How Fees Work
Two fees, both a percentage of the winning bid: a buyer’s premium the buyer pays on top, and a commission that comes out of what the seller receives.
The rates
The standard rates. Each sale’s seller agreement states the rates for that sale.
- Seller commission
- 18%
- Taken out of each winning bid. The seller receives what is left.
- Buyer's premium
- 15%
- Added on top of each winning bid. Paid by the buyer, and never deducted from the seller's proceeds.
- Minimum fee
- $100
- Per sale. If the commission across the whole sale comes to less, the difference comes out of the proceeds. A sale where nothing sells pays nothing.
- Chargeback fee
- At cost
- The card processor's fee for a disputed payment, charged at cost.
- Card processing and payouts
- Included
- Paid by Going Once out of the commission.
- Setup, monthly, and listing fees
- None
- Nothing is charged to run a sale except the fees above.
Sales tax is added to the buyer’s invoice and paid to the state, and is neither a fee nor part of the seller’s proceeds.
An example, not a quote
If a sale’s winning bids add up to $10,000
- Winning bids
- $10,000
- Buyer's premium (15%)
- +$1,500
- Buyers pay
- $11,500
Plus sales tax.
- Winning bids
- $10,000
- Commission (18%)
- −$1,800
- The seller receives
- $8,200
This example shows how the percentages work on one round number. The example is not a quote or a promise of what any sale will pay: a real sale is settled lot by lot, on what buyers actually pay.
Not included in the example
- Refunds
- If a buyer is refunded for a lot (for example, because the lot was not as described), the money for that lot comes back out of the seller's proceeds.
- Chargebacks
- A buyer can dispute a card payment with the buyer's bank for months after a sale. If the dispute is lost, the seller's share of that payment is taken back, from the payout or from a later sale, together with the card processor's chargeback fee.
- Unpaid invoices
- Going Once charges winning buyers and follows up on payment, but cannot make every buyer pay. A lot whose buyer does not pay earns nothing, and the lot may be offered to the next highest bidder.
The fees are set out in full in the Seller Terms and each sale’s seller agreement, and for buyers in the Buyer Terms.