If you’re looking to make extra money, selling clothes online is one of the easiest ways. After all, clothes are one of those items we quickly outgrow and hoard, so why not earn some of your investment back? One platform that allows you to do this is Mercari.
Selling clothes on Mercari is worth it because they offer lower fees than most e-commerce marketplaces. You can also list clothes and ship them with minimal effort. However, making your first sale might take time because new listings are added each day, and your listing may get buried in the feed.
This article will explore if selling clothes on Mercari is viable for you. I’ll also discuss how the platform works and factors for you to consider before selling your clothes on Mercari. I’ll even show you 5 Mercari alternatives.
What Is Mercari, and How Does It Work?
Mercari is an online marketplace where you can sell clothing, handmade goods, electronics, accessories, and a host of other items. They allow you to sell new or used items. So, if you possess items that are cluttering your space, you can easily list them for sale.
Selling clothes on Mercari is an excellent way to make extra money from clothing you’ve outgrown or isn’t your style anymore. It’s also a good side-hustle for college students looking to make money online.
To sell your clothing on Mercari, you need to:
- Create a listing by clicking “sell.”
- Add a description of the clothing you want to sell.
- Add images.
- Select the clothing category.
- Enter the brand of your clothes.
- Enter the color of your clothes.
- Enter a listing price.
- You can choose to add a shipping fee or cover the shipping yourself.
It’s effortless to use Mercari’s interface to list your clothing. And unlike most e-commerce marketplaces, Mercari doesn’t charge sellers a listing fee. However, they charge a 10% commission on every sale you make.
An important point to consider is how you’re going to ship your product. Mercari provides options for shipping, where you can choose to ship the item yourself or make the customer pay a shipping fee.
Mercari pays you after your item is delivered, and the buyer rates you. However, if three days pass and the buyer fails to rate you, an automatic rating of 5 stars is awarded to you by Mercari to complete the transaction. And you will get paid.
Is Mercari Legit?
Mercari is a legit marketplace. Their platform is built to protect both buyers and sellers from fraudulent transactions. However, while the platform itself is legitimate, the people using Mercari could potentially scam you. Unfortunately, Mercari is unable to filter everyone trading on their site.
There have been instances of fraud, for example, where a buyer scams a seller into revealing their credit card details. And buyers can sometimes receive damaged items that don’t resemble what they initially ordered on the platform.
However, these instances are few and rare, and you’ll never have to worry about Mercari itself scamming you.
Factors To Consider Before Deciding if Mercari Is Worth It for You
Here are ten factors to consider before you decide to sell clothes on Mercari:
- Mercari charges commission and extra fees. For every sale you make, Mercari takes a 10% commission. In addition, all direct deposits below $10 are subject to a processing fee of $2, which is the same charge should your bank reject a direct deposit transfer.
- Mercari has lower fees compared to most E-Commerce platforms. Mercari has lower fees compared to other platforms like Poshmark and eBay.
- Payments have a waiting period. When a buyer purchases from you, you don’t immediately get paid. You wait three days after delivery for the buyer to rate you. However, if the buyer doesn’t rate you after three days, Mercari will automatically give you a 5-star rating and release your payment.
- Buyers can be unnecessarily difficult. When buyers receive your item, they might be unnecessarily difficult and want a return for ridiculous reasons. Sellers have reported cases where buyers return clothes, not in the same condition as when sent, including damaged or soiled with dirt. And unfortunately, Mercari tends to favor the buyer more than the seller in such matters.
- The platform focuses on buyer ratings. Mercari does this to establish trust and weed out unscrupulous sellers. This could work in your favor or not, as other buyers are more likely to purchase from you if you have good ratings, and others won’t if you have bad ratings.
- Mercari offers various shipping options. Mercari has a multitude of shipping options to benefit you as a seller. You can either cover the shipping fee or ask the buyer to pay it. If you cover the cost yourself, you will need to package it and ship it to the buyer. And if you choose Mercari Local to ship, they will schedule a day and time to pick up your clothing and deliver it to the buyer (no packaging required).
- You may sell a wide selection of items. Mercari doesn’t limit you to selling clothing. If you want to declutter your home or transition out of selling clothes, you’re permitted to sell various other items, such as home and garden supplies, electronics, and other accessories using the site.
- The platform is easy to use. Mercari has a user-friendly interface, where you can easily navigate the site and list items to sell.
- Sales might be slower than on other platforms. You might have to wait weeks before your first sale as many products are listed every day. Therefore, your listings may get buried in the algorithm.
- A bank account is required to receive payment. Although buyers can use online wallets like PayPal to purchase items, sellers need a bank account to get paid.
5 Alternatives to Mercari
Mercari isn’t the only online marketplace to sell clothes. Here are five other alternatives to consider if you decide Mercari isn’t worth it for you:
#1 Poshmark
You can also sell new or used clothing on Poshmark. And sellers interested in selling more trendier and unique items will benefit most here. Poshmark charges a 20% commission on every sale over $15 and a flat rate fee of $2.95 for anything under that.
#2 Tradesy
Tradesy is suited for sellers who want to sell high-value or designer clothing. However, this option can be less profitable for sellers compared to other platforms. Tradesy charges a 19.8% commission on every sale over $50 and a flat rate fee of $7.50 for items under that.
#3 thredUP
thredUP is perfect for sellers who don’t have the time to create listings, upload images, and ship their items. ThredUP will do most of the work for you, and they take a percentage of the profit of sold items. The site allows you to earn a passive income from selling your clothes.
#4 Depop
Depop is another popular clothing marketplace and uses a social media approach to sell clothing. The app allows you to have followers with a similar size or style to you, and they can purchase clothing from you. They charge a 10% flat-rate fee on every item sold, making it more frugal than most e-commerce platforms.
#5 eBay
eBay is probably the most common marketplace, and you can sell not only clothing but a multitude of other items too. People can make bids on an item, or you can charge a fixed rate for every item advertised. eBay has stated it’s free to list for most occasional sellers. However, you’ll be charged an insertion fee of $0.35 per listing should you exceed 250 items in monthly listings.
Conclusion
You’ll need to consider several factors when deciding whether to sell your clothes on Mercari or not. These include:
- The fees you can afford to pay
- How much time you’re willing to spend on the platform to prepare listings
- How long you’re willing to wait to get paid
Though overall, selling clothes on Mercari is worth it because they offer lower fees and have an easy-to-navigate platform. You’ll be able to earn a side income from very minimal effort invested.
