Most Canadian sellers know eBay takes "about 13.6%." What bites them is everything stacked on top: the fee applies to shipping and tax too, there's a per-order fee on top of the percentage, and then HST/GST is added to the fee itself. Here is the full stack, verified October 2026 from eBay.ca's published fee schedule.
The eBay.ca fee stack:
| Component | Rate |
|---|---|
| Final value fee — most categories (item + shipping + tax) | 13.6% |
| Final value fee — books, media, music | 15.3% |
| Final value fee — trading cards | 13.25% |
| Final value fee — portion of sale over $7,500 | 2.35% |
| Per-order fee — orders over $10 | $0.40 |
| Per-order fee — orders $10 or less | $0.30 |
| Listings (after 250 free per month) | $0.30 each |
| GST/HST added on top of the total fee | 5–15% of the fee |
The percentage is applied to the entire buyer payment — item price, shipping charge, and sales tax — not just the item.
You sell a vintage game console for $100 and charge $13 shipping. eBay's 13.6% isn't $13.60 — it's calculated on the full order. In Ontario with 13% HST added to the fee, a $100 + $13-shipping order costs you about $20.08 in fees — the fee applies to the shipping the buyer paid and to the tax eBay collected too before you've paid for the label. The number most sellers quote ("13.6%") is the starting rate, not the effective one.
You bought an iPad Air for $120, it sells for $320 with $13 shipping. After eBay's fee stack, HST on the fee, the shipping label, and your item cost:
$141.72
net profit on eBay.ca (fees $58.28)
| Same item, different platform | Fees + tax on fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Kijiji / Facebook local / Vinted | $0.00 | $200.00 |
| Depop (CA pays 10%) | $44.74 | $155.26 |
| Facebook — shipped | $42.52 | $157.48 |
| eBay.ca | $58.28 | $141.72 |
| Poshmark CA | $72.32 | $127.68 |
Same item, same buyer price, same shipping — a $72.32 spread between best and worst platform. This is why platform choice is the highest-leverage decision in reselling.
Rule of thumb: eBay wins when the item is shippable, searchable, and collectible. Local platforms win when the item is bulky, cheap to hand over in person, or low-value (skip the $0.40 per-order fee on $10 items — it's a 4% surcharge at that price point).
FlipMath runs all 8 Canadian platforms side-by-side — shipped and local — with the full eBay fee stack, HST/GST on fees, and your maximum buy price for any target margin.
Want batch sourcing, an inventory P&L tracker with CSV export, and every fee editable? FlipMath Pro is a one-time $6.36 US (about CA$9) — no subscription.
Three stacked reasons: (1) the 13.6% applies to item + shipping + tax, not just the item; (2) the per-order fee ($0.40) is added on top; (3) GST/HST is charged on the total fee in most provinces. Effective all-in fee on a $100 + $13-shipping Ontario order is about 20% of your item price, not 13.6%.
Per order — a buyer purchasing 3 items in one combined order pays one $0.40 fee. This is one reason offering combined shipping genuinely changes your economics.
Only if the alternative platform's rate is lower for that item. Books and media often sell for more on eBay than on Kijiji or Facebook local — compare net, not fee percentage. The calculator does this in one screen.
Yes — the final value fee is calculated on the full amount including sales tax. It feels unfair; it's still the rule. Budget for it.