Fee calculation for promoted items on eBay – why also on shipping? | Members help members

bmw120i · 2026-01-09T05:37:19.559000Z

Hello everyone,I want to vent my frustration about the fee calculation for promoted listings on eBay. In principle, I can understand that eBay charges a commission for additional visibility. What I absolutely cannot understand, however, is the fact that this fee is calculated not only on the item price, but also on the shipping costs.Shipping is not profit, but a pass-through item. The costs are usually passed on 1:1 to shipping service providers. Nevertheless, eBay takes an extra cut here as well – even though promoting the item has absolutely nothing to do with shipping. The item is being promoted, not the postage.This is especially annoying for sellers who specify fair or realistic shipping costs instead of artificially factoring them into the item price. It is precisely this transparent behavior that is ultimately “penalized” because the total commission keeps rising.In the end, listing fee, sales commission, fees for promoted listings including shipping – and the actual proceeds shrink considerably. For many private and commercial sellers, the question then arises whether promoted listings are even still worth it.In my opinion, it would only be fair to calculate the fees for promoted listings exclusively on the item price. Anything else feels unnecessary and non-transparent.What do you think? Annoying or justified?

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Fee calculation for promoted items on eBay – why also on shipping? | Members help members | eBay Germany