eBay vs Amazon 2026: Which Platform Is Better for Sellers?

eBay vs Amazon: Two Platforms, Two Worlds

The most important difference can be summed up in one sentence: eBay is a marketplace, Amazon is a product catalogue.

On eBay, you create your own listing for every product you sell. You control the title, images, description, and price entirely. Every seller has their own product page. Buyers compare different offers from different sellers and then choose one.

On Amazon, it works differently. Here, there is exactly one product page for every product (identified by an ASIN). If five sellers offer the same Bluetooth speaker, they all share the same page. Who gets the sale is determined by the Buy Box algorithm. The buyer clicks "Add to Cart" and automatically buys from whichever seller currently holds the Buy Box.

This fundamental architecture affects everything: how you present your products, how you set your prices, how you deal with competitors, and which tools you need.

On eBay, your offer takes centre stage — your shop, your photos, your reputation as a seller. On Amazon, the product takes centre stage — and you are one of many sellers behind the curtain.

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The Big Comparison Table

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Fee Comparison in Detail

The fee structure is one of the most important factors when choosing a platform. Both marketplaces take a cut of every transaction — but in different ways.

Amazon Fees 2026

Amazon works with a layered model. You do not just pay one commission — you pay several fees at the same time:

Monthly subscription: EUR 39/month (net) for the Professional account. Without it, you cannot sell professionally, and you lose access to essential features like advertising and Buy Box eligibility. Alternatively, there is the Individual plan at EUR 0.99 per sale, which only makes sense for fewer than 40 sales per month.

Referral fee (sales commission): Between 7% and 15% of the sale price, depending on category. Most categories sit at 15%. You will find the full breakdown in our guide to Amazon seller fees 2026.

FBA fulfilment fees: If you use Amazon logistics (and you should, for Buy Box purposes), you pay per unit shipped. The amount depends on weight and dimensions. For a standard package up to 400g, you pay approximately EUR 3.10 in Germany. Since 2026, Amazon has reduced FBA fees across Europe by an average of EUR 0.17 per unit.

Storage fees: EUR 18.01 per cubic metre per month (January to September), EUR 24.22 during peak season (October to December). On top of that, long-term storage fees apply after 241 days.

Calculation example Amazon: You sell a product for EUR 25. - Referral fee (15%): EUR 3.75 - FBA fee: EUR 3.10 - Pro-rated subscription (at 200 sales/month): EUR 0.20 - Total fees: approx. EUR 7.05 (28.2%)

eBay Fees 2026

eBay charges more simply, but that does not necessarily mean more cheaply:

Insertion fee: The first 300-400 listings per month are free with most eBay shop subscriptions. Beyond that: EUR 0.35 per listing. With the eBay Basic Shop (EUR 39.95/month), you get 400 fixed-price listings included.

Final value fee (sales commission): Between 3% and 13% depending on category, with most falling at 11-13%. Plus a fixed fee of EUR 0.35 per order.

Payment processing: Since eBay switched from PayPal to its own payment system (Adyen-based), payment fees are integrated into the final value fee. There are no separate PayPal charges any more.

Shop subscription (optional): Basic (EUR 39.95/mo), Premium (EUR 79.95/mo), Anchor (EUR 299.95/mo).

Calculation example eBay: You sell the same product for EUR 25. - Final value fee (11%): EUR 2.75 - Fixed fee: EUR 0.35 - Pro-rated shop subscription (at 200 sales/month): EUR 0.20 - Total fees: approx. EUR 3.30 (13.2%)

The Fee Bottom Line

At first glance, eBay looks significantly cheaper. But the comparison is not quite fair: with Amazon, the higher fee also buys you logistics, the Prime badge, storage, and access to a higher-spending customer base. If you handle packaging and shipping yourself on eBay, you need to factor in packaging materials and shipping costs separately. If you use an external fulfilment provider, those costs add up too.

The relevant question is not "Where do I pay lower fees?" but "Where does more profit per unit remain at the end of the day?"

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Who Is eBay Better For?

eBay is not simply the "cheaper Amazon." It is a platform with its own strengths and its own buyer profile:

One-off items and used goods. If you sell second-hand products — whether electronics, books, clothing, or furniture — eBay is the natural choice. Amazon is heavily geared towards new goods. Selling used items on Amazon is possible, but visibility is significantly worse, and Buy Box access for "Used" offers is severely limited.

Collectibles and rarities. Stamps, coins, vintage watches, trading cards, antiquarian books — for all of these, eBay has an established buyer base. On Amazon, these categories barely exist.

Niches without Amazon presence. Some product categories perform excellently on eBay while generating almost no demand on Amazon. Auto parts are a classic example: eBay is the leading platform for car parts and accessories in Germany.

Low entry barrier. On eBay, you can start immediately. You do not need an FBA setup, brand approvals, or complicated onboarding. For private sellers and occasional sellers, that is a major advantage.

Auction format. For rare or hard-to-value items, the auction format can push the price upwards. With collectibles, limited editions, or vintage goods, you sometimes achieve significantly more via auction than with a fixed price.

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Who Is Amazon Better For?

Amazon plays to its strengths with new goods at high volumes:

Branded products and new goods. If you sell new, branded products — whether wholesale or arbitrage — Amazon is the superior platform. Buyers on Amazon expect new goods and are willing to pay market prices for them. The conversion rate on Amazon averages 10-15%, compared to 2-5% on eBay.

FBA scaling. With Fulfillment by Amazon, you store your products in Amazon warehouses and Amazon handles shipping, returns, and customer service. This enables you to sell hundreds or thousands of products without building your own logistics. eBay has no comparable programme.

Pan-EU and internationalisation. With a single Amazon seller account, you can sell on nine European marketplaces simultaneously: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, and the UK. Pan-EU FBA automatically stores your products in warehouses close to demand. On eBay, you need to create separate listings for each country and organise international shipping yourself.

High volumes. If you want to sell 500 or 5,000 units of a product, Amazon is the better choice. The product-catalogue approach means you can attach yourself to an existing listing without having to create your own product pages. Combined with FBA, scaling is virtually unlimited.

Amazon Advertising. Amazon's advertising platform (PPC) is one of the most effective performance marketing tools in e-commerce. You can advertise directly on product pages and in search results. eBay now has advertising options too, but they are significantly less mature.

If you are new to selling on Amazon and want to know what it costs to get started, take a look at our FBA starter guide.

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Using Both Platforms at the Same Time?

The question "eBay or Amazon?" implies that you have to choose. You do not. Many successful sellers operate on both platforms — and this can be a very sensible strategy.

Multi-channel makes sense when:

• You have products that do not generate enough demand on a single platform
• You want to clear slow movers or B-grade stock on eBay while your main business runs on Amazon
• You want to diversify risk — dependence on a single platform is dangerous
• You can serve different audiences: new goods on Amazon, used items on eBay

Multi-channel also requires:

• Inventory synchronisation across both platforms (avoid overselling)
• Separate pricing strategies, because fee structures and buyer expectations differ
• Double the effort for customer service and returns management
• An ERP system or multi-channel tool connecting both channels

In practice, most sellers start on one platform, optimise their processes, and then expand. If you begin with Amazon arbitrage or wholesale, eBay is a natural second channel for slow movers and clearance stock.

> Multi-channel and still want to stay on top of things? With arbytrage.io, you automate your Amazon repricing completely — so you have time to focus on your eBay channel. From EUR 40/month with full Pan-EU support. Sign up free now

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Repricing on Amazon vs eBay

Repricing — the automatic adjustment of your selling prices — works on both platforms, but on Amazon it is fundamentally more important than on eBay.

Why Repricing on Amazon Is Non-Negotiable

On Amazon, price is a major factor in winning the Buy Box. And the Buy Box determines 82-90% of all sales. That means: if your price is not competitive, you are invisible to most buyers. Not "less visible" — invisible.

The challenge: prices on Amazon change constantly. Your competitors use repricers themselves, and prices can shift multiple times per hour. Manually checking and adjusting is simply not feasible with more than 20-30 products.

An Amazon repricer monitors your competitors' prices in real time and adjusts your prices automatically within your defined min/max boundaries. The strategy can vary — from aggressive undercutting to intelligent margin protection. We explain which strategies exist in our repricer comparison 2026.

Repricing on eBay: Optional but Helpful

On eBay, there is no Buy Box. Every listing stands on its own. This means: your price does influence your visibility in search results (cheaper offers tend to rank higher), but the effect is far less binary than on Amazon.

eBay also considers factors like seller ratings, shipping speed, item condition, and listing quality alongside price. A more expensive offer with better reviews can still appear above a cheaper one.

Repricing on eBay is therefore more of an optimisation than a necessity. You can sell successfully on eBay without a repricer — on Amazon, beyond a certain scale, that is practically impossible.

Why Amazon Repricing Is More Complex

Amazon repricing must account for significantly more variables than eBay repricing:

• Buy Box status: Do I currently hold the Buy Box? If yes, price up. If no, price down.
• Competitor type: Is Amazon itself selling the product as retail? Is the competitor FBA or FBM?
• Landed price: Amazon considers the total price including shipping
• Seller metrics: Your account health affects Buy Box eligibility
• Multiple marketplaces: With Pan-EU, you need to manage prices across up to nine marketplaces simultaneously

This complexity is why a specialised Amazon repricer is not a luxury but a necessary tool — especially if you sell across multiple European marketplaces at the same time.

> Selling on Amazon across multiple EU countries? arbytrage.io is built specifically for European sellers: Pan-EU support, 6 repricing strategies, automatic Buy Box competition across all marketplaces. From EUR 40/month. Try it now

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FAQ: eBay vs Amazon

Is it easier to sell on eBay or Amazon?

Getting started is easier on eBay. You can create listings immediately without FBA setup or brand approvals. In the long run, Amazon is more systematically structured: if you use FBA, Amazon handles shipping and customer service for you. The learning curve on Amazon is steeper, but the scaling potential is greater.

Can I sell the same product on eBay and Amazon at the same time?

Yes, that is allowed and common practice. Pay attention to inventory synchronisation — if you list the same stock on both platforms, you must avoid overselling. Additionally, Amazon requires that your price on Amazon is not higher than on other channels (Amazon Price Parity Policy, relaxed in recent years but still monitored).

Which platform has less competition?

There is no blanket answer. On Amazon, competition in many categories is extremely intense, particularly when Amazon itself acts as a retail seller. On eBay, competition in niches like collectibles or auto parts exists but is often less price-aggressive. However, eBay's lower entry barrier also means more casual sellers.

Do I need a business licence to sell on eBay or Amazon?

In Germany, yes, if you are selling commercially. Both eBay and Amazon require a business registration and tax information for commercial accounts. Private selling is more straightforward on eBay — on Amazon, private selling is effectively not supported.

Which platform is better for beginners?

If you want to start without investment and without a logistics setup, eBay is the easier entry point. If you are willing to invest a bit more and build a scalable business from the start, Amazon with FBA is the stronger foundation.

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Conclusion: It Depends on Your Business Model

eBay and Amazon are not opposites — they are different tools. eBay excels at one-off items, used goods, and niche products. Amazon is the superior platform for new goods, branded products, and scalable business models with FBA.

For many sellers, the best strategy is a combination: Amazon as the main channel for new goods with high turnover, eBay as a secondary channel for clearance stock, B-grade items, and niche products. Anyone who wants to run their Amazon business professionally cannot avoid automated repricing — because without the Buy Box, you sell virtually nothing on Amazon.

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