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The short version
- eBay's currency conversion charge rises from 3% to 3.25% on October 14, 2026 for sellers registered in the US and Canada (eBay fee pages, checked October 13, 2026).
- On an illustrative $50 sale that eBay converts, the charge is $1.63, up from $1.50. A Canadian seller paid out in CAD pays $9.03 in total eBay fees (18.1%).
- The same sale on Etsy, with its 2.5% conversion fee, costs $6.70 (13.4%).
- The cheapest fix on both platforms: get paid, or list, in the currency your buyers pay in.
What changed
eBay's seller currency conversion charge goes from 3% to 3.25% on October 14, 2026 for sellers registered in the US and Canada, according to eBay's own selling fee pages. Value Added Resource reports that Australia follows on November 1, the UK (2.5% to 2.75%) on December 1, and Germany, France, Italy and Spain on December 2 (Value Added Resource). We covered the change itself in our news brief. Here we put a number on it.
The charge only applies when eBay converts your money. For a seller registered in Canada, eBay Canada's fee page says that happens when you list or sell "on an eBay site with a listing currency different to your payout currency", which includes eBay.ca listings when you chose USD as your payout currency. For a US seller, eBay's US page says it applies when you list or sell on an international eBay site and eBay converts your funds.
Other platforms charge for conversion too. Etsy's Fees and Payments Policy (last updated October 5, 2026) charges 2.5% when you list in a currency other than your payment account currency. So the useful question is not whether you pay to convert, but how much, and where.
The numbers on a $50 sale
Illustrative: one $50 sale with free shipping, no sales tax, no promoted listing or Offsite Ads, standard category, sold to a buyer in the other country, without eBay International Shipping. Each fee is rounded to the cent. Fixed fees are shown at face value in the sale currency (eBay Canada's $0.40 and Etsy Canada's $0.25 are charged in CAD, so their real cost is a few cents lower). Fees as published on each platform's fee page, checked October 13, 2026.
| Platform and case | Fee components | Total fees | Net payout | Fees as % of sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay, Canadian seller, US$50 sale, paid out in CAD, from Oct 14 | Final value fee 13.6% $6.80; per-order fee $0.40; international fee 0.4% $0.20; currency conversion 3.25% $1.63 | $9.03 | $40.97 | 18.1% |
| eBay, same sale before Oct 14 | Same, with conversion at 3% $1.50 | $8.90 | $41.10 | 17.8% |
| eBay, same sale paid out in USD (no conversion) | Final value fee $6.80; per-order fee $0.40; international fee $0.20 | $7.40 | $42.60 | 14.8% |
| eBay, US seller, US$50 sale on eBay.ca, paid out in USD | Final value fee 13.6% $6.80; per-order fee $0.40; international fee 1.65% $0.83; currency conversion 3.25% $1.63 | $9.66 | $40.34 | 19.3% |
| Etsy, Canadian shop, listed in USD, CAD payment account, US buyer | Listing fee $0.20; transaction fee 6.5% $3.25; payment processing 3% + $0.25 = $1.75; regulatory operating fee 0.5% $0.25; currency conversion 2.5% $1.25 | $6.70 | $43.30 | 13.4% |
| Etsy, US shop, listed in CAD, USD payment account, Canadian buyer | Listing fee $0.20; transaction fee 6.5% $3.25; payment processing 3% + $0.25 = $1.75; currency conversion 2.5% $1.25 | $6.45 | $43.55 | 12.9% |
The new eBay rate adds $0.13 to a converted $50 sale ($1.63 instead of $1.50). Small on one sale, but it lands on top of the other cross-border fees. A Canadian seller paid out in CAD now gives up $9.03 of a $50 eBay sale (18.1%), against $6.70 (13.4%) for the same sale on Etsy. On eBay, conversion is the second-largest fee after the final value fee.
Two assumptions matter. First, we apply the conversion charge to the full $50, the most a seller can pay on this sale; eBay's pages say it applies to the funds it converts. Second, eBay charges its final value fee on sales tax too, so with US sales tax the real eBay fees are higher than shown. Etsy's payment processing is also charged on tax. Run your own numbers in the reseller fee calculator.
What we would do
- Get paid in the currency you sell in. For a Canadian seller with mostly US buyers, a USD payout account removes the conversion charge on eBay. In our example that keeps $1.63 per $50 sale, $163 on 100 sales. Your bank will still convert when you move the money, so compare its rate first.
- On Etsy, match your listing currency to your payment account. Etsy charges its 2.5% only when the two differ.
- For US sellers on other eBay sites, check eBay International Shipping. Our example assumes you ship yourself and pay the 1.65% international fee. eBay waives that fee on eligible items sent through eBay International Shipping, which changes the math.
- Reprice low-margin cross-border items. At 18% to 19% in fees before shipping and item cost, a $50 sale with a thin margin may not be worth sending abroad.
We list every fee change as it happens on the marketplace fee tracker.
Keep track of every change: Seller fees on eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, Depop, Vinted and Mercari, kept current.
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