I still remember the first time I stumbled upon Mercari. It wasn't the polished American app we know today; it was a sketchy-looking forum post advising me that if I wanted a specific, rare Game Boy Color variant (the "Clear Cherry" edition, Japan-only), I had to look on "Mercari JP." I felt like I was entering the digital Wild West. I used a translation tool that barely worked, guessed at the shipping weight, and held my breath.
Three weeks later, a package arrived wrapped in newspaper from Tokyo, smelling faintly of old books. Inside was the pristine console, bought for $40 when it was selling for $150 on eBay. That adrenaline rush hooked me.
Since then, I’ve bought and sold over 1,500 items on both the US and Japanese versions of the platform. I’ve seen Mercari go from a fee-free utopia to a fee-heavy marketplace and back again. It is easily the most chaotic, fast-paced, and rewarding app on my phone—if you know the rules.
Is Mercari Legit? My Safety Audit
The most common question I see in my DMs is: is mercari legit? Or, more anxiously, is mercari safe?
The short answer is yes. Mercari.com and the Mercari app are legitimate platforms backed by a massive publicly traded company in Japan. They aren't a scam site. However, "legit" doesn't mean "risk-free."
Is mercari trustworthy regarding your money? Absolutely. They hold the buyer's payment in escrow until the item is delivered and rated. I have never had Mercari "steal" my money.
But here is where it gets interesting. The platform is safer for buyers than sellers. In 2024, I sold a designer handbag. The buyer claimed it was "fake" to force a return. Mercari approved the return immediately without consulting me. When I got the box back, it contained a bag of flour—literally, Gold Medal flour—weighted to match the shipping label.
Because I had taken a video of myself packing the item (a habit I highly recommend), I fought the case and eventually got my money back. But if I hadn't pushed, I would have been out $400. So, is mercari safe? Yes, but you need to be your own insurance policy.
How Does Mercari Work? (US vs. JP)
If you are new to the ecosystem, you need to understand that Mercari is actually two different universes.
The US Experience
The Mercari application in the US is designed for speed. It’s like a digital garage sale.
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Listing: You can list an item in 30 seconds.
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Shipping: You can use their prepaid labels (easy but slightly pricey) or your own (cheaper but risky).
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Communication: You can chat directly with buyers/sellers.
The Japanese Mercari Experience
Mercari Japan (often called Mercari JP or JP Mercari) is where the collectors live. If you are looking for Japanese Mercari items, you generally cannot create a direct account if you live in the US. You need a proxy.
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No Direct Access: If you try to do a Mercari login on the Japanese site from a US IP address, it often blocks you or won't let you register without a Japanese phone number.
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The "Buyee" Bridge: You browse listings through partners like Buyee Mercari. They buy the item for you, ship it to their warehouse in Japan, and then ship it to you.
The 2025 Fee Flip-Flop: What You Pay Now
If you are a seller, you might be confused about Mercari seller fees. In 2024, Mercari tried a radical experiment: they abolished selling fees (0% for sellers) and pushed all fees onto the buyer. It was chaos. Sales tanked because buyers hated seeing a "$20" item turn into "$35" at checkout with fees.
So, as of January 2025, they flip-flopped back. Here is the current reality for Mercari seller fees in 2026:
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Seller Fee: 10% (Flat fee on item price + buyer-paid shipping).
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Buyer Fee: ~3.6% (Buyer Protection Fee).
This split model is better than the "all-buyer-fee" disaster, but it means sellers are paying again. I calculated that on a $50 sale, I take home about $42 after the 10% fee. It’s still better than eBay’s 13.25% in many categories, but it’s no longer the "free to sell" paradise it briefly was.
The Hunt for a Mercari Coupon Code
Everyone wants a discount. If you search for a mercari coupon code, you will find a lot of dead ends. Mercari coupon codes for existing users are incredibly rare.
The "New User" Coupon
The only guaranteed mercari promo code is the new user referral. If you sign up using a friend's code, you usually get:
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$10 off your first order.
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$20 bonus credit when you make your first $100 in sales. This is the standard mercari coupon code 2025 offer. If you see sites promising "50% off sitewide," they are lying.
Coupons for Existing Users
Here is the trick I use. Mercari sends targeted mercari coupons to dormant users. I have a second account (my wife's) that we rarely use. Every three months, like clockwork, she gets a "We miss you! Here is a $10 off $50 coupon" email.
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Strategy: If you haven't bought anything in a while, check your spam folder for a mercari discount code. They are almost always "use it or lose it" within 7 days.
There are no generic coupon codes for mercari that you can just type in at checkout like "SAVE20." The system doesn't work that way.
Mercari Japan: The Hidden Fees of 2026
Buying from Mercari Japan via Buyee used to be a cheap hack. In 2026, it is a luxury. New import regulations have hit hard.
When you buy that cool anime figure from jp mercari:
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Item Price: $30.
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Domestic Shipping (in Japan): ~$5.
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Proxy Fee: ~$3.
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International Shipping: ~$25 (DHL prices have soared).
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Tariffs: ~15.5%. (This is the new kicker).
I recently bought a bundle of vintage magazines for $20. By the time it arrived at my door, I had paid $75. Is it worth it?Only if the item is impossible to find in the US. For generic items, the shipping and tariffs kill the deal.
Mercari Reviews: Customer Service Nightmares
If you look at Mercari reviews on the Better Business Bureau, they are… bleak. The main complaint? Mercari customer service.
People always look for a Mercari customer service number.
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The Number: 888-325-2168.
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The Reality: Good luck getting a human.
I tried calling this number last month regarding a glitched payout. I spent 45 minutes navigating a phone tree that kept trying to direct me to the "Help Center" on the app. Eventually, I gave up and used the email support.
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Pro Tip: Do not rely on the phone. Open a ticket in the app, and if they give you a bot response, reply with "Escalate to Supervisor" immediately. It triggers a keyword flag that usually gets a human to look at it.
Mercari vs. The World: Why I Still Use It
Despite the fees and the support issues, I still use the Mercari app daily. Why? Speed. Items on Mercari sell faster than anywhere else. The user base is younger and more impulsive. They see it, they want it, they buy it.
However, I don't rely on it exclusively. I use Closo 100% Free Crosslister to make sure every item I list on Mercari is also on Poshmark and eBay. Mercari is volatile. They change fees. They glitch. By using Closo, I protect myself. If Mercari has a slow week, my eBay sales carry me. It takes the panic out of the platform's unpredictability.
Selling Strategies: Surviving the Lowballers
If you sell on Mercari, you will get lowballed. It is the culture of the app. I listed a camera for $200. I got an offer for $80 within five minutes.
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Don't get mad.
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Counter-offer. I countered at $180. We settled at $175. Mercari buyers want to feel like they won a negotiation. I price my items about 15% higher on Mercari than on eBay just to give myself room to accept those mercari discount code-style offers they send me.
To know if I'm pricing correctly, I use Closo Demand Signals. It tells me the actual sold price of items across the web. If I know a camera sells for $175 on average, I list at $200 and wait for the offer. Data beats guessing every time.
Common Failures: The "Mercary" Typo
A funny thing happens with mercari. People constantly misspell it as mercary or mercari.com. I once tried to buy a domain name similar to "mercary" to set up a blog, and I got a cease-and-desist warning. They are very protective of their brand. But as a buyer, misspellings are your friend. I search for "Nintedo" instead of "Nintendo" on the app. Sellers who make typos often list items cheaper because nobody sees them. I found a "Playstaion" (missing the 't') bundle for half price because the seller's typo kept it out of the main search results.
People always ask me...
Can I sell on Mercari Japan from the US?
No. You cannot. Mercari Japan requires a Japanese bank account and a Japanese address to sell. You can only buy via proxies. There is no way to list your old iPhone on Mercari JP and ship it to Tokyo from Ohio.
Why does my Mercari coupon not work?
If you found a mercari coupon code 2024 or 2025 on a site like "RetailMeNot," it is fake. Mercari does not use public promo codes. All coupons are unique to your account and must be applied from your "Coupons" tab in the app. If it’s not in your tab, it doesn't exist.
Comparison: Mercari US vs. Mercari Japan (For Buyers)
Conclusion
Is Mercari perfect? Far from it. The customer service is ghost-like, the Mercari seller fees are back to biting into our profits, and the Mercari Japan import game has gotten expensive.
But is it worth it? Yes. It remains the best app for turning clutter into cash quickly. The interface is addictive, the listing process is frictionless, and the buyers are there.
My advice: Treat Mercari as a tool, not a business partner. Extract the value, protect yourself with video proof of returns, and never leave your money sitting in the app balance (transfer it out daily).
And if you want to actually scale, don't just stay on Mercari. I rely on Closo to blast my inventory to every platform possible. It’s the only way to beat the fee hikes—by selling more items, faster.
Start cross-listing with Closo today—because relying on one algorithm is a rookie mistake.
