eBay Promoted Listings Calculator

Test how your ad rate changes the fee bill and what you keep on each promoted sale.

Sale price

Item cost

Buyer-paid shipping

Your shipping cost

eBay category

Store tier

Promoted Listings General ad rate %

Target profit margin %

More options

Quantity

Sales tax %

Packaging / other costs

International sale Top Rated Plus

Seller performance level

Max affordable ad rate: 42.4% — above this rate, this sale makes no profit.

To keep a 20% margin, keep your ad rate at or below 24.22%.

Gross sale: $110.00

Final value fee Most categories (standard rate) $14.96
Per-order fee $0.40
Promoted Listings fee 5% ad rate $5.50

Total fees: $20.86

Net payout: $89.14
Item cost: $40.00
Shipping cost: $8.00

Other costs: $0.00
True profit: $41.14
Margin: 41.14%
Return on cost (ROI): 85.71%
Break-even price: $49.46
Price for target margin: $65.58

Promoted Listings on vs off

Metric	Without	With ads
Sale	$110.00	$110.00
eBay fees	$15.36	$15.36
Ad fees	—	$5.50
Profit	$46.64	$41.14
Margin	46.64%	41.14%
ROI	97.17%	85.71%
Ad cost	$5.50
Profit change	-$5.50
Margin change	-5.50%
Max sustainable ad rate	42.40%

Priority (cost-per-click) estimate

Expected clicks per month

Average CPC $

Conversion rate %

Target daily budget $ (optional)

Estimate only — eBay does not publish universal CPC, click-through or conversion benchmarks. Enter your own campaign data.

Enter expected clicks and average CPC to estimate

Compare this item on Etsy vs eBay →

How the calculation works

Promoted Listings General charges the ad rate you choose — eBay accepts 2% to 100% — on the total amount of the sale, the same base as the final value fee: item price + buyer-paid shipping + sales tax.
The fee is charged on attributed sales — under eBay’s current rules, a sale of the promoted item within 30 days of any buyer clicking the ad.
Promoted Listings Priority is a different product: cost-per-click bidding with a daily budget of $3.00–$1,000,000.00 and a monthly spend ceiling of 30.4× the daily budget.
The decision block above solves two numbers from your inputs: the break-even ad rate (profit falls to $0 above it) and the highest ad rate that still meets your target margin.
The Priority estimator below is cost-side only — eBay publishes no universal CPC, click-through or conversion benchmarks, so enter your own campaign data.

eBay final value fee rates

Category	Standard rate	Store rate
Most categories	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	12.7% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Books, Movies & TV, Music	15.3% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	15.3% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Coins & Paper Money (except Bullion)	13.25% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	9% on the first $4,000.00 2.35% on the portion above $4,000.00
Bullion	13.6% when the total is $7,500.00 or less 7% when the total is over $7,500.00	7.5% when the total is $1,500.00 or less 5% when the total is over $1,500.00 and $10,000.00 or less 4.5% when the total is over $10,000.00
Trading Cards, CCG & Comics	13.25% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	12.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Women's Bags & Handbags	15% when the total is $2,000.00 or less 9% when the total is over $2,000.00	13% when the total is $2,000.00 or less 7% when the total is over $2,000.00
Jewelry (except Watches)	15% when the total is $5,000.00 or less 9% when the total is over $5,000.00	13% when the total is $5,000.00 or less 7% when the total is over $5,000.00
Watches, Parts & Accessories	15% on the first $1,000.00 6.5% on the portion from $1,000.00 to $7,500.00 3% on the portion above $7,500.00	12.5% on the first $1,000.00 4% on the portion from $1,000.00 to $5,000.00 3% on the portion above $5,000.00
Athletic Shoes (Sneakers)	13.6% when the total is under $150.00 8% when the total is $150.00 or more (per-order fee waived)	12.7% when the total is under $150.00 7% when the total is $150.00 or more (per-order fee waived)
Guitars & Basses	6.7% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	6.7% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Heavy Equipment, Printing Presses, Food Trucks	3% on the first $15,000.00 0.5% on the portion above $15,000.00	2.5% on the first $15,000.00 0.5% on the portion above $15,000.00
NFT categories	5% of the total amount of the sale	5% of the total amount of the sale
Cameras & Photo (most)	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	9.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Cell Phones & Smartphones	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	9.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Computers, Tablets & Networking (most)	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	9.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Laptops, Desktops, Tablets & Core Components	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	7.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Consumer Electronics (most)	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	9.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Video Game Consoles	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	7.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Stamps	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	9.7% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
Musical Instruments & Gear (most)	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	10.35% on the first $2,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $2,500.00
eBay Motors Parts & Accessories	13.6% on the first $7,500.00 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.00	11.5% on the first $1,000.00 2.35% on the portion above $1,000.00

Per-order fee: $0.30 on orders of $10.00 or less; $0.40 above.
Top Rated Plus: 10% off the variable final value fee.
International sales: 1.65% of the total.

Ad rate sensitivity (worked example)

Ad rate	Ad fee	Total fees	Profit
0%	$0.00	$15.36	$46.64
2%	$2.20	$17.56	$44.44
5%	$5.50	$20.86	$41.14
10%	$11.00	$26.36	$35.64
15%	$16.50	$31.86	$30.14

Break-even ad rate for this example: 42.4% — above this rate the sale makes no profit .

Worked example (fixed inputs)

Worked example: a $100.00 sale with $10.00 buyer-paid shipping, a $40.00 item cost and an $8.00 shipping cost at a 5% ad rate.

Gross sale: $110.00

Final value fee Most categories (standard rate) $14.96
Per-order fee $0.40
Promoted Listings fee 5% ad rate $5.50

Total fees: $20.86

Net payout: $89.14
Item cost: $40.00
Shipping cost: $8.00

Other costs: $0.00
True profit: $41.14
Margin: 41.14%
Return on cost (ROI): 85.71%
Break-even price: $49.46
Price for target margin: $65.58

Official sources

Fee data last verified: 2026-09-18

Frequently asked questions

How much do Promoted Listings cost?

For General campaigns you choose an ad rate from 2% to 100% of the total amount of the sale, charged only on attributed sales — orders within 30 days of a click on your ad.

What ad rate percentage should I use?

eBay suggests rates, but this calculator does not recommend one — it gives you the ceiling. Enter your sale economics and the break-even rate tells you the highest rate at which the sale still makes a profit.

What is the difference between Promoted Listings General and Priority?

General is a percentage of the sale, charged only when the item sells. Priority is cost-per-click: you pay for each click regardless of sales, with a daily budget of $3.00–$1,000,000.00 and a monthly ceiling of 30.4× that budget.

What is the break-even ad rate?

The highest ad rate at which the sale still breaks even after fees and costs. Above it the attributed sale loses money; the calculator solves it to the basis point.

Is sales tax included in the ad fee base?

Yes — the ad rate applies to the total amount of the sale: item price, buyer-paid shipping and sales tax, the same base as the final value fee.

Is Promoted Listings worth it?

This calculator computes the cost side exactly — it cannot know whether promotion lifts your sales. Compare the fee at your chosen rate against the extra visibility and orders you actually observe.