Swappa’s fee structure is about to change. In early March, Swappa will transition to a simpler, more transparent system where buyers and sellers each pay a 3% fee. Once implemented, this change will apply to new listings, as well as all existing listings that are still available for sale on Swappa.
What do these upcoming changes mean for you? What do you get for your money when buying and selling on Swappa? And how do Swappa fees stack up against eBay fees and OfferUp fees? Keep reading to find out!
Each party pays 3%
Previously, Swappa utilized a tiered fee structure where buyers covered the entire sale fee. This worked well for many years — but we wanted to shift to a fairer solution where buyers and sellers split the cost, while getting rid of arbitrary fee hikes at specific item prices.
Swappa’s new fee structure splits the bill between buyers and sellers. Unlike our old tiered system where you had to cross-reference a fees table, each party now pays a fixed percentage (3%) of the seller’s asking price.
How do Swappa fees work?
Swappa’s new fee structure is simple. Let’s say a seller lists an item with an Ask Price of $100. The listing shows up as $103 in order to account for the 3% buyer fee. After the buyer pays $103 (plus tax if required in the buyer’s state), a 3% seller fee is deducted from the original Ask Price, alongside PayPal’s transaction fee of 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction and sales tax if applicable in your state.
In other words, if a seller sets an Ask Price of $100, the buyer pays $103 and the seller takes home $92.92.
Swappa fees are lower than eBay fees and OfferUp fees
Swappa saves you money compared to eBay and OfferUp. Swappa charges 3% per party, whereas eBay charges sellers 12.55% + $0.30 for every transaction. OfferUp charges sellers even more at 12.9% per transaction. But just how much can you save on Swappa?
Let’s say you’re selling a used iPhone 12. If you set your Ask Price to $500, buyers can purchase the listing for $515. In this example, you’ll save about $15 selling on Swappa compared to eBay and OfferUp.
| Buyer Pays | Seller Fee | Buyer Fee | PayPal Fee | Seller Payout | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swappa | $515 | $15 | $15 | $18.46 | $466.54 |
| eBay | $515 | $63.05 | N/A | N/A | $451.95 ($14.59 less) |
| OfferUp | $515 | $64.50 | N/A | N/A | $450.50 ($16.04 less) |
You’ll save even more when buying or selling more expensive items. Let’s take a $900 MacBook Pro for example.
| Buyer Pays | Seller Fee | Buyer Fee | PayPal Fee | Seller Payout | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swappa | $927 | $27 | $27 | $32.84 | $840.16 |
| eBay | $927 | $113.25 | N/A | N/A | $813.75 ($26.41 less) |
| OfferUp | $927 | $116.10 | N/A | N/A | $810.90 ($29.26 less) |
No matter how much the item costs, Swappa fees are lower than the competition. This means you’ll make more and save more buying and selling on Swappa.
Why does Swappa charge fees in the first place?
We get it — nobody likes paying fees. But at Swappa, you actually get something in return. Unlike our competitors, Swappa fees enable listing verification, state-of-the-art fraud prevention, and real 24/7/365 support. This means that whether you’re a buyer or seller, you’ll have a better experience at Swappa.
Only Swappa verifies listings before listings go live to make sure phones are as described and that their IMEI numbers aren’t on a carrier blocklist. Save yourself the hassle. Buy and sell on Swappa today.
