United States · Resellers · Tax year 2026

Reseller tax calculator.

Take an average eBay-style sale to what you actually keep after platform fees, shipping, the cost of the item, mileage, and 2026 federal and state tax. Runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent or stored.

In the worked example on this page, 600 orders bring in $28,800 from buyers but leave $12,170 of net profit and about $10,450 after tax, roughly 36 cents per $1 of sales. Those are example assumptions, not an average reseller: enter your own below.

Tax year 2026Sources retrieved October 2026Results vary: uses the numbers you enter

How the calculator works

Most reseller fee calculators stop at the platform payout. This one continues to the part that arrives later: what you owe the IRS on the profit, and what you therefore keep. You enter one average order, how many you expect to sell in the year, and a few yearly costs. Everything is multiplied out to a year, taxed, and shown per dollar sold. Nothing you type leaves your browser; the tool runs in an isolated frame with no network access.

The variables

Order total = item price + buyer-paid shipping + sales tax collected. This is the base for the platform fee.
Fee = fee % × order total (with the 2.35% tier above $7,500 per item) + the per-order fee, $0.30 if the order total is $10.00 or less and $0.40 above it. Rates are eBay's published defaults, retrieved October 2026, and are editable because platforms change them.
Revenue = item price + shipping. Sales tax is excluded because the marketplace remits it.
Net profit = revenue − fees − labels − supplies − cost of items − miles × mileage rate − other expenses.
Self-employment tax = 92.35% of net profit × 15.3% (12.4% Social Security up to the $184,500 2026 base, 2.9% Medicare), with none below $400 of net earnings. This reuses the same engine as the 1099 tax set-aside calculator.
Federal income tax = the extra tax caused by the profit: half of SE tax and the standard deduction are subtracted, then 2026 brackets apply on top of any other income you enter.
Set-aside % = (SE tax + federal + state) ÷ net profit. Take-home = net profit − taxes. Kept per dollar sold = take-home ÷ revenue.

Worked example (assumptions, not a typical reseller)

Assume an average order of a $40.00 item with $8.00 buyer-paid shipping and $3.50 sales tax, a $7.00 label, $0.50 of supplies and $12.00 paid for the item, 600 orders, 400 miles, $200 of other costs, single filer, no state tax. The order total is $51.50, so the fee is $7.00 + $0.40 = $7.40. Over 600 orders: revenue $28,800.00, fees $4,440.00, net profit $12,170.00, self-employment tax $1,719.57, federal income tax $0.00 because profit is below the standard deduction, so take-home is $10,450.43, about 36.3 cents per $1 of buyer payments. These numbers describe the example only.

What this does not cover

Wage income and how it changes the Social Security cap, the qualified business income deduction, credits, itemized deductions, retirement contributions, local taxes and state tax rules.
Whether your activity is a business or a hobby, personal items sold at a loss, and sales tax you may owe on off-platform sales.
Returns, refunds, partial refunds, promoted listings or other ad fees, international fees and currency conversion. Put those in other expenses if they apply.
Canadian taxes. This is a US page for the 2026 tax year.

Why the result is an estimate

The tool multiplies one average order by your order count, so a mixed inventory of cheap and expensive items will not match it exactly. Fee tiers, categories and promotions change what eBay charges. Treat the output as a planning figure and compare it with your actual sales report, then see the monthly set-aside planner to turn it into payments.

The reseller tax guide

Do you pay taxes on reselling? Income versus personal items sold at a loss.
1099-K for resellers The $20,000 and 200 transactions rule, and reconciling the form.
Sales tax on eBay sales Who collects it and who still reports.
Deductions and COGS checklist What to keep records of.
Set-aside examples $5,000, $18,000 and $40,000 of profit, labelled as assumptions.
Set-aside by month A planner tied to the four IRS estimated-tax dates.

Sources (retrieved October 2026)

Cite this page: TNAADO Tools, "Reseller Tax Calculator," tools.tnaado.ca/calculators/business/reseller-tax-calculator/, checked October 19, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I set aside for taxes on eBay sales?

It depends on profit, not sales. In the worked example on this page, 600 orders bring in $28,800.00 of buyer payments but only $12,170.00 of net profit after fees, labels, supplies, cost of goods, mileage and other costs, and the 2026 federal tax estimate is $1,719.57 (14.1% of profit, 6.0% of sales). Your numbers will differ. Enter your own averages above, and treat the output as an estimate that depends on your inputs.

Are eBay fees tax deductible for resellers?

Fees a platform charges you for selling are ordinary business costs that generally reduce the net profit you report on Schedule C. This tool subtracts them before it computes tax. The fee rates are inputs: the default 13.6% and the $0.30 or $0.40 per-order fee come from eBay's selling fees page (retrieved October 2026) and eBay can change them, so check the page for your category.

Does the fee base include sales tax?

On eBay's selling fees page the total sale amount the percentage fee is charged on includes the item price, shipping and handling collected from the buyer, and sales tax. That is why this calculator has a separate sales tax field: the tax is not your revenue, but it still raises the fee. With free shipping, leave the shipping field at 0 and the base is item price plus sales tax.

What happens if I sell at a loss?

If your costs exceed your revenue, net profit is negative and this tool estimates no self-employment tax, no income tax and no state tax. It does not model how a business loss could offset other income, which is a separate rule. The page says so in the result instead of showing a negative tax.

Why is there no self-employment tax on very small profits?

Self-employment tax applies when net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more. The IRS calculates those earnings as 92.35% of net profit, so this tool shows no SE tax until profit passes about $433. Income still counts even when no tax is due, and the IRS says to report all income whether or not you receive a Form 1099-K.

Does this replace a tax professional or tax software?

No. It leaves out credits, itemized deductions, the qualified business income deduction, retirement contributions, wage income and its effect on the Social Security wage base, and any local tax. It is a planning estimate to help you set money aside, and it shows only federal and a flat state percentage that you choose.

Not tax advice

This page is general information built from the IRS and platform sources listed above. It is not tax, legal or accounting advice and it does not know your situation. Results vary: every figure comes from the assumptions you enter or the labelled example, not from a prediction of what you will earn. Confirm anything that matters with the IRS instructions, your state revenue department or a tax professional. A Canadian version is not covered here.