Mercari

Nine dimensions merchants should review before joining:

Merchant snapshot

Japan's No.1 C2C second-hand marketplace with high-growth cross-border exports; seller fees of about 10% were reinstated in January 2026. Suited to individuals/small sellers and brand inventory clearance; not suited to stable-pricing B2C.

Entry requirements

Individual C2C sellers can register and start selling immediately (phone number + identity verification; occasional personal sales need no Secondhand Goods Dealer license). Corporations/brands can open stores via Mercari Shops (メルカリShops, review-based). Cross-regional view: the Japan site mainly serves Japanese sellers (registration, language and settlement are Japan-centric); cross-border is in the direction of Japanese sellers selling to overseas buyers such as Taiwan via Mercari Global Shopping (cross-border transaction value >¥90B). Direct onboarding of overseas sellers on the Japan site is restricted; per official cross-border rules.

Fee structure

Seller fees were abolished in 2022 (0%) and reinstated from January 2026, along with buyer-fee adjustments (yilantop). Third-party fee guides show the Japan site charges a flat 10% of the sale price, with no listing fees or monthly fees, and a withdrawal fee of JPY 200 per transaction (free via PayPay Bank, minimum withdrawal JPY 200; per furima-navi 2026; exact Japan-site rates per official announcements). Competitor rate comparison (third-party): Rakuma 6%, Yahoo! Auctions 8.8%–10% + Yahoo Premium JPY 508/month. Mercari Shops corporate-store rates and the Mercari US site structure differ; per official sources.

Getting traffic

In-platform search + category browsing dominate; C2C two-sided liquidity (supply/demand) is the core organic traffic. Platform campaigns (キャンペーン, coupons) and new-listing placements can boost exposure. Cross-border exports reach overseas buyers such as Taiwan via Global Shopping. There is no open third-party ad system (qualitative description); traffic allocation follows platform algorithms and listing scores (review count, response speed).

Fulfilment & logistics

Platform-partnered shipping dominates: Rakuraku Mercari Bin (らくらくメルカリ便, via Yamato Transport: Nekopos/TA-Q-BIN) and Yuuyuu Mercari Bin (ゆうゆうメルカリ便, via Japan Post). Shipping is tiered by size with good cost-performance. Cross-border exports use Global Shipping for international forwarding, and overseas buyers can order with shipping included. Delivery time depends on the chosen method (typically 1–3 days domestic, 1–2 weeks cross-border).

Payments & settlement

Buyer payment supports credit cards, PayPay, pay-later (後払い), convenience-store payment, etc. Proceeds enter the seller's 'sales balance' (売上金, the Merpay/Mercari Wallet system) and are released after both parties rate each other. Sellers can withdraw to a bank (JPY 200 per withdrawal, 1–3 business days; free via PayPay Bank) or spend within the platform. Settlement currency is JPY; cross-border export settlement rules per official sources.

Compliance

Occasional personal sales generally need no Secondhand Goods Dealer license, but resellers operating as a business must obtain a license under the Secondhand Articles Dealer Act (古物営業法). Business sellers need JCT consumption-tax invoice compliance. The platform has governance mechanisms against counterfeits, brand infringement and resale (e.g., game consoles), but controversies persist (per 360game/JSTAGE analyses). Sellers must watch IP and truthful product descriptions to avoid high dispute rates that lead to restrictions.

Key risks

1) Flip-flopping fee policy (abolished 2022 → reinstated Jan 2026) damages seller trust, and individual sellers may move to free/lower-fee rivals (Rakuma, Yahoo! Auctions, etc.); 2) marketplace GMV growth is slowing (Morningstar), with growth depending on fee changes and cross-border; 3) C2C counterfeit/dispute/resale governance is a long-term cost, and low-priced new goods from Temu and others undercut second-hand price anchors; 4) execution and compliance risks in cross-border and US expansion.

Best-fit sellers

Best suited to Japanese individuals/small sellers offloading idle and second-hand goods, and to brands clearing inventory or testing second-hand channels via Mercari Shops. Cross-border sellers can sell to overseas buyers such as Taiwan via Global Shopping. Not suited to merchants needing stable pricing, brand image and scaled B2C operations — C2C bargaining and price anchors are low, and after the 10% fee reinstatement, margins on small low-ticket items are squeezed.

Sources

research/sections/jp_platforms.md 5.2.4; 各地区电商平台Top5深度研究报告.md 5.1; yilantop https://www.yilantop.com/news/49695; furima-navi https://furima-navi.jp/en/blog/mercari-fees-explained; sellerfeecalc https://sellerfeecalc.com/mercari-fees/selling-fee; lifenews https://lifenews.com.tw/487122; Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/company-reports/1262969-mercari-earnings-slowing-gmv-growth-in-marketplace-will-not-hurt-margins-shares-undervalued

Mercari appears in the Top-5 lists of 1 regions: Japan.

• Japan（#4）：C2C secondhand leader; expanding into cross-border and finance (Merpay)

Every figure is taken from that region’s Top-5 report and source audit. No cross-region conversion or new estimates: