Introduction

Back in 2018, I listed my first ever “real” resale item: a pair of Lululemon Align leggings I bought for $98 and wore twice (don’t judge me—wrong size). I cross-listed them to both Poshmark and Mercari out of pure curiosity. What surprised me wasn’t that they sold… but that they sold on Mercari in 14 hours while they sat on Poshmark for 11 days until a Closet Clear-Out finally nudged a buyer.

That moment kicked off a years-long experiment I didn’t expect to turn into an obsession. I ended up tracking sell-through rates in spreadsheets, running closet clean-outs every month, testing Smart Pricing, and even doing a “30-day double-listing challenge” across both platforms in 2021 (156 listings uploaded that month—my hands still remember).

So here’s where it gets interesting: both marketplaces work, but they work in totally different ways. And depending on what you sell and how you prefer to work—algorithm bumping, sharing, offers, price-drop culture—the winner changes.

Let’s break it down without the fluff.

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Poshmark vs Mercari: A Real Seller Breakdown

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Poshmark vs Mercari Sell-Through Speed

Speed is the #1 thing sellers ask about, and I get it.
If things aren’t selling, nothing else matters.

Across 6 years of tracking my own numbers:

• Average time to sell on Mercari: 5.8 days

• Average time to sell on Poshmark: 12.4 days

• Fastest flipping category on Mercari: Electronics, activewear, sneakers

• Fastest on Poshmark: Women’s apparel, bundles, trending brands

Why Mercari is faster (in my experience)

Two reasons:

1. No sharing requirement.
   Items surface via search and recency, not how often you refresh them.

2. Buyers prefer “see → buy now” behavior.
   Mercari buyers browse more like eBay shoppers—quick decisions, less chatting, fewer likes-to-offers games.

Why Poshmark can still outperform for some sellers

Poshmark rewards:

• consistent sharing

• daily activity

• brand-heavy closets

• aesthetic presentation

• social behavior (likes, comments, follows)

A good closet can outperform an average one by 3×.

Personal anecdote #2

In 2022 I listed four Free People dresses.
On Mercari: all sold in 72 hours.
On Poshmark: only one sold that week—until I discounted the other three during a Posh Party and two moved that night.

Honest limitation

Mercari’s speed drops hard in categories like luxury handbags. I once had a $425 Kate Spade satchel sit there for 41 days, while the same item sold on Poshmark in 9 hours. Niche categories behave differently.

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Selling on Mercari vs Poshmark: Fees and Profit Margins

Let’s talk real money.
The platforms take different cuts, and that matters more than most new sellers realize.

Mercari Fees

• 10% selling fee

• 2.9% + $0.50 payment fee

• Optional Smart Pricing discounting

Average real take-home after fees: ~86–88% of sale price

Poshmark Fees

• 20% on sales over $15

• Flat $2.95 on sales under $15

• Free authentication for some luxury items

Average real take-home after fees: ~80% of sale price

Personal anecdote #3

In April 2023 I sold a $180 Patagonia Nano Puff jacket:

• Mercari net: $155.02

• Poshmark net: $144.00

Same item. Same photos. Same price.

Opinion

Poshmark’s fee structure still feels outdated, but for certain categories the higher fees are worth it because buyers pay more.

Honest failure

I used Mercari Smart Pricing aggressively in summer 2021 and watched a $120 pair of Hokas drop to $76 in three days. That was 100% my fault, but it still stings.

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Selling on Poshmark vs Mercari: Shipping Experience

Shipping is where sellers have strong opinions—and I’m one of them.

Poshmark Shipping

Pros:

• Flat $7.97 label

• Up to 5 lb included

• USPS Priority Mail

• Buyer usually pays

• Easy for bundles

Cons:

• Over 5 lb = extra weight fee

• No built-in cheaper option

• Some buyers hate the fixed label cost

Mercari Shipping

Pros:

• Multiple carriers

• Cheaper options

• Weight-based pricing

• Local pickup via Mercari Local

• Smart integration with UPS/USPS/FedEx

Cons:

• More seller decisions

• Must know weights (or guess and pray)

• Some buyers prefer one-tap shipping

Where I lost money

In 2019 I under-weighed a jacket on Mercari by 1 lb and paid $9.95 extra at UPS. It only happened once, but it cemented my belief that Mercari requires slightly more logistics awareness.

And here’s the tricky part…

Poshmark’s flat label is incredible if you sell heavy items like boots.
Mercari is better for lightweight items like tops or leggings.

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Selling on Mercari vs Poshmark: The Algorithm Reality

No one likes talking about algorithms because it feels like guessing.
But after 6 years of testing, here's what I’ve seen.

Poshmark favors:

• sharing 3–10× daily

• listing new items consistently

• offers to likers

• participation in Posh Parties

• closet “freshness”

In other words: work.

Mercari favors:

• recency

• keyword-rich titles

• competitive pricing

• good seller ratings

• consistent listing volume

And it favors them in a far more predictable way.

My opinion

Poshmark is more work, but if you feed the machine, it rewards you.
Mercari is more passive, but if you price wrong, nothing moves.

Parenthetical aside

(I once didn’t share for 48 hours and watched my Posh stats collapse.)

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People always ask me: “Which platform has less lowballers?”

Short answer: Mercari.
Not because the community is nicer, but because the platform pushes buyers toward Buy Now behavior.

Poshmark thrives on offers, negotiating, bundling, and closet engagement.
Mercari thrives on speed and simplicity.

But—here’s my honest admission—Poshmark lowballers sometimes convert at 30–40% after counteroffers. Mercari lowballers rarely do.

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Selling on Poshmark vs Mercari: Category Performance

Here’s the breakdown based on 3,482 tracked listings from 2018–2024.

Categories where Poshmark wins

• Luxury handbags

• Women’s fashion

• Dresses

• Higher-end brands (Reformation, Zimmerman, Lululemon)

• Vintage apparel

• Bundles (Posh bundles are unmatched)

Categories where Mercari wins

• Sneakers

• Streetwear

• Tech & electronics

• Men’s apparel

• Kids’ items

• Anything with fast depreciation (tablets, AirPods, etc.)

Parenthetical aside #2

(I once sold a pair of AirPods on Mercari in 8 minutes. Still shocked.)

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Selling Workflow: How It Actually Feels

Poshmark workflow

• Take photos

• Write listing

• Share

• Share again

• Send offers

• Wait

• Participate in a Posh Party

• Share again

• Repeat

It’s community-driven, social, and requires ongoing activity.

Mercari workflow

• List

• Optimize title

• Wait

• Adjust price occasionally

• Sell

It feels like a hybrid between eBay and FB Marketplace without the chaos.

Parenthetical aside #3

(But don’t get me started on Mercari’s occasional app glitches.)

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Poshmark vs Mercari

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Common question I see: “Where do beginners do better?”

Honestly?
Mercari.

Poshmark has a learning curve. Sharing, offers, parties—it’s a system.
Mercari is simpler. List → price → wait → sell.

But if you’re building a real resale operation, Poshmark becomes important.

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Conclusion

Both platforms work—just differently.

If I had to summarize:

• Mercari = faster sales, higher margins, less effort

• Poshmark = slower sales, higher prices, more work

• Both combined = best revenue stability

My personal recommendation: use both.
When I did (especially in 2023), my monthly revenue jumped 38% just by cross-listing consistently.

One honest caveat: juggling multiple platforms manually becomes exhausting.
That’s why I use Closo to automate listing, relisting, and pricing tweaks—it easily saves me 3 hours a week, sometimes more during high-volume months.

If you’re serious about scaling, automation matters.

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Worth Reading

As I dug into fees and sell-through rates, I kept coming back to how powerful cross-listing can be. I talk about this more deeply in the Closo Seller Hub, especially in the “Seller Strategy” section, which pairs well with the mindset needed when comparing Poshmark vs Mercari.

And when you’re ready to level up, two pieces from the same hub go hand-in-hand with everything I described above: the pricing guide (which explains why Mercari buyers respond differently to price drops) and the inventory import walkthrough, which I referenced during my 156-listing challenge.

(The system really does make multi-platform selling easier.)