What is the eBay Buyer Protection fee?

Who pays the eBay Buyer Protection fee?

The buyer pays it to eBay. eBay’s seller page says it is added on listings from UK private sellers, and that it is not added for cars, motorcycles and vehicles, classified ads or property.

Business-seller purchases are different. eBay’s buyer page says protection is included at no extra cost on those listings, because business sellers pay selling fees.

If you list an item for £10, eBay’s seller page says you receive £10 when it sells.

eBay’s seller help page says the eBay Buyer Protection fee is paid by the buyer to eBay on UK private-seller listings, excluding cars, motorcycles and vehicles, classified ads and property. It says that if you list an item for £10, you receive £10 when it sells. It also says UK private sellers pay no transaction fees in those categories and get 300 free listings a month. Source

How is the eBay Buyer Protection fee calculated?

Use the item price the seller set, before postage.

On a £10 item, 7% is £0.70 and the flat amount is £0.10, so the fee is £0.80. The buyer sees £10.80 before postage. That is arithmetic from the bands below, not a promise that every checkout looks the same. Postage, more than one item, and a price over £20 all change it.

Above £20 the percentage steps down. From £20 to £300 the extra portion is 4%. From £300 to £4,000 it is 2%. The slice above £4,000 is not charged. If someone buys several of the same listing, the flat £0.10 is charged once.

Example at £40: 7% of the first £20 is £1.40, 4% of the next £20 is £0.80, plus £0.10. The fee is £2.30 and the buyer total before postage is £42.30. Check the figure at checkout.

eBay’s buyer help page says that when you buy from a UK private seller, the eBay Buyer Protection fee is a flat £0.10 per item, plus 7% of the item price up to £20, 4% of any portion from £20 to £300, and 2% of any portion from £300 to £4,000. Any portion over £4,000 is not charged. The flat £0.10 is charged once if you buy more than one of the same listing. Vehicles, classified ads and property are excluded. Source

Does an offer include the eBay Buyer Protection fee?

Yes. This is the question sellers type when an offer looks smaller than the price they set.

The fee is already inside the price people see while browsing, and inside any bid or offer. eBay says there is no surprise fee at checkout. The breakdown on the order shows the fee per item.

Read the amount you will receive. Do not subtract the buyer’s fee from your payout a second time. The seller page says a £10 item price pays you £10.

eBay’s buyer help page says the eBay Buyer Protection fee, where it applies, is already included in the item price you see when browsing, and in any bids or offers you make. There is no further surprise at checkout. The order breakdown shows the fee per item. Source

Do UK private sellers still pay a selling fee?

eBay’s private-seller fees page, updated 30 September 2026, says you do not pay a final value fee or a regulatory operating fee when an eligible item sells. Motors are excluded. You get 300 free listings a month.

You do pay if you list more than 300 items in a month, buy an optional upgrade, or deliver overseas. Those are separate from the eBay Buyer Protection fee.

eBay’s private-seller fees page, last updated on 30 September 2026, says UK private sellers get 300 free listings a month and will not pay final value fees or regulatory operating fees when an item sells, excluding motors. Fees apply if you list more than 300 items in a month, add an optional upgrade, or deliver to an overseas address. Source

What should I check before I copy a listing across?

Open eBay and read the buyer total and the amount you receive on that exact sale. Bands change, so treat this page as a checked note, not a live calculator.

On SilentSale®, the buyer and the seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price to SilentCover® (£0.60 each on a £10 item), a discretionary protection service. Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds until the order is complete. There is no listing cost. This page does not say one marketplace is cheaper.

Read selling fees compared, how you get paid and SilentSale® and eBay. If the balance is pending, read why eBay is holding the money. To bring a draft across, use the import on this page.

Stripe processes payments and holds funds until the order completes.