I just noticed something tonight while listing an item for sale on Mercari. I am new to selling on that platform so I am sure that some of you have probably already noticed this.

 

Mercari charges 10% fees. But while building the listing if you list it as free shipping for the buyer then Mercari charges you 10% of the shipping fee as well (kinda like Ebay applies their fees to shipping costs as well). But, if you list it as buyer pays for shipping then you do NOT get charged the 10% on shipping.

 

For example, if I sell a item for $100 and it costs $15 to ship this item nationwide (only option on Mercari) then I pay 10% of $100 to Mercari leaving me with $90 and then I pay $15 for the shipping leaving me with a take home amount of $75.

 

However, if I list it at $85 and have the buyer pay $15 shipping then I am only charged the 10% on the $85. Leaving me with a take home amount of $76.50.

 

Not a huge difference but one definitely worth mentioning, especially if you sell a lot on there. None of my listings on Mercari will be free shipping haha.

Has everybody been required to provide US government ID to be active on Mercaci?

After sniping a 2007 MTT for $110 (!) and using $20 from my first sale in the platform, Mercari cancelled my transaction (!!) due to 'unusual activity' and the foreign-owned company is requiring US government ID in order to have my account restored.

Has everybody been required to provide US government ID to be active on Mercaci?
After sniping a 2007 MTT for $110 (!) and using $20 from my first sale in the platform, Mercari cancelled my transaction (!!) due to 'unusual activity' and the foreign-owned company is requiring US government ID in order to have my account restored.

Yeah, I am not sure why, but it is part of their verification process. They had temporarily suspended that portion of the process when coronavirus first hit, but they have recently reinstated it.

Mercari has dropped it's 10% seller fee in favor of a fee paid by the buyers. Still  being charged the 2.9% + $0.50

Quote

Here’s what you need to know, effective March 27, 2024:

0% Selling Fees: The selling fee for new listings will be 0%. That’s right – what used to be a 10% selling fee is now 0% – zero selling fees! Listings created before 8:30 AM ET March 27, 2024 will be subject to a selling fee of 10% of the item price when a sale is completed, unless the listing has been updated on or after March 27, 2024.   Buy with Confidence: Buyers will now be able to return items for any reason.   Service Fee: When you make a purchase, a service fee will be charged. The amount of the fee will be displayed as part of the final price of your item(s) on the checkout page.   Payment Processing and Withdrawal Fee: For listings created after 8:30 AM ET on March 27, 2024, Mercari will charge buyers a payment processing fee at the time of purchase. That includes a payment processing fee of $.50, plus 2.9% of the transaction price (includes item price, shipping, service fee, and sales tax). For listings created before March 27, 2024, a payment processing fee of 2.9% plus $.50 per sale is charged to the seller based on the completed sale, plus shipping price of the item – unless the listing is updated after March 27, 2024. Zero payment processing fees for buyers when using your balance.   Direct Deposit: As always, you can request to cash out your balance to your checking account with direct deposit. Starting on this date, there is a $2 flat fee per cash-out.

Buyers still only have 3 days to submit for a return, but "return for any reason" just means that they don't need to lie to return it if they get buyers remorse, versus submitting a false SNAD. 

They're attempting to keep the money held within their service by offering no fees for using your balance. The flat fee per cash-out encourages people to store it longer, which may lead to them spending it internally for sitting there. Seems like a good way to hold these reserves and invest them like a bank. 

its tempting but their platform doesnt or didnt allow for multiple item listings, and mostly it sells for 10% less than ebay plus slower at that, so while it was a smart and needed move for them, probably not worth it on average to effectively move any quantity.

Yes but now you have to take returns no matter what reason, I will delete all my listings, not enough sales for lego we flip to make it worth it

14 hours ago, Tonka858 said:

Yes but now you have to take returns no matter what reason, I will delete all my listings, not enough sales for lego we flip to make it worth it

I'm not sure how much of a problem that's going to be. My understanding is that Mercari will cover return shipping, so as long as buyers don't destroy the set, it's annoying but not the end of the world.

What is killing Mercari for Lego is shipping. Their pricing on larger boxes is horrible compared to Ebay or PirateShip. You can offer free shipping but their search results don't highlight free shipping, so your listing will appear more expensive when it really is cheaper.

 

I wonder if they will credit, when people take the figures and return the rest, At least on Amazon I can win all those.