A $2 op-shop find that sells for $10 looks like an easy $8 profit. Then you buy packaging, pay for postage and spend time photographing, listing and sending it.
A $10 item can be worth selling. The answer depends on what you keep and how much work it takes. An inexpensive, easy-to-pack item is a different proposition from something that needs cleaning, a box and a special trip to the Post Office.
I’d work out the postage before deciding whether a cheap item is a good buy. Eligible untracked letter postage can make a real difference, but it is only an option when the packed item meets the requirements.
after sending it?
Compare the money left after stock, packaging, postage and fees. Then decide whether that amount pays for your time.
Rates and fee pages checked 25 September 2026. All figures are AUD. These are worked examples, not measured seller results. The header image is an AI-generated illustration.
Start with the money left after each sale
The calculation is:
Item price + postage charged − stock cost − packaging − postage paid − seller fees = contribution before time and overheads.
That contribution still needs to cover things such as your time, subscriptions, travel, returns and unsold stock. It is not take-home pay or profit after tax.
For the examples below, I have used:
- $2 stock cost and $0.50 packaging per item: illustrative assumptions, not typical costs for every product.
- $3.70 regular large-letter postage, for eligible mail up to 125g fully packed. Australia Post stamp prices.
- $10.20 tracked Parcel Post postage, using your own packaging in the up-to-250g chargeable-weight band. Cubic weight can affect the band. This is the published retail rate; substitute your actual marketplace or MyPost Business quote. Australia Post parcel prices.
The eBay examples assume an eligible Australia-based seller without a Pro plan, with up to $25,000 in sales over the past 12 months, paying no transaction fee on these domestic sales. Other charges can apply; Pro sellers need to include their own fees. eBay’s fee rules.
The Depop examples assume eligible Australian AUD sales with no selling fee and payment processing of 2.6% + $0.30 on the item and postage charged. They exclude boosting and assume no additional tax in the payment calculation. Depop’s fee rules.
Neither model includes advertising, optional upgrades, overheads or returns. Buyer-side marketplace or protection fees may increase checkout totals; they are not deducted again from the seller figures here.
What you keep from a $5, $10, $20 or $30 sale
This table assumes you include postage in the advertised item price. The buyer pays no separate delivery charge to you. All columns show contribution after the example costs and applicable seller fees, before time and overheads. Negative amounts are losses even before you pay yourself.
| Item price, postage included | eBay free seller: letter | eBay free seller: tracked parcel | Depop: letter | Depop: tracked parcel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | −$1.20 | −$7.70 | −$1.63 | −$8.13 |
| $10 | $3.80 | −$2.70 | $3.24 | −$3.26 |
| $20 | $13.80 | $7.30 | $12.98 | $6.48 |
| $30 | $23.80 | $17.30 | $22.72 | $16.22 |
At $10, the letter option leaves a small positive contribution. Absorbing the retail tracked-parcel price loses money under these assumptions. That is a reason to reconsider the price, delivery charge or purchase—not to choose a service the item doesn’t qualify for.
Where untracked postage can help
For a suitable small, flexible item, $3.70 untracked letter postage can make a low-priced sale workable. In the table, it leaves $6.50 more per sale than the $10.20 tracked-parcel example.
Check the finished package, not just the item. The lowest large-letter rate requires a packed weight of no more than 125g. Large letters can be up to 260 × 360mm and 20mm thick, and their contents must be flexible. Rigid or inflexible contents are treated as parcels. Australia Post letter requirements.
Some lightweight clothing may qualify when folded and packed appropriately. DVDs or watches fitting inside a thin mailer does not automatically make them eligible for letter postage.
Ordinary stamped letters don’t provide parcel tracking. Before offering this option, check your marketplace’s service and seller-protection requirements, describe the delivery service accurately and consider the cost of a missing-order enquiry or replacement.
For heavier or more expensive items, I’d compare an Extra Small tracked option even if it costs a little more. The price gap changes as letter weight rises. Designated XS flat-rate packaging can carry up to 5kg if the item fits; your own packaging uses weight bands, starting at up to 250g chargeable weight. Use the quote for the actual packed item. Parcel Post options.
My cheap shipping guide explains the letter options in more detail and includes a free Word envelope-address template.
What if the buyer pays postage separately?
Take the same $10 item and charge $3.70 postage on top. You receive $13.70 before seller fees, and your example stock, packaging and postage costs total $6.20.
$13.70 received − $6.20 costs
Before time and overheads$13.70 received − $6.20 costs − $0.66 fee
Before time and overheadsThe Depop processing fee is rounded to the nearest cent for this example. Charging exactly the stamp price doesn’t cover packaging or the processing fee on shipping.
Separate postage improves your margin compared with absorbing the same cost. But the buyer is comparing a $13.70 item-plus-delivery offer, not a $10 delivered offer, before any buyer-side checkout fees. Check whether comparable items justify that total.
Give your time a price too
A small margin might suit a quick clear-out. It is harder to justify if each item needs half an hour of work.
As an illustration, value your time at $25 an hour. Ten minutes costs $4.17 in time. The $10 postage-included eBay letter example leaves $3.80 before time, so it falls short by about $0.37 before other overheads. The separately charged postage example leaves $7.50, or about $3.33 after that same time allowance.
These are decision-making examples, not an hourly earnings forecast. Count sourcing, preparation, photographs, messages, packing and your share of postage trips. Batch work may reduce time per item, but use what you actually observe.
If you’re clearing something you already own, distinguish the cash you recover now from its original purchase cost. If you’re buying stock to resell, that new purchase cost must earn its way back.
Sell individually, bundle or pass?
Easy to list and send
A clear buyer, low preparation effort and enough money left after suitable postage.
Items that belong together
Similar sizes, a useful set or related items that share one packing and postage job.
The delivered price works
Comparable sales support a higher total that covers your real costs.
The work outweighs the margin
Cheap stock still ties up money, storage and time if the likely sale leaves too little.
For example, two items sold together for $20, with $4 combined stock cost, $0.50 packaging and $10.20 tracked postage, leave $5.30 for an eligible eBay free seller before time and overheads. Selling them separately for $10 each with that same postage included loses $2.70 per sale in our model. The bundle only works if both items fit the quoted parcel band and a buyer wants the combination.
Bundling doesn’t guarantee a sale. Compare the actual packed weight, discount and likely demand before deciding. For help setting an asking price, see how to price second-hand clothes.
Work out your own minimum selling price
Pick the amount you want left for your time and overheads, then work backwards from your actual fees and shipping costs. There is no single minimum price that suits every seller.
Put your own numbers in.
Compare eBay and Depop with your stock cost, delivery charge, postage and packaging. A different fee plan or label quote can change the answer.
Open the fee calculatorIf an item is worth selling and suits both marketplaces, Listalong can help reuse the listing across eBay and Depop. That can reduce repeated admin, but it won’t rescue a sale priced below its costs. See how Listalong works.
Common questions
Is selling a $10 item worth it?
It can be, when the stock is inexpensive, the work is quick and suitable postage leaves enough margin. Calculate the delivered price first, then allow for your time.
Can I use untracked postage for cheap items?
Only when the packed item qualifies for the service and it meets the marketplace’s requirements. Low value alone does not establish letter eligibility.
Should cheap items always have buyer-paid postage?
Not necessarily. Compare the total the buyer will pay and the amount you keep. Whether you show delivery separately or include it in the price, you still pay the postage bill.
I’d rather know what a $10 sale leaves before I buy the stock. Sometimes the numbers work. Sometimes a bundle makes more sense. And sometimes the best saving is leaving the item on the shelf.