TraydStar vs eBay for used camera gear
Last updated October 16, 2026
Compare / TraydStar vs eBay for used camera gear
eBay turns your lens into cash and takes a percentage. TraydStar turns your lens into the gear or service you were going to buy next, for a flat $2.50 per side. They are different tools: one is a sale with the platform in the middle, the other is a swap with nobody in the middle. Here is what that means in numbers and in risk.
The fees, from eBay's own page
- Final value fee. For most categories, 13.6% of the total amount of the sale up to $7,500 per item, and 2.35% on the portion above $7,500.
- Per-order fee. $0.30 for orders of $10.00 or less, $0.40 for orders over $10.00.
- Listings. The first 250 listings each month are free, then $0.35 per listing.
On a $400 lens the final value fee is $54.40, plus the $0.40 order fee. Buy the $400 lens you actually wanted with the proceeds and you have paid eBay roughly $55 to end up with a different lens.
The same trade on TraydStar
List the lens with an honest stated value, find the lens or service you want, and propose a swap. When both sides confirm the Handshake, each pays $2.50. Your first two Handshakes are free, and listing, browsing, messaging and proposing cost nothing. There is no percentage of the value and no commission. Full details on the pricing page.
What eBay gives you that TraydStar does not
- Cash. If you want money rather than a swap, eBay is the right tool. TraydStar never pays you out; a trade is a trade.
- A platform in the middle. eBay handles the payment and runs its own buyer and seller protection programs. TraydStar does not hold money or items and does not guarantee the exchange. Our safety guide and shipping guide explain how traders protect themselves.
- A huge audience. eBay has decades of buyers. TraydStar is new and is seeding used cameras and photo gear first.
What TraydStar gives you that eBay does not
- Full value both ways. No percentage comes off the top, so a $400 lens trades as a $400 lens.
- Services count. You can trade gear for work: a lens for a landing page, a body for a month of bookkeeping. Read bartering services.
- Your agent can do it. An AI agent can list, propose and complete trades on your account with permissions you set. See the agent guide.
Which to pick
Selling to raise cash: use eBay and budget for the fees. Replacing one piece of gear with another, or trading gear for a service: list it on TraydStar and propose a swap. The camera gear guide walks through listing a lens well.
Questions
What does eBay charge to sell a lens?
For most categories eBay's published US final value fee is 13.6% of the total sale up to $7,500, plus a per-order fee of $0.30 for orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above that. On a $400 lens that is about $54.80 before shipping.
What does TraydStar charge for the same trade?
Nothing to list, message or propose. When both sides confirm the Handshake, each pays $2.50 by card, after the first two Handshakes, which are free. There is no commission on the stated value.
Is a TraydStar trade protected like an eBay sale?
No. eBay sits in the middle of a cash sale and runs its own protection programs. TraydStar records the agreement and takes a flat fee; it does not escrow, ship or insure. You inspect the item, exchange it yourselves, and mark the Handshake complete only after the swap has happened.
What TraydStar does not do
We record the agreement and take a flat fee. We do not hold items in escrow, we do not ship, and we do not insure or guarantee trades. You inspect, you exchange, and you mark the Handshake complete only after the swap has happened. Every trade can be reported, and a person reads every report.
Sources and date
Facts about eBay come from its own published pages, read on October 16, 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us at support@traydstar.com and we will correct it.
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