Calculator · Free · No sign-up
Offer Calculator
A lower offer costs you less than the discount, because fees shrink with the price — but it still costs real profit. A $40 offer on a $50 eBay listing leaves $19.16 profit instead of $27.80, a drop of $8.64. Use this calculator to see exactly what any offer is worth before you accept, decline or counter.
Fees checked October 2026 · US fee schedule
PROFIT IF YOU ACCEPT
$19.16
Fees $5.84 · You keep $34.16 · Margin 47.9% · $8.64 less than at full price.
StockX profit counts only item cost, because its $5 seller shipping fee is already inside the fees. On every other platform, profit subtracts item cost and actual shipping cost.
Accepting a $40 offer on a $50 eBay listing — worked example
At the defaults — $50 list, $40 offer, eBay, no shipping charged, $10 item cost, $5 actual shipping:
| Line | At list ($50) | At offer ($40) |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | $7.20 | $5.84 |
| You keep | $42.80 | $34.16 |
| Minus item cost and shipping | -$15.00 | -$15.00 |
| Profit | $27.80 | $19.16 |
| Profit given up | — | $8.64 |
| Break-even offer | — | $17.82 |
When to accept, counter or decline
Accept when the profit still beats your margin floor and the item has sat unsold — a fast $19.16 beats a slow $27.80 that never sells. Counter when the offer is below your break-even or under your floor: the calculator’s break-even offer ($17.82 in the example) is your walk-away number. Decline when the offer loses money or the item sells well at full price — every decline costs nothing, while every bad accept costs profit.
How to calculate profit on an offer
Fees on the offer = the platform’s fee formula applied to the offer price (not the list price). You keep = offer + shipping charged – fees. Profit = you keep – item cost – actual shipping cost. Profit given up = profit at list price – profit at offer. Break-even offer = the lowest price where profit reaches $0, found by testing prices cent by cent.
5 tips for handling offers
- Set your floor before offers arrive. Decide the lowest profit you will accept for the item, then use the break-even number as your hard line — negotiating is easier with a number in hand.
- Remember fees shrink with the offer. A $10 discount does not cost $10 of profit: on eBay it costs $8.64, because $1.36 of fees disappears too. Judge the profit drop, not the discount.
- Counter near the middle, not at list. A buyer at $40 on a $50 listing who meets you at $45 still leaves you $23.48 profit on eBay — better than losing the sale entirely.
- Check the platform. The same $40 offer is worth $21.00 profit on Mercari (fees $4.00, keep $36.00, minus $15.00 costs) — always run the offer on the platform where it arrived.
- Do not forget shipping. If you offer free shipping, the $5 actual shipping cost comes out of every offer. Low offers on free-shipping listings go underwater fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I accept a low offer on eBay?
Accept if the profit still clears your floor and the item is slow-moving. On the example, a $40 offer on a $50 listing still leaves $19.16 profit — many sellers take that rather than wait weeks for full price.
What is a break-even offer?
The lowest price at which you lose nothing: profit reaches exactly $0. In the example that is $17.82 on eBay with $10 item cost and $5 shipping. Anything below it loses money.
Do fees apply to the offer price or the list price?
The offer price — the price the item actually sells for. That is why a discount costs less profit than the discount itself: fees fall with the price.
Why does the same offer pay differently per platform?
Fee rates differ: a $40 offer costs $5.84 in eBay fees but only $4.00 on Mercari and $1.77 on Depop (3.3% + $0.45). Run the offer on its own platform before deciding.
How do I counter an offer?
Counter at or above your break-even, ideally near the middle between the offer and your list price. If the buyer will not reach your floor, declining costs nothing.
Related tools & resources
- Break-even calculator — the lowest price you can accept
- Reverse price calculator — price to net a target amount
- eBay fee calculator — full category matrix and per-sale fees
- All-platform fee comparator — rank 9 marketplaces by your payout
- All marketplace fee calculators — one calculator per platform
- How we calculate fees — sources and update process
Estimate only — not tax or business advice. Fees checked October 2026.