- April 9, 2023
- Kaitlyn
Mercari vs. Poshmark – What’s
the Best Reselling Platform?
Reselling is a great side hustle. You can help the environment while cleaning out your closet and making a few hundred dollars a month! The great thing about reselling is that there are several different great platforms that you can use, but which one should you focus on? Let’s break down the pros and cons of Mercari vs. Poshmark so you can decide which platform is best for you.
Table of Contents
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Mercari
Mercari is a Japanese e-commerce platform allowing users to buy and sell anything from clothing to household to video games. You can follow and review others, as well as receive notifications about their activity and share others’ listings.
Mercari Target Audience
Because Mercari has a large array of items, you can find almost anything, no matter the style you’re looking for. However, the majority of items you see cater to Gen X and older millennials. If you’re looking for more trendy Gen Z or young millennial styles, you may have a harder time finding what you’re wanting.
Mercari Fees
Mercari has several different fees depending on what you buy and sell. Listing an item is free, and they have a minimum selling fee of 10% for each transaction. Mercari also offers several different shipping labels through the platform depending on the weight, so be sure to weigh your items carefully before you list. However, the seller is responsible for shipping.
If a seller cancels an order after it has been placed, there is a fee of $5 or 5% of the item’s price, whichever is higher.
There is also a payment processing fee. They process payments through a third-party service and charge a 2.9% + $.50 processing fee per transaction.
Mercari vs. Poshmark
Mercari and Poshmark are very similar, with a few exceptions. If you’re interested in selling electronics and toys, Mercari would be the better platform for you. Poshmark has a heavy emphasis on clothing and accessories.
Mercari has a bit of a confusing shipping fee structure, but it allows you to pay exactly the weight of your item. Poshmark’s shipping has a flat rate which makes it less confusing, but sometimes your buyer is spending more money than needs be, which can end in people not committing to buying a product of yours.
Mercari does have a cheaper transaction fee than Poshmark, but they require a processing fee which Poshmark doesn’t do.
Unfortunately, Mercari doesn’t have a way for sellers to offer shipping discounts to their buyers, so this may affect your conversion rate (the ratio of people clicking on your items to the people who have bought something).
But, something Poshmark doesn’t offer is a local market called Mercari Local. This is specifically for bulky items like a coffee machine or a TV. Mercari has partnered with Uber and Dolly, so you don’t even have to deliver to the buyer! They pick it up from you and deliver it to them, but it comes with a price.
According to the website:
“Delivery is $15.99 for items smaller than a microwave (22”H x 30”W x 25”D) and less than 50 lbs. For items larger than a microwave or more than 50 lbs, furniture delivery is available in select cities for $199 for up to 3 items. Furniture items must fit in the bed of a pickup truck (72”L x 48” W) and item(s) may not exceed a maximum of 300 lbs combined. The rate will be communicated to the buyer at checkout.”
While this can be confusing to calculate, it’s still something great to consider that Poshmark doesn’t offer.
Poshmark
Poshmark is a US-based marketplace that was founded in 2011. Poshmark’s interface is designed to be like both a traditional shopping website and also an interactive social aspect via the app. Like Depop, users can follow, like, and comment on their listings. But Poshmark also allows you to share both yours and other “Posher’s” items.
Poshmark Target Audience
Poshmark and Mercari have very similar target audiences. While there are many young Poshers that have done well, I have found that most of the items I’ve sold are those targeted toward Gen-X and older millennials. But most of the items I’ve bought have been Gen-Z items, so you can find both on Poshmark!
Poshmark Fees
Also, like Mercari, their fees can be a bit difficult to understand. They take a 20% commission on every sale over $15 and a flat fee of $2.95 on every sale under $15. You can also offer discounts on shipping which will be taken out of your earnings on the item. Unlike Depop, Poshmark does a better job of being transparent about your earnings. You can always see how much you will earn before a buyer purchases your listing!
Poshmark vs. Mercari
Poshmark is a much more sociable platform than Mercari. You can sell live with your buyers, which means you can auction off items to your followers and allows them to buy at a discounted price, and you to sell more of your items quicker.
Poshmark also has something called “Poshmark Parties,” which are groups of themed items. This helps get your items in front of more eyes, especially those interested in buying from that theme!
Poshmark has a flat shipping fee, unlike Mercari. This makes selling less confusing and much more streamlined, especially when you’re listing multiple items at once.
Poshmark also allows you to offer shipping discounts to people who have “liked” your items. (liking an item means you are potentially interested in buying and are saving it for the future.) When someone buys from a discounted shipping rate, Poshmark just takes that amount from your earnings. This can easily influence those who have liked your items to buy from you.
Poshmark also allows you to lower pricing. Doing this will alert those who have liked that item so they will be more inclined to buy.
Which Should You Choose?
It depends! What are you more interested in selling? Is being social important to you? Are you okay with having more fees but your selling process being more streamlined?
Play around with both options. See which is better for you. They’re both great for different reasons, so experimenting doesn’t hurt!
Read more about Poshmark vs. Depop here if you’re wondering which of those is better for you.