If you want to make some quick cash by selling on Mercari, you just need to download its free mobile app, make your listing, and wait for buyers. And it’s an easy way for homeowners to sell their unused stuff.
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However, there’s a difference between making a sale or two on the marketplace and turning Mercari into a full-on side hustle.
Thankfully, if you know some tricks to selling on Mercari, you can start generating more sales and ultimately make more money online with this selling app.
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The Best Tips & Tricks To Selling On Mercari
There isn’t a single trick to selling on Mercari that’s going to sell all of your listings and make you thousands of dollars per month.
But, successful Mercari sellers have already figured out a lot of what works to help you sell faster.
Plus, there are some common seller tips for apps like Mercari in general that are worth keeping in mind when listing things for sale.
1. Sell Name-Brands
One common mistake Mercari sellers make is mostly selling apparel or goods that are from no-name brands.
It’s not that you have to sell name brands on Mercari, but brand-name apparel and other merchandise definitely sell faster than brands people are unfamiliar with.
In fact, some of the best things to sell on Mercari are clothing brands like Adidas, Coach, Michael Kors, and Nike.
So, if you’re trying to get more sales on Mercari, consider branching into some more name-brand items to see if it helps your sale.
2. Learn How To Crosspost
Another Mercari selling tip that successful sellers use is crossposting.
Crossposting means posting your item for sale on an online marketplace and then relisting it on other marketplaces as well.
People do this all the time with apps like Poshmark, and it’s not uncommon for Mercari sellers to also list on platforms like Depop or eBay.
As a new Mercari seller, you can do this manually and basically copy the text and images you use for a Mercari listing and use it for other marketplaces.
Alternatively, you can look into crossposting software like Vendoo.
Vendoo lets you crosspost across numerous marketplaces and track your inventory so you don’t accidentally leave listings active.
The platform works for nine marketplaces, including Poshmark, Mercari, eBay, and The Facebook Marketplace.
Vendoo is also free for your first five monthly items, and from there, it scales at a per-item cost, which is anywhere from $0.36 to $0.04 depending on your listing numbers.
Overall, crossposting is one of the best Mercari selling tricks since it takes the effort you put into Mercari and just expands it to new markets.
You can do it manually, or with Vendoo, but it’s definitely a way to get more sales!
Extra Reading – Mercari vs eBay – What’s Best For Sellers?
3. Relist Non-Selling Items
Another trick to selling on Mercari is to relist products that don’t sell or to use the relist feature if you’re selling multiples of the same product.
The reason to relist products that don’t sell is because some sellers think Mercari’s algorithm can treat new listings more favorably in terms of visibility, helping you get sales faster.
And, if you’re selling identical pieces of merchandise, you can use the relist feature to quickly duplicate a listing since Mercari doesn’t let sellers set a quantity and sell everything under one listing.
This useful YouTube video breaks down how to use Mercari’s relist feature:
Just remember: if you’re trying the relisting trick for non-selling items, make sure you delete the original listing quickly so you don’t have duplicate listings for only a single product!
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4. List During Popular Buying Times
One sneaky Mercari seller tip you might not know is to create listings during popular buying times.
Again, many Mercari sellers think that the algorithm favors new listings and gives them a bit of extra visibility when they first go live.
Based on this logic, you lose out on that potential boost if you create your listings in the middle of the night when way fewer people are online and looking to shop.
So, when is the best time to list on Mercari?
Well, according to a 2021 report from SaleCycle, Wednesday and Thursdays are the most popular ecommerce days, with peak shopping occurring between 10am and 11am and once again between 8pm and 9pm.
If you’re struggling to get sales on Mercari, try listing your next batch of inventory around these peak times to see if it makes a difference!
5. Use The Right Selling Terminology
When you create a Mercari listing, one of the fields you fill out is the listing title.
You have 40 characters to use, so it’s important to use keywords in your listing title like the product type, brand, and size.
But, one Mercari trick is to all add some popular terms to your title to help buyers quickly identify if it’s the right product for them.
Here are some important Mercari terms to know:
- NIB – New In Box.
- NWT – New With Tag.
- NWOT – New Without Tag.
- Sz – Size.
This sort of terminology is mostly for clothing, but it’s important to add for Mercari and other selling platforms since it gives even more information to potential buyers.
6. Write Robust Listing Descriptions
While we’re talking about creating your listings, let’s dive into another selling tip on Mercari: how to write great listings.
As mentioned, you have 40 characters for your listing headline.
But, you actually have up to 1,000 characters for your listing description, so this is an excellent place to:
- Mention things like product brand, color, size, fabric, year, and condition.
- Why you’re selling it or why you like the piece.
- Keywords relating to what you’re selling.
- If you have a pet free and smoke free home.
Now, Mercari doesn’t tolerate keyword stuffing, so don’t overdo it with your listing.
But, be sure to point out product condition and always be honest!
Ultimately, your goal is to convince people to buy and give them as much information as possible to make an informed decision.
7. Take Multiple Product Photos
Mercari lets you add up to 12 photos per listing, so this leaves plenty of room to show off what you’re selling.
Just remember to take photos with natural lighting if possible and to capture every angle of the product.
You can also try Mercari seller tips like taking product photos with a nice background or backdrop so buyers feel even more enticed.
Pro Tip: An expert Mercari selling trick is to put clothing you’re selling on a mannequin to show how it actually looks on a person.
In the video above, Mercari seller Jessica shares her photo tips for Mercari and Poshmark, so I definitely recommend giving it a watch!
Some Mercari sellers also touch up their photos slightly with photo editing apps, but if you take photos with nice lighting, this isn’t usually necessary.
8. Accept Negotiators Or Make Counter Offers
Mercari buyers can make offers to sellers and begin negotiating on price. If you never want to do this, write that your pricing is firm in your listing description so people know not to contact you.
However, one trick to selling on Mercari is to leave a bit of wiggle room in your pricing and to respond to offers as quickly as possible.
I mean, if you have enough of a margin and can negotiate with a potential buyer to stay within your profitability zone, it’s sometimes worth the effort, especially for slower-selling pieces.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make Money From Home.
9. Price Yourself Competitively (Or Use Mercari Smart Pricing)
If you’re wondering how to sell fast on Mercari, one of the most important factors is pricing your listings competitively
So, before you create a listing, do a bit of competitive research and see what other Mercari sellers are listing similar products for.
Of course, you still need to turn a profit. But if your prices are 10% or even higher than the rest of the competition, it might take a bit longer to sell.
You can also test our Mercari smart pricing to handle some of this work for you.
According to Mercari, smart pricing “continuously updates the listing price until it hits the floor price or the item gets sold. Listings are promoted and exposed to potential buyers for every price update.”
You get to set your floor price, so there isn’t any risk of your item selling for lower than your absolute minimum amount.
Ultimately, smart pricing can help you sell faster on Mercari but using algorithms to adjust your pricing; sounds like a win-win!
10. Verify Your Profile & Get Reviews
Mercari lets you verify your seller profile by uploading a picture of your ID. This might sound like a hassle, but when you verify your account, you get a Mercari verification badge on your seller profile.
This helps potential buyers trust you a little bit more, and it takes almost no time to do, so it’s an easy tip.
Additionally, put some effort into getting positive 5 star reviews and nice feedback from buyers.
Some ways to get positive reviews on Mercari include:
- Answering any questions a potential customer has
- Being timely with responding to customers
- Being friendly when you deal with customers
- Shipping your item as soon as possible
Bad reviews and frequent cancellations can seriously hurt your Mercari selling efforts, so avoid these at all costs!
Pro Tip: Add in a personalized thank you note or message when you ship your item!
This increases the odds your buyer ends up leaving a review and feels like they had a great shopping experience, and it barely adds any time to your Mercari selling process.
11. Try The Mercari Pro Seller Program
Another tip for selling on Mercari is to try out the new Mercari Pro Seller Program that’s currently in Beta.
You have to have some serious sales to apply and get in, but again, the program is in Beta so hopefully it opens up in the future.
The perks of the Mercari Pro Seller Program include:
- Pro Seller Badge: This pro badge appears on your seller profile.
- Bulk Import Tool: Import and sync your listings from eBay.
- Inventory Management: Use tools like bulk deactivation and advanced listing search.
- Enhanced Analytics: This feature is coming soon but provides deeper insights into your best-selling products and profile performance.
- Free Promotion: Get your listings promoted on third-party platforms for free.
- VIP Service: This is also coming soon but provides 24 hour support and an account manager.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this program develops, but if you have a high sales volume, I’d definitely check out Mercari Pro Seller!
12. Promote Listings & Send Offers To Likers
Another trick to sell stuff on Mercari is to use the Promote and Offers to Likers features to promote your listings.
Here’s how each type of promotional method works:
- Promote: If you reduce your listing price by at least 5%, Mercari boosts your listing visibility and notifies everyone who liked your item about the lower price.
- Offers to Likers: If you reduce your listing price by at least 10%, Mercari sends a notification to your previous 50 likers.
The Promote feature is incredibly useful since it’s only a 5% pricing drop, and you can actually promote up to 10 listings per day.
Single items can only be promoted every 24 hours, but if you’re willing to lower your prices by 5% for a few days in a row, you can keep a product in the promotional state.
13. Consider Offering Free Shipping
Mercari provides prepaid shipping labels to help make selling that much easier. But, by default, buyers pay for shipping costs, and this cost gets tacked onto whatever your listing price is.
However, another Mercari selling tip is to offer free shipping if you have a wide enough margin.
When you offer free shipping, the cost of the prepaid shipping label comes out of your final profits. Buyers see your listing provides free shipping however, so it’s a way to make your listings stand out.
Just factor the extra cost and other fees for selling on Mercari into your listing price!
14. Gather Shipping Supplies In Advance
There are lots of Mercari shipping tips out there, but really, the most important part is to gather shipping supplies in advance so you’re not left scrambling after making some sales.
Some Mercari shipping supplies to stock up on include:
- Cardboard boxes
- Packing tape
- Sharpies
- A shipping scale
- Bubble wrap or packing styrofoam if you ship delicate items
- A printer with ink (to print Mercari’s prepaid shipping labels)
This might sound like a minor change, but it definitely saves a lot of time in your entire Mercari selling process.
15. Keep Some Money In Your Account
A lesser-known trick to selling on Mercari is to always keep some of your profits in your seller account.
Mercari pays sellers after the buyer confirms they got the item and you both rate the transaction.
You can then see your funds in your balance, and Mercari lets you cash out with direct deposit or Instant Pay.
However, it’s wise to leave a bit of money in your account just in case Mercari ever takes funds from your account because of a refund.
You can also use your Mercari balance to pay for things on Mercari, but the main idea is just to leave a bit of a cushion in there!
16. Don’t Sell Junk
While this is a simple Mercari seller tip, it’s an important one so you don’t waste your time: never sell junk on Mercari just for the sake of listing it!
A lot of people use local selling websites and apps like Mercari to try and get rid of all their unused stuff. But in reality, most people won’t want your items if they’re in poor condition or aren’t popular brands and products.
Sticking with known brands that are in decent shape is your best best. For anything else, you can throw a garage sale to try and make a quick buck.
17. Reinvest Your Profit
A final trick to selling on Mercari is just to treat your Mercari profile like an online business.
Reselling stuff on Mercari is an excellent way to make extra cash.
But, if you want to keep the momentum going, that means reinvesting some of your profits into sourcing more stuff to flip for profit.
This could mean taking some of your funds and sourcing products from garage sales, pawn shops, or thrift stores.
Whatever the case, if you want to scale your Mercari sales, you definitely need to keep funding it like a business.
Mercari Selling Tips From Real Sellers
I hope this list of tricks to selling on Mercari help you find more results on the platform.
To wrap things up, I thought it would be useful to see what Mercari selling tips real sellers have to share.
This YouTube video from Mercari seller Sandra The Mom Boss provides some excellent tips for beginner sellers for how to get more views on your listings and actually get sales.
And, there’s actually a ton of information on various Reddit threads, and some of these tips are incredibly niche!
Here’s some advice from other real Mercari sellers:
- anotamissanonymous says: “If you flip used clothing that has an odor (and you can’t wash them for whatever reason) steam them with part water and part vodka to remove the smell.”
- AdoraSkater says: “Don’t ever spray clothing items with perfume or febreze or any scents. You never know if your buyer has a scent allergy.”
- WindfallXYZ says: “For electronics sales, always record the serial number, have it visible in pictures and in listing, and have pictures of the device functioning of possible. Be sure to state that the serial number has been recorded in the listing. It looks a bit odd, but it’s allowed me to win all scammer item not as described cases with Mercari.”
- ausername_8 says: “If its under one pound and going in a box add a couple of extra ounces to weight to account for that box and any protective packing material you might stuff inside.”
- wikipuff says: “When shipping an item, pack it in a resealable bag before placing it in a poly mailer or box. This protects the item in transit, incase the box or bag decides to open for some reason.”
There are ever more Mercari selling tricks in that thread, and a lot of them actually relate to cleaning tips you can use to improve the quality and appearance of your listings.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do You Sell Fast On Mercari?
One of the fastest ways to sell on Mercari is to drop your prices to use Mercari’s promote and offer to likers features.
Dropping your prices by 5% and 10% or more helps promote your listings to more viewers, ultimately getting more eyeballs on your listings and increasing the chance you get sales.
2. What’s The Easiest Thing To Sell On Mercari
Brand-name clothing, shoes, and electronics are three of the most popular categories on Mercari, so this is an excellent place to begin selling if you’re new to the platform.
3. Is Selling On Mercari Easy?
It’s free to create a Mercari listing, and you can create a listing right from your smartphone with the Mercari app.
In short, Mercari is one of the most beginner-friendly resale apps around, so it’s very easy to start selling.
Scaling your Mercari sales into significant income takes more time and practice, but for starting out, it’s very easy to create your first listings.
Final Thoughts
I hope this list of tips and tricks to sell on Mercari helps you increase your sales!
Honestly, there are so many ways to sell stuff online, and Mercari is just one of these platforms. You can always try other marketplaces like Etsy, the Facebook Marketplace, or even dabble in print on demand with sites like Redbubble.
Whatever the case, I hope these Mercari selling tips help you out on whatever marketplace you end up selling on!
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