Comparison · general
eBay vs Facebook Marketplace
Which marketplace has lower fees for resellers — and when does each one win?
Two completely different selling philosophies: eBay's shipped-nationwide marketplace versus Facebook Marketplace's local-pickup-first model.
Quick verdict on fees
Across 6 common sale prices ($25-$1,000), eBay nets more on 0 and Facebook Marketplace nets more on 6. Overall: Facebook Marketplace is the cheaper choice in this band.
Net payout at common sale prices
| Sale price | eBay fees | eBay net | Facebook Marketplace fees | Facebook Marketplace net | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | −$3.80 · 15.2% | $21.20 | −$1.25 · 5.0% | $23.75 | +$2.55 |
| $50.00 | −$7.20 · 14.4% | $42.80 | −$2.50 · 5.0% | $47.50 | +$4.70 |
| $100.00 | −$14.00 · 14.0% | $86.00 | −$5.00 · 5.0% | $95.00 | +$9.00 |
| $250.00 | −$34.40 · 13.8% | $215.60 | −$12.50 · 5.0% | $237.50 | +$21.90 |
| $500.00 | −$68.40 · 13.7% | $431.60 | −$25.00 · 5.0% | $475.00 | +$43.40 |
| $1,000.00 | −$136.40 · 13.6% | $863.60 | −$50.00 · 5.0% | $950.00 | +$86.40 |
Net payout = sale price + shipping charged − platform fees. Both platforms calculated with default options and no shipping charged to buyer.
Fee structure
eBay
Open calculator →Auctions and fixed-price marketplace for general goods
- The Final Value Fee (FVF) is calculated on the total amount the buyer pays — item price + shipping + handling + sales tax.
- Per-order fee is tiered: $0.30 on orders of $10.00 or less and $0.40 on orders over $10.00. It is charged once per buyer purchase regardless of how many items are in the order, and is waived entirely on Athletic Shoes sold at $150 or more.
- When the buyer's registered address is outside the US, eBay adds an international fee of 1.65% to the entire order total.
- Promoted Listings Standard charges your chosen ad rate only when the sale is attributed to a click on the ad within the last 30 days.
Facebook Marketplace
Open calculator →Local pickup and shipped sales via Meta's marketplace
- Local pickup is completely free — no selling fee, no processing fee. Fees only apply when you sell with shipping.
- For shipped orders Meta's help centre states a 5% selling fee per shipment, or a flat $0.40 on shipments of $8.00 or less. That is the rate modelled here.
- IMPORTANT — Meta's own documents disagree. The Commerce/merchant policies at facebook.com/legal/merchant_policies state that 'Meta will charge Individual Sellers a fee of 10% per transaction, with a minimum fee of $0.80', calculated on the entire transaction including shipping and applicable taxes. We could not reconcile the two from Meta's public pages, so we model the lower, more widely reported help-centre rate and flag the discrepancy rather than pick a side. Check your own payout breakdown before pricing thin margins.
- The fee is calculated on the sale total including the shipping the buyer pays, not the item price alone.
Audience & fit
Local pickup on Facebook Marketplace is free — no platform fees at all. That makes it the cheapest option for furniture, appliances, large items, or anything that's not worth shipping. eBay wins for shippable items where you need national reach. Many resellers use both: Facebook for bulky/local, eBay for shippable.
The bottom line
These two aren't really competitors — they're two different distribution models, and the right one is set by the item. Facebook Marketplace's local pickup is completely free: no selling fee, no processing, no shipping. eBay charges about 13.6% but hands you a shipped, nationwide audience.
For furniture, appliances, exercise equipment, and anything bulky or low-value-per-pound, Facebook Marketplace wins outright — shipping would erase the margin, and local buyers pay cash on pickup. The costs are non-monetary: you're limited to your metro area, no-shows and lowballing are common, and there's no buyer protection or payout guarantee. For small, shippable, nationally-desirable items, eBay's reach routinely nets more even after its fee, because the right buyer anywhere in the country can find your listing.
Most resellers don't pick a side — they route by item. Bulky and local goes to Facebook; small and shippable goes to eBay. The two complement each other rather than compete.
Frequently asked
How are eBay seller fees calculated?
eBay charges a Final Value Fee (FVF) as a percentage of the total amount the buyer pays — item price plus shipping plus handling plus sales tax. The FVF rate varies by category (13.6% for most categories, 13.25% for trading cards, 8% for Athletic Shoes over $150, 15.3% for books/movies/music, 15% for jewelry, lower rates for heavy equipment). eBay also adds a per-order fee of $0.30 on orders up to $10.00 and $0.40 above that, and a 1.65% international fee if the buyer is outside the US.
Does eBay charge fees on shipping?
Yes. The Final Value Fee is applied to the item price plus the shipping the buyer pays, so charging more for shipping does not save you fees — it just shifts which line item the fees come from. Free shipping (where shipping is built into the item price) results in the same total fees.
Is local pickup on Facebook Marketplace really free?
Yes. Facebook Marketplace charges zero fees on local pickup transactions where the buyer and seller arrange the exchange directly without using Facebook's payment or shipping integration. The 5% fee only applies when you use Facebook's shipping option for delivered orders.
Is the Facebook Marketplace selling fee 5% or 10%?
Meta's own documents disagree, and we'd rather say so than guess. The Meta Business Help Centre states 5% per shipment (or a flat $0.40 on shipments of $8.00 or less), and that is what most sellers report seeing. But Meta's commerce policies at facebook.com/legal/merchant_policies state that 'Meta will charge Individual Sellers a fee of 10% per transaction, with a minimum fee of $0.80', calculated on the whole transaction including shipping and taxes. We model the 5% figure because it matches the help centre and seller reports, but if you're pricing on thin margins, check an actual payout breakdown in your own account before you rely on either number.
More comparisons
See all comparisons →Want to run the numbers on your specific sale?