Quick answer: what is included in the $50 estimate?
The comparison models one US seller-made home-decor item, a US buyer, $50 item price, free customer shipping, no discount, no collected sales tax, domestic USD payment, merchant fulfillment, and no advertising or returns. Marketplaces include different buyer-facing services; Shopify is a hosted storefront; PayPal and Stripe are payment processors.
| Provider | Type | Core fee on $50 | Effective rate | Separate cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy | Marketplace | $5.20 | 10.40% | Offsite Ads and possible setup fees excluded |
| eBay | Marketplace | $7.20 | 14.40% | Store, ads, performance, and international fees excluded |
| Amazon | Marketplace | $7.50 | 15.00% | $39.99 Professional plan or $0.99 Individual item fee |
| Shopify Basic | Hosted storefront | $1.75 | 3.50% | $39 monthly or $29 monthly billed annually |
| PayPal Checkout | Processor and wallet | $2.24 | 4.47% | International, conversion, dispute, and account-specific fees excluded |
| Stripe | Payment processor | $1.75 | 3.50% | International, conversion, dispute, and account-specific fees excluded |
The effective rate divides the rounded core fee by $50. Provider statements can round by cents differently.
Core fees do not determine the most profitable channel
A lower payment fee does not automatically mean higher seller profit. Compare the complete order economics: product cost, fulfillment, seller-paid shipping, packaging, returns, advertising or customer-acquisition cost, marketplace-specific programs, and any monthly plan allocation. Also account for the fact that a marketplace can provide buyer demand while a standalone store usually requires the seller to generate traffic.
Use the multi-channel profit comparison for one controlled scenario, then verify platform-specific assumptions in the linked calculators and official sources.