If you’ve been selling on eBay recently and noticed that your buyers are being charged more than the price you listed, you’re not imagining it — and you’re definitely not alone. eBay has introduced a Buyer Protection Fee that’s added to the buyer’s checkout total. It’s left many private sellers confused, especially since eBay no longer charges seller fees for most casual listings. Now, while you might think you’ve priced your item at a nice round £10, your buyer could end up seeing something like £11.15 instead — and that can put them off buying altogether. If that’s happened to you, this post is here to explain what’s going on — and I’ve built a free eBay buyer protection fee calculator to help you price your items properly moving forward.
What Is the eBay Buyer Protection Fee?
This fee is automatically added by eBay at checkout and is paid by the buyer. It covers things like dispute resolution and protection for both parties — but most sellers weren’t given much of a heads-up when it launched, and it’s led to a lot of confusion.
Here’s the breakdown of how the fee works:
- Flat fee: £0.75 per item (only charged once for multiple quantities in a listing)
- Percentage fee:
- 4% on the item price up to £300
- 2% on the portion between £300 and £4,000
Some quick examples:
- A £50 item = £0.75 + £2.00 (4%) → £2.75 total fee
- A £200 item = £0.75 + £8.00 (4%) → £8.75 total fee
- A £500 item = £0.75 + £12.00 (4% of £300) + £4.00 (2% of £200) → £16.75 total fee
The bigger the item price, the more the fee — and the more likely your buyer is to notice the difference.
Why This Matters (Even If You’re Not Paying It)
Even though this fee isn’t charged to you directly, it absolutely impacts your sales.
Here’s why:
- Buyers see higher totals than you listed, which can lead to confusion, hesitation, or abandoned baskets.
- It’s now harder to price your items in round numbers — instead of £10, your listing ends up showing £11.15 at checkout, and that just doesn’t feel as buyer-friendly.
- Buyers may assume you’re overcharging, even though the fee is added by eBay.
- If you’re trying to stay competitive, you could lose sales to other sellers who are pricing with the fee in mind.
In short, if you’re not factoring this in, you could be accidentally pricing yourself out of the sale.
Use My Free eBay Buyer Protection Fee Calculator
To make things easier, I’ve built a free calculator you can use right here on this page.
You can use it to:
- Work out exactly how much the fee adds to a buyer’s total
- Quickly test common item prices like £5, £10, £15, £20 and £25
- Reverse-calculate what price you should list an item at if you want the buyer to see a neat round number like £10
Example: Want the buyer to see exactly £10? Pop that into the calculator and it will tell you what to list the item for, so that once eBay adds the fee, it hits £10 dead on.
It updates live so you can play around with figures and adjust your pricing strategy easily.
👇 Try the calculator below!
eBay Buyer Protection Fee Calculator
Tips for Smarter Pricing on eBay
Once you understand how the fee works, here are a few extra tips to help you stay one step ahead:
- Aim for round numbers in the final price the buyer sees — it looks more professional and psychologically feels like a better deal.
- Use the calculator to work backwards from your ideal total (e.g. “I want it to show as £20 at checkout”) and find the best price to list at.
- Consider slightly undercutting your original price — for example, if you usually price at £10, consider £9.25 to account for the added fee.
- Double-check your most popular listings to see how the fee might be affecting conversions.
Thinking About Selling Elsewhere? Try Vinted
If eBay’s changing fee structure has you rethinking things, it might be worth exploring selling on Vinted instead. While Vinted also charges a buyer protection fee, the key difference is that buyers expect it — and it’s clearly shown upfront, so there’s far less confusion or abandoned carts.
Vinted also has some great perks for sellers:
- No seller fees, just like eBay private listings
- Easy options to sell without a printer
- The ability to bulk send offers to interested buyers
- And a chance to stand out with the perfect Vinted username
If you’re curious, here are some helpful posts to get you started:
- 👉 Selling on Vinted: The Complete Guide
- 👉 How to Sell on Vinted Without a Printer
- 👉 Vinted Username Ideas
- 👉 How to Bulk Send Vinted Offers
It’s always worth having more than one platform in your reselling toolkit — especially when the market keeps shifting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Buyer Protection Fee optional?
No — it’s automatically added at checkout and cannot be turned off.
Can I hide the fee from buyers?
No — eBay includes it in the final total the buyer sees, so it will always show.
Do sellers pay this fee?
No, not directly. But buyers do — and it’s your listings that it affects.
Why did eBay introduce this?
According to eBay, the fee helps cover the cost of enhanced buyer protections and dispute resolution, especially with the rise in private sellers not paying selling fees.
Final Thoughts
The eBay Buyer Protection Fee might seem small, but it can have a big impact on your sales. With this new calculator, you’ll be able to see exactly what your buyers are being charged — and make sure your pricing stays competitive and clear.
I’ll keep this post updated if eBay changes anything again — and if you’ve found the calculator helpful, feel free to share it with other eBay sellers too!
