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GlossaryDefinitionPart of: How to Calculate Reselling Profit: The Complete Guide

Buyer Protection Fee

A fee paid by the buyer for purchase protection, and why sellers should still care.

By reva editorial teamUpdated 6 min readCzytaj po polskuЧитать по-русски
A second-hand item's listed price and the buyer's higher checkout total, with the buyer protection fee between them
Key takeaways
  • The buyer pays a buyer protection fee: it is added to the buyer's total (Vinted, OLX, Catawiki) or built into the price they see (eBay UK), and it is not deducted from your payout.
  • Official formulas checked 13 September 2026: Vinted Poland usually 5% + 2.90 zł; eBay UK £0.10 plus 7%, 4% and 2% bands; Catawiki 9% of the final bid + €3; OLX shows Pakiet Ochronny per listing and publishes no amount.
  • Leave buyer-paid fees out of your profit maths, but price against the buyer's total when shoppers compare channels.
  • Vinted's updated Terms (5 October 2026 in Germany and France, 8 October 2026 in the UK and Poland) rename the fee "Vinted fee", according to press reports.

The buyer pays a buyer protection fee, not the seller. The marketplace adds it to the buyer's side of the order, so the price you set is what you receive before any seller-side costs. It still matters to you, because the buyer decides on the total they see.

Below: how it differs from a commission, who charges what on Vinted, eBay UK, Catawiki and OLX, what the fee covers, and how to price around it.

Buyer protection fee vs seller commission

The difference is which side of the order the fee lands on.

buyer total = item price + buyer protection fee (+ shipping the buyer pays) you receive = item price − seller commission − shipping you pay

Decision rule: if a fee appears only on the buyer's checkout, leave it out of your profit. If it is deducted from your payout or billed to your account, subtract it. The whole profit calculation is in how to calculate reselling profit, and a commission charged on price plus postage is explained under final value fee.

Who pays the buyer protection fee on each marketplace

All four marketplaces below put the fee on the buyer. They differ in the formula, where the buyer sees it, and whether the seller pays something as well.

Buyer protection fees by platform
Vinted PolandeBay UK, private sellersCatawikiOLX, OLX delivery
Buyer pays the feeYesusually 5% + 2.90 złYes£0.10 + 7% up to £20, 4% £20–£300, 2% £300–£4,000Yes9% of final bid + €3Yesamount shown per listing, not published
Where the buyer sees itexact amount at checkoutincluded in the displayed item priceadded on top of the final bidseparate line added to the item price
Seller commission as wellNonone on the price listNono final value fee outside motorsYes12.5% + a fixed amount, excl. VATPartlyonly with Zapłać, jeśli sprzedasz; rate not published
Fee returned to the buyerYeswith price and shipping after a return (UK help)Yesin full on a full refund, prorated on a partial oneNot statedstill charged if the order is cancelled for non-paymentYeswith price and delivery after an accepted claim
Vinted PL price list (15.09.2025) and UK help pages; eBay UK Buyer Protection fee and private seller fee pages; Catawiki help; OLX Terms and Annex 8. Vinted's formula is its usual rate and varies with the item, order value and bundles.From public product pages, checked 2026-09-13

A few details the table can't hold:

  • Vinted publishes a single usual rate in most countries, but only a range in the UK: 3% to 8% plus £0.30 to £0.80. Country formulas are on Vinted fees by country.
  • eBay UK charges the fee only on purchases from UK-based private sellers, and not in Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles, Classified Ads or Property. Bands and business fees are on eBay UK fees.
  • OLX adds Pakiet Ochronny only to orders paid and shipped through OLX. If you and the buyer agree payment or delivery outside OLX, it is not charged. Seller deadlines are in OLX delivery and Pakiet Ochronny.

What the fee covers

Cover is set by each marketplace's protection rules, and it is narrower than "anything goes wrong".

  • Vinted, private sellers: refund if the item doesn't arrive, arrives damaged or is significantly not as described; "Buy now" purchases only
  • Vinted Pro sellers: lost or damaged items only, plus help with the right of withdrawal; not items significantly not as described
  • OLX Pakiet Ochronny: an empty parcel or an item that doesn't match the listing (size, colour, undisclosed damage, missing parts); a buyer's change of mind is not covered
  • Catawiki: the fee page read gives the formula but not the scope, so check the buyer terms before quoting it

The practical point for sellers: a covered claim can bring the item back, and on OLX the return label is yours to pay.

How it affects your pricing

The fee moves the buyer's total, so the same listed price looks different on different sites.

Decision rules:

  • If buyers compare your item across sites, compare buyer totals. Marketplace fees in Poland runs this for Vinted against Allegro Lokalnie in zł.
  • If you want the total under a round number, work backwards: for a percentage-plus-fixed fee, highest item price = (target total − fixed part) ÷ (1 + percentage). eBay UK's bands need each band worked separately.
  • If the fee is shown as a range or per listing (Vinted UK, OLX), open checkout on a real item before relying on a calculation.
Marketplace fee calculator
Total fees€5.30
You receive€44.70
Effective fee rate10.6%
Enter the fee you pay.

The calculator works out total fees = sale price × Percentage fee + Fixed fee per order, and you receive = sale price − total fees − Shipping you pay. Enter only fees taken from you: the Vinted and eBay UK private presets are 0% + 0 for that reason. Every preset is explained on the marketplace fee calculator page.

Other buyer-side charges look similar but are not protection fees:

  • Kleinanzeigen "Sicher bezahlen" (Germany): €0.50 + 4.5% of the purchase price, paid by the buyer; Kleinanzeigen says the service is free for sellers.
  • Vinted Item Verification: an optional authenticity check the buyer adds, 45 zł in Poland, on top of the protection fee.
  • Seller commission and final value fee: taken from you, so they belong in your profit calculation, unlike every fee above.

Frequently asked questions

Does the seller pay the buyer protection fee?
Not directly. On Vinted, eBay UK private sales, Catawiki and OLX delivery orders the fee sits on the buyer's side, so your payout is not reduced by it. You still feel it: the buyer compares the total, not your price. And on Catawiki you also pay a success fee of 12.5% plus a fixed amount, so buyer-paid does not always mean free for the seller.
Is the Vinted buyer fee refundable?
Yes, when the order is refunded after a return. Vinted's UK help page on returning an item says that once the seller has inspected the returned item, the buyer gets back the item price, the Buyer Protection fee and the original shipping. The buyer pays the return postage unless the seller offers to cover it. Check your own country's help page, and note the fee is being renamed "Vinted fee" in October 2026.
Why does eBay UK charge buyers a fee?
It comes with free selling for private sellers. eBay UK charges UK-based private sellers no final value fee or regulatory operating fee outside motors, and buyers from those sellers pay the Buyer Protection fee. Items from business sellers or from private sellers based outside the UK carry no such fee, because those sellers pay final value fees. The help page read on 13 September 2026 gives no further reason.

Sources

  1. Vinted Poland price list (cennik), updated 15.09.2025 checked 13 Sept 2026
  2. Vinted UK price list checked 13 Sept 2026
  3. Vinted UK help: Buyer Protection checked 13 Sept 2026
  4. Vinted UK: Our platform checked 13 Sept 2026
  5. Vinted UK help: Returning an item checked 13 Sept 2026
  6. Vinted Poland Terms (version 15-09-2025, with update notice) checked 13 Sept 2026
  7. Value Added Resource: Vinted Europe terms update, October 2026 checked 13 Sept 2026
  8. eBay UK Help: Buyer Protection fee checked 13 Sept 2026
  9. eBay UK Help: Fees for private sellers (last updated 1 October 2024) checked 13 Sept 2026
  10. Catawiki Help: How does the Buyer Protection fee work? checked 13 Sept 2026
  11. Catawiki Help: How does selling on Catawiki work? checked 13 Sept 2026
  12. OLX Terms (Regulamin), effective 27 April 2026 checked 13 Sept 2026
  13. OLX Annex 8: Pakiet Ochronny (V20) checked 13 Sept 2026
  14. Kleinanzeigen Hilfe: Sicher bezahlen service fee checked 13 Sept 2026
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