EBay Boosts Fees for Auction Services

EBay Inc. is raising many of the fees it charges to sell items on its Web site.

Starting Jan. 31, the online auction operator will take a commission of 5.25%, instead of 5%, on items that sell for less than $25. The rate is rising to 2.75%, from 2.5%, on items between $25 and $1,000, and to 1.5%, from 1.25%, on sales of more than $1,000.

The San Jose-based company also said it will begin charging 5 cents for all products listed with the “buy it now” feature rather than in the typical auction format.

EBay said the higher fees would help the company invest in better technology, marketing and customer support. It did not rule out the possibility that more increases could come this year.

Shares of EBay rose $1.67 to $61.61 on Nasdaq.