Reproducible scenario data
Marketplace Fee Index 2026: Etsy vs eBay vs Amazon vs Shopify
A reproducible 20-scenario index comparing all-in platform fees for one hypothetical sale across Etsy, eBay, Amazon Individual, and Shopify Basic at five price points, built from 2026 public fee schedules. It models platform fees only — product cost, fulfillment, advertising, and taxes are excluded so the fee stacks stay comparable.
Reviewed August 4, 2026 · Scenario benchmark · Hypothetical inputs, not observed market averages.
What does one sale actually cost on each platform in 2026?
A reproducible 20-scenario index comparing all-in platform fees for one hypothetical sale across Etsy, eBay, Amazon Individual, and Shopify Basic at five price points, built from 2026 public fee schedules. It models platform fees only — product cost, fulfillment, advertising, and taxes are excluded so the fee stacks stay comparable.
Method version fee-index-v1
How were these 20 fee scenarios generated?
Fee models (2026 public schedules): Etsy charges $0.20 per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee on item plus shipping, and about 3% + $0.25 US payment processing. eBay charges a 13.6% most-categories final value fee on the total plus $0.30 per order. Amazon Individual charges a 15% referral fee on the item price plus $0.99 per item sold (merchant-fulfilled; FBA excluded). Shopify Basic charges about 2.9% + $0.30 per online card transaction plus a $39/month subscription, amortized here over an assumed 20 orders per month.
Each row models one sale with $5.00 shipping charged to the buyer. Effective fee percent divides total platform fees by the total sale amount (item + shipping).
What is excluded?
Etsy Offsite Ads (12-15% when attributed), Amazon FBA fulfillment and storage fees, eBay category-specific rates (roughly 3-15%), Shopify annual-billing discounts and third-party gateway surcharges, product cost, taxes, and advertising. Category and plan differences can move any row materially; verify against the official schedule before a pricing decision.
Key findings
- At a $25 item with $5 shipping, all-in platform fees range from about $3.12 (Shopify Basic at 20 orders/month) and $3.30 (Etsy) up to $4.38 (eBay) and $4.74 (Amazon Individual) — an effective take of roughly 10-16% of the sale.
- Amazon Individual's $0.99 per-item fee makes it the most expensive model for low-priced items: about 16.6% effective on a $10 sale.
- Shopify's subscription dominates at very low volume but becomes the cheapest model as price and volume rise — about 3.8% effective on a $250 sale at 20 orders per month.
- eBay sits consistently mid-pack at roughly 13.7-15.6% effective across the price points modeled.
How to cite this dataset
BoringToolsKit (2026), Marketplace Fee Index 2026: Etsy vs eBay vs Amazon vs Shopify, method version fee-index-v1, reviewed August 4, 2026. Include the canonical page URL and your access date.
What assumptions does this benchmark use?
Every row is generated from the displayed inputs and formulas. Values are deliberately hypothetical so the table remains reproducible and does not misrepresent a local rate, platform policy, compensation level, or professional recommendation.
What does the scenario table show?
| Scenario Id | Method Version | Platform | Item Price | Shipping Charged To Buyer | Fee Model | Total Platform Fees | Effective Fee Percent Of Sale | Net Before Product Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| feeindex-etsy-10 | fee-index-v1 | Etsy | 10.00 | 5.00 | listing $0.20 + 6.5% transaction on item+shipping + 3% + $0.25 US payment processing | 1.88 | 12.50 | 13.12 |
| feeindex-ebay-10 | fee-index-v1 | eBay | 10.00 | 5.00 | 13.6% most-categories final value fee on total + $0.30 per order | 2.34 | 15.60 | 12.66 |
| feeindex-amazon-individual-10 | fee-index-v1 | Amazon Individual | 10.00 | 5.00 | 15% referral on item price + $0.99 per item; merchant-fulfilled, FBA excluded | 2.49 | 16.60 | 12.51 |
| feeindex-shopify-basic-10 | fee-index-v1 | Shopify Basic | 10.00 | 5.00 | 2.9% + $0.30 online card rate + $39/mo subscription amortized over 20 orders | 2.69 | 17.90 | 12.31 |
| feeindex-etsy-25 | fee-index-v1 | Etsy | 25.00 | 5.00 | listing $0.20 + 6.5% transaction on item+shipping + 3% + $0.25 US payment processing | 3.30 | 11.00 | 26.70 |
| feeindex-ebay-25 | fee-index-v1 | eBay | 25.00 | 5.00 | 13.6% most-categories final value fee on total + $0.30 per order | 4.38 | 14.60 | 25.62 |
| feeindex-amazon-individual-25 | fee-index-v1 | Amazon Individual | 25.00 | 5.00 | 15% referral on item price + $0.99 per item; merchant-fulfilled, FBA excluded | 4.74 | 15.80 | 25.26 |
| feeindex-shopify-basic-25 | fee-index-v1 | Shopify Basic | 25.00 | 5.00 | 2.9% + $0.30 online card rate + $39/mo subscription amortized over 20 orders | 3.12 | 10.40 | 26.88 |
| feeindex-etsy-50 | fee-index-v1 | Etsy | 50.00 | 5.00 | listing $0.20 + 6.5% transaction on item+shipping + 3% + $0.25 US payment processing | 5.68 | 10.32 | 49.33 |
| feeindex-ebay-50 | fee-index-v1 | eBay | 50.00 | 5.00 | 13.6% most-categories final value fee on total + $0.30 per order | 7.78 | 14.15 | 47.22 |
| feeindex-amazon-individual-50 | fee-index-v1 | Amazon Individual | 50.00 | 5.00 | 15% referral on item price + $0.99 per item; merchant-fulfilled, FBA excluded | 8.49 | 15.44 | 46.51 |
| feeindex-shopify-basic-50 | fee-index-v1 | Shopify Basic | 50.00 | 5.00 | 2.9% + $0.30 online card rate + $39/mo subscription amortized over 20 orders | 3.84 | 6.99 | 51.16 |
| feeindex-etsy-100 | fee-index-v1 | Etsy | 100.00 | 5.00 | listing $0.20 + 6.5% transaction on item+shipping + 3% + $0.25 US payment processing | 10.43 | 9.93 | 94.58 |
| feeindex-ebay-100 | fee-index-v1 | eBay | 100.00 | 5.00 | 13.6% most-categories final value fee on total + $0.30 per order | 14.58 | 13.89 | 90.42 |
| feeindex-amazon-individual-100 | fee-index-v1 | Amazon Individual | 100.00 | 5.00 | 15% referral on item price + $0.99 per item; merchant-fulfilled, FBA excluded | 15.99 | 15.23 | 89.01 |
| feeindex-shopify-basic-100 | fee-index-v1 | Shopify Basic | 100.00 | 5.00 | 2.9% + $0.30 online card rate + $39/mo subscription amortized over 20 orders | 5.29 | 5.04 | 99.70 |
| feeindex-etsy-250 | fee-index-v1 | Etsy | 250.00 | 5.00 | listing $0.20 + 6.5% transaction on item+shipping + 3% + $0.25 US payment processing | 24.67 | 9.68 | 230.32 |
| feeindex-ebay-250 | fee-index-v1 | eBay | 250.00 | 5.00 | 13.6% most-categories final value fee on total + $0.30 per order | 34.98 | 13.72 | 220.02 |
| feeindex-amazon-individual-250 | fee-index-v1 | Amazon Individual | 250.00 | 5.00 | 15% referral on item price + $0.99 per item; merchant-fulfilled, FBA excluded | 38.49 | 15.09 | 216.51 |
| feeindex-shopify-basic-250 | fee-index-v1 | Shopify Basic | 250.00 | 5.00 | 2.9% + $0.30 online card rate + $39/mo subscription amortized over 20 orders | 9.64 | 3.78 | 245.35 |
How should you use these numbers?
Use the table to understand sensitivity, then replace every assumption with current values relevant to your decision. The linked calculator provides editable inputs. Do not treat a hypothetical row as a quote, policy, tariff, compensation survey, or purchase instruction.
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Which calculators apply this method?
What source supports the method or context?
Etsy — Fees and payments policy. This source supports terminology or calculation context; it does not endorse BoringToolsKit’s hypothetical scenario values.
Calculation and publication rules: BoringToolsKit methodology.