Whatnot vs eBay Fees
For US sellers, Whatnot charges a commission on the item price only, 8% in most categories at the Standard tier (4% for Coins), plus payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 on the item, shipping and tax. eBay charges 13.6% in most categories on the item, shipping and sales tax, plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 if the order total is $10 or less). eBay Live orders pay 6% commission (4% for coins, bullion and athletic shoes), capped at $100 per item, plus 2.9% + $0.30 per order, also on the total. On a $50 sale with no shipping or tax, in Whatnot's Other category at the Standard tier, that's $5.75 in Whatnot fees and $7.20 in eBay fees. An eBay Live order of the same sale pays $4.75. Fees checked October 24, 2026 against both marketplaces' own pages.
Fees checked against each marketplace's own pages: Whatnot , eBay , eBay Live .
Coming up (): Whatnot ends the Premier Shop commission discount. The calculator leaves that discount out, so its rates are already the ones from November 1.
Coming up (): eBay starts moving eligible US sellers to an eBay balance, with payouts on demand by default. Payouts aren't part of these fees, so no numbers change.
Coming up (): Last day of eBay Live's $0.10 per-order fee on orders of $10 or less (a promotion). Until then the calculator uses $0.10 on those orders. After that, eBay's page lists $0.30; we'll recheck it then and update the calculator.
Fee changes we've recorded →
Fee breakdown, side by side
| Whatnot | eBay |
|---|
Fees at common prices
| Item price | Whatnot | eBay | eBay trading cards | eBay Live |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $1.39 | $1.66 | $1.63 | $0.99 |
| $15.00 | $1.94 | $2.44 | $2.39 | $1.64 |
| $25.00 | $3.03 | $3.80 | $3.71 | $2.53 |
| $50.00 | $5.75 | $7.20 | $7.03 | $4.75 |
| $100.00 | $11.20 | $14.00 | $13.65 | $9.20 |
| $250.00 | $27.55 | $34.40 | $33.53 | $22.55 |
| $2,000.00 | $218.30 | $272.40 | $265.40 | $158.30 |
Marketplace fees only, US sellers, no shipping and no sales tax. Whatnot: 8% commission at the Standard tier (every category except Coins). eBay trading cards: 13.25%. eBay Live: the 6% group (every category except coins, bullion and athletic shoes, so trading cards too), commission capped at $100, and a $0.10 per-order fee on orders of $10 or less through December 31, 2026. eBay and eBay Live also charge on shipping and sales tax; Whatnot charges only its 2.9% processing on them.
For sales with no shipping or sales tax: Whatnot costs less than eBay at every item price from $1 to $2,000. For trading cards with no shipping or sales tax: Whatnot costs less than eBay at every item price from $1 to $2,000. For sales with no shipping or sales tax: eBay Live costs less than Whatnot at every item price from $1 to $2,000. For sales with $8 shipping the buyer pays on both, no tax: Whatnot costs less than eBay at every item price from $1 to $2,000. For trading cards with $8 shipping the buyer pays on both, no tax: Whatnot costs less than eBay at every item price from $1 to $2,000. For sales with $8 shipping the buyer pays on both, no tax: Whatnot costs less below about $24.00, eBay Live from about $24.00.
How the fees differ
| Whatnot | eBay | |
|---|---|---|
| Main fee | Commission on the item price only: 8% at the Standard tier in every category except Coins (4%). Shipping and tax aren't included. | 13.6% final value fee in most categories, on the total including shipping and sales tax, plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 if the order total is $10 or less). |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 on the item price, shipping and tax. | Included in the final value fee. |
| Volume discounts | Sales tiers: your sales in a four-week period set a lower rate for the next one, down to 4% for Other and 6.5% for Sports and trading card games at Tier 6. | eBay Store subscriptions have their own rates, not covered here. |
| Cards and coins | Trading card games and Sports 8%, Coins 4% at the Standard tier. | Trading cards and comic books 13.25%, coins and paper money (not bullion) 13.25%. |
| Shipping | The buyer pays shipping at checkout for Whatnot's prepaid label, including Whatnot's handling fee. No commission is charged on it, but the 2.9% processing fee is. | You set the shipping, the buyer pays it to you and the final value fee is charged on it. With free domestic shipping, there's no fee on shipping, but you pay the label. |
| Live selling | The same fees apply to live shows and marketplace sales; for live sales the rate follows the show's category. | eBay Live orders (placed during a live event) pay 6% commission, or 4% for coins, bullion and athletic shoes, capped at $100 per item, plus 2.9% + $0.30 per order, all on the total including shipping and tax. Trading cards are in the 6% group. Orders placed outside a show or after it ends pay standard eBay fees. |
| Small orders | The same 2.9% + $0.30 processing on every order. | eBay Live: $0.10 per-order fee instead of $0.30 on orders of $10 or less, through December 31, 2026 (a promotion). Standard eBay: $0.30 instead of $0.40 when the order total is $10 or less. |
| High-value orders | In eligible categories, the part of an order above $1,500 pays 0% commission (a limited-time promotion; not applied here). | In most categories, the part of the total above $7,500 pays 2.35%. |
Single-marketplace calculators: Whatnot Fee Calculator · eBay Fee Calculator
Where these numbers come from
Fees checked on October 24, 2026 against each marketplace's own help pages. Rates are for US sellers. Each marketplace shows your exact fees on each order; small differences can come from rounding.
- Whatnot Help: Whatnot seller fees
- Whatnot Help: Reduced commission on high-value orders
- Whatnot Help: Shipping for sellers in the US
- eBay Help: Selling fees
- eBay Help: General campaign strategy (Promoted Listings ad fee)
- eBay Help: Getting paid for items you've sold (checked October 25, 2026)
- eBay Help: eBay Live selling fees (checked October 25, 2026)
Questions
Is Whatnot or eBay cheaper to sell on?
Against a standard eBay listing, usually Whatnot. It charges 8% commission on the item price only, plus 2.9% + $0.30 processing, while eBay charges 13.6% plus $0.40 on a total that includes shipping and tax. At the Standard tier, Whatnot costs less at every item price from $1 to $2,000 against eBay's most categories and against eBay's 13.25% for trading cards, with no shipping and with $8 shipping. eBay Live is different: its 6% commission plus 2.9% is below Whatnot's 8% plus 2.9%, so with no shipping or tax eBay Live costs less at every item price from $1 to $2,000. Because eBay Live charges on shipping too, with $8 shipping the buyer pays Whatnot costs less below about $24.00 and eBay Live from about $24.00. Pick eBay Live at the top of the calculator to compare a show.
Do Whatnot and eBay charge fees on shipping?
Whatnot doesn't charge commission on shipping or tax, but its 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee is charged on the total the buyer pays, shipping included. The buyer's shipping pays for Whatnot's prepaid label, so it isn't your income. eBay's final value fee is charged on the total amount of the sale, which includes shipping and sales tax.
How are eBay Live fees calculated?
An eBay Live order pays one final value fee made of two parts, both on the total amount of the sale, including the item price, shipping and tax: a commission of 4% for coins, bullion and athletic shoes or 6% for every other category, capped at $100 per item, and payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per order. So it's 6.9% on the first $2,500 (or 8.9% on the first $1,667) and 2.9% above that. Through December 31, 2026, the per-order fee is $0.10 on orders of $10 or less. There's no insertion fee, and a listing promoted with a Promoted Listings General campaign pays no ad fee when it sells on eBay Live. Only orders placed during a live event count; orders placed outside a show or after it ends pay standard eBay fees. eBay doesn't say how the two parts are rounded, so this calculator adds them and rounds once.
Are trading cards 4% or 6% on eBay Live?
6%. eBay Live's 4% group covers coins (all Coins & Paper Money except bullion), bullion, and men's and women's athletic shoes. Trading cards fall under all other categories, so a card sold in a show pays 6% commission plus 2.9% + $0.30, against Whatnot's 8% at the Standard tier on the item price plus 2.9% + $0.30. On a standard eBay listing, trading cards pay 13.25%.
How do Whatnot's sales tiers change the numbers?
Your total sales across all categories in a four-week period set your tier for the next period, and every period starts from zero. The Standard tier covers $0 to $14,999 in sales. At Tier 6 ($500,000 or more) the public rates go down to 4% for Other, 4.5% for Fashion, 6.5% for Sports and trading card games, and 3.5% for Coins. Pick your category and tier in More options; processing stays the same at every tier.
What does this comparison leave out?
On Whatnot: promotional rates (such as new-seller 0% fees), the 0% commission above $1,500 on eligible high-value orders, the $4.36 signature fee on $500+ orders and shipping label adjustments. On eBay: Store subscriptions, the 1.65% international fee when you don't use eBay International Shipping, the 3.25% currency conversion charge and the extra fee for Below Standard sellers. On eBay Live: case breaks, and orders with more than one item (the commission cap is per item; this calculator treats each order as one item).