Estimate total cost in your local currency including conversion fees.
1 Unit Foreign = X Units Local
Usually 3% – 4% for PayPal/eBay
Please enter valid numbers for Price and Exchange Rate.
Total Cost (Local Currency):0.00
Effective Exchange Rate:0.00
Total Foreign Amount
0.00
Conversion Fee Cost
0.00
How eBay Exchange Rates Work
When you purchase an item on eBay listed in a currency different from your registered account currency, a currency conversion occurs. This calculation is rarely a straight swap based on the mid-market rate you see on Google or financial news sites.
The "Spread" Explained
Financial institutions, including eBay's payment processors and PayPal, make money on international transactions by adding a percentage markup to the wholesale exchange rate. This is known as the spread.
For example, if the current market rate for 1 GBP is 1.25 USD:
Market Price: A £100 item equals $125.00.
eBay/PayPal Fee: They typically add a 3% to 4% fee.
Actual Rate: 1.25 + (3.5% markup) = 1.29375 USD/GBP.
Your Cost: £100 * 1.29375 = $129.38.
Key Input Definitions
Item Price (Foreign): The winning bid or Buy It Now price in the seller's currency (e.g., Euros, Pounds, Yen).
Shipping Cost: Don't forget to add international shipping, as fees are applied to the grand total, not just the item price.
Market Exchange Rate: The current base rate found on Google or XE.com (e.g., if converting Pounds to Dollars, how many Dollars is 1 Pound?).
Conversion Fee (%): The markup charged by the payment processor. PayPal often charges between 3% and 4.5% depending on the currencies involved. eBay Managed Payments also applies similar currency conversion charges.
Tips to Save Money
If you have a credit card that offers zero foreign transaction fees, you should always choose to pay in the seller's currency during checkout. By selecting "Pay in GBP" (for example) instead of letting eBay convert it to USD, your bank performs the conversion. If your bank has no fees, you get a rate much closer to the mid-market rate, avoiding the 3-4% markup shown in this calculator.
function calculateEbayTotal() {
// Get inputs
var itemPriceInput = document.getElementById('itemPrice');
var shippingCostInput = document.getElementById('shippingCost');
var exchangeRateInput = document.getElementById('exchangeRate');
var conversionFeeInput = document.getElementById('conversionFee');
var errorDiv = document.getElementById('errorMessage');
var resultArea = document.getElementById('resultArea');
// Parse values
var price = parseFloat(itemPriceInput.value);
var shipping = parseFloat(shippingCostInput.value);
var rate = parseFloat(exchangeRateInput.value);
var feePercent = parseFloat(conversionFeeInput.value);
// Handle empty shipping as 0
if (isNaN(shipping)) {
shipping = 0;
}
// Validation
if (isNaN(price) || isNaN(rate) || isNaN(feePercent) || price < 0 || rate <= 0) {
errorDiv.style.display = 'block';
resultArea.style.display = 'none';
return;
} else {
errorDiv.style.display = 'none';
resultArea.style.display = 'block';
}
// 1. Calculate Total Foreign Currency Amount
var totalForeign = price + shipping;
// 2. Calculate Fee Multiplier
// If fee is 3.5%, multiplier is 1.035
var feeMultiplier = 1 + (feePercent / 100);
// 3. Calculate Effective Exchange Rate
// The rate you actually pay = Market Rate * Multiplier
var effectiveRate = rate * feeMultiplier;
// 4. Calculate Final Local Cost
var totalLocal = totalForeign * effectiveRate;
// 5. Calculate Cost without fees (Base Cost)
var baseLocalCost = totalForeign * rate;
// 6. Calculate the Cost of the Fee alone
var feeCost = totalLocal – baseLocalCost;
// Update DOM Elements
document.getElementById('finalForeignTotal').innerText = totalForeign.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('finalEffectiveRate').innerText = effectiveRate.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 4, maximumFractionDigits: 4});
document.getElementById('finalLocalCost').innerText = totalLocal.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('finalFeeCost').innerText = feeCost.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
}