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E-Commerce · head to head

eBay vs Vendure

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
Vendure logo

Vendure

E-Commerce

Modern headless GraphQL commerce framework

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Vendure pricing is custom-quoted per project with no published tiers or starting price
  • They diverge on capability: eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Vendure covers GraphQL API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which eBay and Vendure actually diverge.

Attributes where eBay and Vendure differ
AttributeeBayVendure
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebSelf-hosted, Vendure Cloud
FoundedUnknown2019

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 eBay

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

Only in Vendure

  • GraphQL API
  • TypeScript native
  • Plugin architecture
  • Admin UI
  • Multi-channel
  • Asset management
  • Order workflow
  • Faceted search

What people use each for

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

eBay

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

Vendure

  • B2B complex commerce workflowsnot eBay
  • Multi-brand and multi-currency operationsnot eBay
  • Custom pricing and contract managementnot eBay

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Vendure

  • Pricing is custom-quoted per project with no published tiers or starting price
  • Requires implementation partner or in-house development; no low-code or no-code option
  • GPLv3 free tier (Vendure Core) has different licensing than commercial product

Pricing, plan by plan

eBay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the eBay review.

Vendure

On request
  • Platform (Self-hosted)$null/annual
    • Flat annual subscription
    • No GMV, order, user, or capability-based charges
    • Complete Platform feature set
  • Vendure Cloud$null/annual
    • Managed platform option
    • Same Platform feature set as self-hosted
    • Pricing not specified on website

Which should you pick?

Choose eBay if

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

Choose Vendure if

  • You need graphql api.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Vendure Cloud.
  • You also want typescript native.
Vendure review

Questions people ask

Is eBay or Vendure better?
Neither clearly leads. eBay starts at On request and Vendure at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, eBay or Vendure?
eBay starts at On request and Vendure at On request.
Does eBay or Vendure run on more platforms?
eBay runs on Web. Vendure runs on Self-hosted, Vendure Cloud.
What is eBay best used for?
eBay is most often used for selling used, refurbished or one-off stock that has no natural search demand on its own site, parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brand, liquidating returns or excess inventory without building an audience for it, testing whether demand exists for a product line before investing in a standalone storefront. Of those, selling used, refurbished or one-off stock that has no natural search demand on its own site and parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brand are not what Vendure is typically brought in for.
What can eBay do that Vendure cannot?
eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Managed payments, eBay Stores, Promoted Listings. Vendure covers GraphQL API, TypeScript native, Plugin architecture, Admin UI.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Vendure: How is Vendure priced?

Vendure uses flat annual pricing with no charges based on GMV, order volume, user count, or specific capabilities. Pricing is quoted individually per project based on business requirements.

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.

Vendure: Does Vendure charge for the runtime?

No additional fee is required for the Vendure runtime. Organizations can deploy it on their own infrastructure at no extra cost beyond the platform subscription.

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.

Vendure: What is included in Vendure's subscription?

The annual platform subscription includes B2B storefront capabilities, pricing engines, catalogs, search, integrations, operations, brands/markets management, platform support, security updates, quarterly roadmap calls, and commercial licensing with IP indemnification.

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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