eBay’s fees have gone up in multiple waves , so the exact “when” depends on which fee you mean. The clearest recent jump in the results I found was from 12 February 2026 , when eBay’s per-order fee on orders over £10 rose from 30p to 40p, and some category final value fees also increased. There was also a major buyer-fee change in August 2025 , when eBay updated its buyer protection fee structure.

What likely feels “so high”

A lot of sellers are reacting to three things at once:

  • Higher fixed per-order fees on lower-priced items.
  • Higher final value fees in some categories.
  • The shift of some costs from sellers to buyers, which still changes the total cost of selling on the platform.

Recent fee changes

Date| What changed| Source
---|---|---
August 2025| Buyer Protection fee formula changed 10|
12 February 2026| Per-order fee increased from 30p to 40p for orders over £10; some category fees also rose 9|

Plain-English answer

If you’re asking about the most recent big jump , it was February 12, 2026. If you mean the broader trend, eBay’s fees have been moving up in steps since at least 2025 rather than in one single sudden hike.

TL;DR: the recent “high fees” feeling is mostly tied to August 2025 and especially February 12, 2026.