~1,500 words | 12 min read
Amazon and eBay have been competing for sellers’ attention for over two decades. Together they generate hundreds of billions in annual sales and give small businesses access to customers they could never reach alone. But they work very differently — and listing your products on the wrong one can quietly erode your margins, waste your time, or bury you in a sea of competition.
This guide breaks down the real differences between the two platforms: how fees actually work, which products suit each marketplace, and how to decide where your business belongs — based on what you’re selling, how much you’re selling, and how you want to grow.
How Amazon and eBay Work
Amazon is a standardised, rules-driven marketplace built around speed, consistency, and buyer convenience. When a customer searches for a product on Amazon, they typically see a single product listing shared by multiple sellers — all competing for the same sale. The platform decides which seller gets the order, based largely on price, fulfilment speed, and seller performance metrics. Amazon is built for volume: fast-moving, new products sold in high quantities to an audience of over 310 million active buyers.
eBay is a flexible, listing-based marketplace where each seller creates their own individual product listing. Sellers have far more control over how they present their item, what they charge, and how they communicate with buyers. eBay supports both fixed-price listings and auctions, and it has a well-established culture around second-hand, vintage, collectable, and unique items. It currently has around 132 million active buyers globally — a smaller audience than Amazon, but one with very different buying habits.
The simplest way to understand the difference: Amazon is like selling in a supermarket where every shelf is shared with competitors. eBay is like selling in an open market where you own your own stall.
Key Differences Between the Platforms
Selling model. On Amazon, your product is typically merged into an existing catalogue listing — you’re one of several sellers offering the same item, and buyers choose based on price and Prime eligibility. On eBay, every listing is your own: your photos, your description, your pricing.
Competition and pricing control. Amazon sellers compete directly against each other for the same product listing. This creates intense pricing pressure and means the seller offering the lowest price (or the fastest shipping) often wins the sale. On eBay, you control your listing entirely — there’s no direct side-by-side competitor in the same listing.
Branding and customer relationships. Amazon does not share customer contact details with sellers. You can’t email your buyers, build a customer list, or develop a brand relationship through the platform. eBay gives sellers more opportunity to communicate directly with buyers, and many eBay sellers develop loyal repeat customers who specifically seek them out.
Fees: What You Actually Pay
This is where many sellers get a nasty surprise — because the true cost of selling on each platform goes well beyond the headline numbers.
Amazon Fees
Amazon operates two seller plans:
- Individual plan: No monthly fee, but you pay $0.99 per item sold. Only makes sense if you sell fewer than 40 items per month.
- Professional plan: $39.99/month flat fee, regardless of how many items you sell. Essential for serious sellers.
On top of the subscription, every sale also incurs a referral fee — Amazon’s commission for bringing you a buyer. Referral fees typically range from 8% to 15% of the sale price, depending on the product category. Most general merchandise categories sit at 15%. Clothing and accessories can reach 17%, while Amazon device accessories can hit 45%.
If you use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) — where Amazon stores and ships your products for you — there are additional per-unit fulfilment fees of roughly £2.50–£8 per item depending on size and weight, plus monthly storage fees.
Example: You sell a £30 kitchen item on Amazon using the Professional plan. Amazon charges 15% referral = £4.50, plus FBA fulfilment of approximately £3.50. Your total Amazon fees on that one sale: around £8, or roughly 27% of the sale price — before you’ve factored in the cost of the product itself.
eBay Fees
eBay’s structure is simpler and, for most sellers, cheaper:
- Insertion fees: Your first 250 listings per month are free. After that, £0.35 per listing.
- Final value fee: Typically 13–15.3% of the total sale amount (including postage), plus £0.30 per order. Most standard categories sit around 13.6%.
- Optional store subscription: £4.95–£299.95/month, which reduces final value fees and provides more free listings. Worth it once you’re selling consistently.
Payment processing is already included in eBay’s final value fee — no separate transaction charge to worry about.
Example: You sell the same £30 kitchen item on eBay, handling your own postage. eBay charges 13.6% final value = £4.08, plus £0.30 per order = £4.38 total, or around 15% of the sale price.
Is Amazon More Expensive Than eBay?
In most scenarios, yes — significantly so. On a £30 sale, eBay typically takes £3–£4 less than Amazon. At scale, those differences compound rapidly. However, Amazon’s FBA service means you don’t pack, label, or post anything yourself — eBay sellers bear that labour and postage cost directly. When you add postage and packing time to the eBay cost, the real gap narrows. But for sellers who handle their own fulfilment, eBay is almost always the cheaper platform per sale.
Selling Strategy: A Different Mindset for Each Platform
Amazon strategy is built around volume, consistency, and competitive pricing. Winning on Amazon means finding products with reliable demand, keeping your prices competitive, maintaining strong seller metrics (fast dispatch, low returns, few complaints), and ideally using FBA to qualify for Prime delivery. It rewards sellers who think systematically and scale efficiently — it’s harder for individual, personality-driven brands to stand out.
eBay strategy is built around flexibility and product knowledge. Experienced eBay sellers develop an eye for items that are undervalued, rare, or in demand in specific communities. They write detailed, accurate listings, price strategically, and cultivate good feedback. eBay rewards sellers who know their products deeply and can communicate that knowledge to buyers.
Why Second-Hand Items Belong on eBay
eBay was built with used goods in mind — and it shows. Buyers who come to eBay expect to find pre-owned, vintage, and one-of-a-kind items. The auction format lets unique items find their true market price organically, often exceeding what a fixed-price listing would achieve.
Amazon technically allows used items in certain categories, but the experience is second-class: used listings appear underneath the “new” listing, are harder to find, and buyers tend to default to new condition. A used camera on Amazon will often be overlooked; the same camera in excellent condition on eBay, with a clear description and good photos, will attract serious buyers who specifically want second-hand.
If you’re clearing stock, selling collectables, or dealing in vintage goods — eBay is the natural home.
Ease of Setup: Which Is Easier for Beginners?
eBay is faster and simpler to start. Create a free account, take photos of your item, write a description, set a price or start an auction, and list it. You can have your first item live in under 30 minutes. There’s no subscription required to begin, no approval process for most categories, and the interface is straightforward.
Amazon requires more upfront work. You need to choose a selling plan, go through an identity and bank verification process (which can take several days), and navigate a more complex seller dashboard. Creating a listing requires matching to Amazon’s existing catalogue, which can be confusing for new sellers.
For someone selling their first few items online, eBay removes far more barriers to getting started.
Low Volume vs High Volume: Which Platform Fits?
Selling fewer than 10 items per month
eBay is the clear winner. Amazon’s £39.99/month Professional plan makes no sense at low volumes — you’d be paying more in subscription fees than you earn in sales. eBay charges no monthly fee (for basic sellers) and gives you 250 free listings per month. You only pay when you sell. For casual sellers, occasional sellers, or those testing a new product, eBay carries all the financial risk in the right direction.
Selling more than 100 items per month
Amazon becomes more competitive. At 100+ sales per month, the £39.99 Professional plan fee becomes a small fraction of your total revenue. The per-item $0.99 fee disappears, and the benefits of FBA — no packing, no trips to the post office, Prime-eligible listings — have real operational value. Amazon’s larger buyer base and higher-intent purchasing behaviour also mean faster stock turnover at volume.
Which Products Suit Which Platform?
For low-value items (under £10): eBay is generally better. Amazon’s FBA fulfilment fees of £2.50–£5 per unit can consume the entire margin on cheap items. eBay’s lower fees and self-fulfilment model preserve more margin on small-ticket sales.
For higher-value items (£50+): Amazon becomes more competitive. Its buyer trust levels are very high — customers feel confident making larger purchases through Amazon’s familiar checkout and returns process. The referral fee percentage stays fixed, meaning it scales naturally with price. FBA’s flat fulfilment fee also becomes a smaller proportion of the total sale value. A £150 electronics item suits Amazon well; the same item in used condition would often suit eBay equally well, at lower fees.
Customisation and Control
eBay gives sellers considerably more control. You write your own listing title and description, choose your own photos, set your own price, decide your own returns policy (within eBay’s guidelines), and communicate directly with buyers. You can establish a distinct seller identity that buyers come back to specifically.
Amazon is the opposite. Listings follow Amazon’s template. You cannot customise the checkout experience, cannot contact buyers to build a relationship, and cannot deviate from Amazon’s policies on returns, pricing, and communications. Your brand is secondary to Amazon’s. This standardisation benefits buyers — and frustrates sellers who want to differentiate.
Pros and Cons Summary
| Amazon | eBay | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience size | 310M+ active buyers | 132M active buyers |
| Monthly fee | $39.99 (Professional) | £0–£300 (optional) |
| Commission per sale | 8–15% referral + FBA fees | 13–15% final value fee |
| Ease of setup | Moderate (verification required) | Easy (list in minutes) |
| Used/second-hand goods | Poor fit | Excellent fit |
| Branding control | Very limited | Moderate |
| Fulfilment options | Self-ship or FBA | Self-ship only |
| Seller support | Structured (Seller Central) | Community + direct contact |
| Best volume level | High (100+ items/month) | Any (especially low volume) |
| Best product type | New, branded, standardised products | Used, vintage, niche, collectables |
Final Verdict: Which Should You Choose?
Best for beginners: eBay. Lower barrier to entry, no monthly fee, simpler listings, and faster to your first sale. If you’ve never sold online before, start here.
Best for small-scale sellers (under 30 items/month): eBay. The economics simply don’t favour Amazon at low volumes, and the flexibility suits occasional selling.
Best for high-volume, product-focused businesses: Amazon. The scale of the audience, the power of FBA, and Prime eligibility make Amazon the dominant choice for businesses selling new, branded products at volume.
Choose Amazon if…
- You sell new, standardised products in high quantities
- You want fulfilment handled for you (FBA)
- You’re comfortable with platform rules and competitive pricing
- You sell items worth £30 or more, where fees are more proportionate
Choose eBay if…
- You’re just starting out and want to test the waters
- You sell used, vintage, collectable, or unique items
- You want more control over your listings and pricing
- Your monthly volume is low and a subscription fee isn’t justified
- Your margins are tight and lower fees make a meaningful difference
And remember: many successful sellers use both. Amazon handles their new inventory at scale; eBay handles their one-off items, returns, and second-hand stock. The platforms complement each other more than they compete — once you understand what each is built for.
Fee figures reflect 2026 market rates. Always verify current fee structures in Amazon Seller Central and eBay’s fee schedule before making pricing decisions.
