What Do Resellers Actually Keep After Fees? The Real Math (2026)

"That looks incredible. 82% margin. But it doesn't include platform fees, shipping costs, packing materials, gas to the thrift store... Your ‘82% margin’ just became 44.6%." — Underpriced.app

That math is the gut-punch most resellers hit eventually. This guide walks through the real numbers — what every major platform takes in 2026, what you forget to include, and how to calculate your actual profit floor before you price a single item.

The Gap Between “I Sold It For” and “I Made”

Here's the sequence: you list a vintage Nike windbreaker for $60. You assume you'll make around $50 after fees. When the payout hits, it's $43.12.

That moment — "I listed a vintage Nike windbreaker for $60. I assumed I'd make around $50 after fees. When the payout finally hit, it was $43.12" — is one of the most common experiences in reselling. And it leads to the next insight: "That moment stuck with me because it made something painfully clear: I had been estimating fees incorrectly for years." (Closo.co)

The gap exists because there are more deductions than most sellers account for. Let's break them all down.

Everything That Comes Out Before You See Profit

1. Platform fee

The most visible cost. Current 2026 rates verified against each platform's seller policies:

• eBay: ~13.25% Final Value Fee on item + shipping + $0.40/order. All-in: ~13.5–16% depending on category.
• Poshmark: 20% on sales ≥ $15. Flat $2.95 under $15. No separate processing fee.
• Mercari: 10% flat on sale price. No separate processing fee (eliminated Jan 2025).
• Depop (US): No selling fee since Jul 2024. Payment processing: 3.3% + $0.45.

2. Shipping label

This is where most estimates go wrong. The shipping cost shown to buyers and the actual label cost you pay are often different numbers. On eBay, if you offer free shipping, you absorb the full label cost. On Poshmark, the buyer pays for shipping (via a Poshmark prepaid label) — but you still need to package the item, which has a cost.

Always use what you actually paid for the label — not what was charged to the buyer.

3. Packaging materials

Poly mailers ($0.15–$0.40 each), boxes ($0.50–$3.00), tissue paper, tape, thank-you cards. It's easy to wave this away as negligible — but at 100 sales a month, $0.50 average packaging cost is $50 off your profit total. Factor it in.

4. Item acquisition cost

The cost basis: what you paid for the item. This one most sellers do track. But don't forget sourcing overhead — if you drive 30 minutes to a thrift store and pay a $3 estate sale entry fee, that's a real cost of acquiring the inventory.

5. Returns and refunds

A single return can wipe out 5–10 successful sales. Not every tracker accounts for returns at the item level — but they should, because a "sold" item that comes back is a loss.

Worked Example: Poshmark

Sale price: $45. Item bought for $8 at a thrift store. Packaging: $0.50.

• Sale price: $45.00
• Poshmark fee (20%): −$9.00
• Payout to you: $36.00
• Less item cost: −$8.00
• Less packaging: −$0.50
• True profit: $27.50
• Profit margin: 61%

That's a good margin. Now the same item on Depop (US):

• Sale price: $45.00
• Depop fee (3.3% + $0.45): −$1.94
• Payout to you: $43.06
• Less item cost: −$8.00
• Less packaging: −$0.50
• True profit: $34.56
• Profit margin: 76%

Same item, same effort, $7 more in your pocket just from platform choice. That's what the fee gap looks like at the item level.

How to Calculate Your Break-Even Price

Before listing anything, you should know the minimum price that makes the sale worth doing. The formula:

Break-even price = (Item cost + Packaging + Label cost) ÷ (1 − Platform fee %)

Example on eBay (~14% all-in), item cost $12, label $7, packaging $0.75:

• Total costs: $19.75
• Break-even = $19.75 ÷ (1 − 0.14) = $19.75 ÷ 0.86 = $22.97

List below $22.97 and you lose money on this item. Price it at $30 and your actual profit is $30 × 0.86 − $19.75 = $5.05. Not 60% margin — $5.05. Know your floor before you list.

Cleared's calculator runs this math instantly for any sale price across all four platforms — no formula required.

What a $500 Sales Month Actually Looks Like

A $500 sales month can really equal just $180 in profit after accounting for platform fees, actual shipping costs, packaging, sourcing expenses, and hidden costs. Here's a realistic breakdown:

That's an 11% net margin. Improve your sourcing (lower item cost), move to lower-fee platforms for items that fit, and reduce return rates — and 30–40% net margins are very achievable. But you can't improve what you can't see.

How to Stop Being Surprised by Your Payout

Three changes that make the biggest difference:

1. Pre-list profit check. Before listing every item, calculate your target profit and the minimum list price. Don't work backwards from "what will it sell for?" — work forwards from "what do I need to keep?"
2. Track actuals, not estimates. When an item sells, record the actual label cost, not what you estimated. After 30 days, compare your estimates to actuals — most sellers find they've been underestimating label costs by 10–20%.
3. Use a tracker that updates when fees change. Platform fees shift. A tool with an editable fee engine — where you change one number and every calculation updates — saves you from running on stale math. Cleared is built around this.

Frequently Asked Questions