While in the West there are secondhand online marketplaces like eBay, in Japan there is Mercari, where you can both save money on buying used, yet still high-quality goods and easily make some extra money by selling unwanted items. This guide will help you through the process of selling goods on Mercari Japan. Please note that Mercari Japan is available only in Japanese language.

To learn how to shop on Mercari, please check this article.

In Japan, there are also many other ways to sell unwanted items such as BOOKOFF and HUGALL. We also have many articles covering shopping in Japan such as "Trendy Japanese Retail Stores and One-stop Shops in Japan", "Outlet Shopping Malls and Factory Outlets in and Around Tokyo", "Large-size shoes for foreigners - Where to find them in Japan", and more.

What Sells Well on Mercari?

When considering selling on Mercari, you can of course list almost any item. However, some items are more likely to sell faster or for higher prices. Best sellers on Mercari are usually branded items. This can be within any category: branded clothes, electronics, and bags are all popular among buyers.

It’s easy to search by brand on the Mercari app, meaning many buyers will search for brands they like, rather than browsing listings of unknown brands. This applies to both international and Japanese brands, so you can easily sell goods you brought from overseas as well as more recent Japanese purchases you no longer want.

A good way to get an idea for the popularity and average pricing of an item you are trying to sell is to search for the item and see what other sellers are posting. You can also narrow down search results to the items already sold, which is written as 売り切れのみ in Japanese, in order to see for what prices similar items have been sold on Mercari.

Please note that there are some items that are not allowed to be sold on Mercari such as cigarettes, electronic tickets, etc. You can find a list of such items and rules on this official website (in Japanese)

How to Sell on Mercari

The process of selling on Mercari can be broken down into four stages.

1. Creating the product listing
2. Navigating the purchase period
3. Confirmation and shipping of the product
4. Completing transaction

The options and procedures for selling items on Mercari may change over time, so please carefully review available options, necessary procedures when listing your product and performing transactions.

Creating the Product Listing

Selling on Mercari requires a Mercari account, so the first step is to sign up to Mercari if you don’t already have one. To learn how to register an account as well as how to shop and order on Mercari, please check this article.

Once you have your account, you can click the button labelled “出品”, and you will be taken to the product listing page, where you can enter in the information about your item.

You can add up to 20 photos to your listing. Clear, high-quality photos are best. If the product you are about to sell has some wear and tear, it can be recommended to add photos showing the damage. Many sellers also include a picture from the product’s original place of purchase. Please make sure that the original place of purchase allows to use its pictures before including it.

The title is important for attracting attention to your listing, so these should include the brand and model of your product. The title is limited to 40 characters. There are also some drop-down menu options to provide quick information on the product. These include category, condition, and may include other options depending on the product you sell such as size, brand in case of selling clothing, etc.

You can then make a written product description. It is important to include as much information as possible here. If the condition is anything other than “new/untouched”, you can explain why in detail. For example, with clothes:

• Was it only tried on?
• Did you wear it outside?
• If so, was it just a few times or many?

All of this information gives the buyer a better idea of the item's condition. 

You can then choose whether or not the shipping cost will be included, shipping method, location from where you will ship the item and within how many days you can do so. Finally, you can price your product. It is also possible to list a product without setting a price. In this case, buyers will offer their price. The last step would be to press 出品する (to list) button.

On the smartphone app, there is also an option of かんたん出品, which can be translated as easy listing. This option allows to list items for selling with fewer sections displayed for filling. On the smartphone app, there is also an option to input certain information for products such as books, cosmetics, etc., by scanning barcode. Please note that Mercari website and mobile app have certain differences when it comes to options for creating product listings.

Navigating the Purchase Period

Now that your item is active, you will probably start to receive questions and comments from buyers. Some of these will be regarding further details about the product (which is why its recommended to include as much information as possible in the original listing), while others will be regarding a price cut (or 値下げ). Haggling is common on Mercari and it's fairly normal to offer a 5–10 percent reduction in price. There is also an option called タイムセール, which translates to time sale. As the name suggests, this option allows you to reduce the price of your item for a limited time.

Confirmation and Shipping of the Product

Once the item is purchased, there are a few different steps to cover. There are some standard messages that are expected to be sent during this time. It is not necessary to do all of these messages, but it is expected to keep up constant notification of what stage of shipping the purchase is in.

Notification of Purchase: If you have received notification of purchase but not confirmation of payment, you can send a message to thank the buyer and let them know that you will ship the item upon confirmation of payment.

Notification of Shipment: After confirmation, you can send a message so that the buyer knows you will be sending the parcel soon. When you have sent the product, you click 発送通知 (notification of shipment) to inform the buyer that the parcel has been sent.

Notification of Arrival: When you have sent the product, you can also send a message letting the buyer know that it will be arriving soon.

Completion of the Transaction

Upon receiving and checking the parcel, the buyer will rate the transaction, and after that you as a seller will also rate the transaction by choosing 良かった (it was good) or 残念だった (it was disappointing). You may also include a review about the transaction. Please note that described here is a typical process and does not include procedures in case of cancellation of the transaction, etc. If you would like to learn about cancelations, please check the official website in Japanese.

After completion of the transaction, the money you received will be displayed in your account. You can either transfer these money to your bank account, choose to convert it to points which can be used to make purchases on Mercari, or use as MerPay (メルペイ). Here is information in Japanese.

Shipping Options

Shipping is one of the areas where Mercari really shines, as they have created a system that is very easy to navigate for both buyers and sellers. The easiest and often cheapest shipping option is "Rakuraku Mercari Bin", written in Japanese as “らくらくメルカリ便”, which allows you to ship the item you have sold from 7-11 or FamilyMart convenience stores, Yamato Transport offices, etc. This system is easy to navigate and keeps both the seller and buyer addresses anonymous. Another shipping method that can be well recommended is "ゆうゆうメルカリ便" (Yuyu Mercari Bin), which can be sent from Lawson convenience stores, post offices, etc.

There are so many ways to send items you have sold on Mercari. Please note that suitable shipping methods may vary depending on the size, weight of the item sold on Mercari. For more details regarding shipping methods, please check this website (in Japanese). It is also important to mention that if you choose not to include the shipping cost when selling items on Mercari, your shipping options will be limited. For instance, you will not be able to use Rakuraku and Yuyu Mercari Bin services, which also means that you cannot ship parcel anonymously.

Tips for Selling on Mercari

Here are a few additional tips for maximizing your selling potential on Mercari.

・Make sure your product description is as detailed as possible. Include all possible relevant information about the product and its condition.

・Remember that Mercari has a 10-percent handling fee. You should take this into consideration when setting your price so that it doesn’t end up as a surprise later.

・You can choose to have shipping included in the price or listed separately. However, most sellers include shipping in the item price, and if you don’t, it's possible that your item is less likely to sell. If included, make sure you have allowed for both the shipping price and Mercari’s handling fee when deciding the listing

・Customers can leave reviews based on the service they received and potential buyers can also look at your previous selling history. This means it is beneficial to maintain a good customer relationship and to be honest about the product condition, shipping times, etc.

Make Online Shopping and Selling Easy with Mercari and More

Mercari is one of the most popular online marketplaces in Japan. It offers a great way to buy secondhand goods cheap and sell off unwanted items of your own. But there are other ways to shop and sell online in Japan. Check out our articles on "Amazon Japan: How to Shop and Order in English" and "How to Donate and Sell Used Clothing and Furniture in Japan"