Being a reseller in 2024 has definitely been an interesting journey to say the least… Many aspects of this business have changed from years past and resellers have had to adapt to some unexpected circumstances. One of the biggest surprises in 2024 to date has been the sudden change in Mercari’s selling policies and terms of service. This change took many resellers by surprise and has had mixed reactions across the reselling community. Today, I wanted to share with you some information on Mercari’s sudden changes and how they have impacted my full-time reselling business.
Overview of Mercari’s Policy Changes in 2024
In March, Mercari surprised their platform’s users and updated many of the policies without notice. Many of these changes appeared to be benefiting sellers while simultaneously hurting buyers. Let’s talk about some of the specifics:
Update #1: Mercari Removed Their Selling Fees– This update is great news for sellers! Previously, Mercari sellers would have fees removed from their earnings which resulted in a lower payout. With this new update, sellers will receive 100% of their earnings. Wait, so then how is Mercari getting paid?
Update #2: Buyers Will Be Charged More Fees Instead- If sellers are not going to be charged fees anymore, then they will instead be transferred to buyers. Now, when making a purchase on Mercari, a buyer will be charged a service fee, shipping costs, sales tax, and a processing fee ($0.50 + 2.9% of the transaction price). Yes, you read that correctly. These additional fees add up rather quickly and have the potential to deter people from shopping on the app.
Update #3: Sellers Will Be Charged to Remove Their Money From the App- Prior to these changes, Mercari sellers were able to transfer money out of the app without paying a fee. There was a $3 fee if a seller wanted to perform an instant transfer. Now, sellers will have to pay a fee regardless of how soon they wish to receive their funds. An instant transfer is still $3 per transfer and a standard transfer is $2 per transfer. It appears as though Mercari made this change in order to keep funds within the app and encourage users to spend money within the app itself.
Update #4: Open Return Policy- This is probably the most controversial update that Mercari announced. Now, buyers can return an item on the app within 3 days of delivery for any reason and receive a full refund. This policy applies to all item categories. This change will give buyers more confidence in their purchases knowing that they can return an item within the 3 day return window but it also has the potential to be abused by users as well.
The Impact of Mercari’s Latest Features on My Reselling Ventures
When this update was announced, I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Over my 10+ years of reselling, I have experienced many unannounced platform changes that have affected my reselling business. Whenever big changes like this are announced, it is very easy to let emotions take over; Immediately, you tell yourself how unfair it is, get angry, and maybe even say some choice words under your breath. But the reality is that we don’t actually own the platforms that we sell on. We are users on these platforms that through our sales make a larger company easy profits. The only way to fully own our reselling businesses is to sell our items online through a website that we own and operate. So, knowing that there was nothing that I could do to change the situation, I had two options: (1) Wait it out and see how these changes would directly impact my reselling business or (2) Impulsively decide to stop selling on Mercari and take down all of my listings. I decided that the more rational thing for me to do was to go with the first option.
So what happened?
Well, life proceeded as normal and I continued to make sales on Mercari. I will admit that I was a little anxious to make sales with the new return policy but I knew that I couldn’t let my fears stop me from running my business. After making multiple $50 sales in both mine and Eric’s Mercari accounts with no returns or issues, I know that staying on Mercari for the foreseeable future is the right decision for me and my business.
In fact, since the changes began, I have had an overall increase in Mercari sales. Additionally, my average sales price on the app has increased along with profit margins. Since I am no longer incurring the fees, I have the ability to price items lower for my buyers, accept more offers, and give buyers discounted shipping options. Although, I do have to pay $2 for each bank transfer, it is better than having to pay seller fees on the app. Overall, I am glad that I patiently waited it out and I am interested in seeing how Mercari’s changes will impact the platform long-term.
I hope that you find this post helpful! If you have any questions or just want to chat, please reach out!
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