Katy has sold clothing on Mercari and Poshmark for two years and does most of her thrift shopping online using eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari.

My review of selling used clothes on Mercari. Photo by rocknwool on Unsplash

Ready to sell your clothes online but don't know where to start? Or maybe you're already selling on eBay and Poshmark but you're looking for an alternative. Listing all your items on a site is super time-consuming, which can be a huge bummer if you don't make sales. But Mercari will absolutely be worth your time and you'll be so happy you did it.

How do I know?

Because you'll read my review as a seller first. You'll get to see what items sell on Mercari and which ones don't move as well. You will also learn about the fees and be able to compare those to other sites.

Let's get started!

Mercari Review: for Sellers

After selling on Mercari for four months in 2018, I had a good enough experience to cross-list all of my Poshmark items. I recommend it if you're looking for an extra marketplace to sell used clothing, but you must be willing to wait for sales.

Though my review is generally positive, there are both pros and cons to selling with Mercari.

Pros

Lower seller fees (10%)

Wide selection

Easy and low maintenance listings

Flexible shipping options

Cons

Dashboard is not user-friendly

Slower sales

Overall, Mercari is worth checking out for any seller. These pros and cons will impact everyone differently.

Toddler's shoes for sale on Mercari. Mercari

Mercari Seller Review: The Pros

Since I started learning how to sell on Mercari, I've noticed some benefits. Here are some reasons why I like using Mercari for selling my clothes.

Lower Seller Fees

Mercari has the lowest seller fee of any marketplace. This means higher profit margins for you!

The low 10% coupled with shipping options makes it worth it for me to sell my lower priced items on Mercari. Anything under $15 rarely sells on Poshmark because the $6.49 base shipping is too high. Mercari's low fees mean I get a bigger payout for the same sale price.

Wide Selection

You can sell more than clothes on Mercari. Even with a business geared towards clothes, you can use Mercari to turn other items into cash. Go ahead and list household items you don't use like blankets, tools, or unwanted gifts.

Easy and Low-Maintenance Listings

This is the biggest pro for me when selling on Mercari. It's easy to list items. That's important because I cross-post to Poshmark and eBay.

After listing, there is no maintenance except answering buyers' questions. I have thorough descriptions with measurements and good pictures. This means that buyer questions are rare. I can list and forget on Mercari. Poshmark needs constant sharing for my listings to show up in results.

Flexible Shipping Options

Sellers can set shipping costs. You can choose to cover shipping for the buyer and offer free shipping. You can also base the shipping cost off of the weight of the item to pass those savings on to the buyer.

My Favorite Thing About Mercari My favorite thing about selling with Mercari is the low-maintenance listings.

Mercari Seller Review: The Cons

Even though I like selling on Mercari, there are a few cons. These are areas that Poshmark and eBay outperform Mercari.

Seller Dashboard

Mercari's seller dashboard leaves a bit to be desired. I hope they improve it for sellers, but for now, it's difficult to use.

Important notifications are watered down with buyer alerts. There's no way to see active offers. I can't see all my listings in one place to see how they're performing.

Slower Sales

Here's the real drawback:

My sales have always been lower on Mercari.

With 50–60 items listed, I sell 1–2 a month. The same number on Poshmark averages me one sale a week, at least. Mercari users are less active buyers than Poshmark users.

The lower sales might be because Poshmark is more social. Or because Mercari doesn't spend as much money on advertising.

Mercari Rating System

After they receive an item, buyers can give you a star rating.

Star ratings are public, like on eBay. This can both help and hurt sellers. On one hand, positive ratings give you a chance to show potential buyers that you're trustworthy. But on the other hand, it means that just a few negative ratings can really hurt your reputation as a seller.

Selling on Mercari vs. eBay or Poshmark

I recommend that sellers try different platforms to find what works best for them. Read my assessment of selling used clothes on eBay vs. Poshmark if you're considering other platforms.

What's the bottom line?

Mercari definitely beats Poshmark and eBay with cheaper seller fees. But do take into account those lower fees likely means less advertising and fewer sales.

Items don't move quickly on Mercari, but listings are easy to maintain. It's easy to expand your audience by cross-posting to Mercari.

Is it Worth It to Sell on Mercari?

So, what's the verdict? Is it worth it to sell on Mercari?

If you're looking for lower fees and low-maintenance listings, then it's worth it to sell on Mercari.

But if you need to flip items quickly, I would not bother cross-listing on Mercari. You should plan on waiting for at least a few weeks, even for popular items.

Apps Like Mercari

Mercari isn't the only app to use for selling your stuff! I've talked about Poshmark and eBay as alternatives, but here are some other online places to sell used clothes or household goods:

Tradesy

ThredUp

Listia

Apps for Local Selling

Selling your items locally is also an option. You do have to meet up with buyers, but you save on shipping costs.

Consider this route if you are trying to unload heavy items. Some apps to use for selling locally:

Craigslist

LetGo

OfferUp

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

© 2018 Katy Medium

scarlettava on July 20, 2020:

Mercari is the worst platform. They deleted my account for no reason. They message me my item is prohibited though other sellers are selling the same exact item that I am selling I do not understand why they deleted my account when other people are not being deleted? They said to me selling my 18 karat gold earring is prohibited for what reasom everybody sells an 18 karat gold earring and mine was legit how could they close my account for that reason? I absolutely do not recommend Mercari. Stay away from this platform. They let buyers return good items you sent to buyers for no reason. Means I wasted my time and effort for shipping to buyers, even if my items are well described and in great condition. Stay away from Mercari. Bad experience all in all.Other sellers in mercari gives me message in private they threathen new sellers too because of competition. Mercari is not fair. Mercari is racist. I cannoy sell this item but other people ate selling this exact item. what is that mean? Alot of people sending me their number in mercari because i am selling gold jewelry not a good place to sell your items alot of scammers out there in mercari. i have good reviews and alot of followers but they close my account for no reason. stay away please please. thank you

Brad on March 25, 2020:

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!

Joan D Brown on February 06, 2020:

How to get a high end item authenticated

Frankie Collazo on January 15, 2020:

Horrible customer service!! Steals people's money

In the emails they said I was in violation because it wasnt what was supposed to be sold. My guess is handmade or custom items is what they claim. If you go on their page others are selling the same thing or others are obviously not custom as you can buy them at walmart. My complaint is that without notice they completely deleted my account without sending me any messages. They did this after I shipped and confirmed tracking on my items! It wasnt until I confirmed shipping that they deleted my account. And they claim that because I was in violation that I will not get my product or my money for my items shipped! I dont know what kind of business is ran like this but it is illegal to do what they did! My product wasnt stolen. And someone bought it.

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 anyother 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!!!

Blueheron828 on October 07, 2019:

I’m so glad I started selling on Mercuri.

They have an easy to navigate site, rates withheld is very reasonable & if you have a problem they usually help you in less than 24 hours. I chose not to sell items on other sites due to low payouts & many restrictions. For about a year I only bought from Mercari & was happy with everything I purchased and all sellers were helpful. So glad I decided to sell on Mercari. I would encourage you to do likewise. You won’t be sorry.

Katy Medium (author) from Denver, CO on October 07, 2019:

Hi Barbara, yes you can buy the shipping labels through Mercari like you do eBay. You pick the provider (USPS, UPS or Fedex) and the size/weight.

Barbara on October 06, 2019:

How does the shipping work on Mercari? Do they give you a label and packing slip like ebay does?

Linda on September 15, 2019:

Thanks - very helpful!

Christina on August 24, 2019:

I have been selling on Poshmark for years and never had an issue. I decided to try Mercari to expand my customer base. All was well until a buyer damaged a pair of Rayban sunglasses, initiated a return and Mercari did nothing to resolve the issue despite photographs provided by me (the seller) showing the sunglasses to be in perfect condition. After being given the runaround I am stuck with broken $150 raybans and a “sorry about your luck” from Mercari. Stick with a selling platform that protects the buyer!!

Joy on August 22, 2019:

I'm from Nigeria, can I sell on Mercari and how do I receive my payments without paypal?

Blue1 on August 18, 2019:

Berfore you buy through Mercari read their return policy, there isn't one. All sales are final !! Not good business b!!

Katy Medium (author) from Denver, CO on September 02, 2018:

Hi Cecil, I didn't realize until you mentioned it that Mercari started in Japan! They gained momentum in the US in 2015 and I started selling/buying with them in 2017 (from the US). Keep it in mind next time you're looking for used items.

Cecil Kenmill from Osaka, Japan on September 01, 2018:

Cool! Mercari started in Japan but I didn't know it reached the US already. I never used it but many of my friends have. Good info here!