Yoselin This post is about all you need to know about Mercari if you are wondering, “Is Mercari Legit?” Below is my experience using Mercari as a first time mom to buy and sell products.
I discovered Mercari as an expecting mom about two years ago. I initially downloaded the app to see what deals they had after hearing about it online.
It made me wonder if it was truly legit.
As a first time mom, I knew that there would be many expenses coming up, not just with the medical bills that came with birth, but also months and years ahead.
Mercari was an app that was easy to use upon downloading it and I felt it was not as saturated as Poshmark or Ebay, for example.
Is Mercari Legit? All You Need to Know About Mercari
Mercari allows you to to become both a seller and a buyer.
In this article, you will see what makes Mercari a trustworthy website and app to sell and buy secondhand items.
Is Mercari Legit?
The short answer is yes, Mercari is very much legit.
But to provide details, Mercari is an online marketplace where people can become both buyers and sellers. Think Ebay.
Though the difference with Ebay and Mercari, for example, is how Mercari goes an additional mile to protect their buyers and provide trustworthy sellers into their platform.
Below you will see how Mercari protects buyers and uses methods that retain trustworthy sellers in their platform.
Is Mercari Legit? All You Need to Know About Mercari
How to Use Mercari as a Buyer
As a buyer, the way that it works is that you can “Make Offer.” This means that you can offer the seller as certain amount of money for the item you want. They get your request and they can choose to accept, decline, or counter with a slightly higher price. You could also pay full price instead of making an offer.
Furthermore, as a buyer, if you favorite any items, sellers can and will specifically “Promote” said items to everyone who favorited that item. A promotion is them offering you a special (reduced) price because you already showed interest in the item. This means that you get additional discounts when you like/favorite items that you would otherwise not see.
When you purchase an item, Mercari holds your funds from the buyer until you receive the item and leave them a review specifying that you received the item as described.
Due to this method, both the sellers and buyers are held accountable by Mercari, which in my personal opinion, makes it really easy to use and builds trustworthy sellers and buyers.
How to Use Mercari as a Seller
As a seller, you have all the aforementioned features that you can offer the buyer. Additionally, Mercari often offers promotions and discounts when you consistently list items to sell.
This is their method of making the sellers also buyers. For example, if you have 15 listings within the past 30 days, they may offer you a $10 off coupon on your next purchase.
I must admit that I have fallen into that trap myself.
You can also choose whether you want to include the shipping cost with the listing price, or have the buyer pay the shipping.
If you are looking to become full-time Mercari seller, Listing to Freedom has a great comprehensive guide on becoming a Mercari seller, complete with tips and additional information and details.
Is Mercari Legit? All You Need to Know About Mercari
Conveniently, Mercari aims for each person in their account to become both the seller and the buyer, this therefore allows for funds to stay within the Mercari app.
Just a quick downside I want to include, regardless of whether you are a seller or buyer, Mercari does charge quite a bit for shipping, as well as for fees. So if you buy an item, you have to pay a fee. And if you sell an item, you also have to pay a fee.
Despite it, I still love using Mercari when I am looking into buying items for my two year old daughter. I use it to buy items that I know she will outgrow, but still want good quality items. This way I can find items at a reduced price of about 30-60% off retail price that are good quality and gently used.
I recommend reading Baby on a Budget next, as well as Learn how I used Mercari to help me reduce my spending and save money as a first time mom.
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