Get to know your PayPal Fees (and lower them)
PayPal is the primary financial gateway for most all online sales and transactions around the world.
While direct credit card and crypto payments have their place with some buyers and ecommerce merchants, the sheer simplicity of PayPal makes it the most popular choice for online shoppers and particularly eBay sellers.
Why does PayPal have fees?
Just like any credit card processor, there are fees associated with your PayPal transactions.
PayPal fees cover the cost of processing the buyer/sender’s payment method, as well as the server costs associated with the digital transaction.
When do I have to pay PayPal fees?
You will be charged a fee when your business:
receives a payment for a purchase, or
receives a payment for a purchase, or
sends a payment via a debit/credit card, or
Withdraws funds from PayPal to a debit or credit card
When do I have to pay PayPal fees?
PayPal fees are very competitive (especially for the convenience of the transaction).
However, the fees fluctuate/change depending on your location, the buyer’s location, the way/scenario that you accept the payment, and if there is a currency conversion fee for the transaction. (don’t let this myriad of fees overwhelm you, we have tools like this one to expedite your calculations)
There are also fees associated when withdrawing your funds. Certain PayPal withdraw methods are free. Continue reading for more insight and ways to avoid fees.
Below is a table with standard fees for accepting domestic and international payments via PayPal in popular locations for online sales/payments.
Click here to view/download a Google Sheets file with fees for every seller transaction type & country. (updated June 2020)
It is common to factor your PayPal fees into the selling price of an item. eBay sellers typically calculate their target profit margin and include the PayPal fees in the price of their listings.
Click here to use our easy eBay fee calculator that will allow you do this in only a few seconds
How to lower PayPal fees:
While you can’t directly lower set fees for your location (or sales volume), you can however use some helpful tricks to keep them from affecting your gross profit.
If you are selling large volumes of goods to other countries (and your country qualifies), PayPal will reduce the fee amount for international transactions. Each qualifying country has its own sales tier for this (eg. $0 - $3,000).
Here are a few ways to compensate and reduce how much to actually spend on PayPal fees:
Make the buyer pay your fees
It is common to factor your PayPal fees into the selling price of an item. eBay sellers typically calculate their target profit margin and include the PayPal fees in the price of their listings.
Click here to use our easy eBay fee calculator that will allow you do this in only a few seconds
Write off your PayPal fees as a business expense
Legally, this is not tax advice, but in most countries you are able to include your PayPal fees as a business expense to lower the taxes you have to pay.
This can dramatically offset the expense of taxes themselves, leaving your business with more funds at the end of the year.
Only withdraw funds to a bank account, or use a PayPal debit card
If you withdraw funds to your bank account, there is no fee associated with the transaction.
In addition, you can apply for a PayPal Mastercard to use your PayPal balance anywhere you need.
Sell low priced items and accept micropayments
This won’t work for every seller, but if you are selling items for a total price of under $10, the fee may be lower (depending on your country’s eligibility).
Instead of paying a percentage and a fixed fee, you will only need to pay a percentage of the transaction.
PayPal fees conclusion
While PayPal fees may seem cumbersome at first, after establishing a game plan and getting used to the typical fees your business will incur, it will become second nature to your work life.
