Selling online is rewarding, but knowing platform fees is key to maximizing your profits! Each marketplace brings unique perks and fee structures that affect what you actually take home. These fees cover essentials like hosting, payment processing, and reaching your audience—and they can really vary across platforms. This guide breaks down popular reselling sites, explains their fees, and highlights the best places for different product types, giving you the insights to make savvy choices for listing and pricing. Let’s make those sales work for you!
Platform Fee Breakdown:
1. Poshmark – Simple and Straightforward fee structure
Poshmark’s fee structure is easy to understand, making it one of the most beginner friendly platforms. Recently, they experimented with changing their fees but have decided to keep the original fee structure for good. It has relatively high fees compared to other marketplaces, which makes it more suitable for higher value items.
Fee structure🧾:
20% of the sale price for items over $15.
Flat $2.95 fee for items under $15.
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
Fees: $5
You Make 💸: $20
💡 Why Poshmark Stands Out: Poshmark’s simplicity is one of its biggest draws. However, the 20% fee can feel steep, especially for lower priced items. It’s best to list products priced above $15 to make the most of Poshmark’s fee structure.
2. Depop – Lowest Fees and Trend Driven Market
Depop is known for its minimal fees, making it ideal for sellers looking to maximize profits on low to mid priced items. It is popular with Gen Z buyers and specializes in trendy, vintage, and secondhand fashion.
Fee structure🧾:
Payment processing fee: 3.3% + $0.45 per transaction.
Boosting Fee (Optional): 8% if you promote a listing for more visibility.
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
Fees: $1.28
You Make 💸: $23.72
💡 Why Depop Stands Out: Depop has one of the lowest fees among marketplaces, especially if you don't use promotions. It’s a great platform for sellers focusing on trendy, secondhand, or niche items. However, using the optional promotion tool frequently can eat into your margins.
3. Shopify – Build Your Brand with Low Fees
While not quite a marketplace, Shopify allows you to create your own online store and brand your collection. It features low fees, especially for sellers looking to establish a strong brand presence.
Fee structure:
Subscription Fees: Varies based on your monthly or yearly subscription plan. They also have a $5 starter plan perfect for new users.
Transaction fees: Shopify’s fees depend on the point of sale in addition to the subscription plan
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
Fees: Approx. $1.03 (on a basic plan with an online sale)
You Make 💸: $23.97
💡 Why Shopify Stands Out: Shopify is perfect for sellers looking to build a brand and enjoy low fees. It allows for extensive customization and control over your online store.
4. eBay – Complex but Ideal for High Volume Sellers
eBay is known for its extensive reach and flexibility, but the fee structure can be tricky. The platform charges multiple types of fees—ranging from insertion fees to final value fees and optional promotional fees—which can vary by category and product type.
Fee structure🧾:
Approx. 15% 20% in fees
Without an eBay store subscription you can list up to 250 free listings per month, then $0.35 per listing.
eBay store subscription fee: the rates vary and effect other fees
Final value fee: Approx. 14% of the sale price spring on category.
Optional promotion fee: up to 10%.
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
Fees: $5.50 (final value + processing fee)
You Make 💸: Approx. $19.50 Given that the eBay seller has a basic store, an "above standard" rating, the buyer paid $5.99 shipping, no sales tax was charged, the sale was in the U.S., and the listing was promoted at 10%.
💡 Why eBay Stands Out: eBay offers massive visibility and works well for sellers with large inventories or niche items. However, managing fees can be challenging, especially for new sellers. Promotions are often necessary to generate sales, further increasing your costs.
5. Mercari – No Listing Fees, Minimal Withdrawal Costs
Mercari’s fee friendly structure is perfect for casual sellers. It offers no listing fees, and its only notable charge is a $2 withdrawal fee for bank transfers, which can be minimized by letting your balance accumulate.
Fee structure🧾:
No listing or selling fees.
Withdrawal Fee: $2 per transfer to a bank account.
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
You Make 💸: $25
If you cash out instantly: you make $23
💡 Why Mercari Stands Out: Mercari is great for selling small or lower value items, and its fee free structure offers a strong incentive for part time sellers. Use accumulated balances to avoid withdrawal fees.
processing fees.
6. Etsy – Great for Creators but Watch for Extra Fees
Etsy is the go to marketplace for handmade and vintage items, but the fees can be complex due to various factors. The rough estimate for total fees ranges from 1025%, depending on the specific costs involved.
Fee structure🧾:
Listing Fees: $0.20 per listing, which renews automatically every four months.
Transaction Fees: 5% of the total order value, including shipping, handling, and taxes.
Payment Processing Fees: 3% + $0.25 of the total order value.
Currency Conversion Fees: Around 2.5% of the sale price, applied if the item is listed in a different currency than the buyer's.
Promotional Etsy Ad Fees: Optional unless a seller reaches $10,000 in sales; after that, ads are required at around 12%.
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
Fees: Approx. $3.65 ($0.20 listing fee, 5% transaction fee, 3% + $0.25 payment processing)
You Make 💸: $21.35 if sold within four months, without ad promotion, and within the U.S.
💡 Why Etsy Stands Out: Etsy is ideal for creative entrepreneurs, but sellers should be mindful of potential extra fees like mandatory ad fees once annual sales reach $10K. Keeping track of these costs can help sellers maintain profitability, especially for higher volumes.
7. Vestiaire Collective – HighEnd Fashion, High Fees
Vestiaire Collective specializes in luxury and designer goods, making it ideal for high value items. Their fees depend on the brand and sale price of an item.
Fee structure:
No fees for over 4,000 designer brands.
10% of the sale price (minimum $10, maximum $2,000).
Payment Processing Fee: 3% or $3, whichever is higher for sales more than $100
Example:
Item👚: $25 shirt
Fees: $13 ($10 selling fee + $3 payment processing fee)
You Make 💸: $12
💡 Why Vestiaire Stands Out: This platform is best for high ticket items. Listing lower priced goods can yield very low or negative profits due to high fees.
Which Marketplace Should You Choose?
Choosing the right marketplace depends on your goals, product types, and willingness to manage fees:
Best for Low Fees: Mercari
Best for Simple Fees: Poshmark
Best for Volume Sellers: eBay
Best for Trendy and Secondhand Fashion: Depop
Best for Handmade Goods: Etsy
Best for High End Designer Items: Vestiaire Collective
Best for Personal Brand Creation: Shopify
Tips for Maximizing Profits
Crosslist Strategically: Use multiple platforms to increase visibility and reduce reliance on high fee platforms. You can use Retrofit AI to help you do this easily.
Batch Withdraw Funds: On Mercari, avoid multiple withdrawal fees by waiting until your balance builds up.
Promote Listings Judiciously: Only promote when necessary on eBay, Depop, and Etsy to avoid unnecessary fees.
Price with Fees in Mind: Always factor in fees when setting your prices to ensure you make a profit.
Offer Free Shipping Selectively: Use free shipping as a competitive tool, but only if it doesn’t cut too deeply into your margins.
You can adjust your prices based on the platform you're using to ensure you make the same profit, no matter where you sell your items.
Final Thoughts
Understanding platform fees is essential for maximizing your profits when selling online. With Retrofit, you can simplify the listing process across multiple platforms, helping with cross listing and showing you exactly how much profit you would make on each platform for easy comparison. Each platform has unique advantages, with some offering simple, low fee structures and others charging higher fees but providing valuable reach and specialized audiences. Carefully consider the fee breakdowns when choosing where to list each product and price items with fees in mind. Ultimately, knowing these fee structures and leveraging Retrofit’s insights can help you tailor your strategy, minimize costs, and increase your earnings in the competitive reselling market.
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