Is Mercari Safe or a Scam

 Have you ever seen the TV ad for Mercari? Yet another new online marketplace trying to capture those people who have been discouraged by the Big Fish that sell on eBay. What makes Mercari different? What makes it the same? I signed up and bought a few items, then decided to try selling a few things. This is my review of Mercari.

Let’s first put it out here, Mercari is not a scam site. It is a completely legit online auction site. However you will find just like on any auction site, there are those scammers who do there best to steal your money, and that is likely the source of the many negative reviews you may find regarding Mercari.

Signing up is easy, if you plan on buying only then you will have to set a payment method. I was uncomfortable using my credit card or PayPal so I bought a Visa prepaid debit card. Entering the debit card in the credit card section worked seamlessly and I had no problems with purchases using it.

I made 3 small purchases, per Mercari rules the sellers had 3 business days to ship the items, and every package is required to have a tracking number. Each seller had my package in the mail with tracking within those 3 days. As each package arrived, I found the same thing, it was very reminesiant of eBay. All items were as described, and I was happy with the purchases. I went back to the website left positive feedback and decided I would try selling a few things.

Selling is just as easy as buying. Press the sell button, snap a photo and write a short description. Name your price, shipping, etc. Before listing your item, look at the section under stated price. A small area shows exactly how much you will receive from the sale and discloses what Mercari will keep for fees. 

The Mercari fees are basically 20% of the sale price. That’s high, BUT there are a few things to consider:

First once tracking shows your package as delivered, the buyer has 3 days to mark received and leave feedback. After the buyer marks the item received, the auction is over….. NO RETURNS or REFUNDS to worry about. This is very different from eBay which allows a buyer several months to report a problem and request a refund. Also in the event a buyer doesn’t mark the item received within that 3 days, Mercari automatically leaves you positive feedback and marks the auction complete. Again, no refunds or returns can be requested.

Secondly, Returns can be a pain in eBay, especially when starting out and the only money you have is the money earned from your first sale. eBay has so many return options, some require the seller to pay return shipping, others require the buyer to pay. Mercari has streamlined this, although there are many reasons a return is needed, Mercari pays for the return shipping using their labels. If you are a buyer who can’t use Mercari labels, then the buyer is responsible for paying the return shipping.

Something you should know about shipping, Mercari tries hard to get you to use their labels. Which is ok, they do offer a shipping discount. But if you don’t have a printer, you have an option. Just choose to ship the item yourself. This will remove the Mercari labels option and give you a confirmation box. Ship your item then press the confirm shipping box, a drop down allows you to enter a required tracking number, and choose your shipping provider… usps, fedex, ups, etc

My sales went out and only one of the buyers never marked it received. Though thanks to the Mercari rules, that auction automatically ended after 3 days and the funds were released to me. Cashing out was as easy as selling, though it does require a bank account. I would recommend opening an online fee free no minimum checking account at Capital One or Charles Schwab for use with this site. However if you are comfortable using your primary checking account, that’s up to you. You only have to enter your account number and routing number once into the site, they claim it is stored securely and I have no reason to doubt that.

When you want to cash out, you just transfer funds to your checking account via direct deposit. There is no minimum cash out, however direct deposit is fee free only if transferring over $10. Once your transfer request is made, they process the next business day, and depending on your bank you get the money a day or two after that. No PayPal middleman to deal with.

Their service fees are slightly higher than eBay/Paypal, yet the ease of cash outs, the return shipping policy, and the fact that after the item is marked received the funds are immediately released to you and no other dispute can be opened, making up for that higher service fee in my opinion.

As far as scammers, I’m sure they exist on Mercari the same as eBay and any other online marketplace. That’s just the chance you take when buying or selling online. 

One other thing I like about Mercari. As a seller if you have a bad feeling about someone that just bought one of your auctions, whether it seems like a bogus address or they asked suspicious questions, or you just changed your mind and now want to keep the item... YOU can cancel the sale without worrying about bad feedback.

As a buyer you can also request the seller cancel, but they are not obligated to. The seller can ignore the request and merely enter the tracking number thus marking the item shipped.

One other thing, Mercari has fairly good customer support. They may not give you the answer you want to hear, but they reply to support tickets within 24-48 hours. 

All in all I would recommend Mercari for the seller who is only planning the occasional sale or is looking for a more laid back option to eBay.