Upfront Summary: Is Mercari worth it?
Mercari is a legit and reliable online marketplace, similar to eBay. With any marketplace, you can’t guarantee that the 3rd-party is legit. Your item may not be what the seller described, or a buyer may try to get a refund after receiving the item. Mercari provides a rating system for both sellers and buyers, their support team is there to assist in disputes, and you also have the option of using Paypal and their dispute process. You should be confident in using Mercari as long as you are wary of the member ratings, the time given to dispute transactions, and deals that are too good to be true.
Online marketplaces like Mercari allow you to buy and sell almost anything from the comfort of your home. You can find cheap deals on second-hand items, and you can sell things you no longer need to make some extra cash. You may be wondering, is Mercari full of scammers? Should you risk using it? I’ve researched the site and online reviews of Mercari, looking into everything I can so that you don’t have to. Keep reading for the full details on Mercari.
Mercari Company Information
| Official Website: | https://www.mercari.com |
| Founded: | February 2013 by Shintaro Yamada |
| Owner: | Public Company |
| Location: | Minato, Tokyo, Japan |
| Customer Service Contact: | Help Center: Customer Support |
| Social Media: | Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin |
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What is Mercari?
Mercari is an online marketplace in Japan and the United States that allows you to buy and sell items of almost any kind. Mercari is similar to sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Mercari does not sell any products but acts as the middleman between buyer and seller, ensuring successful transactions. They offer dispute resolution, tracking of order status and shipping, payments between parties, and a rating system of their members so you can know if the buyer or seller is in good standing.
Marketplaces like Mercari are legit and reliable. However, they are not selling the actual item and can’t guarantee the description or photos are accurate. You are dealing with a 3rd party. The benefits of Mercari are the safety measures you get when buying/selling, over direct buying/selling on places like craigslist.
Sellers are willing to take a risk so they can get rid of unused items and make extra money, rather than throwing things out or letting them sit and take up space. Buyers are willing to take a risk to get a great deal on products they want or can’t find anywhere else.
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Is Mercari safe and legal, or is it a scam?
Mercari is a safe site if you are cautious with who you are dealing with. It is legal in the countries it operates in and is not a scam. It does not have viruses or malware and takes your information and privacy seriously, as detailed in its privacy policy.
Your chances of being scammed on Mercari depend on your awareness of the 3rd parties you are dealing with. Mercari provides a rating system for both sellers and buyers. You can check on the rating of another member to see if they are in good standing and if there have been any issues with products or payments.
So ensure you are checking on member ratings before completing a transaction and make sure you rate members accurately after transactions to help other members in the future.
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Is Mercari reliable and trustworthy?
Mercari is a reliable and trustworthy site, and it has an average rating of 3.9/5 on various review sites. Mercari does have many bad reviews, and it isn’t a single thing that people are complaining about.
The most obvious is that scammers are on the site, and seller descriptions/photos are not always accurate. This is a common issue across all marketplaces, so the member rating system, while not perfect, is essential to use.
The timeframe around receiving your product and having to dispute or rate is 3 days, which can put you in a position of automatically accepting an item before you have a chance to thoroughly examine it. If you don’t complain within 3 days, then you can’t lodge a dispute and request a refund.
If you accept an item and later need to dispute the order, then you would need to discuss the issue with your original payment provider. Paypal is a good option for paying on Mercari because they have longer dispute timeframes.
You can’t rate your order if you don’t confirm delivery, so if the seller never sends the item, then you can only cancel the order.
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Mercari shipping information
Average Shipping Time
Mercari requires items are shipped to you within 3 days of sale. Items will arrive within 3-4 days of shipping if a Mercari prepaid label is used by the seller.
Cost of Shipping
The seller may cover the shipping costs or may charge the buyer. The cost will depend on the size of the item.
Mercari offers 3 prepaid labels to the seller, or the seller can buy postage elsewhere.
- Small (Up to 1lb) – $5.99
- Medium (Up to 5lb) – $9.99
- Large (Up to 40lb) – $45
How to track an order on Mercari?
- Log into Mercari
- Click on My Profile Icon in the top right corner
- Click My Purchases
To which countries does Mercari ship?
Japan and United States only.
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Does Mercari have good customer service?
Getting help from Mercari requires you to go to their help center, pick what area you are having issues with, and then answer various questions. If the automated answers don’t help, then you have the option of emailing Mercari, and they indicate there is a 14-hour expected response time.
There are many complaints online of poor customer service, including never hearing back from the customer service team. Customer service seems to be better at pointing you to policies on their site than actually helping with issues.
I do see that Mercari responds to online complaints, especially on BBB.org. However, many of their responses point to their returns policy rather than really assisting the customer.
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How do you cancel an order on Mercari?
- From the order status page click on “Request cancellation” and choose a reason for requesting a cancellation.
- If it hasn’t been 7 days since your purchase, Mercari will confirm with the seller to ensure they didn’t ship using an alternate tracking number. The seller has 24 hours to respond to the cancellation request.
- If the seller agrees to the cancellation or 24 hours have passed with no response, Mercari will cancel the transaction, and you a refund will be issued to your original payment method.
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Does Mercari have promo or discount codes?
There don’t appear to be any real promo or discount codes. You may receive $10-$30 off your first purchase when you first sign up. After that, you are paying what the seller is requesting.
There are some codes available for sellers to get discounts on their fees. But no reports showing these are working.
Does Mercari have a return policy?
A buyer can request a return and refund within 3 days of confirmed delivery if it is defective or not as described. You can not return items you no longer want.
If you don’t complain about the order within 3 days of delivery, then you can not return the item or get a refund. It’s best to initiate a complaint before discussing with the seller as that stops the timer on the 3 days.
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Mercari payment methods
- All major credit cards
- Apple Pay
- PayPal
- Zip
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The pros and cons of Mercari
Pros:
- Listing your item is free.
- Lower fees than many competitors, 10% on the purchase price.
- Prepaid labels for shipping with insurance at a low cost are an option.
Cons:
- Short timeframe to dispute transactions.
- Fewer buyers/sellers than larger marketplaces like eBay.
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Mercari Careers
You can work for Mercari in Japan or America, with the most sought-after positions being engineers. There are differing reviews of the culture in each location. It appears to be a great work environment for engineers to learn and grow, with good perks. However, many employees feel upper management is out of touch and sticks with a traditional Japanese working environment.
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Best Mercari alternatives
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Additional FAQs
What happens if you get scammed on Mercari?
Mercari does not release payment until it is delivered and the buyer confirms it is as described. If there are issues with the item, you have 3 days to request a refund.
Is Mercari or eBay better?
eBay offers a larger marketplace to sell things quickly, allowing you to make a more significant income. Mercari is much simpler and allows you to sell a larger variety of things, which is better for people that don’t sell often.
Can you sell fake items on Mercari?
Items that are known or suspected to be replicas, imitations, or in any way not authentic should not be listed on Mercari unless you indicate in the description it is a replica. Any item that appears to be inauthentic will be reviewed and potentially removed from the platform.
What happens if a seller doesn’t ship your item?
If a seller doesn’t ship your item in 3 days, you can request cancellation, and a full refund will be provided.