Calculate your exact OnBuy seller fees before you list. See category commissions, subscription costs prorated per sale, and your true profit margin — all in real time.
Last updated: March 2026
Used to prorate the monthly subscription cost per sale
Fee data based on official OnBuy seller fee schedule (updated March 2026).
| Fee Type | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Category Commission On item sale price (Electronics) | 5% | £2.50 |
Subscription Cost Prorated across 30 sales/mo | £19/mo | £0.63 |
Total OnBuy Fees | 6.3% | £3.13 |
OnBuy is the UK's fastest-growing online marketplace, built from the ground up to be seller-friendly. Unlike Amazon and eBay, which have added layer upon layer of fees over the years, OnBuy keeps its fee structure deliberately simple and transparent. There are only two costs to selling on OnBuy: a monthly subscription and a category-based sales commission. No hidden charges, no payment processing fees, and no compulsory advertising tax.
OnBuy charges a percentage commission on each completed sale, calculated on the item price only (excluding shipping). The rate depends on the product category: Electronics sellers pay the lowest rate at just 5%, while most other categories including Fashion, Home & Garden, Beauty, Sports, Toys, Books, Jewelry, and Food are charged at 9%. Automotive sits in between at 7%. These rates are significantly lower than Amazon's 8-15% referral fees and eBay's 12-15% final value fees, making OnBuy one of the most cost-effective UK selling platforms.
Every OnBuy seller pays a monthly subscription fee. The Standard tier costs £19/month and gives you full access to the marketplace. The Partner tier at £39/month adds priority customer support, enhanced analytics dashboards, and early access to new features. The Partner+ tier at £79/month is designed for high-volume sellers and includes dedicated account management, premium placement opportunities, and advanced sales reporting. Unlike Amazon's single £25/month plan, OnBuy's tiered approach lets you choose the level of support that matches your business size.
One of OnBuy's standout advantages is that payment processing is included in the commission rate. On eBay, you pay 13.25% final value fee plus a £0.30 per-order fee. On Amazon, you pay a referral fee plus payment processing is baked into the referral rate but with additional FBA fees on top. OnBuy's all-inclusive commission means what you see is what you pay — no surprise deductions when your payout arrives.
Amazon's "Pay to Play" model increasingly forces sellers to spend 5-15% on PPC advertising just to maintain visibility. eBay's Promoted Listings now accounts for a significant portion of seller costs. OnBuy takes a fundamentally different approach: all sellers compete on price and service quality, not advertising budget. There is no promoted listings system, which means your visibility depends on having competitive pricing, good stock availability, and strong seller ratings — not on how much you spend on ads.
OnBuy was founded in 2016 with a mission to create a fairer marketplace for sellers. Unlike Amazon, which competes directly against its own sellers with Amazon Basics and first-party retail, OnBuy is a pure marketplace — it never sells its own products. This means every seller gets a level playing field. OnBuy also doesn't use seller data to launch competing products, a practice that has drawn regulatory scrutiny for Amazon in the UK and EU.
Select the OnBuy product category that matches your item and pick your subscription tier. Electronics has the lowest commission at 5%, while most other categories are 9%. Your subscription tier affects your per-sale cost when prorated across monthly volume.
Input your item sale price in GBP and your expected number of sales per month. The monthly subscription fee is divided across your sales volume, so higher volume means lower per-item subscription cost.
See the full fee breakdown: category commission and prorated subscription cost. The net revenue shows exactly what you keep after OnBuy fees. Try different subscription tiers and volumes to find the most profitable setup.
OnBuy's commission rates are fixed by category and can't be negotiated down, but the subscription cost per sale drops dramatically with volume. At 10 sales per month on the Standard plan, you're paying £1.90 per sale in subscription fees. At 100 sales per month, that drops to just £0.19 per sale. Focus on growing your OnBuy sales volume to minimize the subscription's impact on your margins.
Don't overpay for features you don't use. The Standard tier (£19/month) is ideal for sellers under 100 sales/month. Partner (£39/month) makes sense when you need priority support and enhanced analytics to optimize at scale. Partner+ (£79/month) is only worth it for high-volume sellers who benefit from dedicated account management. Run the numbers in this calculator before upgrading.
If your product range spans multiple categories, prioritize electronics listings where possible — the 5% commission is nearly half the 9% charged in most other categories. A £100 electronics sale costs just £5 in commission vs. £9 for the same-priced fashion item. If you sell accessories that could fit in Electronics or another category, the category choice alone can meaningfully impact your margins.
OnBuy uses seller performance metrics to determine search ranking and Buy Box placement. Sellers with high ratings, fast dispatch times, and low return rates get more visibility — which means more sales without any advertising spend. Focus on same-day or next-day dispatch, accurate product descriptions to reduce returns, and responsive customer service. On a platform with no paid advertising, your reputation is your marketing budget.
OnBuy's low fees make it an excellent addition to a multi-channel strategy. List your products on OnBuy alongside Amazon and eBay, and use a multi-channel listing tool like Marqetir to manage inventory and pricing across all platforms. The time you save on manual listing management can be reinvested in product sourcing and customer service, driving more volume across all channels.
Marqetir's AI automatically adapts your OnBuy listings for Amazon, eBay, Allegro, Kaufland, and more. Sync inventory, optimize titles, and expand across Europe in minutes.