eBay charges store subscribers a reduced Final Value Fee of 9.35% for Consumer Electronics sales up to $2,500, compared to the 13.6% standard rate casual sellers pay on electronics listed in general categories. Casual sellers listing Consumer Electronics pay 13.6% because the discounted 9.35% rate applies exclusively to store subscriber accounts at the Basic tier and above. Cell Phones and Smartphones also qualify for the 9.35% store subscriber rate. Computers, laptops, and tablets listed in the Computers category pay 7.35% for store subscribers. Video Game Consoles pay 7.35% for store subscribers. The per-order fee of $0.40 applies to all electronics sales above $10.
Electronics is one of the highest-traffic selling categories on eBay. eBay competes for electronics sellers against Amazon, Newegg, and Swappa. The reduced store subscriber rates in electronics categories reflect this competition. A store subscriber selling $5,000 per month in Consumer Electronics saves $213.75 per month in Final Value Fees compared to paying the standard 13.6% casual seller rate.
What Is the eBay Electronics Final Value Fee and Who Qualifies for the Reduced Rate?
The eBay Consumer Electronics Final Value Fee for store subscribers is 9.35% on sales up to $2,500, then 2.35% on any amount above $2,500. The 9.35% rate applies to store subscribers at the Basic, Premium, Anchor, and Enterprise tiers. Casual sellers without a store subscription pay 13.6% on Consumer Electronics listings, the same as most standard categories.
Consumer Electronics is an eBay category that includes televisions, audio equipment, portable audio devices, cameras, and related consumer technology. The category classification follows eBay’s category taxonomy, and the 9.35% rate applies when the item is listed in the Consumer Electronics category or qualifying subcategories.
The 4.25 percentage point difference between the casual seller rate (13.6%) and the store subscriber rate (9.35%) is the largest single-category fee reduction available through a store subscription. A store subscriber selling a $500 television pays $46.75 in Final Value Fees (9.35% of $500). A casual seller selling the same $500 television pays $68.00 (13.6% of $500). The store subscriber saves $21.25 on this single transaction.
The 9.35% rate is the first tier. Sales above $2,500 use the second-tier rate of 2.35% on the excess. A store subscriber selling a $3,000 home theater system pays $2,500 times 9.35% ($233.75) plus $500 times 2.35% ($11.75), totaling $245.50 in Final Value Fees.
What Are eBay Final Value Fee Rates for Specific Electronics Subcategories?
eBay applies different Final Value Fee rates to specific electronics subcategories for store subscribers. Consumer Electronics pays 9.35%. Cell Phones and Smartphones pay 9.35%. Cameras and Photo items pay 9.35%. Computers (laptops, desktops, select tablets) pay 7.35%. Video Game Consoles pay 7.35%. All of these rates apply to store subscribers only on sales up to $2,500.
The table below shows Final Value Fee rates for electronics categories for casual sellers and store subscribers. Source: eBay Store Selling Fees Help Page, effective February 14, 2025.
| Electronics Category | Casual Seller Rate | Store Subscriber Rate | First Tier Cap | Second Tier Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Electronics | 13.6% | 9.35% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
| Cell Phones and Smartphones | 13.6% | 9.35% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
| Cameras and Photo (most items) | 13.6% | 9.35% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
| Computers (select laptops, desktops, tablets) | 13.6% | 7.35% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
| Video Game Consoles | 13.6% | 7.35% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
| Video Games (software) | 15.3% | 14.95% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
| PC and Video Game Accessories | 13.6% | 12.7% | $2,500 | 2.35% |
Video Games as a software category follows the media category rate (15.3% casual, 14.95% store subscriber) rather than the electronics rate. A seller listing physical video game discs pays the media rate. A seller listing a gaming console pays the Video Game Consoles rate of 7.35%.
How Do eBay Electronics Fees Compare to Amazon Seller Fees for Electronics?
Amazon charges an 8% referral fee for Electronics in most subcategories and 6% for Personal Computers, compared to eBay’s 7.35% store subscriber rate for Computers and 9.35% for Consumer Electronics. Amazon charges a lower referral fee for electronics than eBay’s store subscriber rate in most electronics subcategories, but Amazon charges $39.99 per month for the Professional selling plan.
Amazon is the largest online marketplace in the United States by gross merchandise value. Amazon’s referral fee for Consumer Electronics is 8% of the sale price. Amazon’s referral fee for Personal Computers is 6%. These rates apply to the item price only, not to shipping, making direct comparison with eBay’s total-sale-based fee calculation require adjustment.
A $500 laptop on Amazon incurs a $30.00 referral fee (6% of $500) plus $39.99/12 in monthly plan cost for Professional sellers, equaling $33.33 per unit if the seller sells one laptop per month. An eBay Basic Store subscriber selling the same $500 laptop pays $36.75 (7.35% of $500) plus $21.95/12, equaling $3.83 per unit in subscription cost. The total eBay cost is $40.58 per unit for one sale per month.
The comparison shifts as sales volume increases. At 10 laptops per month on Amazon, the Professional plan cost is $4.00 per unit ($39.99 divided by 10), producing a total Amazon cost per unit of $34.00. At 10 laptops per month on eBay, the subscription cost per unit is $2.20 ($21.95 divided by 10), producing a total eBay cost of $38.95 per unit. Amazon’s lower referral fee for computers makes it less expensive than eBay for computer sales at moderate to high volumes.
What Are the eBay Fees for Selling Refurbished and Used Electronics?
Used and refurbished electronics listings on eBay pay the same Final Value Fee rates as new electronics listings in the same category. The condition of the item does not change the fee rate. A used iPhone listed in Cell Phones and Smartphones and a new iPhone in the same category both pay 9.35% Final Value Fee for store subscribers.
Used electronics on eBay include items listed with condition codes: Used, For Parts or Not Working, Seller Refurbished, Manufacturer Refurbished, and Certified Refurbished. The condition code affects buyer trust, listing visibility in search filters, and eBay’s eBay Refurbished program eligibility, but does not change the applicable Final Value Fee rate.
eBay Refurbished is a dedicated section of eBay for professionally refurbished electronics with buyer protection guarantees. Sellers who qualify for eBay Refurbished listing status are typically manufacturer-authorized refurbishers or large-scale professional refurbishers. eBay Refurbished listings may have different promotional fee structures than standard listings, announced separately by eBay.
Swappa is a competing electronics resale marketplace that specializes in smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Swappa charges sellers a flat listing fee rather than a percentage of the sale price. The Swappa listing fee for phones is $50 for listings priced at $1,000 or above and a tiered flat fee for lower price points. For a $300 used iPhone, Swappa’s flat fee is $18. eBay’s fee on the same $300 sale for a store subscriber is $28.05 (9.35% of $300) plus $0.40 per-order fee, totaling $28.45.