Door cost page · fees checked October 2026
Every other door asks you to get something to sell. This door starts with what you already own — the closet, the garage, the kitchen drawer — and charges you nothing to list it. It is the only door whose first inventory is free, and the fastest teacher in selling: pricing, photos, shipping, buyers, all of it, at $0 of course fees.
It is also the door with the least ceiling as a forever home for most people. That is fine. A first door is allowed to be a first door.
The fees, dated
| Fee | Amount | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| eBay listing (insertion) | First 250 per month free | Without a store subscription. Listings beyond the free allowance cost a small per-listing fee. |
| eBay final value fee | 13.25% + $0.40 per order | Most categories, charged on the total including shipping you charge. Some categories differ. |
| Poshmark commission | Flat 20% | Simple and steep: $5 of every $25 sale. The buyer pays for the shipping label. |
| Mercari selling fee | Around 10% | Mercari has moved its fee between buyer and seller twice since 2024 — check the app on the day you price. |
| eBay new-seller payouts | Held at first | New sellers' payouts can be held until delivery is confirmed while the account builds history. Price that wait into your cash plans, not just the fee. |
Worked example, checked October 2026: a $25 sale on eBay costs about $3.71 in fees (13.25% + $0.40). The same sale on Poshmark costs $5.00 flat. On Mercari, roughly $2.50 at the current seller-fee setting.
| Listing fees to post your first 10 items | $0 |
| Kitchen scale (for honest shipping) | About $12 |
| Mailers / tape / a marker | About $8 — or $0 from the recycling bin, honestly |
| Total cash before your first sale | $0–$25 |
Worked basket at October 2026 prices. Your basket moves with your listings and materials — the calculator below uses your numbers.
Shipping eats beginners. A heavy item priced before the shipping math can sell at a loss — the buyer pays $8 shipping on a thing that costs $16 to send, and the difference comes out of you. Weigh it, price the shipping, then list. In that order.
Don't start with this door if you have nothing at home to sell and no way to source — your first 10 listings should come from your own shelves.
Days to 2 weeks for a first sale is typical when items are priced against sold listings. This is the fastest door on the site, because the shoppers and the inventory both already exist.
See every door's fees in one dated dataset · Compare doors with the finder
The verdict is step one. The First Door Kit carries the launch checklist for this door, the first-10-listings worksheet, and the budget sheet that keeps the basket above honest when your real numbers replace ours.
Included in the $39 First Door Kit
Go deeper · Sister site
Staying with eBay? New-seller holds and the exact payout date, computed: FirstSaleCheck.
Clothing and shoes lean Poshmark and Mercari; almost everything else leans eBay, where the buyer pool is deepest and sold listings give you honest prices. Cross-listing the same item on two apps is normal — just end the second listing the moment one sells.
Selling your own used things for less than you paid is generally not taxable income in the US; selling for profit, or running it as a business, is a different story and platforms issue forms at set thresholds. That is tax territory — a tax professional, not a door finder, is the right source for your situation.
Branded clothing in good condition, small electronics, kitchen gear from known brands, tools, and anything with a model number someone can search. Unbranded decor and very heavy cheap things are the slow shelf.