Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (2024)

Basics:

Mercari is a marketplace to buy and sell all sorts of new and used items

Expected pay: Varies

Husl$core: $$

Commissions & fees: 10%, plus $2 for direct deposit

Where: Nationwide (remote)

Requirements: Over age 18

What is Mercari?

Mercari is a retailing site that allows you to sell clothing, sporting goods, toys, beauty supplies, and handmade items — pretty much anything that you can ship.

How it works

If you want to sell here, you simply sign up and create an account. Then, like other peer-to-peer sales sites (think ebay and CraigsList) you then take photos of the item you’re selling; describe it; set a price; decide whether you or the buyer will pay for shipping. And then you publish your listing.

There are no listing fees. But the site charges a 10% commission on sales, plus a $2 processing fee for direct deposits and Instant Pay requests. There’s also a $2 fee if a direct deposit transfer is rejected by your bank.

Mercari review

There are two big differences with Mercari vs. other sale sites:

1. Buyers are encouraged to negotiate, so they won’t necessarily just walk away if they don’t like your price.

2. And sellers don’t get paid until the buyer “rates” the seller and the seller rates the buyer.

However, if the buyer doesn’t rate the seller within three days, Mercari’s system will trigger a 5-star rating that will allow the seller to get paid anyway.

The rating requirement appears aimed at reducing buyer and seller fraud by calling out the bad actors. But it can slow the payment process.

Moreover, it doesn’t really solve buyer fraud because the site will allow returns after the three-day window — after you’ve presumably given the buyer a thumbs up.

Watch your thumbs

Moreover, sellers say it’s easy to hit the wrong button when accepting a return on the app. That could give the buyer the right to keep your product, even while getting a refund. There’s no going back if you hit the wrong key.

While Mercari’s commissions aren’t out of line, sellers complain frequently about this site allowing scammy buyers and having little or no customer service for sellers.

No customer service

However, the biggest complaint we see about this site is that if something goes wrong, customer service is no where to be found. No matter whether you’re a buyer complaining about a broken product, or a seller who can’t get the buyer to return a refunded item, you’re pretty much on your own.

Recommendations

We hear that Mercari can be a decent place to sell used items, if they’re relatively inexpensive and not overly heavy or difficult to ship. (Mercari does not have a sponsored shipping option for items that weigh more than 50 pounds.)

However, users who have reviewed this site say that a wide array of problems can crop up when you’re selling things of value. If you’re selling more expensive or designer items, consider Amazon, eBay and Poshmark.

If you want to list items on Mercari, you can find the site here.

When selling heavy used items, such as furniture or appliances, you’re better off selling to local buyers (specifying that they’ll need to pick up) through CraigsList and OfferUp.

What their users say (from SiteJabber)

I have done multiple sales on Mercari. None of my items are junk, knock-offs, etc. Many are vintage and new or minimally used. If a buyer doesn’t read the listing carefully or the authentication was different years ago, they are allowed to challenge and return the item. Mercari will always side with the buyer. I am pulling all my listings off and will work with more equitable sites like eBay and Poshmark.

Shipping woes

If you sell on Mercari please read this. I’m sick of paying outrageous shipping fees. Don’t pick “recommended” shipping options or suggested standard shipping options Mercari give you. They are OFTEN Incorrect! And it’s costing YOU in unnecessary fees. KNOW your items packaged shipping weight to save YOU money. Second, don’t enter the dimension of the box IT’S OPTIONAL. USPS is the only one who requires it if your box is bigger than 12x12x12. Fed Ex and UPS not so much unless your package is huge or bulky. (FedEx 119″ L x 80″ W x 70″ H) (UPS 108″ L x 57″ around). It limits your shipping options and rips the buyer off. There’s only one that benefits from this and IT’S NOT YOU! Third, if the buyer requests a specific carrier work with them. It’s to your advantage.

Wow! Never use Mercari! A buyer claimed in a review that my item arrived late. I have tracking that proves the item arrived early. Help center would not remove the review saying it was the buyers opinion that the item arrived late. Even though I could prove it wasn’t true with tracking. I had high hopes for Mercari but if you’re a serious seller avoid this marketplace like the plague. So ridiculous

Closed my account

Wish I could give them ZERO stars. I am a seller on Mercari, have over 400 reviews all 5 starts, not a single 4 star or less reviews. They closed my account saying i sold unauthentic items. Seriously? I have over 400 reviews and you guys think i sell fake stuff. They listen to those fake accounts where they offer you 70% less for your items that you are selling amd you dont accept they report your account. And stupid Mercati fall for it.

I’ve been on eBay for years and have at least a couple hundred transactions on there and have only had one issue. That’s like a.5% issue rate. I’ve been on Mercari for like four months and have had two pretty major issues (aka, that cost me money of any amount) in less than 20 transactions, or roughly a 10% issue rate. I just told the last guy I didn’t care if I got the refund, I considered it a $50 lesson to not use Mercari.

Accidental give-away

I sold a pair of 200.00 shoes that were in excellent condition for 40.00 after the lady talked me down from a much higher price. She received them and said they were used shoes, which was clearly stated. She requested a refund and they gave it to her. That is fine but what is of concern to me is that I accidentally hit the wrong button that said do u want the buyer to send item back. I tried to fix it and they told me they can’t do anything about it. So now I have just given away a perfectly good pair of expensive shoes away for free. I’m beyond mad over this.

From Google Play

If you are looking for a platform that you can trust when something goes wrong, this isn’t it. It’s been a month and still zero help or information from this terrible service. Tracking clearly shows that there is an issue, USPS has no idea what is going on, and mercari policy makes it nearly impossible to get a refund while tracking is still updating though it’s clearly never going to make it here. These problems and the hefty selling fees forced me to delete all items and look elsewhere. Trash

Really easy to use! But that’s the only good thing to note as a seller. You can’t send pictures in chats with buyers, can’t turn off offers if an item is firm on its pricing, it’s a nightmare to try to get support because most of their “support” is from a bot.

If you need support from Mercari to resolve an issue with a purchase, pull up a chair as they are slow to respond.

  1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (1)

    Denise

    If a Seller cancels the sale, never ships or sends the wrong item, Mercari “cancels” the sale as if it never happened, and you then can’t leave any Feedback for them.

    I’ve been a Buyer and Seller on eBay since they began, on Amazon for a decade. Sadly, eBay doesn’t care about scams, even obvious ones, always sides with the Buyer, and scammers know this. Amazon takes a huge % of your sales, too huge. And they raise this frequently. EBay takes a % of your postage charged, really outrageous.

    I am a Buyer and Seller on Mercari. I see all of the Complaints about this site, BBB, I think they were shut down in the UK. I would NOT try to sell anything more than $10. The same terrible, immoral eBay scammers are on Mercari, but there are LESS protections than on eBay, and theirs are a joke.

    One of my 1st purchases, bought 3 new bras. Seller mails some sort of piece of long ribbon. Maybe a belt from the Dollar Tree? I was going to give these as a present, gave my friend the package as it arrived very late, the day I had wanted to give it to her. Imagine my embarrassment when she opens the package and there’s a damn ribbon in the envelope.

    Then the Seller blew up my phone with messaging, she wanted me to: 1. Mail the ribbon back to her via Priority Mail; 2. She was going to maybe pay for that Priority Mail; 3. No, I should pay for the shipping; 4. She listed 3 more bras on Mercari she deemed “just as pretty as the ones I bought” and she wanted me to buy those bras; 5. She would maybe mail me the original 3 bras if she could “find them”; 6. She would put $10 in the envelope for my trouble.

    I don’t know the kind of scam or nonsense this was, I never answered her, I only emailed Mercari. I got my $$$ back after a few days. Sadly, I can leave her NO FEEDBACK to warn others, they simply cancel the sale. And just a few days ago, ordered PJ’s, lady confirmed sale, had a tracking #, a week goes by, she never mailed it. Mercari also cancelled that sale.

    So the site is ripe for fraud and scams. I also find it’s a good place to Buy, but not to Sell. Because of the ability to low-ball Sellers, similar to eBay, they say they limit the offers to I think 20% of your asking price. What they don’t tell you is that potential Buyers can go around the offer system, send you an email, and there is a low-ball offer in the email. I asked them if this was allowed, and it is. So the limit of 20% for offers doesn’t really exist.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (2)

      Denise cranke

      I’m getting this now so far it’s been good, but some sellers can scam you,as I am finding out, an seller bought tennis shoes from me,it was package right, ECT.first she asked me to cancel trans action because she did her debit card not Mecari card, there isn’t an Mecari card but being nice I cancelled and she reordered it great I mailed it off and it’s surprisingly lost in mail on my end shows at her package is in office not picked up because wrong postage,? She got them to cancel my transaction ,so what I have no item back? Definitely feel scam here, they don’t have protection for sellers? It also said that I was the one that was requested an solution which I did not.i was told 30 day’s report mail lost its two weeks.these other sellers are just as worst

      Reply

      1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (3)

        Phat Goose Records

        I sell vinyl records on mercari. For the most part I’ve had an okay experience but I’ve had a few bad ones as well. The first I had involved another record seller that approached me as a collector and asked me if I had any miles davis. He buttered me up and told me it was for his private collection. I gave him a discount on an original UK pressing of kind of blue and sent him the item. Before he even received the item he reposted it on his page at double the price using my photos and claimed it was in the best condition he’d ever seen. He hadn’t even seen it yet. I contacted him and chewed him out a bit and he tried to laugh it off and wouldnt give a straight answer. I ended up blocking him but his items show up on my feed.
        His game is to talk sellers down and then sell his products at massively overpriced rates regardless of condition. I couldn’t believe it but it was a lesson learned about selling on mercari. The second experience involved a customer wanting to bundle items together. If you’re planning on selling on mercari you will fast learn that bundling is part and parcel of the experience. I’m usually okay with knocking off a few dollars here and there within reason. This guy had very specific tastes. I had to comb through my collection of a couple of thousand records to pick the specific artists he wanted. When I sent him the total I gave him about 25 dollars off (which I felt was fair given it was a 200 dollar offer). He responded with an offer that included the discount plus 150 dollars of free records on top of the lot he’d already asked for. I was legitimately stunned. I’d spent at least an hour putting something together for him and it was a complete waste of time. I politely told him I run a business and to come back when he was serious. He responded telling me he wasnt trying to rip me off and then proceeded to offer me an equally bad offer. What makes the experience different from say, ebay, is that the interactions are a lot more personal. Ebay feels like a bigger market. Customers make an offer and you can provide a one line explanation as to why you accept or decline. On mercari it’s more akin to hand to hand sidewalk hustling. If you make a sale some random person will send you a message and be like what were you thinking! There are sleazy people and good, honest people. One final story. I recently sold a sealed boxed Beatles DVD set for $45. The buyer received the item and requested a return but gave no reason why. I messaged him but he didnt respond. Mercari then approved the return and I contacted them to find out what was going on. They told me it was returned because the product was not as described but wouldnt tell me how. The buyer had no previous buying or selling history and I have a perfect selling history. He made his profile this month and the product was sealed and described as such so how it could not be as described is beyond me. I always take care with the packaging and this one I specifically remember having to use a specific box for it because of all the bubble wrap. I highly doubt it would be damaged. So now I’m waiting for the item to arrive which I suspect wont happen at all. Whether I get my money back will be anyone’s guess but such is Mercari.

        Reply

        1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (4)

          Kelly Reeves

          How awful! I’m so sorry for you! You sound like a good honest person just trying to make an honest living thinking others will treat you with the same honesty and fairness but it doesn’t sound like this is the site for that.
          I’m so glad I took the time to research this before doing anything. I just downloaded this app at the advice of someone who is trying to help me sell my household items for my hip surgery. That’s stressful enough, I don’t need anymore to deal with. Thank you for saving me the headache!

          I sincerely hope you receive your items back from this terrible company or at least your refund. I wish you all the best. Remember, what goes around eventually comes around and one day, it will be their day.

          Reply

        2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (5)

          Jeff b.

          Ebay does have a 15% fee and they do offer good protection for the saller. Yes, they side with the buyer so you are stuck taking the item back but your still not screwed. I just found this out after 12 years. Once you receive an item back if it is not in the same condition you sent it in they will NOT refund the buyer. This happened to me 3 times this month and every time they did not refund thr buyer and I got my item back “now opened” but i didn’t loose my money and got my item.

          Reply

      2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (6)

        Kayla

        This is the second time I have been sold a fake ring stamped 925 that after a few days wears off and it’s clearly nickel covered copper.
        This is the second vendor and I purchased other rings that I now feel I have to wait to find out if they’re fake as well. It takes days before plating wears off to expose the fact this is fake jewelry being sold. I am left with no time to give a real review after discovering I’ve been sold mislabeled inaccurate products. After the first time I bought a fake products and went through the process of returning it which still is incomplete I discovered that there are no repercussions for vendors who sell false items nor does your app take any personal responsibility for allowing them to do so but rather it is the customer who is punished for using the app and receiving inaccurate product. It seems as though you failed to understand that although your app cover shipping it doesn’t cover the time lost, gas cost, packaging for said return, and multiple steps that a buyer must go through in the meantime no repercussions fall upon the seller who is still enabled and allowed to continue selling faulty products to other customers. When I use an app it is a matter of convince. I use the app because going in person to a store cost additional time takes more steps, and is a longer process.
        Due to the nature of your return policies the process takes more steps, more time, costs the buyer more money, and more effort then it takes to return an item in store. Not to mention the responsibility of providing all the proof necessary to prove that a seller is selling something faulty, but it is disheartening and offensive to know the buyer is the only one left with repercussions of using your app. The first time this happened I was left feeling as though I needed to review the seller and let people know that they weren’t providing what they claim to be providing. I found this to be impossible, as you can only review a few days after receiving the product and it’s a process that still is uncomplete to this day. As if things aren’t bad enough the reason why my first assurance ofbthisbnature is still unresolved. Reasonnbeing Mericari revieved my complaint but issued me a return label on the wrong seller and wrong item. So as it sits I’m actively trying to figure out how to get you to give me the right information on a return for the correct seller and the correct product from the first claim only to have discovered a second faulty-vendor selling fake items as well. Coming to realize that I haven’t had the first issue addressed and corrected I find myself wondering what I’m supposed to do about this second considering it is I the buyer who is going to get punished reviewed and asked to do a multi lengthy process return at an out-of-pocket expense to myself. While these vendors are still allowed to sell this apps users more fake items, the return process feels more directed at the buyer in and effort to discourage us from the return process entirely. Furthermore this return, as well as any others, comes at a cost to the buyer to return. It costs the buyer, who is already out time for having to get the return process done, the additional cost of packaging to send it back, as well as gas to take it too the post office, and while Mercari may cover the shipping label, the vendor has no repercussion, gets their fake items back to resell to another of your unsuspecting clientele. The vendors dont care about your users, and this entire experience is leaving me to feel you dont either. The entire process has been a mess. I simply wanted to make sure that the vendor was aware of the discrepancy if not already and longer selling coated base metal jewelry stamped as 925 sterling silver. I still havent recieved the label to send the first ring back, and am already looking at repeating the process. Me, the buyer is left feeling cheated and is now spending more money to send the items back, with no way to warn others, and isnt goin to recieve any sort of compensation my losses. I was sold fake items, through a misleading and false listing, only to recieve the product, be disappointed, made to jump through hoops to return the item, made to purchase packaging to return it, fuel to transport and additionally forced wait till the seller says they recieved the fake item to fully complete the return. Giving said Dealer all the power and ability to control the solution. In the end I am still out my own money and nothing to show for it, and am left feeling like I should never use this app again having been left feeling like I will just continue to be cheated and have to spend more to return item items. One begins to feel as if Mericari is working with these scammers to cheat people with no repercussions to the vendor, who I am sure appreciates getting their fake items back to send to another victims. Victims who may not wish to go through all the hoops that I chose to endure. Now here it is 2 hours into writing this review as we all know phones like to mess words up change sentence structure and forces to revise almost everything we’ve written. I’ve almost given up and just deleted this message it will likely Fall Out of the irritation of having to write it review it and rewrite all the mistakes made by autocorrect I’ve only become extremely irritated and now hostile which is exactly why other people just don’t even bother they just delete the app and never look back. Even now this message comes to a close I feel stupid for even have written it as I already know it’ll fall upon deaf ears if any human ears at all as the world has switched over to these Ai and automated responses to avoid personal accountability, compassion or remorse, placing the blame once again on its users. Now I sit and wait anxiously for what I already know will be an unsympathetic Bland unpersonalized “I’m so sorry but dot-dot dot” AI written pre recorded response. Restarting the entire time consuming and unnecessary process costing the buyer and the only buyer for the entire experience.

        Reply

        1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (7)

          Jonathan

          Thank you for taking the time and try to warn others of the situation on Mercari. I was considering trying to sell on Mercari. I currently sell only on eBay. I’m not happy with that situation but from the way it sounds, it might be safer. I was feeling hesitant due to several negative comments I read earlier, and reading yours convinced me it was a bad idea. For what it’s worth, thank you. I’m sorry you had to go through such a frustrating situation. Hopefully you were able to get reimbursed at least.

          Reply

        2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (8)

          Penny

          Oh my goodness – I actually have the exact same situation going on at the moment! 2nd vendor, 2nd fake .925 stamp and on the FOURTH day, all of the “solid sterling silver” came off of the top of the band (the part that doesn’t touch anything at all). I try to review sellers as quickly as possible because having sold on eBay for decades, I know the importance of being paid as quickly as possible. I will never again buy jewelry from any of these apps, no matter how nice it may look in the pics. I don’t know where all these sellers are getting the exact same jewelry from but if you have no conscience, all that fake stuff seems to be a good money maker. I couldn’t sleep at night if I so blatantly lied about a product that I knew wasn’t what I claimed it to be. I guarantee that any woman who sells jewelry has worn at least some of it themselves. They know they’re selling lies and don’t care. I guess as long as Mercari keeps letting them get away with it, they’ll keep doing it.

          The first ring I bought was approved for a return. However, my fiancé is recovering from a “widow maker” heart attack and the stress of everything put me in the hospital off and on for several days with uncontrollable high blood pressure. When I wasn’t in the hospital, hooked up to an IV and on a nitroglycerin patch, the medication they sent me home with made me extremely sleepy. I wasn’t able to drive to the post office, that’s 35 minutes from my house. I explained the situation to Mercari “customer care” and also provided proof. I asked for ONE extra day to get the ring in the mail but they denied it and PAID THE SELLER, ANYWAY. Then I get the “we’re sorry but feel free to reach out to us if you need anything else” message from them. I responded with “Why? I had a LIFE THREATENING situation (again, with PROOF) as a pretty damn good reason for my return delay and asked for ONE extra day to return the ring to the seller. Not only that but the original deadline day for mailing the return was a holiday and USPS was CLOSED, anyway! So, why on earth would I ever reach out to you for anything, ever again?” I got crickets as a response.

          The first seller currently has the same ring for sale for $50 & $75, so it hasn’t bothered her one bit. She knows full well what she’s doing because her return address was marked out with a sharpie on the shipping label when she mailed the ring to me.

          Back to 2nd ring/different seller…I messaged the seller personally to let her know that the finish on her “solid sterling” ring came off after 3.5 days of wearing it. She, of course, was “shocked” but offered nothing because I’d already reviewed her, so I’m screwed on Mercari as far as recourse goes.

          Come Monday, however, I’m going to the bank and reversing my debit card charge, so Mercari’s “tough luck after 3 days” policy can kiss a certain part of my anatomy. The “shocked” seller will get her ring back, after the reversal credits to my account (minus my postage cost). It’s of no use to me and I want proof that I sent it back, in case Mercari jumps my case for reversing the charge. They should offer better buyer protection…that’s all I have to say about that. ‍♀️

          Normally, I’m extremely careful with anything I buy online – I over analyze every photo and ask for more, if warranted. I also ask for measurements and am extremely thorough. Clothing-wise, I’ve been very lucky on Mercari. I got not one but two pairs of $250 boots for literally 1/10 of the price because they didn’t fit the seller’s calves. Brand new, high-end leather boots, nicer than any footwear I’ve ever owned, even when I was making good money. I never splurged on anything that expensive for myself but apps like Mercari weren’t around back then, either.

          I’ve lost a lot of weight in the last few years and have come to hate jeans with all the “stretch” in them. Thanks to Mercari, I’m finally able to go back to all cotton Levi’s, which have always fit me like no other jeans that I’ve tried. Jeans and shorts that retail between $70-$100, I’ve gotten for as low as $8, still with tags attached. Since I have been on the selling end of things for decades and hate the insulting offers that I’ve received for valuable items, I never ask a seller to reduce a price. I put it on my like list and wait until it is affordable enough for me. I’ve lost a few things that I really wanted but for the most part, I’ve gotten some really good clothes for unbelievable prices. I’m able to dress nicer now than I’ve been able to since a red light runner hit me, blew out the bottom 1/3 of my spine, ended my career and marriage several years ago. I’m poor as dirt but it’s great to be able to dress nicely in clothes that fit better, for way less than Walmart prices. That part of Mercari, I’m so very grateful for. Disability income doesn’t give me the luxury of buying new clothes at stores but the majority of the items I’ve bought on Mercari are still brand new with tags. (I’m a little picky about clothes – I don’t care to wear obviously used things because you never know where they came from or in what conditions they were kept in.) I’m not a clothes snob by any means – I’ve always been a bargain shopper. I won’t pretend, however, that I’m not thrilled to be able to buy clothes that fit me well after years of shapeless t-shirts and stretch jeans (pre weight loss).

          As far as ever being a seller on Mercari – nope, nope, nope. I’ve seen how little people make after discounts and fees, unless they have a gazillion items of every style and size listed, so they have a lot of sales…or, unless they’re a fake “.925 sterling silver” seller…lol. I’m on local FB selling pages and we have a group where we sell items that my fiancé makes (or did, before his heart attack). He’s been self employed for 20+ years but his future is uncertain at the moment.

          Sorry for rambling but my lesson was learned just like yours. I tried to give a different seller a chance but got the same result. Never again!! No more “.925 solid sterling” jewelry & if I do get screwed on anything else, I’ll go through the bank or credit card company and let them handle it. Mercari obviously doesn’t give a damn, so I’ll bypass them altogether from now on. Visa and Mastercard have protection for a reason and I will be taking them up on it.

          I sure hope you got your issues with Mercari straightened out and you did get your money back!!

          Reply

          1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (9)

            Martha

            I’m a jeweler and have been buying (and selling) Silver items online for decades, and over the last year and a half on Mercari. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have been sold “Sterling silver” items that are clearly marked with a 925 stamp that are completely fake… How I know this is because I TEST ABSOLUTELY EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF SILVER OR GOLD THAT I PURCHASE, ALWAYS without exception … Whether it’s sheet metal,findings and wire from a mill that I trust, fancy new jewelry from Jared, estate items in an online auction, antiques from a reputable dealer, or a pretty necklace from a mom in Arkansas cleaning out her jewelry box. ..Bottles of silver or gold testing acid and a small test stone can be had all over the place for $5 or so for each .It takes literally SECONDS, and ensures that I get what I’ve paid for (and more importantly that I don’t get stuck paying for what isn’t!) .
            **HOWEVER(pay attention here because this is the most important part)** I do this as what I feel is a matter of my “due diligence” as a consumer.. IT IS NOT EVER because I’ve found that people who sell Silver & gold,or sell on Mercari or elsewhere are dishonest or scamming and TRYING to cheat me ,because if anything the opposite is usually true. 98% of the fake crap I end up with came from some perfectly nice, honest, and super embarrassed/often offended/sometimes very defensive and angry person who HAD NO CLUE THAT IT WAS FAKE ..BECAUSE.. “it HAS a 925 STAMP RIGHT ON IT !! ” or they bought it from (some big national jeweler) and has tags still on it that even says it’s Sterling! “, or it was “aunt Gert’s heirloom and she wouldn’t have lied! ” or “it was a gift from my husband and he paid a lot of money! ” ..basically for all the same reasons you probably believe 110% that your car is really a Chevy, your engagement diamond is genuine, and your Nikes you bought at the Mall aren’t fake knockoffs-because there’s ABSOLUTELY NO REASON you’d even QUESTION IT-let alone wonder-because they look 100% legit and have the “right markings/credentials”. Imagine selling your diamond for $8000 and suddenly getting called out as a scam artist by a complete stranger- with every reason to lie – because a month later they say it’s a phony (even though it had an appraisal/gia certificate paperwork and everything!) and now they want their money back! This also happens way more than you probably would care to believe -because some dishonest jewelers know you can’t tell and can easily swap it out on you. Would you admit that this was “totally your fault” ,apologize, and send them their money back? I bet it would take a court action to get you to give them their $8k back !
            This is not Mercari’s fault, at all in any way. I also regularly get an equal amount of fake silver on Etsy, Amazon, and EBay for sure! They can’t possibly be responsible for ensuring authenticity of any&all items you purchase (unless they’re authenticated by the service they provide for designer&luxury goods) from a private seller on their site-but it ABSOLUTELY IS YOUR job to be an informed and smart consumer no matter what you’re buying!.
            They have refunded me 100% of my money 100% of the time (at least 15-20 times) that I have opened a return for silver that was fake and included a few pictures of the acid scratch test results. Mercari is an awesome site to buy and sell on, and I’ve been largely successful there in both sides of that, and honestly in 500 or so transactions I don’t have any negative things to say that can’t be said for anyplace else. Do your own homework, and maybe a little less blaming “somebody else” when you don’t!

    2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (10)

      Dale

      I’ve been selling on Mercari for a few months now. I haven’t had any real problems with my sales at this point. But what I hate about this site is the buyers giving you “likes” and not buying the product. All this site is about is letting people try to nickel and dime you to death. The site constantly asking you to “promote” your item. That means drop the price. Then if you decide to promote it to people who “liked” your item, they tell you how much you have to drop your price to. WTF???

      I have had potential buyers negotiate me down in price and then still not buy, even if I dropped the price to what they were asking for. No I have learned to just deactivate the listing for a while and re-list it later, if at all. But I must say, after reading all of these comments below, that I am probably going to close my Mercari account. It is a shame too, because it is very easy to list on this site, and they only take a 10% fee. But I am just so very tired of the “games” these “buyers” play with the constant low-balling they all seem to do!!! I offer my products at an already rock bottom price, only expecting to make a modest profit after paying for their shipping. I need a little profit to buy more items to offer for sale. I do this as a small business.
      End of Rant!

      Reply

  2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (11)

    lisa

    Mercari is a rip off site, RUN, do not walk away. There is no customer support, NO buyer protection. If you buy a defective item you are screwed.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (12)

      Frankie Collazo

      Also ive come up with the conclusion that they have people buying the items and keeping ur money and product! Think about it. Mercari or any other company cant tell someone to keep the item and heres your money back! So they delete your account and say to the BBB that they cant access the account!!! Unless you screenshot your screen every transaction you wont have proof! Think about it. Let’s boycott them

      Reply

      1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (13)

        Nat

        I agree i. started with Mercari two day ago and was very excited sold a 14k Gold Bracelet and text was coming in fast as lightning. Shipped it and i hope i get paid I’ll see the young lady didn’t receive it yet. I hope she do cause once she do. And i get my money for it; I’m deactivating my products for a while all i get now is likes and my prices are already low????

    2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (14)

      Steven Zhou

      Totally agree. Why use Mercari? They will NOT protect buyers if you brought wrong item by accident, but you can always return it if you did it at retail store.

      Reply

    3. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (15)

      Russ

      YES!
      Absolutely true.
      Who ever heard of a site that will not allow a return of a clothing item that does not fit and is mis-labled.
      I used the site one time and lost $30. I call it an educational expense.

      RM

      Reply

  3. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (16)

    Sandy

    Very confused! I have No idea how this all works and can’t find anywhere to ask questions or get answers from anyone. Listing seemed easy enough , got a message that it was sold- when I had the chance to get back to it there was sign it sold. No one to contact to explained. Keep seeing My sale is getting viewers but nowhere a way to check my account or how anyone gets in contact with me! And just how does it work to get paid if you do sell something! And help out there?!? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (17)

      Sista Gwendolyne

      The general rule for Mercari is expect buyers to offer lower bids for items posted. Most sellers mark up prices knowing the total will be dropped.
      If you don’t like the buyer’s offer, you can decline.

      Mercari takes a 10% fee off the total price listed. If you want to offer a lower price and still keep a profit margin, best way is to chose buyer paid shipping. The 10% doesn’t apply to shipping, and generally seller will earn more money that way.

      I agree the $2 fee is ridiculous. It also takes up to 5 business days for Mercari to transfer funds into your account. Mercari will also charge you to expedite payment.

      The rating system also ridiculous. Agree with all comments posted. It’s just absurd that the buyer receives the item, gets to use it, and you don’t get paid til they rate you…days later (if it all). You also can’t see what the buyer wrote before leaving your own rating. And trying to dispute a rating is a nightmare.

      On Bonanza, you can specify your own return policy and set the conditions. Should be same for Mercari.

      Reply

      1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (18)

        Christus Threads

        How are you doing on Bonanza ? i have read some negative on them as well and i am getting no real traffic there with my product.

        Reply

    2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (19)

      Monica Fletcher

      Mercari is a scam, period. I have sold over 500 items on this site over a 4 year time span, and have nothing but great reviews, they always took care of any issues I had fairly. Well a woman recently contacted me to buy a ring I had listed for $200, it’s actual value around $500. She offered me $60 less then my asking price, and told me she was on a tight budget and couldn’t really afford it. Red flag. I shouldn’t have accepted.
      This was a brand new flawless ring with zero damage, so we agreed on $150. I sent the ring in 2 boxes completely bubble wrapped. Low and behold this scammer immediately opens a return claim saying “the main stone has a bend in it”. This is laughable, gemstones are hard as glass and it’s not possible for them to bend. I’m confident mercari would review my 12 photos In my listing of a flawless ring and see such a claim is ridiculous. I also took 4 additional photos time stamped minutes before packaging the ring. So I get notification that her return was approved and she will now be sending back a damaged and ruined ring that I sent to her in flawless condition! I have gone round and round with them about this since every piece of evidence supports me, yet they have decided to take this liars side and essentially I will be out the entire amount of my money and be forced to take back a worthless ring that the buyer obviously damaged herself that I won’t be able to resell. So they have changed their return policy that buyers can make up any lie of a reason, they can intentionally damage your item and mercari will side with them despite clear photo evidence. They are now worse then eBay! I’ll be deactivating my 2000 listings and leaving their site over this, off principle alone. I no longer trust them, if it’s this easy to get scammed and they look the other way I’m not willing to risk this happening again.

      Reply

      1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (20)

        Joy

        That’s freakin terrible. I have issues with them too. Too many to name.

        Reply

      2. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (21)

        Kunal

        This may be a dealbreaker for me too. I just had a return filed and it didnt make sense. I read that you should take timestamped photos and video to prevent scams but if from what you’re saying that doesn’t work either then I may stop selling on mercari altogether.

        Reply

      3. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (22)

        Laura

        You should file a claim on BBB. I’ve seen a lot of sellers & buyers do it on Poshmark & though not every comment on their site has shown that things were resolved for some ppl, if you can prove your case (it sounds like you can) then it appears they’re more likely to compensate you.

        Reply

        1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (23)

          Christus Threads

          Mecari is in Tokyo Japan , how can the BBB do anything ? what am i missing

          Reply

    3. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (24)

      Geoff

      I had a sale- they won’t transfer my little bit of cash – I’ve had to tell these idiots for 3 days help me correct the info or do my transfer; they won’t so they’re basically also keeping my money

      Reply

    4. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (25)

      Kim M

      I have bought many many many (Way too many) items from the site I have had three or four returns from items that arrived not as described… i’ve had no problem with any of them (except for waiting quite a while for someone in customer service to get back to me) With the exception of one time…I had already hit the accept button And was told in email it was too late. That was their policy. Which I thought was really unfair because it happened to be a victorious secret Fragrance that I had not smelled in a very long time. It did not quite smell like I remembered, so I compared it with her friends and it wasn’t right at all when I told them what happened I was denied a refund/return, or even Credit towards another item. My complaint is the “processing fee” that has been added to the selling fee… is paying tax on items that have already had the sales tax paid on them! No one charges tax again for things bought At a yard sale! Hello!

      Reply

    5. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (26)

      Lisa Killian

      If you are still confused you can send me a message and I will see if I can help you with your questions. Lisa
      [emailprotected]

      Reply

    6. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (27)

      J

      I used Mercari for exactly one day. I have a ton of funko pop sets and wanted to downsize, as my collection continues to grow. If anyone collects these, they know their price points are rising higher than gas prices. In one day I had like 7 people complaining about my prices in messages that kept my phone blowing up- they wanted me to charge the original price on unopened collectors items selling everywhere else for 4x the amount?! Do you seriously want me to pay you to take these? Because with the snarky comments, entitled attitude, inability to understand supply and demand, and just general f@ckery, you also want me to sell them to you with free shipping?! No thanks- I canceled the account same day. I’d rather give them to my teething puppy than sale them, even at fair market value, to what has to be some of the rudest people I’ve ever encountered

      Reply

  4. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (28)

    Terresa Prior

    Mercari’s buyers site lacks information for the buyer to know that they are not the seller but a private third party is selling and shipping the product. That was not or whom I thought I was buying the product from. Do a better job at informing the buyer that Mercari is not a Retailer. Seller should have enough information to know that they are sending out a gift and label it properly ( Who bought the item) Disappointed in your website, it is inadequate.

    Reply

  5. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (29)

    Penny

    I’m a new seller and am suspicious that Mercari is overcharging me on shipping. I used the weight and dimensions calculator and entered 8 lbs. When the item sold and they emailed me the label, it said 17 lbs. Sent them an inquiry but got no response yet. Then I discovered that 8 KG = 17 lbs. Oh my!!! Overcharged me for shipping???? Clever error or software glitch? Is $15.50 excessive for 8 lb box 16x14x10. FedEx couldn’t tell me anything. I might not use their labels in future.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (30)

      Betty

      1. $15.50 for a 8lb package is EXTREMELY inexpensive. Especially for a package over 36 cubic inches.
      2. Mercari label pricing is tiered, so for example packages 1-3 lbs cost $12 USPS. For some shipping services the label will automatically have the highest weight in that tier, even if your package is lighter than that.

      Reply

  6. Krystal

    I have sold on poshmark numerous times without any issues. However, 1 transaction with Mercari was horrible. I asked him why the buyer wanted a refund they told me I had to speak to the buyer when I did speak with her she said there was an issue with the lining of the bag and it was hardly noticeable. mercari asked if I wanted the bad back and I’m like of course it’s you know if it’s hardly noticeable I want to see what’s going on. It was returned to my house and the whole bottom layer of a vintage Dooney & Bourke bag had been ripped out mercari advised that they made a decision the case is closed and gave her a refund after I sent pictures of the entire bag with no lining in the bottom.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (32)

      Amber

      I know the feeling but if the bag was damaged on the outside I would think it might of had problem on the way there I’m going threw the same thing and believe it was a shipping error and if it was and u use there label they must pay u Mercari that’s in there policy see I’m done with Mercari and will do something even if I got to get 10000 signatures or more about how they treat there sellers and how they don’t follow there policy and allow scammers (buyers) to get over on them they need to be held accountable there’s to many people that goes threw this and just vents

      Reply

  7. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (33)

    Ezekiel

    I got scammed on eboth bay and Etsy. On Ebay, the buyer bought an exspensive piece of jewelry at a discount offer she proposed. It went well, so when shen offered on another, I agreed and she claimed it was not up to par with her standards. Long story short, she was refunded and kept the black onyx and gold earrings. I sold a watch at a discount and the guy claimed the crystal was cracked. I specified a hairline crack in the listing with pictures. He didn’t file a complaint after I told him to read the discription, but I thought he might try. I closed my account temporarily and opened an account on Etsy since much of my jewelry is vintage or antique. I listed a ruby and gold bracelet from the late 1800’s. Listing it below one I seen simular, I sold and shipped it promptly. The 1st. response was how beautiful it was. 2 weeks later, she was asking for her money back. First claiming she had overspent. I had already used the money from it for bills. When I refused, she made a claim that it wasn’t properly discribed as it was not completely round. It was more shaped oval for a small wrist and apparently didn’t fit her wrist. She then claimed it was garbage and cussed me. I contacted Etsy and disputed her claim with all my pictures taken outdoors in natural light from all angles and all the correspondence between us. They sided with her. I wasn’t letting this happen. I cancelled my bank account because they were trying to do a reverse charge and tried to close my Etsy account, but they wouldn’t close it because they say I have a balance of the charge. She never sent my item back, kept it and tried to get the money. Etsy claimed they paid her and tried to recoup from me. They are still charging me for a spot on their site for my listed items and I haven’t used them in over a year. Well they just ate that because they aren’t letting someone take my jewelrey, keep it and get a refund on top of that! Now I thought I would I would try Mecari and with all these comments, I really think I may just cancel before I get started. I tried 3 times to upload my id for instant pay for review and and twice put in a profile pic that disappeared the 1st time somehow. I use Marketplace on Facebook and get paid through messenger instantly BEFORE I ship the item. I have great ratings. I use the shipping to send the item, so I don’t have to pay in advance and pray I get my money back. The only downside was that
    I got one frown from a potential buyer-not even a buyer- because she was upset that I wouldn’t hold an item after she canceled our meet-up twice. Other than that, I can choose to ship it, or have them meet me. Caution: Always meet in a public place with plenty of people around. Just had on the news 2/12/2020 where a guy was shot during a sale meetup. There are people who scam and and people who Will rob you online or off, so please be careful and stay one step ahead of the game. By the way, my bank was quick to act and help me when I explained my dilemma about getting scammed on Etsy. Apparently, this happens quite often

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (34)

      Mark

      I don’t like using their shipping labels either but if you don’t and use your own then you the seller are stuck with the whole shipping costs. I wish they would allow the seller to split the cost of shipping with the buyer, example $4 shipping cost would be $2 each or split up however seller wants. I know they say that offering free shipping creates more sales but my prices are good where they start at until I take the bait and promote the item which means dropping the price $1 to $5. And I’m paying all of the shipping and commissions too. Poor customer service at Mercari for both the seller and the buyer.

      Reply

  8. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (35)

    Kathy Goldengal

    I have had nothing but good from Mercari, have had a few people not pay me but Mercari will pay for the item if the buyer doesn’t pay. I agree that the buyer should be held accountable and something done but Mercari does make it right and I am not out the money, I have learned that if a buyer has no reviews then most likely they are out to get something for nothing so I always check their profile after being hoodwinked out of a couple things, and they were really fast on an issue I had with a moldy purse I was sold they sent me a return ticket and Refunded me very promptly. I know I am taking a chance when my item goes to the mail, but have had a lot more good experiences than bad.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (36)

      Joy

      WARNING ALL OTHERS.

      Seller named: beeautyinlife

      Stupid seller cancelled my purchase without notice. Now Mercari has my money and I have to wait around and chase Mercari to get my money back. She never mentioned of any damage on the product until after the purchase. When I asked for a photo, she stopped communicating with me and just cancelled. Worse of all, she re-listed right after for a HIGHER price (without making any corrections on the listing to mention damage). Wtf? When I looked at her records, she had dozens of cancelled transactions.

      The app doesn’t allow buyers to leave negative reviews after a cancelled order which is stupid you can’t warn others.

      Seller should be banned from the app. Flag her account! Why is Mercari still allowing her to sell on their platform? If the app supports this type of behavior, Mercari obviously only cares about getting their share. They’ll side with whatever is beneficial to them. They don’t give a f*ck about BOTH buyers and sellers. Their response is always general answers that doesn’t do sh*t to solve your problem.

      Don’t buy anything from this horrible seller. This is the worse app I have ever used. PERIOD. Run. Save your the headache. Trust me, not worth it.

      Reply

  9. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (37)

    Christine Williams

    Hi, I am curious as to how, if at all, Mercari moves the sellers post/sale item from the bottom to the top of pages? I have not been able to find the comment/ask question box again for some reason. I have found it really hard to correspond with them. Thanks for the help,

    Reply

  10. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (38)

    anthony

    I bet almost the total of what they asked for a product and wait almost two days to see if they sent it to me but my offer was only finished, and in less than a minute they say it was already sold. for me it is still better OfferUp

    Reply

  11. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (39)

    Twosha

    I will never use this site again!! I placed an order and never received it. No communication whatsoever!!! Amazon is my choice. I can go to resale shops if I want some junk

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (40)

      Dylan Lavender

      Did they give your money back quickly? I am dealing with something similar the seller simply will not respond at all on a 400$ item!!!!!

      Reply

  12. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (41)

    Bradley

    I was selling laptops on Mercari, every item has actual photos and very detailed description exactly matches the item.

    A Chinese woman with the PO BOX address bought a laptop from me and lied to me about receiving the item. now returning it for no proper reason and they approved her request. But I lost a lot of time. I would have sold it locally even for higher price. I’m never gonna sell anything to people with PO BOX address again. No wonder eBay sellers hate people with PO BOX address.

    Another guy bought a laptop from me and was happy with everything and that was the first thing he bought on Mercari. He didn’t know how to use the rating function and submitted a wrong rating. (I think they should improve this functionality of Mercari). now he’s been trying to fix the problem by sending emails to Mercari but got no response yet.

    My experience with Mercari as a seller, NO GOOD!

    Reply

  13. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (42)

    Pat

    Tried on several times to make purchase. Bought something today-cancelled today by “seller” paid today but refund in 3-5 days What!? Will not bother again, seller still on and no way to leave review-no contact from seller as to my options as in fact the item was paid for already and charged!!!!! With the exception of one item all other items suddenly “sold” . Will NEVER bother with this site again-Be warned! Still waiting for bought item arriving this week. After that all done for me-Also sellers should stick to Ebay!

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (43)

      My $300 boots got lost in transit. Mercari would not help me with the claim. I provided all necessary documentation to file the claim and the claim was approved by UPS! Mercari received the refund June 7th. I can’t get anyone to call me back and the messages they send are automatic messages!! So frustrating!! This is a joke!! Scammed by Mercari!! It’s June 25th! Still getting the run around! Do not use these people!! Their charged are wayyyyy to high anyway!!

      Reply

  14. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (44)

    Brittinie

    I have never had such a bad experience with a company as I did this one. I had purchased a stuff animal bundle, of 4 or 5 owls. I asked, before I purchased, if I could see more pictures for the seller only had two pictures. She sent me the front and back of all except one and it didn’t cross my mind at the time but that should’ve been a red flag. I purchased them and waited for them to come in. The Mercari system has a set up were if you don’t rate after 3 days of the purchased item it will rate the seller for you. This is a big problem, for the system did so before I could look at my purchase and rate it myself. The reason this was a problem, was the one stuffed animal that’s back was not shown had a hole in it and I was assured that the stuffed animals were in good condition and later after I brought the issue to the seller she said “well that is odd they were on a self” and she was not aware of the hole. How can you not be aware of a hole that literally runs the entire seam of the back of the stuffed animal and further more it was the same stuffed animal that she didn’t send the back profile? So she didn’t help me because she had my money! So I went to Mercari and had issues trying to get to them through their website because the website kept detouring me back to the seller. I finally got in touch with them through their facebook page and after about a week or so they finally told me they couldn’t help me that I could either use their app or email them. Really, couldn’t have told me that before?! So I emailed them and gave them the ID and waited. After several emails later explaining my problem. Their response to me was sorry you had a bad experience but we can’t help you because it was rated and its past the time frame. So here’s a 5% coupon and have a nice day. Wait…. What?! Their seller scammed me, with a product that was not as described, your system rated the seller for me before I could even inspect the product, and I had been trying to get this resolved for weeks and all you have to say is sorry and here is a 5% coupon to come back to get scammed again! Really?! Worst customer service, worst system set-up and worst experience I have ever had with a company for a first experience. Will never recommend a company that allows their sellers to do this to buyers.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (45)

      Jill

      When you sign up for mercari all of this is told to you. You have 3 days to rate or bring an issue to mercari. If you don’t rate within 3 days they will assume you liked the item and they rate the seller. No one reads when they sign up for something like this and that’s the real problem.

      Reply

  15. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (46)

    Nisss

    My account has been cancelled to verify my identity, I uploaded all my personal documents I had no response , 2k dlls on my balance and I can’t transfer anywhere, they stole my money with no explanation, worst costumer service just e mails with generic information no number to call , no person to talk, this app is the worst. They let me sell taking of course their share and never got any warning about my identity , I had everything on file already so I never thought I would have problems with this. Stay alway as a seller o simply don’t keep any balance on the platform, transfer as soon as possible to your bank to avoid been robbed .

    Reply

  16. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (47)

    Bruce

    We had to replace a portable GPS due to ours being stolen. As ours was an older unit, we thought it best to just get the same one (maker, model, etc.) Found one on mercari; decent price. Ordered and paid immediately. After waiting four days, sent a note to seller. Seller stated “oh, I just forgot to mark it shipped.” Kept waiting. Received email from mercari – seller has shipped your item. In email was a USPS tracking number. Great. USPS stated a label was printed, but never scanned in at post office. Waited 2 more days and sent complaint to mercari. They responded that seller has shipped and there is nothing they can do.

    They sent me the same tracking number as I had. Clicked on it – same message from USPS. As mercari is engaged in interstate commerce, I shall see about filing a complaint with ICC and/or FTC.

    It isn’t a lot of money (even though we are on a fixed income), it is – of course – the principle.

    Reply

  17. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (48)

    Jessica

    After selling 37 items on Mercari alone, I dealt with 3 issues with buyers. But everytime Mercari’s support team came to the rescue. They will not fix it same day, that’s a fact, and it’s okay. They typically take 1 week to 2 weeks. But at least they end up actually fixing it! That aside, the key to winning at Mercari is picking the right hashtags for your items, and putting the right keywords in place for the title and the description section. These will go a long way in attracting more buyers and likers. Finally my favorite feature: Offer to likers. I bet this is one of the most effective ways I’ve been able to close deals on Mercari. Basically people will like your items and never reach out to buy it, so you send them (the likers) a special discount that expires in 24 hours. Most of the times, one of them will buy it. The more likers, the merrier. This wraps up my review for Mercari, I hope it’s helpful 🙂

    Reply

  18. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (49)

    Jim Staley

    Mercari is terrible. A lot of scammers on there. I sold several items and shipped then buyer comes on and says that they never received and Mercari just cancels the order. If buyers don’t leave a review… you don’t get paid. Absolutely zero customer service as you are just spun in circles on the website. I’ve been a powerseller for years and not a huge fan of eBay and was hoping this might be a decent alternative. That’s a huge no.

    Reply

  19. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (50)

    Anne McCutcheon

    I was selling my older authentic purses. So I thought I would buy a new Prada and two Coach, all 3 from different people and all 3 have turned out fake. 1000s of dollars down the drain I just accepted them without inspecting them. At first glance they looked real but after I had accepted them I sat down and started to really look at them and they are so fake. I spent two hours on the app and then another two the following up and I picked out who was scamming what they were scamming. Watches sunglasses shoes clothes. If you cant afford the real thing then you would never.know you bought a fake. But I bought 3 shi$#% fakes. Hopefully I will get my money back.

    Reply

  20. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (51)

    Courtney

    Well, I daresay I’m holding my breath…
    I’ve got 23 perfect 5 star ratings so far… 16 as a seller, and most even go out of their way to say kind things about purchases from me.
    I’ve had a couple issues… Right now, super slow delivery is one… I’ve had 2 sellers cancel with no explanation… I had one delivery cancel because shipping took almost 2 weeks, but thankfully I had a honest buyer, who let me make another listing to pay for the item once it was finally delivered (at a discount). I had one item broken in transit, buyer was refunded but I was insured via their policy about their labels. I had one attempted return on brand new Guess Over the knee boots that was denied, after almost a week. I had one seller cancel after saying the item had been shipped.
    Customer service is mostly unreachable/incompetent. That one package that had been temporarily lost? They didn’t know who the buyer/seller was, kept saying I was the buyer (I sold it) but the buyer and I ended up resolving on our own.
    Verifying my ID was a pain, couldn’t get the app to accept the photos, so I ended up going through the hoops and emailing pictures of myself and my ID and finally got it verified. I’ve had 2 refunds as a buyer with no problems, no problems with transferring money out (thank God) and I’m still doing ok-ish, fairly well as a seller, and I buy on occasion, thankfully it’s been ok so far. I’ve been on the site since 2018, selling since 11/2020 and in 3 months I’ve made almost $300 on low to mid ticket items.

    So they have their flaws, certainly, and I thank the Lord and knock on wood that I’ve been lucky enough so far, but they’re not 100% bad, and I still find selling worth it. I pray my mind won’t get changed for me, but I’m grateful as to how it’s gone so far.

    Reply

  21. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (52)

    Anna Hay

    This site is AWFUL when it comes to customer service or problems. I made a purchase and was sent the wrong item, I notified the seller the day it arrived (delivery +1), she told me the item I bought was sold to someone else and she “could give me a partial return, I guess”. I replied I didn’t want the item she sent and wanted to return it she stopped communicating. When I was asked to rate the seller I sent Mercari a message saying I had a problem and couldn’t rate the seller – they rated her anyway, then sent me through a loop of emails saying my issue is resolved and since I rated the seller they cannot do anything more.

    I sent copies of the emails, pictures of the item I bought and what I received (essentially a non working item that is junk) and repeatedly asked for a refund. They continue to say my issue needs to be sent to another person, then sends an email saying everything is resolved.

    I WILL never use this site or recommend this site to ANYONE. SCAMMERS, THEIVES, and poor business practices!

    Reply

  22. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (53)

    RufusFurious

    Mercari SUCKS for sellers.
    Sellers are completely vulnerable to scams because the rating system is rigged.
    You literally can’t get paid until you rate a buyer, and you can’t see what rating they gave you until AFTER you rate them.
    perfect example – I sold a guy a brand-new Funko Pop.
    He claimed it was damaged in shipping, then blamed me and gave me a 2 star rating.
    I offered to help him file a claim with USPS, but he ignored me, then he then RESOLD the exact same Funko Pop as ‘Brand New’.
    Mercari wont let you change a rating or even comment on it, unlike Ebay.
    So, I got conned, and a rival seller got to trash me so he could look better.
    Watch out for anyone calling themselves ‘Grimbo’, guy is a solid scam artist.
    Also, don’t waste your time on Mercari, there are better, safer ways to sell.

    Reply

  23. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (54)

    My husband recently purchase 3 park of Pokémon cards for my son for $90. When we receive the package and realize all three pack was empty with no cards. My husband should have read the whole description before buying it. Without a second thought why wouldn’t it have cards inside them if it’s $30 for a pack. After receive it was very upsetting. We reach out to the buyer and Mercari both deny for refund. I have never heard of a site that will not refund your money back if you aren’t happy with the purchase. I wouldn’t recommend this site.

    Reply

  24. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (55)

    KIMBERLY A BROWN

    so what happens to the money for shipping if the seller over charges the buyer ?

    Reply

  25. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (56)

    Paul Imai

    They took my listing down with no explanation. Only showing that item was against rules!!! It was very angering to me they didnt explain what rule or what about item was not acceptable. It was a bar of pure silver. There is silver and gold items all over site .Why was mine taken down? who knows. I came here to sell from another site. Going back!!!!

    Reply

  26. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (57)

    I would give them and their sellers 0 stars. First-time buyer. I received my cups completely smashed and badly wrapped. Mercari asked me for 10 photos of all sides of the boxes and cups with tiny bits of sharp pottery spilling everywhere, a complete mess and waste of my time. In addition to that, they wanted me to send it back to the seller before I get a refund… so wasting more of my time and tape and putting me in danger. Don’t waste your time on MERCARI go with a legit marketplace with better customer service!!

    Reply

  27. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (58)

    Wendy

    Compared to Poshmark and EBay, Mercari is by far the best! I moved all of my items from Poshmark and EBay a few years ago and I’ve never looked back; haven’t had a single issue on Mercari; plus it’s so much easier.

    Reply

    1. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (59)

      Jill

      Agree 1000 percent!!

      Reply

  28. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (60)

    Jill

    Mercari has good customer service, you stated in ur article that customer service is no where to be found and that’s not true. I sell and buy on mercari and if there is an issue they handle it promptly most times. I have sold almost 2000 items and they have always replied very quickly if I have an issue. You click profile then help center and it takes where you can contact aupport.

    Reply

  29. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (61)

    Disgruntled Seller

    Don’t buy or sell on Mercari there no customer service as you get auto bot messages. I got ripped off as a buyer and seller on the site. Mercari always sides with buyer no matter if there lying or trying to scam you to get item you sent them for free. Don’t sell to buyer’s with no ratings it be a costly mistake of you do and Mercari helps scammers rip you off.

    Reply

  30. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (62)

    Jordan

    I’ve made a few sales, all good, ship, and then the customer receives the product. But wait…what!? I have to wait for the customer to give me stars before I get my money? Why? Most of my items are used and I don’t give returns for used items. I thought this wasn’t going to bother me until, not one lazy ass customer comes back to leave me stars. I am done waiting an additional 3 days AFTER confirmed delivery. This is the dumbest, business breaking thing in the world. Do not use Mercari, and if you do, may God not be with you.

    Reply

  31. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (63)

    Leah

    I was thinking about joining Mercari, but after reading all these bad reviews, I will certainly not. I do have a comment for all those people complaining about “fake” 925 sterling silver jewelry losing their shine. Please be informed that it is normal for sterling silver to tarnish. Tarnishing itself is NOT an indication that the jewelry is fake. The beauty of it is that a good sterling silver cleaning or polishing product will leave it as shiny as new. Before returning your sterling silver as a fake, be sure to try polishing it first. Better yet, do what someone else suggested; do a sterling silver test as soon as you receive your silver jewelry in the mail. If it shows that it isn’t sterling silver, snap clear photos of the acid test result and share these with the seller ASAP and ask for your refund. I’m sure you will get your refund without any trouble.

    Reply

  32. Everything You Need to Know About Selling on Mercari (64)

    Brad

    Sold a drone. The buyer crashed it into his ceiling fan, yes he did his first flight indoors. Destroyed my drone ,messaged me admitting what he did then asks Mercari for a return and includes “broken” pic. Mercari gives him his $ back and now I have a broken , near worthless drone. Case closed, no recourse! Wtf??

    Reply

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