When you refund a buyer, eBay gives some of its fees back as a fee credit. How much depends on why the money went back and whether the refund was full or partial — and in some cases you get nothing back at all.
Full refunds
On a full refund, eBay credits the variable final value fee — the percentage part. When the refund is buyer-initiated (they ordered by mistake, changed their mind, did not like the item) eBay also credits the Promoted Listings General fee, the international fee, any performance surcharge and the per-order fee.
When the refund is because the item arrived damaged, defective, not as described, or never arrived, the final value fee is credited but the per-order fee is not.
Partial refunds
A partial refund earns a proportional credit: refund a quarter of what the buyer paid and eBay credits a quarter of each eligible fee. On our example order — $5.87 final value fee and $2.16 ad fee — a 25% refund brings back $1.47 and $0.54. The per-order fee is not part of a partial credit.
Cancellations
| Why the order was cancelled | What eBay credits |
|---|---|
| Outside your control — the buyer asked, or the address was a problem | The final value fee, the per-order fee, the ad fee, any performance surcharge and the international fee |
| Within your control — out of stock, or damaged before posting | The final value fee only; the per-order fee is not credited |
When there is no credit
- You refunded the buyer outside eBay, for example by sending money directly.
- eBay stepped in on a return or item-not-received request and closed it with a refund.
- You deducted part of the refund because a returned item came back used or damaged.
A lost payment dispute is different again: the money is taken back through the dispute, not refunded by you, and eBay.co.uk adds a £14 fee if you are found responsible.
Timing
Credits usually land in your available funds, and appear on your financial statement. eBay says a per-order fee credit can take up to 10 days to show in your transaction history — so a refund and its credit can fall on different days, and sometimes in different months.
What a refund really costs
The refund itself is only part of it. Count the money back to the buyer, minus the fee credit, plus any fee that was not credited, plus the postage you paid both ways — and, if the item cannot be resold, its buying price, unless your supplier refunds you. A return that comes back resaleable is worth what you can sell it for again, which is rarely what you first paid.
Baiord stores each refund twice over — the gross the buyer received and the fee credit eBay handed back — so profit takes off exactly what the refund cost, and tracks whether your supplier has refunded you. What a refund does to profit in Baiord.
eBay's own pages
The rates and rules in this guide were checked against these on 30 October 2026. eBay changes its fees from time to time; its pages are the final word.