Which Marketplace Has the Lowest Seller Fees in 2026?

There is no single marketplace that has the lowest fees at every price point. Depop is cheapest for most US fashion sellers. Mercari is competitive on mid-range items. eBay varies by category. Poshmark is almost always the most expensive above $15. Etsy stacks multiple fees that add up quietly.

The honest answer to "which marketplace has the lowest fees?" starts with two questions: what are you selling, and for how much? A $15 item and a $500 item produce completely different platform rankings.

At $15 with $4 shipping, Depop charges about $1.08 (5.7% effective rate). Mercari charges $1.90 (10% of $19 buyer total). eBay charges roughly $2.77 (general category). Etsy charges about $2.03. Poshmark charges $3.00 (20% of $15, just crossing the threshold).

At this price point, Depop is the clear winner and Poshmark is the most expensive. Etsy and Mercari are in the middle. The ranking is: Depop, Mercari, Etsy, eBay, Poshmark. Note that the eBay ranking can shift depending on category.

At $50 with $5 shipping, Depop charges roughly $2.27 (4.1% effective). Mercari charges $5.80 (10% plus shipping in fee base). Etsy charges about $5.68 (stacked fees). eBay charges approximately $7.88 (general category). Poshmark charges $10.00 (20%).

The ranking at $50 is: Depop, Etsy, Mercari, eBay, Poshmark. This is where Etsy starts competing well with Mercari because the $0.25 flat processing fee is now a tiny fraction of the total. eBay general category rates push it down the list.

At $100 with $8 shipping, Depop costs about $4.01 (3.7% effective). Mercari costs $10.80 (10%). Etsy costs roughly $9.48. eBay charges approximately $15.28 (general). Poshmark takes $20.00 (20%).

The ranking holds steady: Depop, Etsy, Mercari, eBay, Poshmark. At $100 items, the dollar gap between Depop and Poshmark is nearly $16 per sale. For a seller moving 30 items a month, that is $480 in monthly fee savings just from platform choice.

At $500 with $15 shipping, Depop costs roughly $17.45 (3.4% effective). Mercari charges $51.50 (10%). Etsy takes about $43.78. eBay takes approximately $52.08 (general category, though threshold rates may lower this). Poshmark charges $100.00 (20%).

On a $500 item, you pay $100 in Poshmark fees versus $17.45 on Depop. That $82.55 difference is larger than many sellers cost of goods. At higher price points, the platform choice becomes one of the biggest profit levers available.

If lowest fees were the only factor, every seller would use Depop and nothing else. But Depop has a smaller buyer base, a younger demographic, and limited category depth. An item that sells in two days on eBay might sit unsold for weeks on Depop.

Sell-through rate matters as much as fee rate. A marketplace where you pay 13% but sell the item in three days can be more profitable per month than one where you pay 3.3% but wait three weeks. Time is inventory cost, and holding costs are real even if they do not show up on a fee schedule.

Each marketplace has a core buyer persona. Depop attracts younger fashion shoppers. Poshmark pulls women shopping for brands and closet-style fashion. eBay attracts category-diverse bargain hunters and collectors. Mercari draws broad, value-oriented buyers. Etsy serves handmade, vintage, and craft-supply shoppers.

Listing your item on the platform where buyers are already looking for it matters more than saving 3% on fees. A vintage band tee probably sells faster on Depop. A KitchenAid mixer probably sells faster on eBay. The best fee rate on the wrong platform is a losing strategy.

Instead of comparing fee percentages, compare what you actually keep after fees, shipping costs, and cost of goods. Run the same item through FlipCalc on two or three platforms using realistic sale prices for each. Sometimes the platform with higher fees wins because it supports a $15 higher sale price.

That is the core insight most fee-comparison guides miss: the best platform is the one that maximizes net profit, not the one with the prettiest fee table. If eBay buyers pay $70 for an item that Depop buyers will only pay $55 for, eBay wins despite higher fees.

Fee optimization makes the biggest difference when you are selling commodity items where the price is similar across platforms. If a $30 phone case sells for $30 everywhere, then the platform with the lowest fee genuinely keeps you the most money.

Fee optimization also matters at high volume. If you sell 200 items per month and each one saves $2 by moving to a cheaper platform, that is $400 per month in recovered profit. At scale, even small per-item fee differences become meaningful.

For most resellers, the best approach is to cross-list on two or three platforms and let the market decide. List on the platform with the best audience match first, add one or two alternatives for exposure, and track which platform actually sells the item and at what price.

Over time, your sales data will show you where your specific inventory performs best. That data-driven approach beats any general fee ranking because it accounts for your categories, your price points, and your buyer base. Use FlipCalc to run the fee comparison before listing, then let real results tell you where to focus.

Depop is the cheapest for US fashion sellers at almost every price point. Mercari and Etsy compete for second place depending on the item type and price. eBay is in the middle with significant category variation. Poshmark is the most expensive but has a loyal fashion buyer base that can justify the premium.

No fee table replaces doing the actual math on your specific items. Run your numbers, compare two or three platforms, and factor in audience fit alongside fee rates. The five minutes you spend in a calculator before listing can save you more than any platform switch based on headline rates alone.