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How to work out resale profit after fees
Updated October 26, 2026
Profit is what’s left of the sale price after the platform’s fee, the shipping label and everything you paid for the item. It’s easy to count only the item’s price and the sale price; the fee, the label and the sales tax you paid are what turn a good-looking flip into a small one.
The formula
You keep = sale price − platform fee − shipping label − what you paid (item + shipping + sales tax)
Two ratios tell you whether it was worth the money tied up: margin is what you keep ÷ the sale price, and return on cost is what you keep ÷ what you paid.
A worked example
Headphones bought for $199 with free shipping and 7% sales tax: you paid . You sell them on eBay for .
| Resale price (yours) | $329.00 |
| − eBay fees: 13.6% of the sale total (incl. the buyer's tax) + $0.40 an order ($0.30 at $10 or less) | $48.28 |
| − Shipping label (est.) | $11.50 |
| − What you paid (price + shipping + tax) | $212.93 |
| You keep | $56.29 |
That’s a 17.1% margin and a 26.4% return on what you paid, before income tax.
The same flip on each platform
Same item, same $329 sale price, same $212.93 paid; only where you sell changes.
| Sell on | You keep | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| eBay | $56.29 | 17.1% |
| Mercari | $71.67 | 21.8% |
| Poshmark | $50.27 | 15.3% |
| Facebook (shipped) | $69.37 | 21.1% |
| Local cash sale | $116.07 | 35.3% |
Shipped sales include a $11.50 label where the seller pays it (Poshmark’s buyer pays). A local cash sale has no fee and no label. Fees as published by each platform, checked 2026-10-26.
Before you buy
- Use the price it really sells for, not the highest asking price you’ve seen.
- Work out your low end too: if it only sells for less, do you still keep enough?
- Count how long your money is tied up: a quick small flip can beat a slow big one.