I like to avoid Mercari when possible for a few reasons one of those reasons is everything is grossly overpriced. I’m not really a fan of people that are buying at cost and selling the items at five times the amount. I respect the hustle. I understand this is a career of sorts for some people and making a few dollars off an item is fine by me but when you’re out there paying $10 for something and proceeding to charge $60 that’s just pure greed. Stanley x Love Shack Fancy is a great example. I believe the cups were $50 each and around the time of release before anyone even got their hands on them we had Mercari sellers listing them for $200-$250 per cup. Come on, guys! Jeez.
My second issue with Mercari is the awful customer service or at least the customer service I’ve gotten. If something gets lost or arrives broken good luck getting your money back. Their customer service team is awful. It took days to get a reply back and trying to explain to them something was broken or lost is a task. I’ve had both happen to me. Once the item was delivered god knows where but not to me. They even had a photo of someone else’s doormat where the item was left. I never got refunded because they told me, well, it was delivered. Thanks so much but that isn’t my house. The second time the item arrived broke and it was another case of, Oops! Sorry! That’s your problem. I never got refunded for that either. E-bay is WAY more supportive on the buyer side of the fence. Mercari, not so much.
But I admit sometimes I do fish around Mercari if I have some sort of intense lemming or FOMO for an item I can’t find or I missed out on. I’m not sure how long that’ll be for though as they just rolled out yet another fee increase which is for both buyers and sellers. I don’t sell anything but I am a buyer and buyers will pay a flat 3.6% buyer protection fee on the complete price of an item. This is comical considering their track record with actually helping me with the two cases I told you above. If you sell the flat fee is now 10% off on a completed purchase.
This post might not apply to you if you aren’t a FOMO kind of person. But I do occasionally get FOMO for a makeup item (or even other items) or occasionally an item will sell out and I can’t find it so away I go to Mercari to see if I can score it. In that case, you might want read below for the info about their upcoming price changes.
Here’s the entire Mercari Seller and Buyer Fee Increase info which start on January 6th, 2025.
Sellers will pay a flat 10% selling fee on the completed item price and buyer-paid shipping
Buyers will pay a flat 3.6% Buyer Protection fee on the completed item price and buyer-paid shipping
No additional payment processing fee for either buyers or sellers
Will there be a direct deposit charge?
No, ACH direct deposit withdrawals are free. There’s a $2 fee only for rejected withdrawal transactions. You’re limited to one ACH direct deposit withdrawal per day.
For faster payouts, you can choose Instant Pay for $3, with funds available in about 30 minutes. Learn more about Instant Pay here.
I made a direct deposit request on January 5, will I still pay $2 for my withdrawal?
Yes, a $2 ACH fee will apply to direct deposit requests made before January 6, 2025.
What is Buyer Protection?
We want you to shop confidently. Buyer Protection reflects:
Worry-free shopping: Get what you ordered or a refund, if eligible
Trusted transactions: We securely process and release payments upon rating
24/7 Customer support: Easily get help through app, web or phone
What is Seller Protection?
Mercari is designed to help sellers succeed, so you can sell and get paid with confidence. Seller Protection reflects:
Free and easy listing: Listing is free, simple, and designed to help you succeed.
Hassle-free shipping: Enjoy discounted rates with Shipping Protection up to $200, if eligible.
Trusted transactions: Payments are securely processed and released upon rating
Do I need to update my listings?
No. The new fee structure will automatically apply to new and updated listings starting the week of January 6. Existing listings may take a week or more to reflect the new fee structure automatically.
You can view the selling fee details at any time in the editing screen.
To support this transition, you can choose to increase your listing prices in bulk so you can earn the same amount. Depending on how many listings you have, the update can take several hours or days.
Match your current earnings:
Can I automatically increase my prices in bulk to help ensure my earnings stay the same?
Yes, to help maintain your current earnings after the new fee structure is implemented, you have the option to automatically increase your listing prices in bulk.
If you opt in before January 6, 2025, we will schedule a price increase for your listings to align with the new fee structure. This update is entirely optional and can be chosen before the new fees take effect. The scheduled listing price updates will begin during the week of January 6, 2025. Depending on how many listings you have, the update can take several hours or days.
If I opt in, can I still update my listings before the automatic price increase?
Yes. Please note that if you update the details of an item on your own before the opt-in feature updates it, the new fee structure will apply. Prices for items edited after the fee structure change will not be automatically updated, so you will need to adjust the prices manually while editing the item.
When can I opt in?
You can now opt in anytime before January 6, 2025 to schedule a bulk listing price increase. Download the latest version of the Mercari app to try it out (iOS | Android)
Applying the new fee structure:
What if my item is canceled?
If your item is canceled and relisted after the fee structure change, the new fee structure will apply immediately to the relisted item.
What if I have an offer in progress?
We will start updating existing listings during the week of January 6, 2025 including pending offers.
If an offer is made on a listing that hasn’t yet been updated to the new fee structure, the previous fee structure will apply when the offer is accepted.
If the existing offer is updated with the new fee structure, it will automatically be canceled.
I think some of my listings will have negative earnings. What should I do?
We plan to notify sellers if they have listings at risk of negative earnings.
To avoid negative earnings, increase the price of your impacted listings by at least 10%. You can do this manually or by opting in to the automatic process (see “Match your current earnings” section above).
Listings with negative earnings under the updated fee structure will be deactivated automatically.
Most of it does apply to sellers but if you are a buyer beware of their new pricing before laying down cash on an item as anything you buy will have that 3.6% fee tacked into the final cost.
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