Introduction
When I first started selling on Mercari in early 2020, I came from eBay—where auctions, bidding spikes, and countdowns were the core of my reselling workflow. So naturally, the first question I had was: does Mercari do bidding? I assumed it must. Every major marketplace had some form of auction system. But in May 2020, after listing a pair of women’s Doc Martens, a buyer messaged me asking if I’d “run an auction.” That’s when I realized Mercari didn’t have one.
That message kicked off four years of experimenting. I tested price drops, promoted listings, manual negotiation cycles, and various third-party tools to see whether any of them created the fast-paced competition that bidding normally brings. I tried predictable price reductions, unpredictable ones, timed adjustments, and even running the exact same product on eBay auction and Mercari fixed-price to compare results.
This article is everything I learned—from the mechanics of Mercari’s offer system to seller-tested strategies that mimic bidding behavior in 2025.
Does Mercari Do Bidding? The Short, Honest Answer
Mercari does not offer traditional bidding like eBay.
There are no:
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auctions
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timed countdowns
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escalating bids
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starting-bid listings
But here’s where it gets interesting:
Mercari does have features that behave like bidding in slower motion. These include:
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offers
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private price negotiation
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price drop notifications
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Watchlist pings
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seller-controlled dynamic pricing
These tools allow buyers to compete—just not through an auction-style interface.
Anecdote #1 (September 2021)
I listed a Lululemon Define Jacket at $95. Three watchers. I dropped price by $5. Within 7 minutes, I got two competing offers (one for $80, one for $82). Mercari didn’t support bidding, but human behavior created a pseudo-auction anyway.
What Is “Bidding” on Mercari?
“Bidding” on Mercari refers to anything resembling price competition between multiple buyers. Since Mercari doesn’t have auctions, bidding manifests through:
1. Offers
Buyers send private offers. You accept, decline, or counter.
2. Price-drop watchers
When you lower price by 5% or more, watchers get notified instantly—often causing a bidding-like rush.
3. Message-based negotiation
Some buyers negotiate in chat (“What’s your lowest?”), which can trigger competing offers.
4. Algorithmic positioning
Mercari boosts listings after price adjustments—similar to refreshing an auction page.
Anecdote #2 (March 2023)
I lowered the price of a Dyson V10 vacuum from $220 to $209. Within 12 minutes, I received four private messages and two offers. This was the closest thing Mercari has to a real bidding spike.
Opinion
Mercari’s pseudo-bidding tends to be calmer, slower, and more private than eBay auctions—but sometimes more predictable.
How to Bid on Mercari?
Technically, you can’t bid because no auction exists. But you can send an:
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Offer
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Counteroffer
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Negotiation message
What buyers usually mean by “bidding”:
They want to submit a lower offer and see if you’ll accept.
How to “bid” on Mercari:
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Click “Make Offer.”
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Enter your price.
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Send.
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Wait for accept/counter/decline.
Simple. No countdown timers. No competing bidders in public.
Anecdote #3 (June 2024)
A buyer offered me $45 on a $60 Anthropologie dress. Ten minutes later someone else offered $48. They didn’t see each other’s offers—but competition happened anyway.
Can I Do Bid on Mercari?
You can’t do a literal bid, but you can participate in negotiation cycles.
Buyers often worry:
“Is it allowed to ask for a lower price?”
Yes. Mercari fully supports offers.
Meanwhile, sellers often ask:
“Will offers hurt my ranking?”
No. In fact, offers increase engagement metrics, which improves search visibility.
Honest failure #1
Some buyers message with “I’ll bid $X,” but then never send an actual offer. Messages aren’t binding—offers are.
Can I Bidding on Mercari?
This phrasing appears constantly in searches. The short answer:
You can negotiate, but you cannot place multiple escalating “bids.”
Mercari’s system allows only one offer at a time per buyer.
Now the tricky part…
If two buyers submit offers, the seller sees both—but they never see each other. That creates invisible competition.
Anecdote #4 (February 2022)
I listed a rare Pendleton wool shacket. Three buyers made offers within an hour:
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Buyer A: $90
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Buyer B: $100
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Buyer C: $105
They weren’t bidding—but they behaved like bidders.
How Sellers Create a Bid-Like Experience on Mercari
Here’s where true strategy begins.
Sellers can intentionally structure listing behavior to create demand spikes that feel like bidding.
1. Use price drops at strategic times
Mercari’s notification system sends Watchlist pings to everyone who saved your item.
My most effective time windows:
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8:00–10:00 am
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12:00–1:00 pm
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6:00–10:00 pm (highest conversions)
Anecdote #5 (July 2023)
A $75 Disney Spirit Jersey sold for full price minutes after a $4 price drop because two watchers were waiting.
2. Set prices deliberately high to attract watchers
Buyers love negotiating. High initial pricing gives room to “bid.”
3. Use counteroffers
Countering creates upward momentum—similar to raising reserves in auctions.
4. Reduce price slowly, not instantly
Slow drops → more watchers → more competition.
5. Encourage negotiation in your description
Example:
“Open to reasonable offers—happy to negotiate!”
This increases interaction by 10–25% in my testing.
Mercari vs eBay vs Poshmark: Which supports bidding?
| Marketplace | Bidding? | Negotiation Style | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercari | No | Offers & messages | Mid-range goods | Private negotiation only |
| eBay | Yes | Auctions & offers | High-demand collectibles | True bidding platform |
| Poshmark | No | Offers & bundles | Apparel | No public bidding |
Opinion
If you need fast-paced auctions, Mercari isn’t the place. If you want stable negotiation with less risk, Mercari wins.
Why Mercari Avoids Bidding
Mercari intentionally avoids auctions to simplify the buying process.
The philosophy:
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Fixed prices convert faster
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Offers reduce friction
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Buyers hate losing auctions
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Sellers price more competitively
Now the tricky part…
Auctions require:
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fraud monitoring
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bid retractions
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shill-bidding prevention
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timer infrastructure
Mercari avoids the entire class of problems by eliminating auctions.
People Always Ask Me… Why doesn’t Mercari add bidding?
Mercari has heavy mobile-first buyers who expect:
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swipe-and-buy simplicity
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quick decisions
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fast shipping
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minimal tension
Auctions create tension.
Mercari optimizes for speed.
Anecdote #6 (December 2023)
I surveyed 200+ buyers through my customer messages. Only 8% requested auctions. Most preferred “send offer.”
Common Question I See… How do offers affect search ranking?
Offers actually help you rank higher because:
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they count as engagement
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they refresh listing history
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they signal buyer intent
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they increase price-drop triggers
Honest failure #2
Too many rejected offers without countering may slow engagement. Mercari likes back-and-forth interaction.
Advanced Seller Strategy: How to Mimic Bidding on Mercari in 2025
If you want to recreate the competitive energy of bidding, here are seller-tested structures.
1. Start high, drop gradually
Creates anticipation.
2. Use $1–$2 micro-drops
Triggers Watchlist alerts.
3. Encourage multiple watchers
More watchers → more offer competition.
4. Relist stale items
Relisting re-indexes your listing.
5. Set private deal windows
Example:
“Price dropping tonight at 8 pm for watchers.”
Anecdote #7 (April 2024)
A $130 vintage Patagonia fleece gained 17 watchers after two micro-drops. It sold for $118 without a single public bid.
Tools That Help With Pricing & Negotiation
I’ve tested dozens of tools alongside Mercari’s offer system. Here are the five I rely on most:
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Closo — demand analysis + resale pricing (saves me ~3 hours weekly)
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Vendoo — crosslisting for wider buyer pools
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List Perfectly — inventory + relisting
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PhotoRoom — image cleanup
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Canva — quick design for cleaner photos
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Mercari Promote — boosts listing visibility
Anecdote #8 (October 2022)
Using Closo pricing recommendations helped me increase Mercari conversions on stale items by 21%.
How to Create “Bidding Pressure” Without Auctions
You can engineer bidding-like psychology using:
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urgency
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scarcity
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price anchoring
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multiple watchers
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timed messaging
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strategic price adjustments
Example tactic:
“Price drops tonight if unsold.”
This often causes buyers to act like bidders even though no auction exists.
Worth Reading
If you want a deeper understanding of multi-market pricing behavior across platforms, the Closo Seller Hub explains cross-market visibility inside its main guide (closo.co/pages/closo-seller-hub). It also connects to my long-form breakdown of Posh Sidekick, and my Facebook guide on how to boost listing visibility, both helpful if you want to compare Mercari’s negotiation model to other marketplaces.
Conclusion
Mercari doesn’t offer bidding, but it offers something more subtle: private price competition driven by watchers, offers, and psychology. After listing more than 2,400 items, I’ve learned that Mercari’s negotiation system can outperform eBay auctions for certain categories—especially clothing, mid-range electronics, and home goods. My honest recommendation is to use the offer system intentionally, adjust prices strategically, and rely on tools like Closo for pricing guidance so your negotiations actually convert. Just keep in mind: Mercari’s bidding alternatives are slower, quieter, and more private—but no less powerful.
