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E-Commerce · head to head

eBay vs Vinted

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
Vinted logo

Vinted

E-Commerce

Lithuania-founded secondhand fashion marketplace that charges the buyer, not the seller, a platform fee

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vinted has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Vinted the Buyer Protection fee is not shown in the browsable item price, so comparing a listing price across Vinted and a commission-based competitor understates Vinted's true checkout cost unless the buyer manually adds the fee.
  • They diverge on capability: eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Vinted covers No seller commission.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which eBay and Vinted actually diverge.

Attributes where eBay and Vinted differ
AttributeeBayVinted
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree for sellers, no commission; buyer pays a variable Buyer Protection fee at checkout
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: 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 Vinted

  • No seller commission
  • Buyer Protection fee
  • Direct shipping via carrier partners
  • Item verification service
  • Bundle discounts
  • In-app messaging and offers

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 Vinted
  • Parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brandnot Vinted
  • Liquidating returns or excess inventory without building an audience for itnot Vinted
  • Testing whether demand exists for a product line before investing in a standalone storefrontnot Vinted

Vinted

  • A seller who wants to keep the full listed price of an item rather than losing a percentage to platform commissionnot eBay
  • A buyer comparing item prices across marketplaces who understands the checkout total includes a protection fee not shown on the listingnot eBay
  • Someone selling many low-value items where a commission-based platform fee would eat disproportionately into returnsnot eBay
  • A shopper in a European market where Vinted has deep local inventory and established shipping partnershipsnot 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.

Vinted

  • The Buyer Protection fee is not shown in the browsable item price, so comparing a listing price across Vinted and a commission-based competitor understates Vinted's true checkout cost unless the buyer manually adds the fee.
  • The fee is proportionally larger on cheap items, so buying several low-value pieces separately costs more in fees relative to item price than buying one higher-value item.
  • Sellers keeping the full sale price shifts cost to buyers rather than removing it, so the platform is not free to use overall, only free for the seller side of a transaction.
  • Item authentication is optional and limited to eligible higher-value categories, so counterfeit risk on everyday clothing items rests mostly on buyer judgement of listing photos and seller history.
  • Market strength is concentrated in Europe, and inventory depth, shipping partnerships and buyer volume are considerably thinner in markets outside its established base.

Pricing, plan by plan

eBay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the eBay review.

Vinted

Free
  • SellingFree
    • No commission deducted from the sale price
    • Seller receives the full listed amount
    • Shipping label cost typically passed to the buyer or built into price
  • BuyingFree
    • Buyer Protection fee calculated from item price, added at checkout
    • Covers refund if item does not arrive or does not match description
    • Fee is proportionally larger on lower-priced items

Which should you pick?

Choose eBay if

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

Choose Vinted if

  • You need no seller commission.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want buyer protection fee.
Vinted review

Questions people ask

Is eBay or Vinted better?
Neither clearly leads. eBay starts at On request and Vinted at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, eBay or Vinted?
Vinted has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for eBay and Free for Vinted.
Does eBay or Vinted run on more platforms?
eBay runs on Web. Vinted runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Vinted for free?
Yes. Vinted has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. eBay starts at On request.
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 Vinted is typically brought in for.
What can eBay do that Vinted cannot?
eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Managed payments, eBay Stores, Promoted Listings. Vinted covers No seller commission, Buyer Protection fee, Direct shipping via carrier partners, Item verification service.

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.

Vinted: Does Vinted charge sellers a commission?

No, sellers receive the full listed sale price with no percentage taken by the platform.

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.

Vinted: So how does Vinted make money?

From a Buyer Protection fee added at checkout, calculated from the item price, which the buyer pays on top of the listed amount and shipping.

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.

Vinted: Is the buyer protection fee shown on the item listing?

No, it is calculated and added at checkout, so the browsable listing price does not reflect the final total a buyer pays.

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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