Whatnot vs eBay Fees

In the US, Whatnot leaves you more: on a $60 card with $5 postage and 8% sales tax, Whatnot’s commission and processing come to $7.14 and eBay’s fees to $9.95, $2.81 more for you on Whatnot. In the UK, a private seller keeps more on eBay, which charges them nothing; a business seller keeps more on Whatnot, before the VAT Whatnot adds to its fees.

Fees checked 7 October 2026 on Whatnot’s and eBay’s own pages. See the sources.

Whatnot leaves you $2.81 more

on this sale, after fees and your costs: Whatnot $22.86, eBay $20.05.

Whatnot

You receive $52.86

Fees: $7.14
Profit: $22.86
Margin: 38.1%

Commission (8%, Standard)on the item price only	$4.80
Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30)on the whole order: price, postage and sales tax	$2.34
Total fees	$7.14

Nothing added to your buyer’s price.

eBay

You receive $55.05

Fees: $9.95
Profit: $20.05
Margin: 30.8%

Final value fee (13.6% / 2.35% by slice)on price, postage and sales tax	$9.55
Per-order feeorder over $10	$0.40
Total fees	$9.95

Nothing added to your buyer’s price.

Not in these totals

Whatnot: Whatnot’s limited-time 0% commission on the part of an order over $1,500 in some categories (not applied)
eBay: The Below Standard surcharge (only if eBay rates your service Below Standard)
eBay: An eBay Store subscription: pick one in the calculator to see its monthly price and its rates
eBay: Optional listing upgrades

Remember my choices on this device (where you sell, seller type, tax rate and how you are paid; never a price; untick to delete)

Whatnot and eBay fees at common prices

United States: each platform’s standard options
Item price	You keep on Whatnot	You keep on eBay	Keeps more
$10.00	$8.61 fees $1.39	$8.34 fees $1.66	Whatnot, +$0.27
$25.00	$21.97 fees $3.03	$21.20 fees $3.80	Whatnot, +$0.77
$50.00	$44.25 fees $5.75	$42.80 fees $7.20	Whatnot, +$1.45
$100.00	$88.80 fees $11.20	$86.00 fees $14.00	Whatnot, +$2.80
$250.00	$222.45 fees $27.55	$215.60 fees $34.40	Whatnot, +$6.85
$500.00	$445.20 fees $54.80	$431.60 fees $68.40	Whatnot, +$13.60

United Kingdom: each platform’s standard options
Item price	You keep on Whatnot	You keep on eBay	Keeps more
£5.00	£4.30 fees £0.70	£5.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £0.45	eBay, +£0.70
£10.00	£8.84 fees £1.16	£10.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £0.80	eBay, +£1.16
£20.00	£17.94 fees £2.06	£20.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £1.50	eBay, +£2.06
£50.00	£45.20 fees £4.80	£50.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £2.70	eBay, +£4.80
£100.00	£90.66 fees £9.34	£100.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £4.70	eBay, +£9.34
£300.00	£272.48 fees £27.52	£300.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £12.70	eBay, +£27.52
£500.00	£454.30 fees £45.70	£500.00 fees £0.00; buyer adds £16.70	eBay, +£45.70

The item price only: no postage, no sales tax, a private seller, worked out with the fees checked on 7 October 2026. Postage and tax change the fees on some platforms: put yours in the calculator above.

What differs between Whatnot and eBay

United States
Fee	Whatnot	eBay
Main fees	8% commission at the standard tier (less for coins and for big sellers), plus payment processing	13.6% final value fee in most categories (2.35% on any part of a sale over $7,500; some categories have their own rate), plus $0.30 per order of $10 or less and $0.40 above
Charged on	Commission: the item price only. Processing: the whole order, postage and tax included	The whole order: item price, the postage the buyer pays you, and sales tax
Payment processing	2.9% + $0.30	None charged on its own
Listing an item	No fee in our records	250 free listings a month, then $0.35 each
Added to the buyer’s price	No Whatnot fee added (the buyer pays for postage)	No eBay fee added
Getting paid	No fee in our records	No fee in our records
Sources	Whatnot help: Seller fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; Whatnot help: Reduced commission on high-value orders, checked 7 Oct 2026	eBay US help: Selling fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; eBay US help: Promoted Listings general strategy, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; eBay US help: Store selling fees, checked 8 Oct 2026

United Kingdom
Fee	Whatnot	eBay
Main fees	6.67% commission plus VAT at the standard tier, plus payment processing	Private sellers: no final value fee on most items. Business sellers: a rate by category, £0.30 or £0.40 per order, and a 0.35% regulatory operating fee
Charged on	Commission: the item price only. Processing: the whole order	Business sellers: item price and postage
Payment processing	2.42% + £0.25, plus VAT	None charged on its own
Listing an item	No fee in our records	300 free listings a month for a private seller, then £0.35 each
Added to the buyer’s price	No Whatnot fee added (the buyer pays for postage)	On a private seller’s item, a Buyer Protection fee: £0.10 plus 7% of the first £20, 4% up to £300 and 2% up to £4,000
Getting paid	No fee in our records	No fee in our records
Sources	Whatnot help: Seller fees, checked 7 Oct 2026	eBay UK help: Selling fees (private sellers), checked 7 Oct 2026 ; eBay UK help: Buyer Protection fee, checked 8 Oct 2026 ; eBay UK help: Business selling fees, checked 7 Oct 2026

Each platform’s full fee list, with every source, is on its own calculator page below. Every change we record is on the fee changes page.

What each one charges on

Whatnot splits its charge in two. Its commission, 8% at the standard tier, is on the item price only. Its payment processing, 2.9% + $0.30, is on the whole order: price, postage and sales tax. The buyer pays Whatnot for the postage label. eBay charges 13.6% of everything in the order, plus $0.40, and you buy the label yourself.

On the $60 card above, Whatnot’s two fees are $4.80 and $2.34; eBay’s final value fee alone is $9.55.

Cards, coins and other categories

Both platforms charge by category. A $100 trading card costs $11.20 on Whatnot (8% commission) and $13.65 on eBay, where cards pay 13.25%. Coins are where Whatnot is cheapest: its coin commission is 4%, so a $100 coin costs $7.20, against $13.65 on eBay at 13.25%. Pick the category on our Whatnot fee calculator or the eBay trading card calculator.

Bigger sellers pay less on Whatnot

Whatnot’s commission falls as your sales over the last four weeks grow. From $15,000 it is 7.75% on sports cards and 7% on most other goods, and it keeps falling in later tiers. eBay’s rate does not depend on your sales, but an eBay Store lowers it; the eBay fee calculator shows each Store’s rates.

Whatnot and eBay for UK sellers

A private seller in the UK pays eBay no final value fee, and the buyer pays a Buyer Protection fee instead (£2.30 on a £40 item). Whatnot charges UK sellers 6.67% commission and 2.42% + £0.25 processing, both plus VAT: £3.98 on that sale before VAT. A business seller on eBay pays £6.23 on the same sale in eBay’s “everything else” category, so for a business Whatnot leaves £1.75 more, less the VAT on Whatnot’s fees.

Whatnot vs eBay Fees: questions

Is Whatnot cheaper than eBay?

In the US, yes, at the standard tier: on a $100 item with no postage, Whatnot takes $11.20 and eBay $14.00. In the UK, eBay is cheaper for a private seller, who pays it no selling fee.

Does Whatnot charge fees on shipping?

Its commission does not: it is on the item price only. Its payment processing fee is on the whole order, so the postage and sales tax the buyer pays are part of it. eBay charges its whole fee on postage and tax.

Is it free to sell on Whatnot in the UK, like eBay?

No. eBay is free for most UK private sellers, but Whatnot charges every UK seller commission and processing, plus VAT. On a £50 item that is £4.80 before VAT.

Does Whatnot have a per-order fee like eBay?

Its processing fee has a fixed part, $0.30 per order in the US and £0.25 in the UK. eBay’s per-order fee is $0.30 or $0.40 in the US.

Which is cheaper for coins?

Whatnot, by a long way. Its coin commission is 4% at the standard tier, against eBay’s 13.25% for coins and paper money.