Facebook Marketplace is free, right up until the moment it isn’t
Ask ten sellers whether Facebook Marketplace charges a fee and you will get two confident answers, both wrong. One group swears every sale is 100% free. The other insists the platform takes a cut of everything. The truth is that both statements describe a real part of the same system, and the difference between them is a single word: shipping.
If you meet a buyer, hand over the item and get paid in cash, no one takes a commission. If the buyer pays through Facebook checkout and you mail the item, Meta takes a percentage. One platform, two completely different cost structures. This guide breaks down exactly what changed, what you actually keep, and how Marketplace stacks up against eBay, Mercari, Poshmark and Etsy in 2026.
Does Facebook Marketplace charge a fee?
For local, in-person sales, no. There is no listing fee, no commission and no monthly subscription. You can post a couch, a phone or a set of tires for free, sell it in your driveway, and keep every dollar. Meta does not touch a transaction that it never processed.
The moment a buyer checks out inside the app and you ship the item, the picture changes. Meta charges a selling fee on that order. The current US rate is 10% of the total transaction value, with a minimum of $0.80 per order, per Meta’s Onsite Checkout Payments Features Terms and Conditions.
That 10% only became the standard in 2024. Before April 15, 2024, the rate was 5% with a $0.40 minimum. If you are reading an older blog post that quotes 5%, the number is out of date.
| Sale type | Selling fee | You keep on a $100 item |
|---|---|---|
| Local pickup, paid directly | $0 | $100.00 |
| Shipped, paid through Facebook checkout | 10% ($0.80 minimum) | $90.00 |
| Listed for sale, never sold | $0 | n/a |
How much do you actually pay on a shipped sale?
The 10% is not calculated on the item price alone. Meta applies it to the total transaction value, which includes the item price, the shipping the buyer pays, and applicable taxes. That detail quietly raises your real cost.
Example: you sell a $40 item and charge the buyer $10 for shipping. The transaction value is $50, so the selling fee is $5.00, not $4.00. The shipping line gets taxed by Meta just like the item.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Item price | $40.00 |
| Shipping charged to buyer | $10.00 |
| Total transaction value | $50.00 |
| Selling fee (10%) | -$5.00 |
| Your net before label and item cost | $45.00 |
Then subtract what you paid for the item and the actual cost of the label. On low-priced merchandise the math gets brutal. A $5 shipped sale still triggers the $0.80 minimum, which is a 16% effective fee, more than the headline 10%.
Meta also pays you on its own schedule, not instantly. Per Meta’s help center, payout arrives about 5 days after delivery is confirmed, or 15 days after you mark the item as shipped and enter tracking.
What actually costs money on Marketplace
The selling fee is only one line on the bill. Here are the three real costs a seller can run into, and what each one actually is.
- Shipping labels. If you ship, someone has to pay the carrier. Meta offers prepaid labels to select sellers only, and its own help pages note that some shipping features are not available to all eligible sellers. Because the rate comes from Meta’s commercial discount, Meta can negotiate a lower rate with shipping partners and keep the savings. If you do not have the prepaid option, you buy your own label and upload the tracking number.
- Boosting and Sponsored listings. Promoting a listing is optional paid advertising, not a transaction fee. Meta turns your listing into a Facebook ad and you choose a total budget over a number of days, subject to a minimum daily budget. You pay whether or not the item sells.
- The in-app checkout cut. This is the 10% selling fee described above. It applies only to shipped orders completed through Meta’s checkout, and it is the one cost that looks like a true commission.
Everything else is free. Creating a listing is free. Relisting is free. Messaging buyers is free. Local handshake deals are free.
Marketplace fees vs eBay, Mercari, Poshmark and Etsy
A 10% selling fee sounds expensive until you put it next to the specialists. On a $100 shipped sale in a standard category, here is what sellers keep on each major platform in 2026.
| Platform | Main seller fee | You keep on a $100 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Marketplace (local) | None | $100.00 |
| Facebook Marketplace (shipped) | 10%, $0.80 minimum | $90.00 |
| eBay (most categories) | 13.6% + $0.40 per order | $86.00 |
| Mercari | 10% selling fee | $90.00 |
| Poshmark | $2.95 under $15, 20% at $15+ | $80.00 |
| Etsy | 6.5% + $0.20 listing + payment processing | About $90.05 |
A few notes that the table hides. eBay’s 13.6% applies to the item price, shipping and sales tax combined, and drops to 2.35% on the portion of a sale above $7,500. Its first 250 listings per month are free, then each costs $0.35. Mercari charges sellers a flat 10% and adds a 3.6% Buyer Protection fee on the buyer’s side, so the seller’s net is comparable to Marketplace but the buyer pays more. Poshmark is the most expensive for anything over $15, though the buyer covers a flat shipping label. Etsy bundles a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee and payment processing into the cost of every sale.
The takeaway is simple. Facebook Marketplace’s shipped fee is genuinely competitive. Its local fee, which is zero, beats every competitor on the list.
How to avoid fee-related scams
Scammers study platform fees and build stories around them, because a confused seller is an easy seller. Most fee-related fraud follows a handful of scripts.
- The overpayment refund. A «buyer» sends a payment that is larger than the price, then asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is fake or gets reversed, and your refund is real money gone. Never refund an overpayment. If they truly overpaid, their bank can fix it.
- The fake payment screenshot. A buyer sends a convincing image or email claiming they paid. No money exists. Verify the balance inside Facebook, never in a message thread.
- Move the payment off-platform. Anyone pushing you to finish a deal over Zelle, a gift card or crypto is removing the protection that comes with checkout. Meta’s checkout is where your seller protection lives.
- The buyer-pays-fee bait. Real platforms deduct fees from your payout. They do not ask a seller to pay a fee upfront to receive money. Any «release fee» or «upgrade fee» is theft.
The rule that catches all four: if a deal requires you to send money before you have confirmed a real, settled payment in your own account, it is a scam.
When selling on Marketplace makes sense and when it doesn’t
Marketplace is a strong first stop for some sellers and a poor fit for others.
Use Marketplace when:
- The item is bulky, heavy or expensive to ship, like furniture, appliances, bikes or vehicles.
- You want a local, face-to-face cash deal with zero fees.
- You are clearing a home, not running a storefront.
- Your buyer lives in a dense metro area where pickup is easy.
Look elsewhere when:
- You are shipping small, light items nationwide and want a built-in buyer base.
- Your category has a specialized audience, like collectibles on eBay or handmade goods on Etsy.
- You need reliable, repeatable logistics and buyer protection at volume.
- Your margins cannot absorb a 10% fee plus a label on a low-priced product.
Is Facebook Marketplace really free?
Yes, with one honest caveat. Posting is free, browsing is free, messaging is free, and any sale you complete in person with direct payment costs nothing. The platform never charges you to exist on it.
It stops being free the moment Meta handles your money. Shipped orders through Facebook checkout carry a 10% selling fee with an $0.80 minimum, calculated on the item, shipping and taxes. Add the label, add any boost you choose to run, and your real cost on a shipped sale can land well above 10%. For local sellers, the honest answer is a clean zero. For shippers, budget the fee before you set the price.
Frequently asked questions
Does Facebook Marketplace take a commission on every sale?
No. Meta charges a selling fee only on shipped orders paid through Facebook checkout, currently 10% with an $0.80 minimum. Local sales paid directly between buyer and seller carry no commission at all.
What is the minimum selling fee on Marketplace?
It is $0.80 per order in the US. That floor is what makes very cheap shipped items expensive to sell, since $0.80 on a $5 sale is an effective rate of 16%, higher than the standard 10%.
Is it still 5% like the old guides say?
No. Meta doubled the shipped selling fee from 5% to 10% on April 15, 2024, and raised the minimum from $0.40 to $0.80. Any guide still quoting 5% was last updated before that change.
Do I pay a fee just to list something?
No. Listing is free on Marketplace, and there is no listing fee, insertion fee or monthly subscription. You pay only when Meta processes a transaction or when you choose to buy advertising.
Does boosting a listing cost a fee?
Boosting is optional advertising, not a transaction fee. You set a budget and a duration, Meta applies a minimum daily budget, and the charge applies whether or not the item sells. Most casual sellers skip it.
Keep reading
- Does Facebook Marketplace charge a commission?
- How to sell on Facebook Marketplace, step by step
- Facebook Marketplace vs MercadoLibre: which one pays off
- How to avoid scams on Facebook Marketplace
- AI loops for business owners
Fees change your margin channel by channel: our ecommerce consulting calculates real profitability including shipping, marketplace commissions and ads.
