How reseller profit is calculated
Your profit is what the buyer pays, minus everything it cost you to make the sale:
Profit = sale price + shipping charged − platform fees − shipping label − item cost − other costs
- Profit margin is profit as a share of what the buyer paid. It tells you how much of each sale you keep.
- Return on item cost (ROI) is profit divided by what you paid for the item. A $8 thrift find that makes $20 profit has a 250% ROI.
Selling fees by platform (US)
| Platform | Seller fees | Who pays shipping |
|---|---|---|
| eBay | 13.6% of the total (most categories) + $0.40 per order ($0.30 for $10 or less) | You choose: buyer-paid or free shipping |
| Poshmark | $2.95 under $15, 20% at $15 and up | Buyer (flat-rate label) |
| Vinted | No selling fees | Buyer, plus a buyer protection fee |
| Depop | No selling fee; 3.3% + $0.45 payment processing | Seller sets shipping |
| Etsy | $0.20 listing + 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 processing | Seller sets shipping |
Optional extras like promoted listings, ads, offsite ads and currency conversion are not included. Add them under "Other costs".
Which platform keeps the most of your sale?
For the same item and price, Vinted usually leaves you the most because sellers pay no fees and buyers cover shipping. Depop is close behind with only payment processing. Poshmark's 20% commission is the highest on most items, but its buyers often pay higher prices and shipping is covered. eBay sits in between and has the largest audience.
The "Same sale on every platform" table above runs your numbers through every platform at once, so you can see where an item makes the most sense before you list it.
Tips to increase your profit
- Price in the fees. On a 20% platform, a $25 item nets $20 before costs.
- Watch low-priced items. Fixed fees eat a big share of cheap sales. On Poshmark, a $10 sale loses almost 30% to the $2.95 fee.
- Bundle. One sale of three items pays one per-order fee and one shipping label.
- Print labels efficiently. Use a thermal printer with our Vinted label to 4×6 converter, or print 2 labels per page on regular paper.