Promoted Listings break-even
How high can your Promoted Listings rate go?
Ads are paid out of your profit. Enter the price and your costs to see the highest ad rate that still leaves you at zero, and what your planned rate does to profit per sale.
Your numbers
Most US categories are around 13.6%. Rates differ by category and store plan, so check eBay's fee page.
eBay US charges $0.30 on orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above that. Check the current amount.
Result
Profit eaten by ads
Highest ad rate you can afford
21.6%
Profit without ads
$6.47
Profit at your rate
$5.57
Ad cost per sale
$0.90
These are planning aids built on the numbers you type in. They are estimates, not forecasts, and they know nothing about your supplier, carrier or marketplace beyond what you enter.
Using it
- 1
Enter the sale
Price, source cost, fees and tax as for any sale.
- 2
Read the ceiling
The break-even ad rate is your profit before ads divided by the price.
- 3
Keep a buffer
Run ads well under the ceiling so a sale still earns something.
The arithmetic
1profit before ads = price - fees - cost - tax
2break-even ad rate = profit before ads / price
3profit with ads = profit before ads - ad rate x price
Sample run: With about $6.47 profit on a $29.95 item, the ceiling is near 21.6%. A 3% ad rate takes $0.90 and leaves $5.57.