eBay Offers 0% Live Commissions To Get More Sellers Streaming
eBay is offering select sellers 0% commission fees on Live sales through October 29, adding another incentive to get more sellers livestreaming as the company expands access to the service.
The invitation-only promotion runs October 19 through October 29, 2026, automatically waiving commission fees on eligible US eBay Live transactions completed and paid for during that period. Sellers will still pay the standard payment processing fees, and the offer is only available to accounts specifically selected by eBay.
Under the public fee structure introduced in July, eBay normally charges a 4% commission for coins, bullion and eligible sneakers sold through Live, or 6% for most other categories, with commissions capped at $100 per item. Payment processing adds another 2.9% plus $0.30 per order, though the fixed portion is temporarily reduced to $0.10 for orders of $10 or less through December 31.
That means an eligible seller making a $100 transaction in a category normally charged 6% commission would pay just $3.20 in processing fees during the promotion, compared to $9.20 under the regular Live fee structure.
The terms and conditions say qualifying transactions include purchases or commitments to purchase during Live events, as well as case break purchases that may occur outside of a livestream. Sales must be completed and paid for before the promotion ends, with canceled, refunded or reversed transactions excluded.
One seller who received the invitation told Value Added Resource they were approved for eBay Live in September and already have access to Live Studio, but have not yet hosted their first livestream. It's not clear how widely eBay is distributing the offer, but the invitation shows the promotion is reaching sellers who have access to Live but haven't started using it.
The offer follows eBay's expansion of self-service Live registration in September, allowing qualifying US business sellers to gain immediate access to Live Studio while others may still face additional eligibility checks. At the time, eBay also offered selected approved sellers up to $100 in matched sales for completing their first public livestream.
Liz Morton
eBay has also been subsidizing Live activity on the buyer side, including promotions offering select shoppers up to $50 in coupons after making qualifying livestream purchases.
The company already charges significantly less for Live sales than regular marketplace transactions in many categories, with no insertion fees for Live-created listings and qualifying Promoted Listings General ad fees waived on Live purchases.
Liz Morton
eBay isn't the only livestream marketplace offering temporary commission discounts. Competitor Whatnot is currently offering a limited time 0% commission promotion to eligible Australian fashion sellers following last month's changes to its seller fees that took direct aim at eBay.
Liz Morton
eBay has repeatedly pointed to Live's rapid growth, most recently at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in September, where CEO Jamie Iannone reiterated claims of eightfold year-over-year GMV growth and 90% seller retention among those who start using the service.
But without actual Live GMV or active buyer and seller counts, it's difficult to put those growth claims into perspective, particularly as the service expands into new countries, categories and sellers with the help of lower fees and other financial incentives.
Liz Morton
eBay is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings October 28, one day before the latest commission promotion ends. The earnings announcement may shed more light on Live's actual scale and contribution to marketplace growth.
