Selling second-hand in the UK: eBay vs Vinted
The UK second-hand market has boomed in the last few years, driven by cost-of-living pressures, sustainability concerns and the simple convenience of clearing out a wardrobe, loft or garage for cash. Two platforms dominate the conversation: eBay, the long-established auction-turned-marketplace that handles everything from vintage clothing to refurbished electronics, and Vinted, the peer-to-peer fashion-first app that made selling pre-loved clothes mainstream.
But the two platforms make money in completely different ways. eBay's UK seller fee structure is one of the most layered in online retail: monthly store subscriptions, per-listing insertion fees, a Final Value Fee (FVF) that varies by category, an additional £0.30 per-order fee, and optional Promoted Listings ad spend. Vinted's model is much simpler — listing and selling on Vinted is free for sellers, with the platform instead charging buyers a 'Buyer Protection' fee. The only optional cost for Vinted sellers is boosting a listing with Bump or Pro Bump. This calculator breaks down the real take-home for both platforms, side by side, in plain GBP.
eBay UK Final Value Fee (FVF) by category
eBay charges a Final Value Fee — a percentage of the total transaction amount — when an item sells. The exact percentage depends on the category and your store tier. The three categories covered by this calculator are the most common for second-hand sellers:
- Most categories (clothing, shoes, electronics, home, toys): 12.8% for non-store sellers and Basic store subscribers, dropping to 11.8% on Premium and 10.8% on Anchor.
- Books, DVDs & Music: 14.95% for non-store / Basic, 13.8% on Premium, 12.8% on Anchor. The higher rate reflects the lower average sale value in media.
- Watches & Jewellery: a premium category at 15% for non-store / Basic, 14% on Premium, 13% on Anchor. Note that some sub-categories (e.g. fine jewellery, certified watches) may carry higher rates not modelled here.
On top of the percentage, eBay adds a £0.30 per-order fixed fee on most categories. So a £20 sale in 'Most categories' on a Basic store costs roughly £2.86 in FVF (20 × 12.8% + 0.30), not just £2.56.
eBay store subscription tiers
eBay's Store subscriptions are an upfront monthly cost in exchange for a bundle of free listings per month and lower FVF rates. The tiers in this calculator are based on standard eBay.co.uk pricing:
- No subscription (private seller): £0/month, 50 free fixed-price listings per month, full FVF rate.
- Basic Store: around £27.93/month, 250 free listings, full FVF rate.
- Premium Store: around £69.84/month, 1,000 free listings, FVF minus 1 percentage point.
- Anchor Store: around £209.52/month, 2,500 free listings, FVF minus 2 percentage points.
The break-even point moves depending on volume. Casual sellers (under ~50 items a month) are usually better off paying the no-subscription rate. Once you're consistently clearing 100+ items a month in a single category, the Basic store starts to pay for itself. The calculator lets you switch between tiers to see the exact crossover.
Why Vinted is free for sellers
Vinted's business model is the opposite of eBay's: sellers pay nothing to list, nothing to sell, and no commission on the sale. Instead, Vinted charges the buyer a 'Buyer Protection' fee, which covers payment processing, customer support and the Vinted wallet system. In the UK the buyer protection fee is typically around 5% of the item price plus a fixed £0.70.
The two optional costs a Vinted seller can choose are Bump (around £0.50, pushes your listing back to the top of the feed for 1 day) and Pro Bump (around £1.00, pins your listing to a category spotlight for 3 days). Both are flat fees per listing, not percentages. The calculator's Bump/Pro Bump checkboxes let you estimate the impact of paid promotion.
Which platform pays more?
For a typical £20 second-hand clothing sale on the same week, a Basic eBay store seller takes home roughly £17.14 after FVF (£2.56) and per-order fee (£0.30). A Vinted seller selling the same item at the same price takes home the full £20.00 (no commission, no listing fee, no payment-processing cut). The trade-off is audience: eBay's buyer pool is much larger and more search-driven, so items that benefit from SEO-rich listings and competitive pricing tend to move faster. Vinted is a community of fashion buyers who scroll and like.
For higher-value items (collectables, refurbished electronics, branded watches), eBay's audience advantage usually outweighs the higher fees. For fast-fashion resale and wardrobe clear-outs, Vinted's 0% commission can be decisive, especially for items that don't quite justify the time investment of a full eBay listing.
Always check the latest seller fee schedule on the official help pages (eBay UK selling fees and Vinted Help Centre) before committing to a selling strategy. The rates in this calculator are general guidance and are updated periodically.
