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E-Commerce · head to head

Authorize.net vs eBay

Authorize.net logo

Authorize.net

E-Commerce

We help make it easy to get paid

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
E

eBay

E-Commerce

Global marketplace where sellers list into eBay's audience under eBay's fee schedule and rules

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Authorize.net all-in-One plan charges 2.9% + 30¢ per card transaction, higher than Gateway-only rate of 10¢ + batch fee; eBay the final value fee applies to the total the buyer pays including postage and tax rather than to the item price, so a low value item with expensive shipping loses a much larger share of its margin than the headline percentage implies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Authorize.net and eBay actually diverge.

Attributes where Authorize.net and eBay differ
AttributeAuthorize.neteBay
Starting price$25/monthOn request

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Authorize.net

Nothing recorded that eBay does not also cover.

Only in eBay

  • Auction and fixed price listings
  • Managed payments
  • eBay Stores
  • Promoted Listings
  • Bulk listing tools
  • International selling programmes
  • Money Back Guarantee
  • Seller performance standards

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Authorize.net

  • E-commerce payment processingnot eBay
  • Recurring billing and subscription managementnot eBay
  • Multi-channel payment acceptancenot eBay

eBay

  • Selling used, refurbished or one-off stock that has no natural search demand on its own sitenot Authorize.net
  • Parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brandnot Authorize.net
  • Liquidating returns or excess inventory without building an audience for itnot Authorize.net
  • Testing whether demand exists for a product line before investing in a standalone storefrontnot Authorize.net

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Authorize.net

  • All-in-One plan charges 2.9% + 30¢ per card transaction, higher than Gateway-only rate of 10¢ + batch fee
  • Gateway + eCheck plan limited to U.S.-based businesses only
  • eCheck processing includes $10 minimum monthly fee on Gateway + eCheck plan
  • Chargeback fees apply: $0 for standard processing but $25 for eCheck chargebacks

eBay

  • The final value fee applies to the total the buyer pays including postage and tax rather than to the item price, so a low value item with expensive shipping loses a much larger share of its margin than the headline percentage implies.
  • Fees stack rather than substitute, since a Store subscription, a per order fixed fee, Promoted Listings and cross-border percentages all apply on top of the category rate, and the effective take rate is only visible after a full month of settlement reports.
  • eBay controls search placement, so as a category gets competitive the practical cost of visibility becomes the Promoted Listings rate, and that is an auction against other sellers that only goes one way.
  • You do not get the customer relationship, because eBay mediates messaging and does not supply a marketing list, so repeat business depends on eBay showing your listing again rather than on anything you own.
  • The account is the entire asset and it is governed by policies eBay enforces unilaterally, so a suspension or a category restriction ends the revenue immediately with no portable equivalent of a domain, a theme or a customer database to move elsewhere.

Pricing, plan by plan

Authorize.net

$25/month
  • All-in-One$25/month
    • Merchant account and payment gateway
    • Transaction rate 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
    • Multiple payment types (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  • Gateway Only$25/month
    • Payment gateway only
    • For existing merchant account holders
    • Transaction rate 10¢ per transaction + 10¢ daily batch fee
  • Gateway + eCheck$25/month
    • Payment gateway with eCheck support
    • eCheck rate 0.75% per transaction
    • Credit card rate 10¢ per transaction + 10¢ daily batch fee

eBay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the eBay review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Authorize.net if

Nothing in the data separates Authorize.net from eBay on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Authorize.net review

Choose eBay if

  • You need auction and fixed price listings.
  • You also want managed payments.
eBay review

Questions people ask

Is Authorize.net or eBay better?
Neither clearly leads. Authorize.net starts at $25/month and eBay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Authorize.net or eBay?
Authorize.net starts at $25/month and eBay at On request.
Does Authorize.net or eBay run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Authorize.net best used for?
Authorize.net is most often used for e-commerce payment processing, recurring billing and subscription management, multi-channel payment acceptance. Of those, e-commerce payment processing and recurring billing and subscription management are not what eBay is typically brought in for.
What can Authorize.net do that eBay cannot?
eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Managed payments, eBay Stores, Promoted Listings.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Authorize.net: How much does Authorize.net cost?

Authorize.net charges a $25/month gateway fee across all plans. Transaction rates vary: All-in-One plan charges 2.9% + 30¢ per card transaction, Gateway-only plan charges 10¢ per transaction + 10¢ daily batch fee, and Gateway + eCheck charges 0.75% for eCheck or 10¢ + 10¢ batch for credit cards.

Source
eBay: What does selling on eBay actually cost?

A category-dependent percentage of the total buyer payment including postage, plus a fixed fee per order, plus any Store subscription, advertising rate and international fees. Model all of them together, not the first one alone.

Authorize.net: Are there any setup or termination fees?

No setup fee or early termination fee applies to any Authorize.net plan. You can cancel your account without penalty once service usage stops.

Source
eBay: Can I use my own payment provider?

No. Payments run through eBay and settle to your bank account on eBay's payout schedule, so you do not choose the processor and you do not control settlement timing.

Authorize.net: What are the additional fees beyond the monthly gateway charge?

Beyond the $25/month fee, additional charges include Account Updater service at $0.25 per update, standard chargeback fees at $0 (but $25 for eCheck chargebacks), and returned item fee of $3 for eCheck payments. eCheck processing includes a $10 minimum monthly fee.

Source
eBay: Do I get my customers' email addresses?

Not for marketing. eBay mediates buyer contact, which is why sellers who rely on it have no list to fall back on if the channel changes.

Authorize.net: What payment types does Authorize.net accept?

Authorize.net accepts credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and eCheck payments (Gateway + eCheck plan and higher). All plans include automated recurring billing, customer information manager, digital invoicing, and advanced fraud detection.

Source
eBay: Is eBay an alternative to having my own store?

It is a channel, not a substitute. Sellers who use it well treat it as demand they rent while building something they own in parallel.

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