How much should I pay for it? Max buy price for resellers.
Enter what you expect the item to sell for, your shipping and supply costs, and the profit you want. The calculator takes out eBay's fees and shows the most you can pay for the item and still reach that profit. It is an estimate, so check it against real numbers.
Fee rates checked against eBay's fee pages on .
Max buy price calculator
Values stay in your browser and are not saved. The fee math is the same engine as the eBay fee calculator.
The max buy price formula
The same steps run in the calculator above and are written out here for anyone reading without JavaScript.
The eBay payout is the item price plus the shipping the buyer pays, minus eBay's final value fee, per-order fee, and any other fees. If you set the target as a percent of the sale, the target profit is that percent of the item price plus buyer shipping. If you set a return on cost, the max buy price is the profit before item cost divided by one plus the return.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Expected sale price | $50.00 |
| eBay fees (final value fee and per-order fee) | $7.20 |
| Shipping label | $8.00 |
| Supplies | $1.00 |
| Target profit | $15.00 |
| Max buy price | $18.80 |
Max buy price questions
What is a max buy price?
It is the most you could pay for an item and still reach your target profit after eBay fees, shipping, and supplies. Paying less than it leaves more profit, and paying more cuts into your target.
How is the max buy price calculated?
The calculator works out the eBay fees on the expected sale, subtracts them from the item price and the shipping the buyer pays, then subtracts your shipping label, your supplies, and your target profit. What is left is the most you can pay for the item.
Which eBay fees are included?
The final value fee for the category and Store level you choose, calculated on the item price, shipping, and sales tax together, plus the per-order fee, seller level adjustments, international fees, and Promoted Listings ad rate if you enter them. Insertion fees and optional listing upgrades are not included.
What is the difference between a dollar, margin, and return on cost target?
A dollar target is a fixed profit per item. A margin target is a percent of the sale (item price plus shipping the buyer pays). A return on cost target is a percent of what you pay for the item, so a 100 percent return on cost means profit equal to the purchase price.
How accurate is the estimate?
The fee rates come from eBay's US selling fee pages and were last checked on September 27, 2026. The expected sale price, shipping, and supply costs are your own estimates, so treat the result as a planning number and re-run it with real figures.
Know your max buy price before you pay
Strooply is an app for eBay resellers that identifies items from photos, shows live comps and sold-price estimates, drafts eBay listings for your review, and tracks costs and profit.
A free plan is available.