depop skews young and skews toward Y2K, streetwear and true vintage. A wool coat that sells for $45 on eBay in three weeks might sit on Depop for six months, or might sell in a day for $70 if it happens to be the right silhouette.

So which one should you list on?

The fee is the smallest term in the equation. Sale price and sell-through rate dominate it. A 13.6% fee on an item that sells for $45 beats a 0% fee on the same item sitting unsold at $30.

Use fees as a tiebreaker, in roughly this order:

  • Branded basics, outdoor, workwear, anything with a model number → eBay. The search traffic is there and buyers pay more for known quantities.
  • Athletic shoes over $150 → eBay, no argument. 8% and no per-order fee.
  • Heavy or bulky items → Poshmark, because the buyer covers shipping.
  • Y2K, streetwear, true vintage, anything trend-driven → Depop, where there is no selling fee and the audience actually wants it.
  • Mid-priced general clothing you want gone quickly → Mercari. A flat 10% with no processing fee is the simplest maths in resale.

Editorial note

Marketplace fee conditions vary by category, subscription, seller status, listing state and carrier choice. The current primary sources and access date appear in the Sources section below. Confirm them before pricing a large batch.

How we checked this

Every marketplace fee in the comparison table was checked against the marketplace’s own current seller documentation. Worked examples disclose their assumptions; audience and marketplace-selection advice is editorial guidance, not observed sales data.

Verified marketplace rule
Current seller fees, fee bases and payout terms are linked directly to each marketplace’s documentation.
Worked example
Examples show stated assumptions and are illustrations, not a promise of a seller payout.
Editorial marketplace fit
The recommendation for an item type is practitioner guidance and must be checked against the seller’s own price and shipping quote.
Written by ThriftProfit editorial teamReviewed by ThriftProfit primary-source reviewVerified September 10, 2026Review by October 10, 2026

Sources

  1. Selling fees

    eBay · checked September 10, 2026

    Final value fees, fee basis, per-order fees and category-dependent rates.

  2. Getting started on Poshmark

    Poshmark · checked September 10, 2026

    The US $2.95 / 20% commission structure and buyer-paid postage model.

  3. Fees on Mercari

    Mercari Help · checked September 10, 2026

    The 10% seller fee, buyer-protection fee and payout conditions.

  4. Seller fees and charges

    Depop Help Centre · checked September 10, 2026

    No Depop selling fee for US sellers and the US payment-processing fee basis.

  5. Parcel Size, Weight & Fee Standards

    United States Postal Service · checked September 10, 2026

    Why a carrier quote changes with packed weight, dimensions and destination.

Frequently asked

Which resale app has the lowest seller fees?
Depop. As of September 2026 Depop charges US sellers no selling fee at all — you pay only a 3.3% + $0.45 payment processing fee on the item price, shipping and tax. Mercari is next at a flat 10% with no processing fee, then eBay at 13.6% plus a per-order fee, then Poshmark at 20%.
How much does eBay take from a $50 clothing sale?
On a $50 order with free shipping, eBay charges a 13.6% final value fee ($6.80) plus a $0.40 per-order fee, for $7.20 total. The final value fee is calculated on the whole order — item price, shipping and sales tax — not just the item price.
Does Poshmark really take 20%?
Yes, on any sale of $15 or more. Below $15 Poshmark takes a flat $2.95 commission instead, which on a $10 sale works out to 29.5% — proportionally much worse than the 20% rate.
Do I pay a payment processing fee on Mercari?
No. Since January 2025 Mercari charges sellers a flat 10% selling fee and nothing else per sale; the old 2.9% + $0.50 processing fee was removed and buyers now pay a 3.6% Buyer Protection fee instead.

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