eBay profit tracker for UK and US business sellers

If you sell on eBay as a business, the number that matters is what you keep after the fee, the postage and the cost of the item. This page lists what a profit tracker should record, shows the formulas, and walks through one sale with invented numbers and an editable example fee rate.

What to record for every sale

One item per row keeps the log simple and lets you filter later. These are the columns that matter.

• Date bought and buy price. What the item cost you.
• Other costs. Cleaning, repair, packaging or ads that belong to this item.
• Platform. The fee rule you want applied, for example one site or category.
• Date sold and sale price.
• Shipping paid by the buyer. Fees are often charged on this amount too.
• Shipping paid by you. The postage you actually paid.
• Fee override. A cell for the real fee when it differs from the calculated one.

The formulas

Every number comes from these steps.

• Fee = the percentage on the item price, plus the percentage on item plus buyer shipping, plus the fixed fee per order. Which parts apply depends on the platform and category.
• Net proceeds = sale price + buyer shipping - fee - your shipping.
• Net profit = net proceeds - buy price - other costs.
• Margin = net profit / sale price.
• ROI = net profit / (buy price + other costs).

Worked example (invented numbers)

These figures are made up. The fee rule below is an editable example, 12 percent on item plus buyer shipping and a fixed 0.30 per order. It is not a statement about any platform's current fees. Check the platform's own fee page and enter the rate that applies to you.

A jacket was bought for 18.00 and 2.00 was spent on cleaning. It sold for 55.00. The buyer paid 4.00 for shipping and you paid 4.00 for postage.

1. Fee: 12 percent of (55.00 + 4.00) is 7.08, plus 0.30 gives 7.38.
2. Net proceeds: 55.00 + 4.00 - 7.38 - 4.00 = 47.62.
3. Net profit: 47.62 - 18.00 - 2.00 = 27.62.
4. Margin: 27.62 / 55.00 = 50.2 percent.
5. ROI: 27.62 / 20.00 = 138.1 percent.

Change the rate to see how much one percentage point moves the result.

Why UK and US sellers need a switch

Sellers who list on more than one eBay site deal with different fee tables and different currencies. A sheet works best with one currency per file and a separate fee row for each site and category. That way the same sale can be compared under two fee rows without retyping anything.

Common mistakes

• Leaving out your own postage. It is the cost sellers forget first.
• Applying one fee rate to every category. Rates vary by category and by price band.
• Forgetting VAT on fees. If you pay VAT on platform fees, include it in the fee. Ask your adviser what applies to you.
• Never updating the rates. Check the fee page whenever you start a new category.
• Logging only what sold. Items in stock tie up cash, so log them from the day you buy.

Build it yourself or use a ready template

The formulas above fit into a plain spreadsheet, and building your own is a fair way to start. A ready template saves the setup time.

The International eBay Profit Tracker is an Excel workbook with four tabs: Instructions, Settings, Sales_Log and Dashboard. It comes with six starter fee rows for eBay UK and eBay US, as a snapshot of October 2026, and two spare rows for another site, a category or your own Store rate. It holds 300 sales rows, switches between £ and $, and shows profit, revenue and fees by month and by fee row. It has no macros and works in Excel and LibreOffice.

What it does not model

The first version does not model Store discounts, subscriber rates, Promoted Listings, currency conversion, the international fee, below-standard surcharges or tiered rates above a price threshold. Every starter rate is editable, and the tracker is a planning aid, not financial, tax or legal advice. eBay and Microsoft Excel are trademarks of their owners, and Size Run Studio is not affiliated with either.

Get the tracker

The International eBay Profit Tracker is a paid digital download. You get the Excel workbook with clearly marked example data and a one-page Quick Start PDF. Nothing is shipped.

The same tracker is also listed on Etsy as the Reseller Profit Tracker for UK and US sellers, if you prefer to buy there.

See the International eBay Profit Tracker

Frequently asked questions

What should an eBay profit tracker record?

For every item: what you paid, other costs, the platform fee, the sale price, shipping the buyer paid and shipping you paid. From these you get net proceeds, net profit, margin and ROI.

Why do fee rates in a sheet need to be editable?

Platforms change their fees, and the rate depends on the site and the category. Keep each rate in one editable cell and check the platform's own fee page before relying on it.

Does the tracker handle multi-item orders?

The per-order fee is charged once per order, while the sheet has one row per item. For a multi-item order, enter the real fee in the fee override column.

Is this tax advice?

No. It is a planning aid for your own bookkeeping. Ask an adviser how to treat VAT, sales tax and income tax in your country.