E-commerce platforms like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Gumtree have made it easy to find secondhand items available at a good price. This is no different in Japan, where Mercari has become a very popular e-commerce marketplace, especially for secondhand shopping. However, it is only available in Japanese. If you are looking to buy something on Mercari in Japan, but are having problems navigating it, this English-friendly guide should improve your shopping experience.

If you would like to sell on Mercari, please read "How to sell on Mercari Japan".

We also have many other shopping articles, including ordering in English on Amazon Japan, online grocery shopping, buying prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses, as well as shopping options for plus-size clothing for men and women in Japan, etc.

What is Mercari?

Mercari is an online marketplace in Japan that largely deals in secondhand goods. Much like eBay, anyone can sign up to be a buyer or seller. Mercari is also known as a way to find exclusive merchandise at a cheaper price. Expensive items are often heavily marked down when sold on Mercari and quality standards are high. Some sellers also allow for price negotiation. This means it is possible to find some good deals and save money.

Unlike other websites that are often used for secondhand items in Japan, like Craigslist, Mercari items are always shipped rather than relying on an in-person exchange. Communication is also anonymous so there are no privacy concerns. Because of these reasons, Mercari has become a staple of online shopping for many residents of Japan.

How to Access Mercari

Website: https://jp.mercari.com/

Google Play App Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kouzoh.mercari&hl=ja

Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id667861049?l=ja

How to Buy Items on Mercari

Shopping on Mercari is pretty straightforward: register an account, select a product, and complete the purchase.

Note: The registration steps below may be slightly different when signing up through the Mercari app. Please also note that services and its details may change over time, so please refer to the information displayed on the official Mercari website or app when using it.

1. Registering an Account

The first step is to register an account on Mercari. You will need to sign up as a new user. You can register via email, Google, Facebook, Line, or Apple. Below, we will walk you thought the process of registration (会員登録) via email (メールアドレスで登録) using Mercari website.

Source: Mercari Website

After you have chosen registration via email, you will proceed to the page where you need to enter your email address (メールアドレス) and create a password (パスワード) with more than 8 characters that includes both letters and numbers. If you do not wish to receive various information from Mercari by email such as coupons, etc., please remove the check mark in the box with the following Japanese writing: メルカリからのお知らせを受け取る. If you wish to receive such information, please leave the check mark as it is. Then, you press the large red button "next" (次へ) and proceed to the next page.

Source: Mercari Website

Next, you will need to create a nickname for your profile  (ニックネーム). If you have been invited to use Mercari and have an invitation code, you can enter it in the section: 招待コード. If you do not have an invitation code, please leave that section blank and press the red button (次へ).

Source: Mercari Website

The next step of registration is to provide identification information. You will need to write your family name (姓) and first name (名). Then you will need to enter your family name and first name again, but this time in katakana, in the following sections: 姓カナ (family name) and 名カナ (first name). Finally, you need to enter your birthday (生年月日) in the format of year/month/day. Once the information has been added, click on the large red button to proceed further.

Source: Mercari Website

Next, you will be taken to a phone number verification screen where you need to enter a mobile phone number (電話番号) that can receive text messages. This can only be done with a Japanese phone number (starting with numbers 070, 080, or 090).

Shortly after providing the phone number, you should receive a verification text with a code that needs to be entered on the verification screen.

After this, you are now able to complete purchases on Mercari!

2. Searching for Products

Source: Mercari Website

When searching for a product, Mercari provides a few options. If you are in the mood to shop for anything, you can start by scrolling through the front page, which showcases popular brands, categories, recommended items, etc. If you are looking for something specific, you can choose to search by category, brand, or search word. 


If you don’t know how to read Japanese well, the best option is to enter in a search word. The search can be in English, especially if the brand has an English name, but you are likely to get more relevant results by translating what you are looking for into Japanese using a translation app. Then you can narrow down your search results by price, size, condition of the product, etc. Products are shown in recommended order, but you can change it to sorting by number of likes, from newest to oldest, as well as from cheapest to most expensive, and visa versa.

3. Checking the Product Information

Once you have found an item you like, it is important to check the product information (商品の情報). Information about the product is displayed in a number of sections, you will learn about below.

Sections in Japanese	Meaning in English	Details
カテゴリー	Category	This is the category to which the product belongs.
商品の状態	Product's Condition	On Mercari, there are 6 types of product's conditions: 新品未使用 - New, not used 未使用に近い - Close to being unused  目立った傷や汚れなし - No noticeable scratches or dirt やや傷や汚れあり - It has some scratches or dirt 傷や汚れあり - It has scratches or dirt 全体的に状態が悪い - Overall the condition is poor
配送料の負担	Shipping Fee to be Borne by	On Mercari, the shipping cost is borne by the buyer or seller. In this section, you will see which one applies to the product you are checking. 送料込み(出品者負担) means that the shipping fee is borne by the seller and is already included in the price of the product. 着払い(購入者負担) means that the buyer will bear the shipping cost and will pay it directly to the delivery person. The payment options are limited and depend on the company performing delivery.
配送の方法	Shipping Method	There are many shipping methods on Mercari such as Rakuraku Mercari Bin (らくらくメルカリ便), Yuyu Mercari Bin (ゆうゆうメルカリ便), and more.
発送元の地域	The area to be shipped from	In this section, you will see from what area the parcel will be sent from such as Tokyo (東京都), Osaka (大阪府), or any other prefecture in Japan.
発送までの日数	Number of days till shipping	On Mercari, you will see one of the three types: 1〜2日で発送 - To be shipped within 1-2 days 2〜3日で発送 - To be shipped within 2-3 days 4〜7日で発送 - To be shipped within 4-7 days
出品者	Seller	Under this section, you see the seller's profile name, rating, etc. Sometimes you will see some labels with additional information such as 24時間以内発送, which means the seller ships products within 24 hours on average.

There are also other sections that may be displayed depending on the nature of the product. For instance, in case of clothing, you may encounter brand (ブランド), product's size (商品のサイズ), etc.

Some sellers will provide additional information in explanation about the product (商品の説明), including when it was bought, why it is being sold, more information about the product’s condition, and so on. You can ask questions about the product or lowering the price in the comment section.

There is also an option of registering your desired price for the product (希望価格). However, it is up to the seller to determine how much, if any, discount can be offered. Some selles write on the product page that the price is not negotiable. So please check the information displayed before leaving comments, etc. You can also "like" a product by pressing いいね！ button. You can always see a list of products you liked on Mercari making it easy to keep track of the products you are interested in. Overtime, some sellers may gradually lower prices for the products that do not get sold. Overall, Mercari has many useful online tools for shopping.

4. Checking Out

If you are happy with the product description and price, it is time to move forward to the checkout stage by pressing the large red button with "to the payment procedure" (購入手続きへ) written on it in Japanese.

There are various payment methods (支払い方法) available on Mercari including credit card (クレジットカード払い) , convenience store/ATM payments (コンビニ/ATM払い), etc. A convenience store/ATM payment incurs fees ranging from 100 to 880 yen depending on the sum of the transaction. However, it is a very convenient method of payment if you do not have a credit card. Here is the official website (in Japanese) that will provide you with information on available payment methods. Depending on the payment method, there may be a limit to the maximum amount such as 300,000 yen in case of convenience store payment.

In case if you bear the shipping cost, you will need to pay for the shipping directly to the delivery company when receiving the parcel. The available payment options vary depending on the delivery company. For instance, in case of Yamato Transport, you can pay by cash, some e-money and QR code payments. It is advisable to have cash with you when receiving such parcels.

After you have chosen your payment method and entered your delivery address, it is time to press the purchase button (the big red one). If you have chosen convenience store payment, you will see a prompt telling you the payment deadline, which is due by 23:59 on the 3rd day of purchase. Please refer to the official information you will receive for your transaction. You can then choose which convenience store to pay at. All the main convenience store chains in Japan offer this service among others. Most do it through the self portal in the store, although choosing the 7-11 option will give a link to a barcode that you can show the staff when checking out.

5. Completing Transaction

Once you receive the product and check it, you will need to evaluate the transaction as good (良かった ) or disappointing (残念だった). You can also include a review, but it is not compulsory. Many people just write a brief note of gratitude for the transaction. After that the seller will also evaluate the transaction completing it. Please note that after evaluating and completing the transaction, Mercari may not be able to support you with the transaction should problems arise such as the product delivered to you is broken, does not match the description (information in Japanese). Therefore, it is very important to check the product throughly before evaluating the transaction.

Considerations when Buying on Mercari

When buying on Mercari, it is important to be aware of a number of aspects. It is necessary to check that the product picture matches the description and condition listed. It is also important that you understand and accept conditions such as who is responsible for shipping fees, payment method, and shipping time. You are able to leave reviews on Mercari but it is in bad faith to leave a negative review based on aspects that you can check before purchase.

Make Shopping in Japan Easy

Mercari is an extremely useful and convenient online marketplace for secondhand shopping in Japan. There is a wide range of products available, usually in very good condition and often exclusive merchandise can be found. The only downside to Mercari is that it is available exclusively in Japanese. However, with this guide and possibly some additional translations in Google, you will be able to navigate Mercari easily and purchase any and all of the items you like.