Analysis
The cent that goes nowhere
Raising a listing by one cent should hand the seller one more cent. It often does not. Because both fee components are floored, some of those cents are absorbed entirely by fees: 1302 of 9999 one-cent increases between $0.01 and $100.00 — 13.0% — leave the seller with exactly what they had before.
How consistent is it
This is not a low-price artefact. The proportion holds across the whole range, because it is caused by flooring rather than by the one-cent minimums, and flooring never stops applying.
| Buyer price band | One-cent steps | Steps worth nothing | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01 – $1.00 | 99 | 11 | 11.1% |
| $1.00 – $10.00 | 900 | 118 | 13.1% |
| $10.00 – $100.00 | 9000 | 1173 | 13.0% |
Where it happens
The dead steps are the ones that land on a buyer total no seller amount can produce — the gaps described on the round prices page. Raising $0.21 to $0.22 is one: the seller receives $0.19 either way, and the extra cent becomes fee. Consecutive gaps make it worse. Going from $0.43 to $0.45 costs the buyer two more cents and pays the seller nothing at all.
Below is every such step under $5.00.
| Price change | Seller before | Seller after | Seller gains |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01 → $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| $0.21 → $0.22 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $0.00 |
| $0.32 → $0.33 | $0.29 | $0.29 | $0.00 |
| $0.43 → $0.44 | $0.39 | $0.39 | $0.00 |
| $0.44 → $0.45 | $0.39 | $0.39 | $0.00 |
| $0.55 → $0.56 | $0.49 | $0.49 | $0.00 |
| $0.66 → $0.67 | $0.59 | $0.59 | $0.00 |
| $0.67 → $0.68 | $0.59 | $0.59 | $0.00 |
| $0.78 → $0.79 | $0.69 | $0.69 | $0.00 |
| $0.89 → $0.90 | $0.79 | $0.79 | $0.00 |
| $0.90 → $0.91 | $0.79 | $0.79 | $0.00 |
| $1.01 → $1.02 | $0.89 | $0.89 | $0.00 |
| $1.12 → $1.13 | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.00 |
| $1.13 → $1.14 | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.00 |
| $1.24 → $1.25 | $1.09 | $1.09 | $0.00 |
| $1.35 → $1.36 | $1.19 | $1.19 | $0.00 |
| $1.36 → $1.37 | $1.19 | $1.19 | $0.00 |
| $1.47 → $1.48 | $1.29 | $1.29 | $0.00 |
| $1.58 → $1.59 | $1.39 | $1.39 | $0.00 |
| $1.59 → $1.60 | $1.39 | $1.39 | $0.00 |
| $1.70 → $1.71 | $1.49 | $1.49 | $0.00 |
| $1.81 → $1.82 | $1.59 | $1.59 | $0.00 |
| $1.82 → $1.83 | $1.59 | $1.59 | $0.00 |
| $1.93 → $1.94 | $1.69 | $1.69 | $0.00 |
| $2.04 → $2.05 | $1.79 | $1.79 | $0.00 |
| $2.05 → $2.06 | $1.79 | $1.79 | $0.00 |
| $2.16 → $2.17 | $1.89 | $1.89 | $0.00 |
| $2.27 → $2.28 | $1.99 | $1.99 | $0.00 |
| $2.28 → $2.29 | $1.99 | $1.99 | $0.00 |
| $2.39 → $2.40 | $2.09 | $2.09 | $0.00 |
| $2.50 → $2.51 | $2.19 | $2.19 | $0.00 |
| $2.51 → $2.52 | $2.19 | $2.19 | $0.00 |
| $2.62 → $2.63 | $2.29 | $2.29 | $0.00 |
| $2.73 → $2.74 | $2.39 | $2.39 | $0.00 |
| $2.74 → $2.75 | $2.39 | $2.39 | $0.00 |
| $2.85 → $2.86 | $2.49 | $2.49 | $0.00 |
| $2.96 → $2.97 | $2.59 | $2.59 | $0.00 |
| $2.97 → $2.98 | $2.59 | $2.59 | $0.00 |
| $3.08 → $3.09 | $2.69 | $2.69 | $0.00 |
| $3.19 → $3.20 | $2.79 | $2.79 | $0.00 |
| $3.20 → $3.21 | $2.79 | $2.79 | $0.00 |
| $3.31 → $3.32 | $2.89 | $2.89 | $0.00 |
| $3.42 → $3.43 | $2.99 | $2.99 | $0.00 |
| $3.43 → $3.44 | $2.99 | $2.99 | $0.00 |
| $3.54 → $3.55 | $3.09 | $3.09 | $0.00 |
| $3.65 → $3.66 | $3.19 | $3.19 | $0.00 |
| $3.66 → $3.67 | $3.19 | $3.19 | $0.00 |
| $3.77 → $3.78 | $3.29 | $3.29 | $0.00 |
| $3.88 → $3.89 | $3.39 | $3.39 | $0.00 |
| $3.89 → $3.90 | $3.39 | $3.39 | $0.00 |
| $4.00 → $4.01 | $3.49 | $3.49 | $0.00 |
| $4.11 → $4.12 | $3.59 | $3.59 | $0.00 |
| $4.12 → $4.13 | $3.59 | $3.59 | $0.00 |
| $4.23 → $4.24 | $3.69 | $3.69 | $0.00 |
| $4.34 → $4.35 | $3.79 | $3.79 | $0.00 |
| $4.35 → $4.36 | $3.79 | $3.79 | $0.00 |
| $4.46 → $4.47 | $3.89 | $3.89 | $0.00 |
| $4.57 → $4.58 | $3.99 | $3.99 | $0.00 |
| $4.58 → $4.59 | $3.99 | $3.99 | $0.00 |
| $4.69 → $4.70 | $4.09 | $4.09 | $0.00 |
| $4.80 → $4.81 | $4.19 | $4.19 | $0.00 |
| $4.81 → $4.82 | $4.19 | $4.19 | $0.00 |
| $4.92 → $4.93 | $4.29 | $4.29 | $0.00 |
What to do with this
If you are nudging a price to undercut a competing listing, check whether the cent you are adding actually reaches you. Where it does not, moving two cents costs the buyer twice as much for the same payout, which makes the listing less competitive for no gain.
This is a property of marketplace fee arithmetic, not of any particular item. A direct trade avoids it, since there is no listing price to round; how a direct USDT trade works sets out that route, and the main site lists what is currently supported.