eBay Review
Auctions and fixed-price listings with global reach.
Overview
eBay still owns the auction format and remains a powerful outlet for used, refurbished, and collectible items, with a huge global audience and cross-border reach. It is uniquely strong where new-goods marketplaces are weak.
Final value fees and somewhat dated seller tools are the price of that reach, and buyer-friendly dispute policies can frustrate sellers. It is a channel, not a brand home.
Our verdict
eBay still owns the auction format and remains a powerful outlet for used, refurbished, and collectible items with a huge global audience. Its final value fees and dated seller tools are the price of that reach.
Best for: Used, collectible, and auction-style goods
Key features
Auction & fixed price
Sell via auctions or Buy It Now, ideal for unique and collectible goods.
Used & collectible demand
Unmatched buyer demand for second-hand, refurbished, and rare items.
Global reach
A large international buyer base with cross-border selling tools.
Managed Payments
Payments are handled in-platform with payouts to your bank.
Pros
- Strong demand for used and collectible goods
- Auction and fixed-price formats
- Global cross-border buyer base
Cons
- Final value fees add up
- Buyer-friendly dispute policies
Ideal for
- Used, collectible, and auction-style goods
- Sellers liquidating inventory or one-off items
- Cross-border sellers seeking global buyers
Not ideal for
- Brands wanting to build a direct customer relationship
- Sellers needing modern, polished store tooling
Pricing
free to list + optional Store subscription · ~13% final value fee (varies by category) transaction fees
Free listings up to a limit
Lower fees and more listings
For higher-volume sellers
Listing is free up to a monthly allotment, with optional Store subscriptions from ~$5 to ~$28/mo that lower fees and add listings. The main cost is the ~13% final value fee, which varies by category.
Performance & reliability
eBay’s infrastructure scales to any volume. Sellers do not manage performance but work within eBay’s listing and search systems.
Support
Phone, chat, and a help center, plus seller forums. Support is functional but the platform’s buyer-leaning policies can be a pain point.
Full specifications
- Hosting type
- Marketplace
- Free trial
- Free listings up to a limit
- Themes / templates
- N/A (standard listings)
- App marketplace
- Seller tools & integrations
- Staff accounts
- Limited
- Multi-currency
- Yes
- POS included
- No
- Abandoned cart recovery
- No
- Built-in blog
- No
Payments & security
- Payment gateways
- eBay Managed Payments
- SSL certificate
- Yes
- PCI compliant
- Yes
- Gift cards
- No
Capabilities & limits
- Product limit
- Limits scale with account
- Drag-and-drop editor
- No
- Multi-language
- Yes
- API access
- Yes
- Mobile app
- Yes
- Support channels
- Phone, chat, help center
Frequently asked questions
What fees does eBay charge?+
A final value fee of roughly 13% per sale (category-dependent), plus optional Store subscription fees and listing fees beyond the free allotment.
Is eBay only for auctions?+
No. Fixed-price "Buy It Now" listings are now the majority, though auctions remain popular for collectibles.
Is eBay good for new products?+
It can work, but eBay’s demand skews toward used, refurbished, and collectible goods.