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I started cross-listing to Mercari regularly a couple months ago. Before that, I had selectively cross-listed a few items from my Posh closet, and listed some home goods/electronics that I wasn't going to list on Poshmark. I found Mercari really straightforward and easy to use, and decided to start cross-listing regularly. When I list an item, I have both the Poshmark and Mercari tabs open on my computer and just fill them out at once. I'll create the title and description on Poshmark and just copy and paste it onto Mercari, and so on. Mercari's listing process is very similar to Poshmark's.
Just to touch on a few differences--(1) you can add more photos, (2) there’s more character room in the description + less character room in the title, and (3) you’re not adding the colors or original retail price as you are on Poshmark. You can also choose from five different categories of the item's condition when listing an item, which I really love.
The seller fee is only 10% on Mercari, which is half of Poshmark’s 20%. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two platforms is rather than having the flat rate USPS Priority shipping on Poshmark, Mercari requires you to choose the shipping courier, and gives you the option of providing free shipping or not. It's definitely encouraged to provide free shipping on Mercari, and Mercari does promote listings with free shipping, as seen in the screenshot below of their homepage.
It almost seems expected to provide free shipping on Mercari, which is something you can easily factor into your listing price. The cheapest shipping method for items under 9oz-1lb is USPS’s flat rate mail for $4.99 (an item 0-8oz is only $4.25 to ship via USPS).
Considering the lower selling fee, offering free shipping on Mercari does not take away much from your profit. If you sell an item for $25 with free shipping on Mercari, your gross profit is $17.50 on Mercari versus $20 on Poshmark. If you sell an item for $40 with free shipping on Mercari, your gross profit is $31 on Mecari versus $32 on Poshmark. Selling an item $50, the gross profit will be the same, and anything over $50, your gross profit will be more on Mercari.
One thing to note - Mercari's shipping options are ground and first class, which means you are not able to use the free USPS, FedEx, or UPS boxes, which are reserved for priority/express mail. I use polymailers for most of my sales, but if you're needing a box to ship out larger items, I'd recommend checking out the FaceBook marketplace for free cardboard/shipping boxes.
There’s a lot less upkeep with selling on Mercari. You don’t have to share your listings as you do on Poshmark. Instead, you can promote your listings by offering a public sale, which will permanently lower your asking price and bring the listing to the top of the queue. You can only promote 10 items per day, though. You also have the option to send private offers to likers, and I don’t believe there’s a limit to those.
Through my experience, most of my sales have been made from a buyer sending me an offer, rather than me sending out a public or private offer.
If you receive an offer on an item, Mercari will share that with other likers. If you're looking at an item listed for $35, and somebody has made a $30 offer (and the seller hasn't accepted or declined yet), that's public info--Mercari will share "Highest offer received: $30".
I've found that most of my sales on Mercari have been within the first couple of weeks of its listing. Mercari does show the date the item was listed, unlike Poshmark.
One thing I love about Mercari: there’s no lowball offers. Mercari does not allow you to send an offer on an item that is less than 75% of the asking price.
Mercari is not so much about curating a particular aesthetic as Poshmark is. In fact, I'm not even sure you're able to bundle items from 1 seller on Mercari. It's more about finding that one particular thing you've been looking for. People are shopping for specific things on Poshmark. Adding keywords and making sure to list the brand name are both important factors in making sure your items are going to get seen and sell quickly.
I’ve been looking for patterns in my sold listings on Mercari, and compare what’s getting traction on Mercari to what’s getting traction on Poshmark. I just started consistently cross-listing to Mercari, so I don’t have a lot of data, but it looks like a lot of the mid-luxury brands are not so hot on Mercari. Brands like Alice + Olivia, Rag & Bone, Vince and For Love and Lemons aren't getting a lot of action for me.
You don't really need to worry about finding the exact style name and stock image. Adding keywords like comfy, oversized, cropped, distressed, etc., or listing the brand should get the right eyes on your listing.
The majority of my sales on Mercari were $25 or less. This isn’t to say higher-priced items don’t sell on Mercari. I’ve sold Hunter boots, Lucchese boots, Imogene + Willie jeans, and a Reformation dress all for over $50 (the Reformation dress sold for $97!). But I do notice that the practical listings get a lot more action than the niche ones. My aerie sweater listed for $25, for example, is getting a lot more action than my ATM sweater for $50.
My top performing category is tops (including sweaters), but the sold-rate of home goods and electronics is by far the highest. 100% of the home goods/electronics I've listed have sold. Of course, this may be different for everyone. My PFF Shannon (@bohodreamscloset), has mentioned shoes and bags perform the best for her, and she'll mostly only list those two categories.
All things considered, I really feel like Mercari is a great secondary platform to list on if you’re just getting into cross-listing, or if you’re just wanting to clear out things around your house and not worry about sharing your closet every day. You don't have to spend time promoting your items if you don't want to, as most of my sales have been through people sending me offers. You don't have to worry about the proper style name or stock photo. And you don't have to share your closet to make sure you stand a chance of getting a sale.
Because of the lower seller fees, I also feel like sellers are willing to give you a really fab deal! I've found Ray Bans, lululemon Align Leggings (recommended by everyone) and Ellie Vail earrings all for an amazing deal. Sign up with my link HERE for a $10 credit.
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