Last Updated: August 9, 2021
Do you want to start selling or buying on Mercari but one thing stopping you and that is a fear in your mind whether, is Mercari legit and safe or not?
If so, then you’re landed on the right article.
In the online world, you are not always safe while you’re shopping online.
So, before choosing any platform, you must know whether the platform you’re going to use is legitimate, safe, and reputable or not and how you can stay safe from being scammed.
Therefore in this guide, you are going to learn:
- Is Mercari Legit?
- How People Got Scammed On Mercari?
- How to Avoid Getting Scammed on Mercari?
- Is Mercari Safe for Buyers and Sellers?
- Tips for Buying Safely on Mercari
- Tips for Selling Safely on Mercari
- Mercari Prohibited Items
- Pros And Cons of Mercari
Read the entire article carefully because it will save you from getting scammed on Mercari. Let’s dive right in!
RELATED ARTICLE: Is DHgate Legit And Safe? 6 Tips To Avoid Getting Scammed
Is Mercari Legit?
Mercari itself is a completely legitimate and reliable e-commerce marketplace. Both sellers and buyers are real people, and they aren’t retailers, which means that there is no guarantee that the people buying and selling on it are legitimate.
So you need to be assured about the seller as well as a buyer when dealing.
Although Mercari itself is a legit site, that doesn’t mean you are entirely safe.
Just use common sense when you see an iPhone selling for only $99, you should be skeptical.
Keep in mind, some sellers don’t show the downside of the product in their listings so it’s hard for the buyer to know if the products are in good condition until you order and receive them.
According to Mercari, they’ll not release payments until the buyer receives the item, confirm and rate the seller.
But plenty of buyers complaint that we order the item but it was not as described in the listings and Mercari customer support didn’t help us in these situations.
Other than that, I think some people got scammed because of their own mistakes.
You might be thinking, what do you mean? Let’s discuss this.
How People Got Scammed On Mercari?
Just like Mercari, other online retailers come with a host of possible scams as well but if you know how people are scammed, you can stay safe from scammers.
Most of the time, scammers have a fresh or without reviews seller profile and they add the unbelievable price of the item.
As I said before, Mercari does not release payments until the buyer receives the item, you might be wondering then how they got scammed, right?
Actually, if you’re buying stuff on Mercari then maybe the seller asks you to contact him/her through another platform like Facebook, WhatsApp, or by phone number, etc.
And, if you deal outside Mercari then chances are you’ll be scammed by the seller.
Dealing outside of Mercari is against their guidelines as well and they clearly mentioned that they are not responsible for it.
So never deal outside Mercari whether you’re a buyer or a seller.
Now we know how people got scammed but the question is:
How to Avoid Getting Scammed on Mercari?
On any online marketplace, it’s important to carefully research not only what you are buying but who you are buying it from.
Many instances of fraud happen with sellers and buyers because they don’t know the warning signs to watch out for before dealing.
Here’s how to avoid being scammed when buying and selling on Mercari and hopefully spot any potential scams before it’s too late.
- Don’t deal outside the app – Never deal outside their platform and if you do so then your transaction is not protected by them, and it could put you at risk.
- Don’t share personal information – Never give out your personal contact information such as a phone number, email address, or social media account.
- Make a strong password – Always use a strong password not only on Mercari but on any platform and change it frequently.
- Be skeptical – Never buy any product without checking their reviews and description.
- Don’t share login details – Do not share your Mercari account login details with anyone including third-party websites.
- Confirm order within 3 days – When you received an item, you have 3 days to confirm whether it’s damaged or not as described. If there is any problem with the item, you’ve 3 days from the delivery date to request a return.
- Do not sell prohibited items – If you are selling prohibited items then Mercari will suspend your account and cancel the transactions as well.
- Use a credit card instead of a debit card – The risk of fraud is always lurking in the background, there isn’t a problem with using a debit card but for online purchases, credit cards often come with additional protections.
So these are some of the important points you should keep in mind to avoid getting scammed.
Is Mercari Safe for Buyers and Sellers?
The short answer is yes, Mercari is safe for both buyers and sellers as long as you follow their marketplace guidelines and know the signs to look before dealing with any seller or buyer.
However, if you want to start your own eCommerce store then I highly recommend creating your Shopify store.
Is your personal data secure on Mercari?
You’re probably hesitant to type your credit card information on a website but Mercari appears to be as safe as any other online retailer.
The listings aren’t private and the items you list shows your real name.
They protect your account messages, login information to protect against misuse and unauthorized access.
But to be secure, it’s your responsibility as well to keep your account login information confidential and have control access to your device, and not sharing it with anyone.
However, they collect this information about the customers:
- Personal data, which includes your name, phone, email and address, date of birth, or tax identification number.
- Financial information, collect your credit card or other payment card information for payment processing purposes.
- Receive information about who you communicate with, locations and accessing logs such as IP address, device ID, your actions within their service.
Don’t worry this information is collected by almost all the online marketplaces.
So with these things in mind about Mercari, your personal data is secure but no internet transmission is completely safe and maybe being hacked for which Mercari isn’t responsible.
For more information, check out their privacy policy page.
Now, let’s cover how buyers can safely purchase something and be secure on Mercari.
Tips for Buying Safely on Mercari
There are several things you should know before starting your Mercari haul but these tips are crucial to ensure you make a safe purchase.
1. Don’t Ignore Reviews
If you are ordering items without checking their reviews, later on, you will be in trouble.
The best way to safely buy products on Mercari is to do your research before purchasing and even contacting a seller, first look for these things:
- Look for negative reviews.
- Photos that the seller has posted of the product.
- Check whether the photos are taken from every angle or not.
Some sellers are “ID Check by Mercari” which means that those sellers are verified and trusted.
2. Watch Out for Misleading Descriptions
One of the issues with Mercari is that some sellers include misleading or vague descriptions and photos.
Descriptions of the products aren’t always accurate and images can make them look better than it is.
In this case, it’s better to pay more attention to the product descriptions and get the items you wish for.
3. If the Price Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is
As I said already if you see a product with an extremely low price that you can’t find anywhere then it means you are probably looking at a scam.
Don’t get me wrong, you’ll definitely find the best deals but if you see a drone for $35, that’s definitely a scam or maybe buying a counterfeit product.
You get the idea 🙂 and with that being said the next tip is…
4. Check Your Order Carefully When You Receive It
As we know Mercari does not release your payment to the seller until you’ve received and confirmed your order.
Buyers have 3 days to confirm the order whether it’s the same item as described and submit a rating to that seller.
Make sure everything is included and looks like what you ordered, and it doesn’t look like a fake.
If it isn’t then you have 3 days from the delivery date to request a return and if you didn’t request a return all sales are final.
If you are satisfied with your order then give a rating to the seller, so he or she can get their payments.
Tips for Selling Safely on Mercari
Selling stuff on Mercari sounds simple but selling them safely is where you have to be careful, so these tips can help you to sell your stuff safely.
1. Do not sell prohibited items
If you are choosing Mercari for selling your stuff then never sell items that are on Mercari’s Prohibited items list.
Whenever a seller lists a prohibited item, it will be against their Terms of Service regardless of whether the seller acted intentionally or not.
When Mercari determines that a listing is in violation, they will remove their listing and cancel any related transactions up to and chances are they suspend or terminate that seller account.
2. Shipping protection (Package carefully)
Once you got a sale then your main priority is going to be shipping the product to a buyer but there is some information you need to keep in mind before shipping the item.
Here are some points you need to know:
- The seller has to ship the item within 3 business days of purchase.
- Provide a valid tracking number for the item you are going to ship to complete the transaction.
- Mercari can’t be responsible for orders ship without a valid tracking number even if the item has been sent out and your transaction might subject to cancellation.
- Package the items carefully so they can’t be damaged.
- Never write a misleading or vague description of the product you are selling.
- You can send your order through Mercari prepaid label, but if the weight is over 150 lbs, you’ll need to ship on your own.
- All the items you have to ship must not be on Mercari’s prohibited items list.
- So finally, you have shipped the item the next step is to go to the Order Status page and click “I’ve shipped it” and inform your buyer as well.
These are some of the most important points about shipping you have to keep in mind, for more information about Mercari shipping & packing click here.
3. Ensure your product listings are accurate
There are some buyers who want to get the product but when they receive the item, they feel unhappy and wish to return the item.
However, the buyer can’t just return the item without a legit reason like broken items, misleading description, wrong images, etc.
In that case, it’s your responsibility to make sure that all the details on your listings are accurate.
Maybe a buyer open dispute against you, so you can prove yourself right.
4. Keep all the shipment and delivery details handy
As I said already, the seller must provide a valid tracking number because maybe a buyer claims that they didn’t receive an item.
So if that happens, the seller can prove that the item is actually shipped and successfully delivered to the buyer’s address.
Watch this video as well for more tips about selling.
Mercari Prohibited Items (Don’t Ignore)
Selling any of Mercari’s restricted products can have massive consequences for you.
Discover this crucial list of items to ensure Mercari does not penalize you and you have to avoid selling them on their marketplace.
Here is the list of products you can’t sell on Mercari with examples:
- Anything illegal such as drugs
- FDA restricted such as foods
- Counterfeit goods such as listings of non-brands
- Weapons such as firearms or parts
- Digital items such as e-books
- Alcohol and Tobacco such as cigarettes
- Identity theft such as user login information
- Age-restricted products such as license
- Gambling such as mystery purchases
- Financial items such as insurance
- Animals such as dog
- Human body parts such as blood
- Pornographic material such as sex toys
- The things that are not yours such as dropshipping
- Safety hazard
- A computer virus, malware type items
These types of items are restricted by Mercari, so don’t sell them.
And, if someone is listing these items then Mercari has the right to give them penalties such as cancellation of listings, removal of listing privileges, termination, or suspension of an account.
So do your due diligence before selling and also delete the listing that falls under this list, if your account is still safe. 😄
Pros And Cons of Mercari
Here are the main pros and cons of Mercari that we think you can expect to encounter if using this marketplace.
Mercari Pros
#1 – Listing is free
Unlike eBay and some other online e-commerce marketplaces, listing your items on Mercari is entirely free.
#2 – Fairly price
It is a marketplace for old or used stuff that the seller doesn’t need anymore which means you’ll get the items at a fairly cheap price and save money.
#3 – Low selling fees
The fees are pretty low, Mercari charges a flat 10% selling fee once a sale is completed.
#4 – The shipping process is easy
The huge plus is that shipping items to your buyers are easy to navigate.
#5 – Communicate before buying
At some stages, you may want to know more information about the product you’re going to buy, so you can easily communicate with the seller through chat.
#6 – Listing items are so easy
Another benefit is that you can list the products easily and quickly within a few minutes.
#7 – Handle your business through your phone
You can pretty much do everything from your phone which is a huge advantage.
Mercari Cons
#1 – Lower end items aren’t worth
Mercari is not a place for very low-end items like ($1 to $15) because you have to pay a 10% fee to Mercari and then for shipping as well, and even if the buyer pays for shipping, it’s still not worth it.
#2 – Inactive sellers
Some sellers need to be active, they just list their items and a buyer doesn’t get a response.
#3 – Not get paid until buyer rates
As a seller, you’ll not get paid until the buyer rates you but for a buyer, it’s an advantage.
Conclusion
We hope that this post has so far confirmed that the answer to “Is Mercari a legit site?” and “Is Mercari safe?”, and much more.
The summary of this post in a few words is that whether you are a buyer or seller, you’ll have to do your due diligence when making a purchase and carefully monitor all your dealing to avoid any unwanted surprises.
So, after reading this entire article I can hopefully say that you have the information to catch out a scammer and how you can stay safe from them.
Now I want to turn it over to you:
Have you bought an item off Mercari? Have you ever had to use the dispute channels? What was your experience like?
Let me know all your stories by leaving a quick comment below right now.
FURTHER READING
I purchased an item off Mercari from some person in New Hampshire. It was a fair price at $170 and some change. The fellow would never ship the item. He even went so far as having the post office send me a tracking number which turned out to be invalid. The seller kept asking me if I would like to cancel. No I replied I want my item. The seller went on to tell a lie about how it had been shipped and he didn’t know how this problem keeps cropping up where it doesn’t list the item is being shipped. To make a long story short, mercari cancel my item. Now of course I can’t even leave feedback about this seller. I don’t even know how to find the seller on mercari anymore. The bad thing is this seller had over 50 completed transactions with fairly good feedback. So beware everyone, since it seems positive feedback doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get a fair completed transaction. As far as I’m concerned Mercari is the pits.
Mercari provides labels for the…
Mercari provides labels for the shipping chosen by the buyer when your item sells. If the shipping is late due to no fault of your own, people can then leave the review on your page when it does not reflect the seller but the carrier. As a seller once your item is in the carriers hands, it’s out of your control. I recently was given a bad rating because fedex was running behind like I control their business. It’s an unfair practice in my opinion. I give this app 1 star and that is being generous.
Mercari is NOT SAFE. Sellers and scammers can exploit the policy. Their product just needs to be believable for 3 days. Means if item is fake enough to convince u for 3 days you just lost ur money. Mercari doesn’t go the extra mile to ban or punish scammers. And if ur saying 3 days is plenty of time, you’ve obviously never seen a fake Luis Vuitton belt. Mercari fucked me over I had proof I was sold fraud shit and they just laughed and walked away with my money. Both seller and Mercari profit off corny scams. Policies are misleading and they don’t follow through with buyer protection. Again MERCARI IS NOT SAFE. Save yourself some real money and buy on eBay. They actually follow through with their protection.
Don’t buy from Mercari. My products came smashed they insisted I send them 10 pictures of the smash cups with the bits falling everywhere got cut on one. Then told me I would only get a refund after I sent the items back and were received by the seller, they also told me that I better get a receipt! They have wasting my time, tape, and energy etc. After that they state that if you leave a bad review for the seller your refund will be voided… amazing so no bad reviews can ever made for these sellers. Should it ne bad Enoch to warrant a refund. There is absolutely zero customer service absolutely no concern for their customers which are being put in to dangerous situations. Don’t ever buy from this place buy from a legit marketplace! BUYER BEWARE!
Mercari a complete scam for buyers. The app won’t load pictures to show damage, the customer support is a voicemail and their email support just recycles the oh can’t help you this is the wrong email associated with your account when it is.
Their 3 day window is also riddiculous if you complain on a Friday and they don’t get back to you.
I will never ever use it again
I bought 2 computers on Mercari. Shipping was slow. One arrived, dead. It would not power up. It also did not have as much memory or hard drive space as advertised. I informed Mercari, who sent me an email, late on a Friday night requesting photos from every possible angle. To be submitted within 24 hrs. Did not see the email right away. Because it was the weekend, I was not able to take the photos. So because I didnt meet their request for photos in time they denied my return request. I paid $500 and checked out the sellers reviews before purchasing. The second computer still hasnt arrived. Mercari says it has credited my account with credits to be spent at Mercari for other merch but they do not show up in my profile on the Mercari app. I feel as if I have been scammed not only by the seller, but Mercari too! They refuse to cooperate and insist that the credits are there, but they arent. And the seller, who has obviously broken all of Mercari’s rules, is still being allowed to sell items on Mercari. I was scammed all the way around and am now out $500. Mercari sucks IMHO!
Happened to me too. Pretty much the same thing. I’m more mad at Mercari than the seller at this point.
Mercari suck. Full of scams.
On 07/19/21 I made 3 purchases of 3 video cards on the Mercari.com internet site, which added up to $1,696.00.
The next day, I received information that 2 video cards were sent to me by the USPS with tracking code.
In the afternoon of the same day I received another message from mercari.com that my purchases were cancelled, and I was suspended from the site, I contacted them and they just said that their attitude was correct. And today 21/07/21 I am surprised to receive the 2 goods, but they were 2 iphone 6 cell phone cases that should cost less than $10 each.
Now I realize I’ve fallen for a blow.
I ordered an item and they said they notified the seller and I’m out my money because they never sent it
Here’s the real Scam… If they don’t ship, and you get angry and want to write a bad review, you can’t. You can’t write a review until you confirmed receipt. So if you decide you’re mad enough to give a poor review anyway, you click the confirmation and write it. But by clicking the confirmation, that means the seller gets to keep your money WITHOUT shipping your product. Mercari will tell you that enough canceled orders will make an account look bad, but that’s impossible because all the person has to do to boost their ratings is make a heap of really small purchases. They get rated as buyers to. It is pointless for a buy buyer get rated. They Lump together seller and buyer ratings to deceive you. So here I am trying to express my issue with my purchase, but Mercari tells me that I can just cancel. Here’s the next problem… if I cancel, it indicates that it was MY decision to not purchase the item. It does not reflect poorly on the seller who did not provide the product. I am severely dismayed to find that, if you do not receive the item, there is no way to provide a review. The way Mercari operates is deceitful and evasive.
I am currently dealing with this issue. The seller dropped off the item to USPS instead of UPS. All she did was apologize… but now I have to wait to cancel my order because she stopped responding and Mercari won’t let me cancel until it’s been 7 days with no tracking updates. I’m annoyed because I’m out the money and now I have to wait to get it back for HER mistake.
I may have hit the buy button twice nobody to con contact I will contact pay pal
the automatic rate by Mercari is a problem.There are many things that can stop someone from asking for a refund within 3 days, including mistakes made when claiming something was delivered and time waiting for the seller to communicate.Mercari doesnt help much, after 3 days the seller is paid and you have lost your money
I was only given 24 hrs to provide photos from every angle of a dead computer. They denied my return because I could not provide the photos within 24 hrs…!
Thank you using it works easily for me did have one scammer buyer mecari will not get back with me on the matter. Left three messages two emails.
Just wanted first to thank you for your comprehensive but “clean” explanation of Mercari.
Regarding buying on Mercari…I have purchased a number of items (maybe 12?) and have been 100% satisfied with every purchase. Exactly what I had wanted at great price. Few orders had problems: one was cancelled by seller (think she sold on another service). My payment was refunded just like it supposed to be. Another situation the seller did not send – I cancelled and got the refund. Seller wrote me an apology saying she missed the order! No problem I could probably repurchase if I wanted to (haven’t yet).
Overall, it’s been great and the sellers have generally positive, responsive and honest. I am very impressed with the platform and those the sellers so far.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Mercari 🙂
Good info. Short and to the point and understandable in layman’s terms. Thank you.
You’re welcome. 🙂
I was scammed by a seller on Mercari. She sent me damaged goods and Mercari protected her
Mercari worst than a bee wax they cancel my account with out telling me what was the reason they also wanted take my money away I ask what was the reason for closing my account never got a correct answer but pure lies.
I paid $26 (w/shipping) for a puzzle of a Mustang car. The box was a Mustang puzzle box, but the puzzle inside was a kitten. I initiated a return. They needed pictures, so we had to put the puzzle together – which took a few days to do (since I work full time and we had no picture of what the puzzle was to look like). Then Mercari said it was over their 3 day allowance for returns. They refused to send a return label and THEY rated the seller ON MY BEHALF!!!! – WHICH IN TURN CLOSED THE CASE. I WILL NEVER ORDER THRU MERCARI EVER AGAIN. AND I WILL MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS PRACTICES. MY REVIEWS WILL NOT BE KIND.
That makes my blood boil for you …
same with me, except i never got it and wasted 11 dollars
same with me, but it never came instead of being different
They did the same to me! I purchased 2 “working” computers, got one, it was dead. Second one never arrived. Denied return because I could not give them their pictures in 24 hrs…
Same thing happened to me. Bought 2 computers. First one arrived and would not power up. Notified Mercari. They wanted photos from every possible angle within 24 hrs! It was the weekend and I could not do it. So they have denied my return and refund request. The second computer has never arrived. And the seller is still selling on Mercari…
Mercari steals your shipping insurance money. Do not use them.
Mercari are crooked Japanese sellers…Suing & bringing criminal charges of fraud
Mercari let seller keep my printer he claimed he wanted to return AND CLOSED MY ACCOUNT with out resolving this matter.
How does one contact Mercari for non receipt of the package I ordered
BEWARE OF SELLER “CLOSET ROUSS” ON MERCARI!
I wanted to add my negative review here along with ALL the other bad reviews of Mercari. I wish I had seen these reviews prior to ordering from this site. I had this similar problem happen to me once before with Mercari and I wish I should have learned my lesson the first time. “Fool me once…” I guess!
I purchased a pair of boots on the Mercari site that were list men’s size 9. When I got them I immediately noticed they were not men’s boots but women’s boots. How did I know they were women’s and not men’s? I already had a men’s size 9 boot and ordered these because they were a different color. I submitted a request for a refund to Mercari support but it was denied. I had several back and forth emails with them but they would not grant me a refund. They said basically, it was my fault I did not verify with the seller these were indeed men’s boots, prior to purchasing these boot.
After refusing to refund my money for a item that turned out to be broken I reached out to the mercari team. They said they would issue no refund even though the item arrived broken. I went ahead and called my credit card company and they began a dispute process. As soon as I did that I received a message in mercari stating I must stop the charge dispute or they would cancel my account. Until I proved I had stopped the dispute my account was frozen. This has been the continued statement from them when I reach out- cancel the dispute or the account will be canceled, till then the account is frozen. They are the worst.
Mercari is not a good place to buy sneakers if you are a collector.The site is full of fake jordans and nikes and pretty much any other brands that are expensive. I would say that 50 percent maybe more of the jordans on mercari are fakes. BEWARE BUYERS!!!!;
I had an account about a lot of stuff off in Kearny I was happy with my items I got a notice to change my password and my email do you change my email I tried to put in new passwords it would not allow me I have stuff in my cart waiting to pay forward I had talked to one lady the last one I bought things from she asked me my name and want to be my friend on Facebook may be an elderly person excepted that gave her my name which is the same name that muchThat my stuff is melting now I cannot get back into my account to pay for my stuff or order my stuff I don’t know if this person has stole my debit card from my bank information I don’t know what went wrong I’m trying to put in a new password and I can’t so I guess my days of buying is over any clues as to how to fix this anybody need help
“According to Mercari, they’ll not release payments until the buyer receives the item, confirm and rate the seller.”
This does not hold true in my three purchases on Mercari… @ least in regard to Mercari withdrawing funds from PayPal. The funds have been withdrawn from my banking account through PayPal immediately after purchase receipt of items. In one instance, Mercari withdrew funds THREE times for the SAME transaction, and it took multiple contacts with customer service to rectify. And this particular seller STILL has not sent my items after four days! Another purchase I made just today has been cancelled by the seller because she says she made a mistake, but the funds have ALREADY been withdrawn from my account and Mercari only says sorry, but it will take up to FIVE business days to return my money! Both of these sellers have excellent ratings : /.
Thank you for this article. I actually made an error and did not put in a tracking number once I had shipped an item, (well within Mercari’s Requirement period). The Buyer had received the item, and also cancelled the sell, the same day. Mercari handled the situation, was very empathetic, explained where I made the mistake, and actual gave me credit for the item, as well as the buyer was able to keep the item. That, my friends, is AWESOME customer service!
Mercari is total crap. I would not recommend it to anyone. They have ZERO support. Any issues or concerns are met with a canned response. You WILL NEVER, NEVER get actual help. Sellers have no protections. I have been swindled out of funds by buyers claiming issues with orders. They get to keep items, Get them for free and MEcari does nothing to protect the seller. DON’T USE!!!
Where do you recommend to sell instead?
Hey Jessica, It depends! Let me know what items you wanna sell?
ebay. it is larger, and not a scam
All we did was to buy a product off of the Mercari platform…we were required to create an account. I was not satisfied with the purchase so I have been trying for two days to delete my account and STOP all the Mercari marketing emails…and to date after several emails back and forth I have been unable to delete my account. Any outfit that locks you in this tightly can’t be trusted in my opinion! I would not do business with them even if I could save a ton of money. Something is not right here!
You can unsubscribe from Mercari emails by clicking on an email sent by them and scrolling to the bottom and looking for “unsubscribe” and then uncheck the boxes. Easy as that.
yep, something is not right. do not buy on Mercari. you will get the wrong item or it won’t come
I just sold my first item on there, an 800.00 ring and they buyer says they didn’t get it, but I sent it by certified mail and I contacted the US postal inspectors who are investigating it. I had 500 in insurance, but the US postal inspectors are the best bet to take them down.
Just got burned by the Mercari system. Placed an order, received a tracking number and a few days later received a message saying my package had been delivered. Not delivered, so opened tracking , which said delivered to NY. I live in ID and that was the address on the order. Tried to contact Mercari through the website, but it said they would not take my request, I needed to wait 48 hrs. to see if the package showed up. After 48 hrs, the system allowed me to send an email about the problem. Received a response a day later saying they would check into it. A day after that received a response that they had resolved my issue with seller and I should let them know if I did not receive a new tracking number. New tracking did not show up, so emailed again. Again, a wait of over 24 hours for a response, then an email popped up that they had marked my transaction as complete. Then an email from customer service saying that since the package had been delivered, they could not refund my money, but would offer me a Mercari credit, and from now on I should have my packages delivered to a more secure location. Sigh. Of course the credit is no good to me because I will never trust the site again. Now I searched and see on Reddit that this scam has been going on since 2018 and obviously Mercari has not fixed it. Just a heads-up. Buyer beware.
I buy through Marcari & have purchased many items ( women’s clothing, shoes & accessories ) over the past 3 years. They have some great deals on designer jeans & clothing.
But buyers BEWARE because I got scammed not once but TWICE, latest being today when I received synthetic hair extension not worth more than $10 which I paid $135 + shipping for!
First scam was BAD ENOUGH, I received jeans containing human blood in the crotch area NOT A STAIN, ACTUAL BLOOD. MERCARI refused to refund me because 3 days passed but I was away and on day 4 I got my package. They refused despite just receiving my order. Their customer service is HORRIBLE AND THEY ARE ASININE & GREEDY so know this going in.
Today I learned, IF YOU mark an item “received” & rate the seller, the payment is released…so if you rate the seller a horrible one with 1 star, they get paid and you lose out!
LUCKILY, I did not mark the item delivered only by pure chance. Mercari sends you a message upon receipt telling you to confirm and rate but they do not tell you the rating will nullify any warranty / refunds.
So I’m sitting here now thinking what my best option is as far as how to report this so I get reimbursed.
Your information was really helpful. I have several items I need to sell. How do I sign up?
You’re welcome, Deborah. Take a look at this quick guide about selling on Mercari.
do not sell on Mercari. places like Ebay are better
Hi all , I have been shopping and selling on Mercari for few years
I only buy and sale luxury items
I have sold more then buy
So far I have no bad experience
Hopefully never
Tip always ask questions and more pictures if needed
Only buy from seller have all 5 stars review at least a few review
Check out seller item for sale
I also shop on eBay pretty often
I do love eBay money back quarantine , but I never sale on eBay only as a buyer
And I do like as seller on Mercari that buyer have 3 days to rate after received item once rate transaction is complete, also Mercari items n shipping fee a lot cheaper compared eBay
Hi,
Do you know if Mercari authenticate is legitimate? Can they ever accidentally authenticate a fake bag?
I didn’t see anywhere how I get paid when an item sells.
Mercari sounds like a big scam site! I will look elsewhere for the items I am in need of.
Really? How do? Where in the article and comments do you see anything that would cause you to come to your conclusion? Just curious.
yep, it is
I have, in the last week, attempted to purchase three different listings. On the first, I never heard from the seller so I cancelled the transaction (4 days). On the second and third listings, I clicked add to cart, checked out immediately, and then the sellers cancelled the transactions within minutes of paying the full asking price. At least one of them has been relisted at a higher price. I am starting to think it’s a site even worse than ebay!
Short story is Mercari’s customer support, especially for a buyer, has got worse over time. I just got burned on an item with a bad description because they would not approve the return. If they disagree with your return request they immediately close the transaction and you own it. You cannot leave a negative review for a bad seller in that situation. I’ve stopped buying or selling on Mercari.
I received synthetic hair today not worth more than $10. I paid $135+shipping for the hair. I have not taken any action this just happened. What is my best course of action to get my money back?
i don’t think you can
Coach Purse
I brought a coach purse from Katherin Aucoin. #m13166668176 for $ 27.00 plus tax and shipping cost. I received the purse and immediately opened it up and expected it right away it was a little dirty and l notice on the back of the purse the handles at the bottom that connects the purse handle where cracked. I contacted the seller about another coach purse and asked to see the handle do to the fact l purchased a another purse with cracked handles . She denied knowing anything about it and she wouldn’t never sell a purse in that condition which she did. I think of her as a unprofessional seller who didn’t disclose in discription the wear and tear on the handles. She went as far as blaming me for cracked handles that l have not used and clearly seen it when l removed it from box. What outrageous lie and l want something done. I will never buy or use Mercari App ever…… I will donate it too Goodwill were it belongs and the money l paid for it as charity… They have at Mercari low class sellers and high tax and shipping cost LESSON Learned!! If Katherin Aucoin is selling anything especially a coach purse carefully look at it and my recommendation is never buy from her lying rude self
Thanks for your article! Lots of good info.
You’re welcome, Amy 🙂
MERCARI REVIEW – Just go to The California.(San Francisco) Better Business Bureau and after reading the reviews and you go ahead and do business with this site you will deserve all the bad things that will happen to you.
I was swindled and scammed. Customer Service did nothing but give me a run around for weeks and weeks.
Counterfeit items, misrepresented items. etc., etc………..
It seems that all of the rotten sellers that were thrown off of Ebay and other like sites are scamming people on this site.
STAY AWAY! NOT WORTH THE AGGRAVATION THAT YOU WILL ENCOUNTER!
Hey Benjamin, Sad to hear that however thank you for sharing your bad experience with others.
Thanks Benjamin for posting your experience on Mercari. I’m downsizing and thinking of online selling but didn’t know much about it or this site. I think I’ll look into E-bay.
I’m also so grateful that Arslan posted such detailed info. on this subject with an avenue for everyone’s feedback. Thanks again Benjamin and everyone!
You’re welcome, Michelle 🙂
That goes both way. Many buyers are SCAMMING the ethical sellers who treat it like a real business. The customer service is TERRIBLE and they will allow people to scam you, stalk and now apparently you must RE-verify your device, DESPITE BEING a Highly trusted seller! That platform comprises SELLER SAFETY, they ignore things like harassment, restraining orders and just tell you too bad. The GOOD sellers are at the mercy of the buyers, who have no clue how commerce works. If you have a top notch store, NEW everything, amazing packaging & are fast then you should not be treated like a dog. Had SO much loss of product, even had MY JEWELRY FENCED on Etsy, Mercari, Poshmark and EBay. They are ALL fencing chains, bought MY OWN STOLEN JEWELRY BACK. Huge federal crime, these platforms don’t care, anything to make a buck. Now they suddenly want to be “law abiding” I’m calling a spade a spade. They want to absolve themselves of liability and are just harvesting more info. If you don’t re-verify, download NEW app & accept new terms of service then you are locked out of your account. Everyone who has stolen from me there STILL has accounts. I’m moving to Amazon & Shopify. It’s DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT for any Decent Seller. Thankless & they encourage you to literally give things away. Their shipping is HORRIBLE. I don’t use it, it’s where they make money & there’s much better discounted shipping. It’s a great place for people who don’t care. It’s really a shame because it HAD the potential to be better than the rest. But they blew it, what a waste.
yep, they had potential, but its just a scam site
I have an issue going on where the tracking number says the item was delivered, but nothing ever showed up. I notified them right away and even told them if I didn’t get the item in the next day or so that I wanted my money back. A couple of days go by and they released the money to the seller without confirming with me all because a computer says it was delivered. That computer could very easily be wrong but that doesn’t matter. So much confidence in technology is sickening. Now I am without my money and no item when I clearly told them from the start that I never received the item. Bunch of thieves that don’t give a f*** about you once they get your money.
If you received a tracking number..and it was stated as delivered by the service..then it was not the fault of the seller. The seller has no control at the delivery level and is not required to refund the seller. Theft at the delivery site is often the reason you did not get it. Shipping insurance covers damage and non delivered items. Often..if a seller issues an early refund under these conditions…the item may show up later….and he has already refunded the buyer! So….the seller not only refunded when he should not have..BUT..now..the buy also has the item!! The seller loses both ways.
EXACTLY. Thank you! Sellers get scammed constantly. My first 3 buyers pulled that move, Mercari didn’t do ANYTHING. Won’t even release funds for items people received. It’s not a good place to be a seller. If you’re good and neat & tight then the buyers will take advantage of you and many will try to price shame. They’ll look something up, see it on some crazy sale and rifle off that they want to pay those prices LOL! They know dam$ well that you’re PAYING, to sell & ship if you take those deals. They expect you to take whatever they offer. It’s ridiculous, I buy low & try to sell cheap but always NEW & perfect. And I have clean ratings, but some are sooooo thankless and won’t rate you just to punish you LOL. Like that $20-$100 is really going to break you. Please, I won’t even collect from some of them because they are so nasty it’s not worth it.
If it was marked “delivered” that is because the company who shipped the item, delivered the item ( they don’t lie ). What happened to the package once it left drivers hands is anybody’s guess. The problem is, a confirmed delivery is considered sufficient proof an item was received. This means the seller did their part.
same with me
Mercari is NOT a safe place to buy. I have personal experience with buying something not as described. I bought a camera lens and asked if it fit my camera. And it was not cheap. When it arrived I tried it and it didn’t fit. Oh, and they took out the money the same day I order it. So yes they do take the money before you rate the seller. Customer service is horrible. Mercari does not want to give a return shipping label and refund my money despite doing all that they asked me to do. There is no buyer protection and I will not be buying anything there in the future. Mercari failed to protect buyers despite what they claim. They are just into getting their share of the money from the sellers. It’s much better and safer for a buyer to shop at Amazon and EBay.
Thanks Sammi for sharing your experience!
They take out the money before they rate the Seller and Mercari holds it. Only after you rate they release it. But they give you 3 days to rate them. But after the 3rd day of not hearing from a Buyer they will release the funds minus the fees to the seller. Just like most other selling sites. They will hold your money until it gets to you. 3 days is your opportunity to say something. So, no, just because you paid to purchase something, since they do have to make sure the funds are in there in order For you to buy something, does not mean that it ever went to the seller. Mercari does take a percentage out so they deduct that and the shipping from what is made right off the bat. Never have they released money to a seller the day you bought it!! Mercari should have refunded you I think that’s wrong if you asked the questions to the seller of what specific lens it is. And they said yes it would fit yours. You should have received a refund for them misrepresenting it. They see what is being messaged between buyer and seller. They would have refunded it. What happened I can’t say.
I think this is a tough one personally since the seller is not a retailer or dealer of said product, how are they to know if it will fit a buyers equipment?
I would think it would be on the buyer to know beforehand exactly what type of lens they need.
My son sold an item on Mercari, described it accurately, shipped it on-time, and provided good photos. The buyer decided to return it for no reason, and Mercari approved it. We can’t reach Mercari by phone, and via chat Mercari is not being responsive at all. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND USING THIS SITE. My son does not have his item or the payment for it. There is a scam in process.
Sad to hear that, thank you Julie for sharing your son’s experience with Mercari.
Hello Julie if possible can you share, the outcome of your experience. I am actually in the middle of a similar situation, sent an item with a value of $250, buyer received it and a day later requested a to return the item back to me due to insufficient packaging. Can’t get a hold of Mercari via phone nor chat. Dont have the item nor the payment. I feel like i was scammed by the buyer and Mercari.
Thanks Erica (and Julie) for posting/sharing your experience. Sounds like Mercari fails to have a return clause process (that includes return labels with tracking and holding the buyers funds until the seller confirms their return). Then, if no return confirmation, releasing the funds to the seller.
I’ll definitely stay away from this site due to everyone’s feedback. Thank you!
Been there, it’s why I won’t list anything expensive anymore. No way! Too many times. So sorry, that’s a substantial loss, Etsy is just as bad. Etsy & Poshmark allowed a person who robbed me to fence my Jewelry there. Only EBay was willing to cooperate on ANY level. It costs a lot of time and money. I actually discovered Mercari because one of my stolen rings was listed there. Ended up buying one of my stolen necklaces from that seller. Bought MY stolen property off of Etsy and they knowingly facilitated this. Some of my items are STILL listed. People are going to prison, but I had to do most of the work myself. These people who fenced have felonies for theft. I even sent their rap sheets. It’s comical that any of these platforms have community guidelines, they do not enforce them.
oof, that’s sad.
Sounds like the scam already took place!
I was selling laptops on Mercari, every item has actual photos and very detailed description exactly matches the item.
A Chinese woman with the PO BOX address bought a laptop from me and lied to me about receiving the item. now returning it for no proper reason and they approved her request. But I lost a lot of time. I would have sold it locally even for higher price. I’m never gonna sell anything to people with PO BOX address again. No wonder eBay sellers hate people with PO BOX address.
Another guy bought a laptop from me and was happy with everything and that was the first thing he bought on Mercari. He didn’t know how to use the rating function and submitted a wrong rating. (I think they should improve this functionality of Mercari). now he’s been trying to fix the problem by sending emails to Mercari but got no response yet.
My experience with Mercari as a seller, NO GOOD! not going to use it again.
Sad to hear that, Brad.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Your comment is confusing and unclear. You claim the buyer “lied to me about receiving the item.”
Huh? If they lied about receiving it then how did they send it back?
You claim buyer no is:
“now returning it for no proper reason and they approved her request”
Also, what do you consider a “proper reason”? Apparently no Mercari considers it a “proper reason” you mean a “valid reason” right?
Well my experience was mixed. One transaction was perfect. But the second time I never got the item, could not contact the seller (she did not reply) and there was NO customer service to help me out. Very annoying and frustrating and ultimately as big waste of time. I went through paypal to get my money back. I will not shop at mercari ever again, I will just stick to ebay where there is some actual oversight. Never had a problem with ebay!
Thank you Kitty for sharing your experience!
Thank You there was a lot of really good information to make a decision. I Appreciate your time and effort put into this article.
Hi Peggy, you’re welcome. 🙂
You’re right, Mercari is legitimate and secure but we need to be assured about the seller as well as a buyer when dealing.
Thank you for this helpful article!
Hi Jessica,
You’re welcome. Happy to help.
Informative article, as always! Thanks for all the solid advice Arslan.
You’re welcome, Tim.
I shipped a expensive item using the printed Mercari label. The package was picked up from my place of business that happens to video record all shipping and receiving for security reasons. The package was picked up by our regular USPS carrier on 9/28. USPS scans packages at pickup which in turn creates the manifesto and updates tracking info until it’s delivered. My package shows only the first shipped entry without any updates. I have no reason to mistrust the carrier, he is our regular carrier and has acknowledged he received the package. I have filed an inquiry with the post office and waiting for an update, the buyer is aware of the lost package and has been very understanding. I have been in constant contact with Mercari and received the following:
“No worries, if your order has not received any tracking updates by October 8, 2020, please let us know and we will revisit this case. “.
On the 9th Mercari responded the following:
“Having said that, we are unable to release funds until we can confirm delivery to the buyer”
I find it hard to believe the seller could have received the package without any tracking updates so the package seems to be lost or stolen.
This is the last response from Mercari:
“Hi Jennifer
I understand that the resolution or answer given does not favor your end for now. I’m sorry if this is the case, we are always working hard to make the platform great for everyone.
However, for this kind of situation, this is the path that we have to go through, based on our market guidelines.”
This is the WORST customer service I have ever seen. It appears to me that the seller has no protection for lost packages, any reputable company the size of Mercari should stand behind the sale and release funds.
Stay away from the site or be aware you have ABSOLUTELY no protection or help and will be out your money and item If anything goes wrong !!
Mercari is NOT a safe place to buy. I have personal experience with buying something not as described. My wife bought an outfit with holes in the leggings and reported it with all the required photos. Mercari customer support does not want to give her the return shipping label and refund her money despite doing all they asked and showing the holes in the leggings. There is no buyer protection and we will not be buying anything there in the future. Mercari failed to protect the buyer despite what they claim. Customer service is horrible at best. It’s much better and safer for a buyer to shop at eBay.
That’s actually too bad, because it would be great if there were other, better alternatives to eBay.
Hello John,
As I said already in the post, everyone that is buying and selling stuff has to be careful. Did you check the seller reviews and description before buying?
Bye the way, Thank you for sharing your experience.
John said there were photos, but the seller neglected to show photos of the holes, OR tell them about them so they could decide what to do. It is the fact that Mercari didn’t honor taking care of the customer that concerns me even more.
I tried that, this happened. trusted seller, item that I want, cheaper than normal but still reasonable; never comes. tracking number incorrect, ordered a few weeks ago, still hasn’t come. ask seller about it, gives a new tracking number, still doesn’t work ect… ect…
THAT is outrageous to buy something and NOT have the customer service to make it right. I was going to start listing with them, but think I’ll just stay with eBay…SO SORRY you got screwed…let’s hope KARMA catches up with the seller, SOON.
Great post!
Question for you: Can I pay or get paid with PayPal?
Thanks.
Thank you, Simon.
So, the answer to your question is that you can pay for items during checkout with PayPal but you can’t get paid with it.