How Fees Work

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. The buyer pays it; it never comes out of 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

What the card processor charges when a buyer disputes a payment, passed straight through.

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. It is not a fee and is never part of the seller’s proceeds.

If a sale’s winning bids add up to $10,000

This shows how the percentages work on one round number. It is not a quote, and it is not a promise of what any sale will pay: a real sale is settled lot by lot, on what buyers actually pay.

What the example leaves out

Refunds

If a buyer is refunded for a lot (for example, because it 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 their 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 it may be offered to the next highest bidder.