1. Mercari’s 2026 "Split" Fee Structure
In January 2025, Mercari backtracked on its "zero-seller-fee" experiment. They realized that shifting all costs to buyers killed sales volume. The new 2026 "split" structure is:
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Selling Fee: 10% (flat) of the item price + buyer-paid shipping.
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Payment Processing: Removed for Sellers. In a bid to stay competitive, Mercari now has buyers pay a 3.6% "Buyer Protection" fee instead of charging the seller the old 2.9% + $0.50 processing fee.
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Payout Fee: $2.00 for direct deposits (standard) or $3.00 for Instant Pay.
The Verdict: Mercari is now the "transparent" choice. You pay exactly 10% of the total transaction, and the buyer covers the "tax" of processing and protection.
2. eBay Fees: The Complexity Trap
eBay remains a category-based labyrinth. While Mercari is flat, eBay's Final Value Fee (FVF) changes based on what you sell. For most categories in 2026:
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Final Value Fee: ~13.25% to 15% (includes payment processing).
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Per-Order Fee: $0.30 (under $10) or $0.40 (over $10).
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The "Double Tax": eBay charges the FVF on the total amount—including sales tax and shipping.
Head-to-Head Comparison
3. Where Sellers Lose Money (The "Hidden" Math)
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The Shipping Surcharge: On both platforms, if the buyer pays $10 for shipping, you pay a fee on that $10.
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On Mercari, that's a $1.00 deduction.
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On eBay, it’s roughly $1.35.
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The Return Sting: In 2026, Mercari’s return policy is more buyer-friendly (allowing returns for any reason within 72 hours). If an item is returned, you often lose out on the initial shipping effort, whereas eBay gives you more "wiggle room" to decline returns if you aren't at fault.
4. Strategic Advice: Which Should You Choose?
I’ve sold everything from $15 vintage tees to $500 electronics, and my data shows a clear split:
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Use Mercari for: Mid-range items ($30–$100) where you want a simple 10% math and don't want to fight for visibility. The buyer-paid processing fee means you keep more of your list price.
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Use eBay for: High-volume scaling or niche items (collectibles/car parts). eBay’s audience is 10x larger than Mercari's. Even if the fee is 3% higher, an item that sells in 2 days on eBay vs. 2 months on Mercari is a win for your cash flow.
What Are Mercari Fees? (The Simple Breakdown)
Mercari has always marketed itself as the "simple" platform—especially around pricing—and in many ways, that’s true. Unlike eBay’s category-based fee labyrinth, Mercari’s structure feels almost refreshingly blunt:
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10% Selling Fee
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2.9% + $0.50 Payment Processing Fee
That’s it. No category premiums. No promoted listing surcharges unless you opt in. No extra cuts tucked into the fine print.
Here's where it gets interesting... Mercari’s model works best for sellers who prefer predictability. When I listed over 200 items between 2021 and 2023, the fees were almost identical across everything—electronics, shoes, small accessories, and even some home goods. I didn’t have to guess what the fee would be. It just was.
My Anecdote: In December 2022, I sold a Patagonia Better Sweater for $68.
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Mercari Fee: $6.80
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Processing Fee: $2.27
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Total Fees: $9.07 The same sweater sold for me on eBay a year later at a similar price, and the fee structure looked nothing alike. The eBay fee was higher because I had unintentionally opted into a higher promoted listing rate.
The Hidden Cost: Mercari Processing Fee
This is the part many sellers underestimate—especially the $0.50 portion (recently updated from $0.30 in some contexts, but standard processing remains consistent). Mercari charges 2.9% + $0.50 on every transaction. So if you’re selling cheaper items, that fixed $0.50 becomes a larger percentage of the sale.
Example Math:
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Sale Price: $12
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Processing Fee: 2.9% → $0.35 + $0.50
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Total Processing: $0.85
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Plus 10% Fee: $1.20
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Total Fees: $2.05
That’s over 17% of the sale price going to fees. Now compare that to eBay, where processing fees are similar, but your category fee may be higher or lower depending on the item.
Honest Failure: I incorrectly priced a $10 Funko Pop assuming the fee impact would be negligible. It wasn’t. I lost around 25% margin because I didn’t factor in the fixed processing cost. It was a mess financially, but highly educational.
I use Closo to automate my pricing calculations – saves me about 3 hours weekly of manually crunching these numbers to ensure I don't lose money on low-cost items.
eBay Fees: The Complexity Trap
eBay is... complicated. Not in a bad way necessarily, but definitely not intuitive. eBay fees vary by category. For most categories in 2026, you are looking at:
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Final Value Fee: ~13.25% on the total sale price (including shipping & tax).
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Transaction Fee: $0.30 per order.
But wait, there's more... The real kicker is Promoted Listings. Most sellers don’t talk about this enough. If you turn on eBay’s Promoted Listings (and most sellers do to get visibility), the "fee" becomes an ad rate multiplied by the sale price.
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2% promoted = 2% extra fee.
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10% promoted = 10% extra fee. The average category now sits around 7–12% for competitive niches. Mercari has no equivalent mandatory ad spend to get basic visibility.
My Anecdote: In October 2023, I sold a vintage Sony Walkman for $140.
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Promoted Listing Fee: 9.2%
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Total Combined Fees: ~20% Was it worth it? Maybe. It sold in 3 days. But imagine this same sale on Mercari—the fee would’ve been around 13% total. That’s a meaningful difference in net profit.
Mercari Fees vs eBay: Head-to-Head Comparison
When you stack Mercari fees vs eBay, the winner depends entirely on your selling style and item value.
Opinion: I genuinely believe Mercari’s straightforward model is better for new sellers learning pricing. But for experts with niche categories like rare sneakers or professional camera equipment, eBay's complex structure often hides better margins if you know how to navigate the store subscriptions.
Poshmark Fees: The Third Player
Why include this? Because a lot of sellers compare all three simultaneously. Poshmark keeps it even simpler, but more expensive.
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Flat 20% fee on sales above $15.
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Flat $2.95 fee below $15.
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No separate payment processing fee.
If you sell a $100 jacket:
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Poshmark takes: $20.00
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Mercari takes: ~$13.40
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eBay takes: ~$13.55 (without promotions)
Poshmark becomes the most expensive in almost all categories except for heavy items where their flat-rate shipping saves the buyer money, potentially allowing you to price higher.
Which Platform Gives Better Net Profit?
Short answer: It depends on the category. Long answer: Let me break it down from real numbers. Across 300+ items I tracked:
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Mercari net profit margin: Averaged 87% of sale price.
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eBay net profit margin: Ranged 71–84% of sale price.
The range is the problem. Stability matters for pricing. I still believe eBay is a better place for large-scale sellers due to volume—but Mercari gives you far fewer headaches around predicting what you actually keep. (And yes, that’s an opinion, not a fact, but it's based on my spreadsheets.)
Now the tricky part... Mercari doesn’t have the massive buyer demand of eBay. I’ve had items like Lululemon leggingsor Carhartt jackets sit for 45+ days simply because Mercari’s buyer pool wasn’t broad enough. Their algorithm tends to reward active sellers more than large-inventory sellers, which can be frustrating if you are trying to "set it and forget it."
I use Closo to cross-list my inventory to both platforms – saves me about 3 hours weekly of trying to guess where an item will sell best. I just list it on both and let the market decide.
People always ask me...
Is eBay cheaper than Mercari?
This is the most common question I see in seller communities. The general rule is:
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Cheap Items (<$15): Mercari is usually cheaper due to lower fixed fees than Poshmark, but eBay might edge it out depending on the category.
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Mid-Range ($40–$100): Mercari is almost always cheaper because of the flat 10%.
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High-Value ($150+): eBay can sometimes win if you have a Store Subscription that lowers your Final Value Fees, provided you don't overspend on Promoted Listings.
Does Mercari charge fees on shipping?
No, Mercari does not charge the 10% selling fee on the shipping cost if the buyer pays for shipping. However, the payment processing fee (2.9% + $0.50) is charged on the total transaction amount, which includes shipping. eBay, by contrast, charges its full Final Value Fee (13.25%) on the shipping cost as well.
Conclusion
After five years of testing, hundreds of items sold, and probably too many spreadsheets, here’s the truth: there is no universal winner in Mercari fees vs eBay. Mercari is simpler and often cheaper, especially under $100. eBay gives more reach but punishes you with promoted listing fees if you’re not careful. And there are limitations on both sides—Mercari’s smaller buyer pool, eBay’s complexity, and the risk of mispricing.
The best move is to cross-list, test, and track net profit across several months. If you want predictable fees and fewer surprises? Mercari. If you want scale and buyer volume? eBay. Either way, know the numbers first.
Start cross-listing with Closo today—because the only thing worse than paying fees is paying fees on an item that never sells.
