eBay Fees for Selling Coins and Bullion: Specialized Rate, Weight Rules, and Precious Metals Policy
eBay charges casual sellers 13.25% Final Value Fee on Coins and Paper Money sales (excluding Bullion) up to $7,500, then 2.35% above $7,500.
Coins and Paper Money is the eBay category for numismatic items: coins, currency notes, tokens, medals, stamps, and related collectibles. Bullion is a separate subcategory for investment-grade precious metals sold by weight and purity rather than numismatic value. The distinction between the two subcategories is commercially important because the fee rates for store subscribers differ significantly.
What Is the eBay Final Value Fee for Coins and Collectible Currency?
The eBay Final Value Fee for Coins and Paper Money (excluding Bullion) is 13.25% for casual sellers on sales up to $7,500, then 2.35% above $7,500. Store subscribers pay a significantly reduced rate of 9% up to $2,500, then 2.35% above $2,500. The 4.25 percentage point reduction for store subscribers is the second-largest single-category store subscription discount after Consumer Electronics (4.25 points).
Coins and Paper Money includes numismatic coins, currency notes, paper money, exonumia (tokens, medals, elongated coins), and philatelic items (stamps, postal history). All of these items carry the 13.25% casual seller rate or the 9% store subscriber rate.
A casual seller listing a Morgan silver dollar at $150 pays 13.25% of $150, equaling $19.88 in Final Value Fees plus $0.40 per-order fee. A Basic Store subscriber listing the same coin pays 9% of $150, equaling $13.50 plus $0.40. The store subscriber saves $6.38 on this single transaction.
The 9% store subscriber rate for Coins and Paper Money makes this category one of the highest-value store subscription scenarios for category-specific sellers. A coin dealer with $5,000 in monthly sales saves $212.50 per month in Final Value Fees ($5,000 times 4.25%) compared to casual seller rates. The $21.95 Basic Store cost produces a net monthly saving of $190.55.
How Do Grading Services Affect Coin Selling Prices on eBay?
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) are the 2 major third-party coin grading services. PCGS and NGC assign standardized grades (MS-60 through MS-70 for Mint State coins, PR-60 through PR-70 for proof coins) that buyers use to verify coin condition independently. PCGS-graded and NGC-graded coins typically sell at premiums of 20% to 300% above ungraded coins of the same type, depending on the grade and rarity. The higher sale prices from graded coins increase the Final Value Fee dollar amount while maintaining the same rate.
What Is the eBay Final Value Fee for Gold and Silver Bullion?
The eBay Final Value Fee for Bullion (gold, silver, and platinum coins, bars, and rounds) is 13.25% for casual sellers on sales up to $7,500, then 2.35% above $7,500. Store subscribers pay 12.35% up to $2,500, then 2.35% above. The Bullion rate for store subscribers is only 0.9 points below the casual seller rate, providing significantly less savings than the Coins and Paper Money rate reduction of 4.25 points.
Bullion is defined as investment-grade precious metals sold primarily for their intrinsic metal value rather than collectible value. Gold American Eagles, Silver American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, South African Krugerrands, and silver bars from refiners including Engelhard and Johnson Matthey are all Bullion category items.
The Bullion rate of 13.25% is high relative to precious metal profit margins. Gold bullion sellers typically earn 1% to 3% above spot price on bullion coin sales. A 13.25% Final Value Fee on a $2,000 gold American Eagle consumes $264.50 in fees, representing more than 5 times the typical dealer margin above spot price. This fee structure makes eBay economically inefficient for bullion dealers selling at or near spot price.
Apmex, JM Bullion, and SD Bullion are dedicated online precious metals dealers that sell bullion at 2% to 4% above spot price to buyers but do not facilitate peer-to-peer bullion sales in a marketplace model. eBay's marketplace model allows peer-to-peer bullion transactions but at 13.25% seller fees. This fee level is sustainable only for sellers who acquire bullion significantly below spot price.
How Do eBay Coin Fees Compare to Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers?
Heritage Auctions charges coin sellers a buyer's premium of 20% collected from the buyer, with no seller commission on most consignments. Stack's Bowers charges a negotiated seller's commission of 0% to 5% depending on lot value, plus a buyer's premium of 17.5% to 20%. eBay charges the seller 13.25% with no buyer premium. The total transaction cost differs by who bears each fee.
Heritage Auctions is the largest US coin auction house by annual sales volume. Heritage operates both live floor auctions and internet-only auctions. The 20% buyer's premium Heritage charges buyers is added to the winning bid. The seller receives the hammer price minus any negotiated seller's commission. High-value consignments with individual lot values above $25,000 often receive 0% seller's commission from Heritage.
Stack's Bowers Galleries is the second-largest US rare coin auction house. Stack's Bowers also uses a buyer's premium model, with the buyer paying 17.5% on hammer prices above $10,000 and 20% on hammer prices at or below $10,000. Sellers with rare coins consigned at Stack's Bowers typically negotiate seller's commissions between 0% and 5%.
eBay's advantage for coin sellers is immediacy and no minimum lot value. Heritage and Stack's Bowers have minimum consignment values and auction schedules with 60 to 90 day lead times. eBay allows a coin seller to list immediately and sell within days for immediate cash flow. The 13.25% Final Value Fee is the cost of that immediacy and flexibility.
—
*Source: eBay Seller Fees Help Page, effective February 14, 2025. Heritage Auctions Buyer's Premium Page. Stack's Bowers Consignment Terms.*
