Resale marketplace fees: how seller take-home really works

What “seller take-home” means

Seller take-home is the sale price minus the fees the seller pays. It is not the price the buyer sees at checkout, and buyer-paid shipping is not added to it, because that money goes to the carrier. Two kinds of seller fee can come out of a sale: a selling fee (the platform’s commission) and payment processing (the card or payments charge). Some apps fold processing into one number; others list it as a second line you have to add yourself.

The fee base matters as much as the rate. Some fees are charged on the item price only; others on item plus buyer-paid shipping. When the base includes shipping, a higher label cost raises your fee even though you never keep that shipping money. Buyer-side fees, such as buyer protection or a buyer service fee, change what the buyer pays but do not reduce your payout.

Three fee shapes you will see

Every platform Feebrief covers fits one of three fee structures. Knowing the shape tells you how the fee behaves as price changes.

• Flat percent, all-in. One rate covers everything. Mercari takes 10% of item plus shipping and charges no separate seller processing line, so the fee grows in a straight line with price.
• Percent plus a fixed amount per order. eBay charges 13.6% + $0.40 per order in most categories, and Depop charges a 0% selling fee but 3.3% + $0.45 payment processing. The fixed part matters most on cheap items: $0.45 is 4.5% of a $10 sale but under half a percent of a $100 sale.
• Tiered, with a cliff. Poshmark charges a flat $2.95 under $15 and 20% at $15 and above. Crossing the threshold changes the rule, so a small price change near $15 can move your take-home more than you expect.

How to read a Feebrief comparison page

Every vs page follows the same layout, so once you know where to look you can read any pair in under a minute. Check these five things:

1. The pair-only verdict. Near the top, each page says which app keeps more for that pair, and why. Note whether the answer turns on a breakeven price (two fee lines that cross once) or a cliff (a tier rule that switches at a threshold). That tells you whether your own price is near the turning point.
2. The $25, $50 and $100 take-home table. These three rows show fee and net for each side at common resale prices. Look at the gap column: if it widens as price rises, one side has a lower percentage; if it narrows, a fixed fee or tier is doing the work.
3. The as-of date and official sources. Each page states when the rates were last checked and links to each marketplace’s own fee page. If the date is old or the platform has announced a change, confirm before you price.
4. The fee base note. Worked examples assume shipping $0, so the base equals the item price. When the buyer pays shipping, fees on an item + shipping base rise, and the verdict can move.
5. The exclusions list. Optional add-ons such as Depop Boosted Listings, Mercari Instant Pay and eBay Promoted Listings are not in the estimate. If you use one, your real take-home will be lower than shown.

A worked read-through: Depop vs Mercari

Here is the method applied to one pair, using numbers already published on that page. Both sides are shown at shipping $0, so the fee base is the item price.

The gap widens as price rises because Mercari’s 10% grows with the sale while Depop’s fixed $0.45 does not. The two cross at about $6.72; below that, Mercari’s flat percent is the smaller fee. The pair page explains that threshold in full. The method is the same on every other pair; only the shape changes.

Featured fee comparisons: where the answer flips

Each of these pairs turns on a different mechanism. Pick the one that matches the apps you are choosing between.

• Depop vs Mercari fees and the $6.72 breakeven: with shipping at $0, Depop’s 3.3% + $0.45 equals Mercari’s 10% at about $6.72; above that price Depop nets more.
• Depop vs Poshmark fees: the $15 cliff vs continuous processing: Poshmark charges $2.95 flat under $15 and 20% at $15 and above, while Depop stays at 3.3% + $0.45; Depop nets more at $25, $50 and $100.
• eBay vs Poshmark fees: 13.6% + $0.40 against the 20% tier: eBay’s percent plus fixed per order beats Poshmark’s 20% at $25, $50 and $100.
• Mercari vs Whatnot fees: 10% all-in vs 8% plus processing: Mercari’s single 10% nets more than Whatnot’s 8% + 2.9% + $0.30 at shipping $0; on a $25 item, buyer-paid shipping above about $7.39 flips it toward Whatnot.
• Poshmark vs Whatnot fees: 20% tier vs 8% plus processing: Whatnot nets more at $25, $50 and $100 because 8% plus 2.9% + $0.30 stays under 20% at every one of those prices.

Single-platform seller fee estimators

If you already know where you want to sell, each estimator applies that platform’s fee shape to your price.

• eBay seller fees and take-home estimator: percent plus a fixed amount per order.
• Depop seller fees and take-home estimator: 0% selling fee, payment processing only.
• Mercari seller fees and take-home estimator: 10% all-in.
• Poshmark seller fees and take-home estimator: tiered, with the $15 cliff.
• Vinted seller fees and take-home estimator: 0% seller fee; the buyer pays Vinted’s fee at checkout.
• Whatnot seller fees and take-home estimator: commission plus payment processing.

Where the numbers come from

Every rate on this page comes from Feebrief’s published fee file, fees.json, last updated 2026-10-26. Sources, as-of rules, rounding, the shipping $0 convention and the full exclusion list are documented in how Feebrief estimates seller fees. Feebrief is independent and not affiliated with eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, Depop, Vinted or Whatnot.