Softwr

E-commerce · head to head

eBay vs PayPal

E

eBay

E-commerce

Buy and sell on the world's online marketplace

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayPal logo

PayPal

Personal Finance

The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: eBay final value fees run up to 13.6 percent of the sale price plus $0.30 per order in most categories, on top of any optional listing upgrade fees; PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which eBay and PayPal actually diverge.

Attributes where eBay and PayPal differ
AttributeeBayPayPal
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryE-commercePersonal Finance
FoundedUnknown1998

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 eBay

Nothing recorded that PayPal does not also cover.

Only in PayPal

  • Payment processing
  • PayPal Checkout
  • Invoicing
  • Business debit card
  • Working capital loans
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

What people use each for

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

eBay

No use cases recorded yet. See the eBay review.

PayPal

  • Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot eBay
  • Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot eBay
  • Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot eBay

Where each one falls short

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

eBay

  • Final value fees run up to 13.6 percent of the sale price plus $0.30 per order in most categories, on top of any optional listing upgrade fees

PayPal

  • Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
  • International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
  • Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
  • Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction

Pricing, plan by plan

eBay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the eBay review.

PayPal

$29/month
  • Standard$2.99/transaction
    • Card payments
    • PayPal checkout
    • Invoice payments

Which should you pick?

Choose eBay if

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

eBay review

Choose PayPal if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want paypal checkout.
PayPal review

Questions people ask

Is eBay or PayPal better?
Neither clearly leads. eBay starts at On request and PayPal at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, eBay or PayPal?
eBay starts at On request and PayPal at $29/month.
Does eBay or PayPal run on more platforms?
eBay runs on Web. PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What can eBay do that PayPal cannot?
PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card.
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Related pages

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