Key Features
Quick Listings: Upload photos, add a title, and set a price in minutes.
Prepaid Shipping Labels: Hassle‑free shipping through USPS, UPS, or FedEx.
Buyer Protection: Transactions are held until delivery is confirmed by the buyer.
Mobile‑First Experience: Optimized for iOS and Android users.
How It Works for Sellers
If you enjoy buying vintage and unique items, Mercari is the best place not only to buy collectibles but also to sell yours. Think of it as Depop and Vinted merged together and giving birth to a broader marketplace. While it’s not mainly used for reselling secondhand clothes or decluttering closets like Depop and Vinted, it functions more as a general marketplace where you can sell almost anything, from clothing, electronics, toys, and home goods to collectibles and vintage original brands. You can sell your Pokémon cards, old manga, and vinyl records. You’ll find buyers for everything, much like Amazon, but focused on secondhand items.
To sell on Mercari, simply tap Sell in the navigation menu, which takes you to the listing creation page. The page is straightforward and doesn’t take much time to complete. Unlike other competitors, you don’t have to answer many detailed questions about the item. Instead, you just need to upload a good picture, add a title, description, up to seven hashtags, a category, a brand name, and a condition indicator. Then you set your listing price. Be careful when filling out this section—using the right keywords in titles and descriptions, along with accurate hashtags and categories, makes it easier for buyers to find your items. The first thing potential buyers will see in their feed is the picture you uploaded, so make sure it captures their interest immediately. As a seller, you can offer free shipping to encourage sales, though you’ll cover the cost.
Once you make a sale, you’ll be notified and can choose shipping options such as using prepaid labels, arranging at-home pickups, or shipping parcels on your own. After delivery is completed and the buyer confirms receipt of the parcel, your payment will be released once Mercari’s fees are deducted.
Mercari Smart Pricing
What’s unique about Mercari is Smart Pricing, which gives sellers the opportunity to toggle on an automatic price adjuster and set a minimum price after finishing their listing. This option reduces your listing price the longer it goes without sales, saving you time from having to manually adjust each listing.
Mercari Requirements
Let’s be clear: Mercari isn’t an international marketplace. Unfortunately, it isn’t available worldwide, meaning it supports sellers only in the United States and Japan. International sellers outside these regions are not eligible to apply because they cannot ship items to these countries (where the majority of buyers are located) or receive payments without a valid U.S. or Japanese bank account. If you live where Mercari operates, you must still be at least 18 years old with a valid bank account or verified PayPal account to open your shop.
Fees and Potential Earnings
Mercari charges sellers a 10% selling fee and a small payment processing fee (2.9% + $0.30). For example, if you sell an item for $50, you’ll earn about $44 after fees. Keep in mind that the shipping fee will also be deducted from your earnings unless you choose the free shipping option and deliver the parcel yourself. This is no different from Depop, which takes fees from sellers, unlike Vinted, which is unique as it is almost the only marketplace that charges buyers instead of sellers for every item they purchase to ensure payment processing protections.
Mercari allows buyers to filter search results by distance and purchase nearby products to avoid shipping fees. Through this, they can chat with you as the seller and agree on a pickup point to save costs. It’s a very unique feature that almost only Mercari offers, facilitating both the buying and selling process. As a seller, if you live in a less populated area, you may not encounter this feature often.
Is Mercari Legit?
Yes, Mercari is a legitimate and trusted resale platform. It has millions of active users, secure payment processing, and both buyer and seller protections. Funds are only released once the buyer confirms receipt, which helps prevent scams and ensures fair transactions.
Pros & Cons
✔ Easy item listing process compared to competitors.
✔ Wide buyer base in the U.S. and Japan ensures faster sales for common categories.
✔ Automatic management and adjustment of listing prices.
✔ Search filtering and ability to find nearby items/sellers to save on shipping costs.
✔ Competitive fees compared to eBay and Poshmark.
✔ Good for decluttering and side hustles, especially casual resale sellers.
✔ Strong buyer and seller protections that reduce fraud risk.
✗ Slow payouts compared to eBay, frustrating for frequent sellers.
✗ Charges sellers instead of buyers, unlike Vinted, which gives buyers a huge advantage.
✗ Risk of scams or disputes, especially with expensive items.
✗ Slow customer service responses and inconsistent quality of dispute handling.
✗ Limited international reach, only available in the U.S. and Japan, excluding everyone else.
✗ Less exposure for niche categories, making it harder to sell specialized products.
✗ Supports domestic shipping only; works best if the seller lives near the buyer (same state or area).
✗ Dependence on buyer approval to release funds isn’t always the best experience for sellers, especially when buyers take time or forget to confirm receipt of the parcel.
Is Mercari Safe?
Yes, Mercari is considered safe for both buyers and sellers. The platform uses secure payment systems, holds funds until delivery is confirmed, and provides dispute resolution in case of issues. As with any marketplace, sellers should provide accurate descriptions and buyers should review listings carefully. It is advised to always use the in-app chat feature to communicate with buyers and never accept payments outside the app. Overall, Mercari is a reliable platform for online resale.
Can you make a full-time income on Mercari?
While Mercari is best for side hustles and decluttering, some resellers scale by cross-listing inventory across Mercari, eBay, and Poshmark. But, we recommend treating it as a side hustle and making extra money from the things you own but no longer need. Since the marketplace favors niches over the other, don’t expect to make a monthly salary out of it. If you are seeking international reach or consider yourself a pro bulk seller, Mercari isn’t the right place for you. Rather, it’s better if you focus on bigger marketplaces like eBay, Amazon or Etsy.
