We have been reselling for over 25 years on almost every marketplace out there, and new marketplaces are launching daily. The big question is, can you make money by selling on Mercari? Absolutely! Whether you want to add a little extra cash in your pocket or start an entire business, selling on Mercari can do just that. It will take some work, but the guide below should get you in the right direction.

Before you begin selling, you will need to create your Mercari account and link your bank account.

If this is your first marketplace, choose a profile name you can brand across other marketplaces for consistency.

Mercari may be one of the most overlooked marketplaces out there. Although it’s considerably smaller than those above, we will never NOT list items on Mercari. When items on eBay or Poshmark aren’t selling, they always seem to sell on Mercari. Just like eBay, you can resell just about anything.

Mercari Local is a new service offered by the Mercari app. This convenient delivery option allows sellers to sell their items locally and have them delivered by a partner delivery service such as Uber or FedEx SameDay City, simplifying the selling process.

Selling Fees: No Selling Fees.

350 Thousand Items Listed Daily

As a new reseller, you have a wide range of options when it comes to what you can sell. However, we’ve found success in selling shoes as our niche. Regarding clothing, popular branded items always have a market, even in used condition. Selling clothing items like jeans can be both lucrative and challenging. Each pair of jeans fits differently, so you must include measurements in your listings to help buyers make informed decisions.

We love shoes for one reason: my feet have stayed the same size since high school, and shoe sizes are much more consistent from brand to brand.

When deciding to become a niche reseller, you can become an expert in that area. However, you do not need to be a niche reseller.

Many new resellers will begin listing items they have around their homes. We all have clothing items we have yet to wear or have outgrown. Additionally, you may have old electronic items that you think are entirely worthless. Did you know items like old TV remotes, cassette players, and portable CD players can be of great value?

Flea markets and yard sales are also famous for resellers to source items.

Another favorite of ours is clearance items from online or brick-and-mortar stores.  This is also known as Retail Arbitrage (RA) and Online Arbitrage (OA). RA involves sourcing items from a retail store and intending to resell them, while OA is sourcing items from online stores for the same purpose.

Outlet stores can also be an option. However, be careful, as items in outlets are often manufactured to be sold exclusively in outlet stores.

Lastly, as you grow your business, purchasing liquidation lots may be the key to expanding and taking it to the next level.

Check out our complete sourcing guide: Sourcing Guide

When a buyer searches for an item on Mercari, they see the photo, title, and price of the item before that buyer selects your listing.

We have all heard a picture is worth a thousand words. You can spend time sourcing items, listing items, and photographing, but you’re losing sales if your listings are filled with BAD photos. In order to sell items, your photos will need to catch your buyer’s eye. Photos are a buyer’s first impression before even clicking your listing. When I am searching for an item, I will filter by brand, size, etc. Those with the best photos are viewed first; I rarely ever look at a listing with a horrible photo. 

A recent survey of online consumers revealed that 93% of their purchases were based on product images alone.

You have taken an excellent photo for your listings. The second most important item your potential buyer will see after the image is the Listing Title! You have just 80 characters, including spaces, to attract that buyer. You want to use as many words as possible and clear, precise words that describe what you’re selling!

Brand– The first key to building a title to attract a buyer is the brand. I have seen numerous listings where the brand is missing or misspelled. I have also seen where some users will attempt to use a popular brand such as LuLulemon to attract a buyer on an unbranded, nonrelated item. I immediately skip past those listings for the simple fact that if you are trying to deceive me with a title, what else are you trying to deceive me on?

Name of Item – The second priority in the title is the name of the item you are selling. If you are selling LuLuLemon leggings you want to find the name of those leggings. Example “Wunder Under” “All the Right Places“ 

Style—Next, we like to build our listings according to the style of the item we are selling. Sticking with our example above, you would use something like “High Rise,”  “Crop,“ or “Low Rise. “

Category– The 4th element of the title is the category. This is the question you will ask yourself: Is this a Pants, Leggings, or shorts?

Color– You are running very low on space at this point in your title. Your listing should have the correct color built into the actual listing. For potential buyers who are not using color filters to search for items, placing the color in the title will benefit them if they search for a term such as “LuLulemon black legging.” Be cautious when listing a color different from the color in the actual listing. Using a term such as “Slate “in your listing when you selected black could come back to haunt you if a buyer opens a case claiming they thought the item was slate and it was black. The Moral of the story use consistency.`

Size—If space is available, it is recommended that you add the size to the title. Instead of writing out the word “Size,“ you can abbreviate it “Sz.“

Descriptive- Lastly, if you still have space available, you will use any other words you feel a buyer may search for.

What Does a great Title Look like

LuLuLemon + Wunder Under + Crop + Leggings + Black + Sz 6

What if you do not know the name of an item?

You can search the brand’s website and eBay listings for that brand and category for similar listings or ask a reseller group or brand group for help.

You can also find information on items by reviewing the tags on the items.

How to Find the Brand

If you have a clothing item with a tag, search for the RN number. RN stands for Registered Identification Number. The FTC issues this number to U.S. businesses that manufacture, import, distribute, or sell products covered by the Textile, Wool, and Fur Acts. Businesses can use this number on product labels instead of the company name.

RN Search DataBase

https://rn.ftc.gov/Account/BasicSearch

How To Find the Style

All brands are different in where you can find the style number. On tops, typically, you will find an additional tag on a side seam—you know, the itchy ones! On that tag, you will find the style number. A simple Google search of the brand and number will most likely result in the correct name of that item.

You have taken great product photos and built a great title that caught a potential buyer’s eye. They click your listing, YES! Just wait a moment…Your description lacks the critical information your buyer is looking for! Building the perfect description that converts a buyer browsing to a… I got to buy this!

When selling on Depop, optimizing your description is very important. Buyers may never find the items you’re selling on Mercari without a well-written description. What should be included in your description? At a minimum, you should include:

• Start with a headline

• Add measurements

• Describe the condition of the item

• Be specific and relevant

Description Templates

We love to use templates when building descriptions on eBay. Building templates in Microsoft Word or Excel speeds up the listing process and provides a streamlined look throughout your listings. Providing a clear and precise description will increase Mercari sales and provide a level of protection against claims if they arise. The more information provided, the fewer questions buyers will have.

Tip: It’s crucial to avoid including irrelevant or repetitive keywords, hashtags, brands, or tags in your description. This will ensure that your listing is precise and relevant and not lost in a sea of similar products.

As previously mentioned, select appropriate drop-downs relevant to your items. Fill and select as many fields as you can. Filling all fields will optimize your listings and ensure that your items are found when buyers are searching.

• Item location

• Category and subcategory

• Brand

• Size

• Quantity

• Condition

• Price

• Color

• Style

My number one rule for a new reseller is…CHECK THE SOLDS!

What does this mean? Many new sellers get discouraged quickly over slow sales or a complete lack of sales. Before listing an item, you should always ask yourself what does this item resale for. You can search the item and sold listings to understand what buyers will pay.  If you’re outsourcing items and find what you think is a great item to resell, if you are about to pay $20 and the item is only reselling for $22 on Mercari, it would be best to pass on that item.

Check those sold listings. If there is anything you remember from this post, it is that!

Set a profit goal per item.

When pricing, if you price yourself out of the market, buyers will browse right by your listings. To price competitively, check the SOLD comps, not the live listings.  Checking comps for items can be done by searching for an item you are about to list; with those results, you want to filter for the SOLD listings. Once you have filtered the sold listings, look for items that are similar to yours. Do not spend too much time. A quick review will give you a great idea of where you should enter the market on pricing.

On some marketplaces, shipping items can seem overwhelming, but on Mercari, shipping is straightforward.

Shipping Materials

When selling on Mercari, it’s essential to factor in the cost of shipping materials. We’ve found that using poly bags for nonbreakable items like clothing is practical and cost-effective.

Depending on your order volume, you can purchase these bags on Amazon or eBay for as little as $0.05-0.10 each. When shipping heavier, breakable, and odd-shaped items, I like to save Amazon boxes throughout the year for shipping items. Ask friends and family to save boxes for you. I always see people on facebook marketplace giving away boxes after moving. Another great place to grab boxes when you have a large item is from Home Depot or Lowe’s.

Always Ship Items Quickly

Delivery is $15.99 for items smaller than a microwave (22”H x 30”W x 25”D) and less than 50 lbs. For items larger than a microwave or more than 50 lbs, furniture delivery is available in select cities for $199 for up to 3 items. Furniture items must fit in the bed of a pickup truck (72”L x 48” W) and item(s) may not exceed a maximum of 300 lbs combined. A partner (Uber® or Dolly®) is selected for you and the final delivery fee is communicated to the buyer at the time of purchase.

Here are some items to consider

Shipping Scale

Bakers Math Kitchen Scale by My Weight – KD8000

-Package Tape

Duck HD Packaging Tape

Grizzly Brand Clear Packaging Tape

-Tape Gun

Uline H-150 2-Inch Hand-Held Tape Dispenser

-Printer

Dymo 4XL Label Printer

-Shipping Boxes and Poly Bags

Poly Mailers for Poshmark

Heat Gun (Removing Stickers)

Wagner 2 Temp Setting Heat Gun

I love selling on Mercari due to recent update of zero seller fees.

Effective March 27, 2024, the selling fee for new listings will be 0%

Buyers now are responsible for a processing fee.

Effective March 27, 2024, Mercari will charge buyers a payment processing fee at the time of purchase.

To receive your payout, you’ll first need to ensure you have linked a valid bank account. This will require you to provide the full account details so we know where to send your payouts.

Direct Deposit:
Effective March 27, 2024 at 8:30 AM ET, there is a $2 non-refundable fee per cash-out.

Once you’ve added your checking account and have a balance, you can request a cash-out request to your bank using direct deposit. This transaction is typically processed within 5 business days depending on your bank’s processing times. There is $2 non-refundable fee for each completed direct deposit request.

Instant Pay:
Instant Pay is the fastest way to get paid when you need that extra cash. To do this, go to your balance, tap “Instant Pay,” complete your ID validation (if you haven’t already), and add a debit card. You can use Instant Pay for up to $600 per month, once per day on eligible debit cards. There is a $3 flat fee per cash-out. In some cases, depending on your bank’s processing time, it can take up to 30 minutes to see the balance in your bank account.

Unlike Poshmark and Depop, the only way to refresh the listing to be displayed at the top is by using the promote to everyone option. When using this option, you will be required to reduce the price of the item by at least 5% of your lowest historic price. To bypass the need to reduce the pricing…

Seller Hack: You can deactivate the item and then reactivate it, and it will be displayed as just updated. 

Happy Selling!

Follow Us On:

Welcome to our blog!

Hello! We are Meghan and Ryan; we have been resellers for over 25 years. Our tips guarantee you will learn from our experience as sellers. We share our knowledge of building a full-time business throughout our blog post.

In 2019, we started Closet Assistant, which offers a series of automated tools for Poshmark sellers and resellers. The main components of Closet Assistant are its auto-sharer Poshmark Bot and Cross lister. The Poshmark share bot will share your closet and other Poshmark users’ closets with a single click. With our Poshmark bot, you will no longer need to spend countless hours a day sharing your closet. Spend more time where it counts in your Poshmark business! Unlike other services, Closet Assistant is run by a husband and wife team who are actually resellers on Poshmark. Try our auto closet sharer today for a free 7-day trial!