Where you resell decides what you pay in fees, how quickly an item sells and how much work each sale takes. Many Vinted-vs-eBay guides are written for someone clearing out a wardrobe. This one is for UK resellers who buy stock to sell on, and that changes the fee answer. We checked every fee below on eBay's, Vinted's and Amazon's own pages on 2 November 2026.
Quick comparison
Fees checked on each platform's official pages on 2 November 2026. eBay and Amazon quote their fees excluding VAT. Fees change, so check before you list.
| Amazon | eBay | Vinted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | New, branded, barcoded products | Used, vintage, collectables, spares, one-offs | Second-hand clothing, shoes, accessories |
| New stock bought to resell | Allowed | Allowed on a business account | Not allowed, even for Pro sellers |
| Seller fees when you resell | Referral fee (mostly 8–15%, with a £0.25 minimum in most categories), delivery or FBA fees, and £0.75 per item sold or £25 a month | Business account: 9.9–11.9% of the total sale in most categories, plus £0.30 or £0.40 per order and a 0.35% regulatory fee | No selling fee; the buyer pays Vinted's fee |
| Private sellers | Same selling plans for everyone | Free to sell in most categories | No selling fee |
| Price check before you buy | Easy: public price and sales rank | Medium: search sold listings | Harder: few public sold prices |
| Work per sale | Low with FBA once stock is in | Photos, listing, posting | Photos, listing, posting, answering offers |
Private or business seller?
This question decides your eBay fees and whether HMRC is interested.
- HMRC. If you sell goods you bought intending to sell for a profit, GOV.UK says you're "probably trading". You need to tell HMRC if your total trading income, before expenses, is more than the £1,000 trading allowance in a tax year (6 April to 5 April). HMRC's Budget 2026 policy paper says the allowance will rise to £3,000 from 6 April 2027, once the Finance Bill becomes law. Selling your own personal possessions usually isn't taxed as income, though Capital Gains Tax can apply to an item sold for more than £6,000.
- eBay. eBay's business seller policy says you must register as a business if you sell items you bought to resell, and business sellers can't present themselves as private individuals. eBay's free selling is for private sellers.
- Vinted. Vinted's commercial selling rules say you can't sell new items bought specifically to resell, including stock from wholesalers, bulk orders or retail stores, and that the rule applies to everyone, Vinted Pro sellers included. Vinted Pro is open to UK sole traders and registered companies, and Vinted says it's free, but Pro sellers can't offer items bought in bulk for resale.
- Platform reporting. Selling platforms may have to report sellers' details and income to HMRC. Platforms don't have to report sellers who make fewer than 30 sales of goods and receive €2,000 (about £1,700) or less in a year. That's a reporting threshold, not a tax-free allowance. HMRC has said that being reported doesn't automatically mean you need to complete a tax return.
This is general information, not tax advice. GOV.UK's online platform income checker or an accountant can tell you where you stand.
The fees on a £20 item
Say you buy a new-with-tags branded hoodie from a clearance aisle for £6 and it sells for £20. Here is what each platform takes, using the fees published on 2 November 2026. To try your own prices, use the free eBay & Vinted fee calculator.
| Platform and account | What the seller pays | You receive (before your own postage and any VAT on eBay's fees) |
|---|---|---|
| Vinted | Not allowed: Vinted's rules ban selling new items bought to resell, including stock from shops | n/a |
| eBay, private seller | Not for stock bought to resell: eBay's policy requires a business account | n/a |
| eBay, business seller, no postage charged | 11.9% of £20 = £2.38, plus £0.40 per order, plus 0.35% = £0.07. Total £2.85 | £17.15 |
| eBay, business seller, buyer pays £3.50 postage | 11.9% of £23.50 = £2.80, plus £0.40, plus 0.35% of £23.50 = £0.08. Total £3.28 | £20.22, from which you pay the postage |
| Amazon (clothing) | Referral fee of 5% up to £15, 10% from £15 to £20 and 15% above, plus FBA fulfilment by size and weight, plus your selling plan | Depends on the item's size: run it through the free FBA calculator |
eBay quotes these fees excluding VAT. With 20% VAT added, £2.85 becomes £3.42. How VAT on fees affects you depends on whether you're VAT-registered: see VAT for Amazon sellers.
For a second-hand item you're allowed to sell on Vinted, there's no seller fee, so a £20 sale pays you £20 and the buyer pays Vinted's fee (usually 3–8% plus £0.30–£0.80) on top. The same goes for eBay if you're genuinely selling your own things as a private seller.
Three things stand out. Vinted's zero seller fee is a real advantage on second-hand clothing, but Vinted is closed to new stock bought to resell. eBay's free selling stops applying once you're trading, and its final value fee covers the postage you charge as well as the item price. Amazon usually takes more per sale once FBA fees are included, but it's the platform where the price, the fees and the sales rank are all public before you spend anything.
Amazon: new, branded, barcoded stock
Amazon works best for new, branded products with a barcode, the core of retail arbitrage and online arbitrage. You can see the current price and sales rank and work out the referral fee before you pay, so you can decide in the aisle. Amazon's selling plans cost £0.75 per item sold on Individual or £25 a month on Professional, both excluding VAT.
The trade-offs: you share each listing with other sellers and compete for the Buy Box, some brands and categories are gated, and anything that isn't brand new can't be listed as New. You choose between Amazon delivering for you and posting orders yourself: see FBA vs FBM.
eBay: used, rare and one-off items
eBay is the home of second-hand, vintage, collectable and spare-part items, and one-offs that have no clean Amazon listing. Auctions help you price unusual things. Before you buy, search eBay's sold listings for what an item has actually sold for, not what sellers are asking.
You take the photos, write the listing and post the item. As a business seller, eBay's final value fee is 11.9% in Clothes, Shoes & Accessories, 10.9% in Toys & Games and in Health & Beauty, and 9.9% in Books and in Video Games. A few tiers drop the rate on higher prices: trainers at £100 or more pay 7%. If your seller level is Below Standard on the 20th of a month, eBay adds 6 percentage points to your final value fee on the next month's sales (7 after four months in a row), so late dispatch and other defects cost money.
Vinted: second-hand clothing
Vinted is built for second-hand clothing, shoes and accessories, with home and children's items alongside. Its price list shows no selling fee. The buyer pays Vinted's fee at checkout, and sellers only pay for optional extras such as Bumps. Buyers can make offers, so price with some room.
The rule that matters most to resellers: Vinted bans selling new items bought specifically to resell, including stock from wholesalers, bulk orders and retail stores, and that applies to Pro sellers too. Pro sellers also can't sell items bought in bulk for resale, or cosmetics and beauty products. So clearance-aisle stock belongs on Amazon or eBay, and Vinted is for second-hand items. If you sell second-hand finds as a business, Vinted expects you to use a Pro account.
Evidence is the other catch. There's no public sales rank, and sold prices are hard to research at scale, so it's easier to overpay. Vinted works best for second-hand clothing you can price from experience.
Which platform for what
| What you're selling | Try first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New branded toys, games and homeware with a barcode | Amazon | Public price, rank and fees before you buy |
| Books, DVDs and games with an ISBN or barcode | Amazon, then eBay | Scan for Amazon profit; eBay for older or collectable copies |
| Second-hand clothing, shoes and accessories | Vinted | No seller fee and a fashion-focused audience; use Vinted Pro if you're trading |
| New clothing bought from shops to resell | eBay (business) or Amazon | Vinted doesn't allow new stock bought to resell |
| New branded trainers at £100 or more | eBay | eBay's business fee on trainers drops to 7% at £100 or more; Vinted only for second-hand pairs |
| Used electronics, spares and collectables | eBay | Broad audience, sold-price history and auctions |
| Mixed job lots | Split them | List each item where it sells best; bulk-bought stock can't go on Vinted |
How to decide on a specific item
- If it has a barcode or ISBN, check Amazon first. Axivelo scans the barcode in the shop and shows estimated Amazon UK profit, ROI and the most you should pay (MAX PAY), so you know whether Amazon is an option before you reach the till.
- If it's second-hand, compare Vinted and eBay. The Vinted vs eBay tab in the Axivelo app's Calculator takes the eBay selling price and Vinted listing price you enter, with a Private or Business switch for eBay, and compares what you'd keep on each.
- Check it can actually sell there. Amazon gating, the item's condition and recent sold prices all matter more than the fee table.
Check any product before you buy
Axivelo scans a barcode or ISBN in the aisle and shows estimated Amazon UK profit, ROI and MAX PAY, and the app's Calculator compares Vinted with eBay using prices you enter. 10 free scans a day on Android; iPhone users can join the waitlist.
FAQ
Is it better to sell on eBay or Vinted?
For second-hand clothing, shoes and accessories, Vinted usually wins because sellers pay no selling fee. For used electronics, collectables, spares and one-off items, eBay usually wins with its broader audience and auctions. If you buy new stock to resell, Vinted is out: its rules ban selling new items bought to resell, so compare eBay's business-seller fees with Amazon instead.
Is eBay free for private sellers in the UK?
Yes. eBay says selling is free for UK-based private sellers in most categories, with no final value fee or regulatory operating fee. Vehicles are excluded, listings beyond 300 a month cost 35p each, and sales delivered abroad carry a 3% international fee. If you sell items you bought to resell, eBay's business seller policy requires you to register as a business.
Can I resell new items on Vinted?
No. Vinted's commercial selling rules say you can't sell new items bought specifically to resell, including stock from wholesalers, bulk orders or retail stores, and the rule applies to everyone, including Vinted Pro sellers.
What does Vinted charge sellers?
Vinted's price list shows no selling fee for sellers. Buyers pay a Vinted fee at checkout, which Vinted says is usually 3% to 8% plus £0.30 to £0.80. Optional extras such as Bumps cost sellers money.
Do I pay tax on eBay or Vinted sales?
Selling your own personal possessions usually isn't taxed as income, though Capital Gains Tax can apply to an item sold for more than £6,000. If you sell goods you bought intending to sell for a profit, GOV.UK says you're probably trading, and you need to tell HMRC if your total trading income, before expenses, is more than the £1,000 trading allowance in a tax year. Platforms may report sellers' details to HMRC; HMRC has said that doesn't automatically mean you need to complete a tax return.
Should I resell on Amazon or eBay?
Amazon suits new, branded, barcoded products, where you can check the price, fees and sales rank before you buy. eBay suits used, rare and one-off items without a clean Amazon listing. Many resellers use both.
UK Amazon FBA sellers — we built Axivelo after one too many trips juggling Keepa, a calculator and a spreadsheet halfway down a B&M aisle. Now it shows profit, ROI, MAX PAY and demand on every in-store scan.