eBay vs Mercari: Where You Keep More
These two marketplaces look similar from the seller's side: fixed price listings, prepaid labels, buyer protection that leans toward the buyer. The difference is what each one takes, and how long you wait for someone to show up.
Here is the fee comparison at three realistic price points, followed by the parts of the decision the numbers do not capture.
The fee structures, side by side
eBay's standard final value fee is 13.25% of item plus buyer-paid shipping, capped at $750, plus $0.30 per order. Mercari charges a flat 10% of the item price plus $0.30, with shipping treated separately.
- $20 item: eBay takes about $2.95, Mercari about $2.30
- $75 item: eBay takes about $10.24, Mercari about $7.80
- $300 item: eBay takes about $40.05, Mercari about $30.30
What those numbers do not show
Mercari is cheaper on every one of those sales, but a cheaper fee on a slower sale is a worse outcome. eBay's buyer pool is much larger, which matters most for anything niche: obscure electronics, spare parts, collectibles, tools. Mercari's strength is mainstream secondhand goods someone is casually browsing for.
Mercari is also US and Japan focused. eBay's international reach is what makes it work for buyers who cannot find an item locally.
Shipping and payout differences
- Both offer discounted prepaid labels, and both deduct shipping from your payout when you pay for it
- Mercari's instant pay feature charges a per-transfer fee; standard direct deposit is free but slower
- eBay holds funds for new sellers until a track record exists, which is worth planning around
- Returns: Mercari's window is shorter but disputes still tend to favor buyers; eBay can force returns on item-not-as-described cases
A simple way to choose
If the item would sell to a stranger anywhere in the country within a week, eBay's larger audience usually beats Mercari's lower fee. If it is a common, well understood item with a clear price, Mercari saves you about three percentage points for the same effort.
In practice many sellers list on both and delist one when the other sells. That costs nothing except the time to post twice, and it turns the fee question into a race the market decides.