Is Mercari Legit Or A Scam? (Mercari Review 2022)

It’s not once that I’ve heard people praise Mercari for being one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces on the web. Yet in the age where we see a rise in the number new marketplaces online, it’s understandable why someone like you would question the legitimacy of Mercari. So is Mercari legit?

Mercari is a legit, safe, and reliable e-commerce marketplace with hundreds of real active users. However, it doesn’t have a censoring technology in place to tell the difference between legitimate and cunny buyers or sellers. That means you need to be cautious when closing deals on the platform.

Here’s the deal:

No one is ever safe when shopping online, unless of course you’re buying from the big e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Macy’s, and Walmart.

It gets even trickier when it comes to dealing with an online commerce marketplace, because it’s hard to tell whether the deal can be good or otherwise.

Given the uncertainty that every last one of us has when it comes to spending money online, questioning the legitimacy of Mercari is the first best step to knowing whether it’s a good platform in the first place.

So in this guide, we’ll go deep into Mercari review and tell you everything you need to know about the platform. We hope that this information will help you to determine whether the platform is legit, safe to use, and worth your time. 

Let’s get started.

What Is Mercari Exactly?

Started by Shintaro Yamada in February 2013, and currently available for iOS and Android devices, Mercari is an e-commerce marketplace that gives you a platform to buy and sell products online.

At the time of this writing, Mercari has had more than 45 million downloads, making it one of the most popular e-commerce marketplaces on the web. 

There’s no limit to what you can buy on this marketplace, and there are no restrictions to what you can sell.

Mercari even allows you to make money by referring people to the platform. So if you wish to make money by just referring people to this online marketplace, you can do so under the conditions set by the program.

You earn $10 credit when your referral buys their first item via the platform and $40 if your referral makes $100 in completed sales. The problem with earning credit from Mercari is that they have an expiry date, so you need to make sure you use your credit as soon as you get them.

How Does Mercari Makes Money?

If Mercari pays you money for referring people to the platform, then there must be a way they make money, right?

Sure.

Remember the marketplace has more than 45 million users, with a higher number of active people selling on the platform. So, essentially, Mercari applies are 10% selling fee on every item that you sell on the platform. 

Keep in mind that Mercari only earns from the sales that you make and not from the listings that you publish on the site. 

What Can You Buy Or Sell On Mercari?

There are no limits to what you can buy or sell on the platform. A few examples of the goods popularly sold on the marketplace include:

• Shoes from brands such as Nike
• Handbags and backpacks
• T-shirts
• Electronics
• Toys and related deals for kids
• Gifts for men and women
• Kitchen and dining products

One of the best things about buying on Mercari is that you pay less for many of the items, the same way you would when shopping on sites such as Romwe or Shein.

So if you’re looking for cheap deals that can save you money, you should consider buying items from this e-commerce marketplace.

Note that Mercari doesn’t sell fake items and doesn’t endorse the sell and distribution of such items. As such, fake items often get deleted on the platform.

How to Buy On Mercari

Here are the steps to take to sell on Mercari:

• Create an account on Mercari and browse the items according on the marketplace according to the category of your choice.
• Use the buy button to get the item at the asked price or use the option in the mobile app to suggest a lower offer to the seller. The seller will review your purchase and, if approve, ship the order in 3 days.
• Review the package you receive and rate the seller if the products are in good condition. If the products aren’t as described, return it under the marketplace’s buyer protection policy.

The last step in the purchase process, in the case where the product is as described is issuing a payment release directive. In which case Mercari can pay the seller for the goods they shipped to your doorstep.

How to Sell On Mercari

The following are the steps to follow if you would like to sell on Mercari: 

• Create and verify your seller account on Mercari
• Upload two or more photos of the item you want to sell, write a short description, and then indicate the selling price. Your product’s description should be on point – and compelling enough to get people to want to buy.
• Choose a category for your item so that it’s easy for potential buyers to find what you’re looking for. And then indicate the brand and the condition of the product that you want to sell, so a buyer knows whether the item is used or in new condition.
• Enter your zip code in the shipping section of the product description so that Mercari can give buyers an estimate of how long the product will take to ship to their doorstep.
• Indicate how much you would like to sell the item in question and then publish your listing.

If a customer buys you item, Mercari sends you an electronic packaging and shipping label. Print the label, pack the product, and then ship it.

The buyer in question will rate the item and leave a review to confirm that they have received the item you shipped to them, after which Mercari sends you your money.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Is Mercari Safe?

I’d like to reiterate that Mercari is legit as an e-commerce marketplace. However, that doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe when it comes to buyer-seller interaction.

Let me put it this way:

Mercari provides a platform for buyers and sellers to connect and close deals. But it doesn’t monitor buyer-seller deals in any way, which means that the business model is based on utmost good faith.

It follows, then, that you need to be skeptical and exercise caution before making a deal. For example, just because you’ve seen an iPhone 10 listed on Mercari for just $199.99 doesn’t mean it’s real.

For your safety, go the extra mile to find out if a listing shows the pros and cons of a product, not just the good features. There can’t be a better way to know if an item is in good condition. 

2. Can You Get Scammed on Mercari?

While it’s unlikely that you can fall a victim of fraudulent on Mercari, it’s possible under certain conditions.

You won’t get scammed on Mercari as long as you’re dealing within the platform, because this e-commerce marketplace holds payment and only releases it to the seller once you confirm the reception of the item you purchased.

But how do you spot a possible scammer on Mercari? Well, it’s actually quite easy.

• Check their seller profiles. If they don’t have reviews, they are likely going to be difficult to deal with.
• Scammers will ask you to deal with them outside the marketplace. Often, they will ask you to message the outside Mercari on platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, or direct phone contact.
• Sellers interested in stealing your money will have incredibly and insanely cheap deals than you will ever find anywhere else. For example, a PS4 going for only $100 should raise your eyebrow because that’s simply too good to be true. 
• You never want to, and never should, deal with a seller that hasn’t uploaded clear photos of the item they wish to sell via Mercari.

The bottom line is:

Never trade outside the Mercari e-commerce marketplace because doing so puts you at the risk of losing your money to many illegitimate sellers outside the platform.

3. How Can I Avoid Getting Scammed On Mercari?

The number one rule to using any e-commerce or online marketplace to purchase anything is to make sure you know what you’re buying and from whom you’re buying it.

From where I sit, I can tell you for sure that many fraud cases are because buyers and sellers hardly look at the warning signs before making deals.

So if you know what signs to look at when buying or selling on Mercari, you will put cases of fraudulent under control and never become a victim of online fraud.

• Never trust the condition of a product just because a seller claims that it is good enough. Check the seller’s profile for reviews, read what other say about, and then use the information to make an informed purchase decision.
• Resist sharing your personal contacts with someone on the platform, even if they ask in a way that shows they mean no harm.
• Never deal with buyer or sellers outside the Mercari platform. The company cannot guarantee your safety as they don’t have means to protect your transaction and you therefore put yourself at risk. 
• Keep your Mercari account’s details to yourself. Never share your login details to anyone on the platform or with any third-party websites.
• Mercari gives you 3 days to confirm whether the item that arrived at your doorstep is as described. You can return the items within this period if they’re damaged or completely different from what you ordered.

Keep these simple safety tips in mind, and you will never have a difficult time closing deals on Mercari.

4. Does Mercari Pay For Shipping?

Mercari doesn’t pay for the shipping of the products you wish to sell on the platform. The shipping fee lies on either the buyer or the seller.

If you’ve selected the option to have the buyer to pay the shipping fee, Mercari will add the cost of shipping to the item at checkout. If you choose to pay, you will pay for the label feed depending on the size and weight of the package.

Final Thoughts: Is Mercari Legit?

Mercari is a legit platform that you can use to buy items you don’t have and sell products that you no longer need.