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If you’re selling on Mercari, let’s face it, you want to make as much money as possible. This is not a charity app and you don’t want to “contract with anyone.”
So how do you do it? I’ve seen a number of tip lists for Mercari sellers recently that seem to be written by a robot or someone who has never listed a single item on the app.
Mercari is definitely similar to selling on sites like eBay, but it has its own unique features that require a unique approach!
After selling over 400 items ($23,000+) on Mercari and over $500,000 on eBay I feel like we’re in a pretty good position to give most people some tips. Since we’ve covered eBay so often we thought it was time to show some love to our other favorite platform and give you our best tips for successfully selling on Mercari! So here we go!
17 of my best Mercari selling tips for faster sales
1. Don’t sell junk.
Hopefully, this isn’t a problem for you. But I see it so often when I browse items on the app that I have to mention it. There is a minimum price for mercari. Selling super cheap stuff on their site is not profitable. If you’re thrifting to sell on Mercari, look for items that are in good condition and in demand. If you have items to sell, consider donating items that are not up for snuff.
2. Leave some wiggle room in your pricing.
Unlike eBay, most commercial buyers are not willing to pay full price. The “make an offer” feature on the Mercury app is so front and center that unless you have something super hot, most buyers will send you an offer. And it can be a scary one.
When I cross post my items from eBay to Mercari I usually increase the price by 10% or more. This allows me to accept, respond to reasonable offers, or send offers to visitors.
3. Regularly eliminate and relist unsold items
One of the best selling tips for Mercari is actually a bit of a ninja. We covered this in detail here, but here’s the short version: Most items sell on Mercari within a few days of listing. If your item hasn’t sold, consider delisting and re-listing it to get it back in search results.
Using an affordable listing service like List Perfectly can make such a process much easier. (Especially when you use our List Perfectly coupon code “Reselling Revealed” and get a whopping 30% off your first month of listing…)
4. List items at prime buying times
Merkari’s algorithm is not developed. In fact, compared to eBay, it’s a crayon drawing. If you use the “list it and forget it” attitude that works on eBay you will have items that will literally sit at the bottom of the search results for years and never sell.
When I worked the night shift at a boarding school, I spent the night listing things on Mercari. Later, I realized that I wasn’t selling because so few people were looking at my stuff! By the time people were awake, new items had been posted and my items had been pushed down in the search.
So, as annoying as it may be, your items should go live when you have a free moment, but not when people are shopping (lunch hours, after work hours, etc.).
5. Use a cross-posting software.
I mentioned it above but, if you’re a full-time reseller, using cross-posting software can be a game changer in your business. I spend months manually transferring my listings from eBay to Mercari before realizing I could do it in literally 1/4 the time.
Although there are many options in the market, the one we use is List Perfectly.
6. Accept reasonable offers or respond promptly.
If you take half a day to respond to someone’s offer, expect to lose the same. For whatever reason, Mercari shoppers are a restless bunch. There have been many times that I have received offers and then the buyer retracted their offer an hour or two later because I didn’t respond and they bought it elsewhere.
Taking the time to respond also gives the person time to think about how long it will take you to send them something if you can’t even respond to an offer/message.
7. Get certified.
One of the great things about mercury is that it is quite safe. Take the time to get an ID. Verified people will trust you more, you’ll get a great seed, and you’ll have the option to transfer your balance instantly (for a $2 fee).
8. Purpose of 5 Star Ratings and Mercari Badges
Feedback and badges are more visible on Mercari than on eBay. Furthermore, Mercari will actually give buyers a warning before purchasing from sellers who have had a significant number of cancellations.
Since you will likely have people reading your feedback, make sure you communicate well with your buyers and are on top of their item shipping. A few bad reviews will turn off the majority of buyers.
9. Send offers to likes.
While I wouldn’t encourage you to undersell your items, dropping a few bucks off the price and sending people offers can be an effective way to get some extra sales.
Every two weeks I scroll through my items and send visitors a 10-15% discount on items that have been sitting in my inventory for a long time. This usually results in several sales. If items don’t sell on offer, I’ll usually delist them and re-list them.
10. Be personable.
People are more comfortable being rude and giving negative feedback to a name-less face on the Internet. If you have a profile picture (it doesn’t even have to be you) that shows you’re a person and you interact with them normally, if something goes wrong they You are more likely to slow down a bit.
11. Develop a following.
When it comes to having followers, Mercari is something of a hybrid. It’s not as follower-driven as something like Poshmark, but it does have the option for people who like your style to follow you and see your items in their feed. This is especially helpful if you sell a specific type of item (eg model trains) or want to sell a bunch of items from your own closet.
12. Treat it like a business.
Some people are just trying to offload some vintage items for cash on Mercari while others are trying to do a full scale shakeup. Both are fine, but make sure you have the right method for whatever you want.
If you are interested in reselling items, you may want to invest in some basic infrastructure for your business. Typically, this includes a label printer (we use Rolo), a shipping scale, lights, etc. You can check out our Best Items for Resellers list to learn about what we use.
13. Try on your lists.
If you have average items, you can sell them faster on Mercari by placing above-average listings. Most people put minimal effort into taking photos and writing descriptions, which results in fewer sales. There are some listings that I don’t even care to look at because the person took a picture of something (usually clothing) lying on the floor or on their bed. What are the chances that they will have the level of care required to pack and ship the item quickly and well?
Taking great photos and measuring clothes is usually enough to set you apart from the competition.
14. Beware of scams
Even with a feedback and verified checkmark system, burnout on Mercari is extremely possible. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, take some time to educate yourself about common trading scams so you don’t end up losing money, losing your account, or both.
15. Do not count your chickens (earnings) before they hatch.
Unfortunately, there are many things that can go wrong between listing your items and getting paid on Mercari. If you’re counting on your Mercari sales to pay pressing bills, be careful. It usually takes a week or so for the money to be in your account after you sell something, and there’s a chance that person may open a chargeback, in which case Mercari will withdraw the money from your account. will take
A good way to combat this is to list more items. 1 out of 2 items being returned is far more devastating than 5 out of 100 items being returned.
16. Disclose whether you have pets or not.
If you are a pet lover, this is great. I also have many of my pets. I probably don’t love your pets, and you probably don’t love mine. And we certainly don’t leave each other’s pet hair on our clothes.
For many people, getting something with pet hair/dander is more serious than just a severe irritation. It can be dangerous for people with severe allergies. Be sure to include in your listing if your home is pet-friendly to avoid returns, angry feedback, or other nasty complications.
17. Offer to bundle items
If you’re selling a certain type of item, someone interested in it may want something else! For example, if you’re selling items from your closet, the person shopping for them is likely your size and style. If they offer you, be sure to invite them to check out other items in your store and offer them a discount if they order multiple items.
Many also include a statement in all their descriptions that they are willing to bundle to save the buyer money on shipping.
Result
At the end of the day, success on Mercari comes down to your willingness to find and work with great items. The best Mercari selling tip I can give you is to be consistent and professional.
As with all selling platforms, following good business practices and keeping your customers happy will ensure you’re able to make repeat sales long-term.
With the recent rush of high-profile resellers losing their accounts, I would advise you to keep the future in mind and never put all your eggs in one basket. good luck!
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