Why monthly profit needs its own calculation
Selling fees follow the sale, but insertion fees follow the number of listings you create. With 250 free listings a month in the standard allowance, a seller who lists 300 items pays for the 50 above the allowance whether or not they sell. That is why this calculator asks for items sold and listings created separately.
How the monthly figure is built
- Revenue: items sold × (item price + shipping charged).
- Selling fees: final value fee and per-order fee for each sale, plus any international fee and Promoted Listings rate you set.
- Insertion fees: 0.35 USD for each listing beyond your free allowance. Change the allowance under Advanced if yours differs.
- Returns: a percentage of revenue set aside for refunds, entered by you.
- Costs: what you pay for the items, your shipping, and other monthly costs such as packaging and tools.
A worked example
A store selling 80 items a month at $50.00 plus $5.00 shipping, creating 300 listings, with a 3% returns allowance and $40.00 of other costs, has revenue of $4,400.00. Selling fees are $630.40 and insertion fees $17.50 for 50 paid listings. After $1,600.00 of goods, $400.00 of shipping, $132.00 of returns and the other costs, monthly profit is $1,580.10, or $19.75 per item.
What to watch
- Listing more than you sell. Past the free allowance each extra listing is a cost with no sale behind it.
- Low-priced items, where the fixed per-order fee is a large share of the sale.
- Shipping you absorb. If buyers pay less than the label costs, the gap comes out of profit.
- Returns, which can cost the item, the shipping both ways and sometimes the fees.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enter many different items?
Use average price, cost and shipping across your sales, and the most common category. For better accuracy, weight the averages by how many of each item you sell.
Are returns refunded fees?
That depends on the case and eBay’s rules at the time. The calculator uses a simple percentage of revenue as a safe allowance instead of modelling each case.
How is the insertion fee counted?
As 0.35 USD for each listing created above your free allowance. Categories without an insertion fee, such as Guitars & Basses, pay none.
Does this include a Store subscription?
Not automatically. Add the subscription to other monthly costs, and change the free listings figure under Advanced to match your plan.
Can I use it for non-US eBay?
No. The fee rates are for ebay.com in the United States.