eBay UK · private listings · updated September 2026
eBay Buyer Protection Fee Calculator UK
See what the buyer actually pays on a UK private listing — or work backwards from a checkout total you want to hit. Seller payout stays the listing price.
Updated 22 September 2026 · Fee assumptions
Buyer Protection Fee Calculator
UK private listings · VAT-inclusive 2026 rates
You receive the listing price. The buyer pays the protection fee on top.
Buyer pays at checkout
£52.70
Business listing
£50.00
No separate buyer protection fee. Buyer Protection is included — the buyer pays your price plus postage. Seller fees still apply.
Checkout breakdown
Fee build-up on this price
| Band | Slice taxed | Rate | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat fee | — | £0.10 | £0.10 |
| Up to £20 | £20.00 | 7% | £1.40 |
| £20 – £300 | £30.00 | 4% | £1.20 |
| £300 – £4,000 | £0.00 | 2% | £0.00 |
Nothing extra above £4,000. Decision aid — confirm the live breakdown in eBay checkout.
Quick answer · UK private listings
The buyer pays the Buyer Protection fee when they buy from a UK-based private seller. You still receive your listing price. The fee is £0.10 plus a banded percentage of the item price: 7% up to £20, 4% of the slice from £20 to £300, and 2% of the slice from £300 to £4,000. Nothing extra above £4,000. Those published rates include UK VAT at 20%. Business listings: the buyer is not charged this fee.
What is the eBay buyer protection fee?
It is eBay’s charge for Money Back Guarantee / Buyer Protection on a private UK purchase. eBay made most private selling free. To pay for that protection, it bills the buyer instead of taking a final value fee from the seller.
eBay says the fee is already reflected in the item price you see while browsing and bidding, so checkout should not spring a surprise. You still get a line-item breakdown at checkout and in the order details.
Who pays the eBay buyer protection fee?
The buyer pays it to eBay. It is not deducted from the seller’s payout. If you list a jumper at £20 as a UK private seller, you receive £20 (minus any postage you actually spent). The buyer’s item total is £20 plus the fee.
Source: eBay Help, “Buyer Protection fee”.
| Situation | Who pays the protection fee | What the seller receives |
|---|---|---|
| UK private seller (most categories) | Buyer | The listing price you set |
| UK business seller | Nobody extra — wrapped into seller fees | Listing price minus business FVF / order / regulatory |
| Private seller based outside the UK | Not this UK private fee | Follow that site’s own fee page |
| Cars, motorcycles & vehicles, classified ads, property | Excluded | Different listing rules |
How much is the eBay buyer protection fee in the UK?
It is not one percentage of the whole price. Each band only taxes the slice inside it — the same idea as UK income-tax bands.
Rates include UK VAT at 20%. If you buy several of the same listing, eBay says the flat £0.10 is charged once.
| Slice of item price | Rate | On a £100 listing |
|---|---|---|
| Flat fee (once per listing qty) | £0.10 | £0.10 |
| First £20 | 7% | £1.40 |
| £20 to £300 | 4% | £3.20 |
| £300 to £4,000 | 2% | £0.00 |
| Above £4,000 | 0% | £0.00 |
| Buyer item total | £104.70 |
Worked examples
Listing price is what you receive. Buyer item total is listing + fee, before postage.
Rounded to the nearest penny. Postage is extra.
| You list at | Buyer protection fee | Buyer pays for the item |
|---|---|---|
| £9.99 | £0.80 | £10.79 |
| £15.00 | £1.15 | £16.15 |
| £20.00 | £1.50 | £21.50 |
| £50.00 | £2.70 | £52.70 |
| £100.00 | £4.70 | £104.70 |
| £250.00 | £10.70 | £260.70 |
| £500.00 | £16.70 | £516.70 |
To hit a round checkout number, switch the calculator to “What the buyer should pay”. Example: if you want the item to cost the buyer £9.99, list at about £9.24 (£9.24 + £0.75 fee = £9.99).
Does postage go into the buyer protection fee?
eBay’s published formula is on the item price, not “item + postage”. This calculator follows that wording: postage is added to the buyer’s checkout total and is not fed through the 7% / 4% / 2% bands. If a live order ever disagrees, trust the eBay checkout line — and tell us.
eBay buyer fees vs seller fees UK
People search “eBay fees calculator” meaning two different receipts:
- Buyer side (this page): protection fee on a UK private purchase. Use it to see what the listing looks like at checkout, or to reverse-engineer a listing price.
- Seller side: private sellers pay £0 final value / order / regulatory on most domestic sales. Business sellers pay category final value fee + 30p/40p order fee + 0.35% regulatory, VAT extra. That is the eBay fees UK guide.
If you need a full eBay total cost calculator — product cost, postage you actually spend, ads, returns, VAT — open the UK marketplace fee calculator and compare eBay against Amazon, Depop and Vinted on the same SKU.
List so the buyer pays a round number
Enter what you want the buyer to pay for the item (reverse mode in the calculator), or use this crawlable table:
Verified against £0.10 + 7%/4%/2% bands (VAT-inclusive). Confirm live eBay checkout before treating a penny as gospel.
| Buyer should pay (item) | List at | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| £9.99 | £9.24 | £0.75 |
| £14.99 | £13.92 | £1.07 |
| £19.99 | £18.59 | £1.40 |
| £24.99 | £23.36 | £1.63 |
| £49.99 | £47.39 | £2.60 |
Round checkout locked? Next see contribution after your costs. Open seller take-home with this list price →
Price carries over. Postage and cost still need your numbers.
Sources
- eBay Help, Buyer Protection fee — bands, who pays, VAT-inclusive rates, exclusions.
- eBay Help, Fees for private sellers — why private selling is £0 on most categories.
Not affiliated with eBay. Confirm the live order before you treat a penny as gospel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the eBay buyer protection fee?
It is eBay’s charge for Buyer Protection on purchases from UK-based private sellers. eBay made most private selling free, so the buyer pays this fee instead of the seller paying a final value fee.
How much is eBay buyer protection in the UK?
£0.10 plus 7% of the item price up to £20, 4% of the slice from £20 to £300, and 2% of the slice from £300 to £4,000. Nothing extra above £4,000. On a £100 listing that is £4.70, so the buyer’s item total is £104.70 before postage.
Who pays the buyer protection fee?
The buyer pays it to eBay. It is not taken from the seller’s payout. You receive the listing price you set.
Do eBay seller fees include buyer protection?
On business listings, yes — Buyer Protection is included at no extra cost to the buyer because the seller already pays transaction fees. On UK private listings the buyer pays the separate protection fee instead.
What are eBay buyer fees vs seller fees in the UK?
Buyer fees here means the protection fee on a private purchase. Seller fees are the private £0 stack or the business final value fee, per-order fee and regulatory fee. Use this page for the buyer line; use eBay fees UK for the seller line.
Does the fee apply if I buy from a business seller?
No. eBay does not add this buyer fee on business listings, or on cars, motorcycles and vehicles, classified ads, or property. Private sellers based outside the UK are also outside this UK private fee.
Is postage included in the buyer protection fee?
eBay’s published formula is on the item price. This calculator adds postage to checkout but does not put postage through the 7% / 4% / 2% bands.
How do I set a listing so the buyer pays a round number?
Switch the calculator to “What the buyer should pay” and enter that total. Example: to have the item cost the buyer £9.99, list at about £9.24.
How do I calculate the eBay buyer protection fee UK?
Add £0.10, then 7% of the first £20 of the item price, 4% of £20–£300, and 2% of £300–£4,000. Nothing extra above £4,000. Rates include UK VAT. Postage is not in the bands.
How do I list so the buyer pays £9.99?
Use reverse mode on this calculator. Enter £9.99 as what the buyer should pay — list at about £9.24 so fee + listing hits £9.99 before postage.
Does the buyer protection fee come out of my payout?
No. On UK private listings the buyer pays it to eBay. You receive the listing price you set.
Is this the same as the eBay fees calculator / total cost calculator?
No. This page only does the buyer protection fee. For product cost, ads, returns, VAT and a comparison across marketplaces, use the UK marketplace fee calculator.
More UK fee guides
Cross-check the platforms you sell on — then open the calculator with the same product.