Payments surcharge policy

Policy overview

Sellers are not allowed to charge eBay buyers an additional fee for using ordinary forms of payment, including credit cards, electronic transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. These costs should be included in the price of the item and should not be charged separately.

See our accepted payment policy. Wire transfers, cheques and money orders can only be used as payment methods for specific listing categories.

Activity on eBay is required to follow this policy, the eBay User Agreement and all applicable laws, as well as respect the rights of third parties. If it doesn’t, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: Removing the listing or other content, issuing a warning, restricting activity or account suspension.

What are the guidelines?

Allowed

You can add a surcharge to the final price of an item in these 3 instances:

• Postage and dispatch: You can add a reasonable dispatch cost that covers your costs for mailing, packaging, and dispatching the item. Dispatch costs can't be listed as a percentage of the final price
• Escrow: You can pass along the costs associated with using escrow for eBay Motors vehicle transactions, if the buyer agrees to use escrow. Use caution when deciding to use escrow as fraudulent escrow services exist. You should only use our approved escrow service, www.escrow.com - opens in new window or tab
• Accepting a different currency: You can choose to accept payment in a currency other than the currency listed on eBay. If the buyer uses this optional payment method, you can pass along any costs associated with the currency exchange. The costs must be disclosed and agreed to in advance by the buyer

• Charging an extra fee to use a credit card instead of a cheque
• Charging an extra fee to use PayPal

Some examples

Here are a couple of examples of payment surcharges that aren't allowed on eBay:

• "I accept PayPal, but if you're paying by credit or debit card, please add 3% to the final bid price to cover the fees that PayPal charges me"
• "I accept cash transfers via PayPal. If paying by debit or credit card, buyer is responsible for all fees"
• "If paying by Apple Pay or Google Pay, add 3%"

Why does eBay have this policy?

This policy helps avoid confusion about the full cost of an item. In addition, some forms of payment surcharges (like credit card surcharges), are against the law in certain places. Listings with hidden or additional fees can undermine the trust between buyers and sellers.