{"id":3860,"date":"2019-11-24T19:57:28","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T10:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/sell-your-used-stuff-on-mercari\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:34:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:34:44","slug":"sell-your-used-stuff-on-mercari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/sell-your-used-stuff-on-mercari\/","title":{"rendered":"Sell Your Used Stuff on Mercari"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japanese accommodations are notoriously small for my American hoarding habits, and I occasionally draw the ire of my wife and encouraged to \u201cconsider paring down\u201d some of my possessions. This used to mean bugging friends and co-workers or heading to the local Second Street<\/a>, Hard Off<\/a>, or other \u201crecycle shop\u201d secondhand store, only to get back little more than train fare for my item.<\/p>\n

Online options are a little better; I\u2019ve used Craig\u2019s List<\/a> and Facebook \u201cFor Sale\u201d groups<\/a> for over a decade with decent results but there\u2019s still the hassle of dealing with haggling with buyers wanting pictures from every imaginable angle, a detailed usage history, and hand delivery to the most remote part of Japan possible that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The result is that I only use these options when I\u2019m shifting flats, or my used item is an obvious high-value like a smartphone, PC, or appliance. Everything else these days gets the \u201csodai-gomi\u201d<\/a> treatment and carted off to the trash heap.<\/p>\n

But that was before I discovered Mercari.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Mercari<\/a> is an online marketplace that allows regular folks to sell to other regular folks in \u201cflea market\u201d or \u201cswap meet\u201d style, in the vein of a flashier eBay;<\/a> if you’ve used that site before. Unlike that site above, though, you can create an account, take pictures, write a quick description and be up and selling in about 5 minutes flat with Mercari. Plus, the fee is a 10% commission on the item\u2019s selling price. Are you selling something for \u00a510,000? Then Mercari gets \u00a51,000 with no hidden listing charges or extra fees whatsoever.<\/p>\n

Really the only catch is that the app and the entire marketplace is in Japanese… Hey, don\u2019t go heading for the hills just yet; you just need some basic Japanese terms along with the power of Google Translate<\/a> to help you in a pinch.<\/p>\n

Having a way with words<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s tackle the most intimidating part first: the product title and description. You just need to make sure to write well enough so that the algorithm program on the site classifies and places your ad into searches that match the item the customers are looking for.<\/p>\n

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    1. Title<\/strong> This should be concise and include the brand name, model, and top specs. Only the first 13 characters will count, so be brief! Here’s an example title straight from the site: \u201d\u3010\u4fdd\u8a3c\u66f8\u4ed8\u3011iPad mini5 64GB wifi\u30e2\u30c7\u30eb \u30b9\u30da\u30fc\u30b9\u30b0\u30ec\u30fc\u201d which translates as \u201c(Insurance Card Included) iPad mini5 64GB Wi-Fi model Space Gray\u201d. It also works for clothing: \u201c\u30e6\u30cb\u30af\u30ed \u30e1\u30f3\u30ba \u30c0\u30c3\u30d5\u30eb\u30b3\u30fc\u30c8 XS \u30b3\u30fc\u30c8 \u30a2\u30a6\u30bf\u30fc \u5c0f\u3055\u3044\u30b5\u30a4\u30ba\u201d which is \u201cUniqlo Men’s duffle coat XS coat outerwear small-sized.\u201d Pack as much info in there as possible, and don\u2019t be afraid to check other similar items in the app first to see how other sellers have worded it.<\/li>\n
    2. Description<\/strong> When selling something used in Japan, I find it easier to just go into detail on whatever imperfections due to regular use of the item, no matter how small it might be. Japanese customers don\u2019t like to be caught off-guard even though it could be something as obvious as a small scratch on the housing of a 3-year-old PC or a small stain on the back of a sofa due to regular use. Not disclosing these seemingly trivial issues will net you a negative review and possibly a returned item. In my short experience, simply stating the obvious has never hurt me. Some ways to do this are shown in the following examples:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u6301\u3061\u904b\u3073\u306b\u4fbf\u5229\u306a\u25cb\u25cb\u3067\u3059
      \nThis is an XX that is easy to carry<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u3007\u3007\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\u4f7f\u7528\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3057\u305f
      \nI used this item for XX<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u4e00\u56de\u3057\u304b\u4f7f\u3063\u305f\u3053\u3068\u306a\u3044\u306e\u3067\u3001\u65b0\u54c1\u306b\u8fd1\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002
      \nI only used it once, so it is almost as good as new<\/strong><\/p>\n

      2-3\u56de\u7a0b\u5ea6\u4f7f\u3044\u307e\u3057\u3066\u3001\u76ee\u7acb\u3063\u305f\u50b7\u3084\u6c5a\u308c\u306f\u3042\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093\u304c\u3001\u4e2d\u53e4\u306a\u306e\u3067\u795e\u7d4c\u8cea\u306a\u65b9\u306f\u3054\u9060\u616e\u9858\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002
      \nI used the product 2-3 times. It doesn’t have any noticeable damages or stains, but it is still second-hand so people who are nervous about such are kindly asked to refrain from buying.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u304a\u305d\u3089\u304f\u6c17\u306b\u306a\u3089\u306a\u3044\u7a0b\u5ea6\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304c\u3001\u50b7\u6c5a\u308c\u3042\u308a\u306b\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u4e2d\u53e4\u3067\u3059\u306e\u3067\u3054\u7406\u89e3\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002
      \nIt is probably not anything significant, but I’ve set the condition of the product to “has damages and stains”. Please be understanding as this is a second-hand product.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u4e2d\u53e4\u306e\u305f\u3081\u3001\u591a\u5c11\u50b7\u304c\u4ed8\u3044\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304c\u3001\u3054\u4e86\u627f\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002
      \nPlease note that this product is old and has a few damages.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Using phrases like these will help clear the air and set the expectations for your particular item.<\/p>\n

      A picture is worth…well you know…<\/h3>\n

      Of course, you know you\u2019re going to need to take some decent pics of your item to post it for sale. The app makes good use of whatever smartphone or tablet you\u2019re using, so kudos if you have a brand-spanking-new iPhone or Galaxy that can take pictures in the pitch darkness of space and make them all studio perfect. For the rest of us, though, you can also use your \u201cgood camera\u201d to get the shots and save them to your phone’s memory and post them that way too. Make sure to take pictures of those imperfections we talked about above, and if possible, get angles of the item while in use to show it still works and in relation to other objects to show scale; people trying to buy your old sofa or bookshelf will appreciate that!<\/p>\n

      The price is right!<\/p>\n

      Setting the sale price is a dicey affair for sure. You need to be fair for the item being used yet competitive with similarly categorized items. Also, Japanese buyers are finicky with cost\u2014- pricing your item in the basement will make viewers think it\u2019s too cheap, and something must be wrong with it, thereby passing it over. You need to do some research on the app and set your price in the same ballpark as others, even if you are trying to hurry up and get rid of it. Your transaction history is public record, and once you become known for frequently changing the prices after your initial posting, it\u2019ll be hard to ditch that reputation. Stick to your guns! Remember, if your item hasn\u2019t sold in about five days, just delete it, wait a day and repost it with a lower asking price.<\/p>\n

      SOLD!<\/h3>\n

      Once you have a willing buyer, you’ll get a notification in the app, an email to your registered account, and so forth. The buyer will get automated notifications from the system saying you’re in the process of getting their order together to send out, but because Japan is Japan, you should also send a personalized message like \u201c\u3053\u306e\u5ea6\u306f\u3054\u8cfc\u5165\u3044\u305f\u3060\u304d\u3001\u3042\u308a\u304c\u3068\u3046\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

      \u304a\u652f\u6255\u3044\u306e\u3054\u78ba\u8a8d\u304c\u53d6\u308a\u6b21\u7b2c\u3054\u9001\u4ed8\u3055\u305b\u3066\u3044\u305f\u3060\u304d\u307e\u3059\u3002\u5f15\u304d\u7d9a\u304d\u3001\u3069\u3046\u305e\u3088\u308d\u3057\u304f\u304a\u9858\u3044\u3044\u305f\u3057\u307e\u3059\u3002(Mr\/Ms xx, thank you for your purchase. I will send the product as soon as the payment has been confirmed. Thank you!)\u201d<\/p>\n

      Also, make sure you\u2019ve posted your item with shipping included in the pricing (something you set in the listing process) or else be prepared for endless haggling! Sending the item is very easy these days since there are partnerships with FamilyMart and Lawson\u2019s convenience stores for obtaining the packaging materials and then sending the item out from the convenience store itself instead of making an extra trip to the post office or delivery service. A barcode will be generated in the app that the conbini worker scans and just follow their instructions from there. Easy as pie.<\/p>\n

      Profit!<\/h3>\n

      As long as you\u2019ve set up your \u632f\u308a\u8fbc\u307f\u7533\u8acb (Furi-Komi shinsei bank transfer application) properly, your proceeds will be transferred into your bank account on a certain day minus the standard bank transfer fee of \u00a5220. Another alternative is to use their MerPay service<\/a> which gives you a virtual account to spend from on either the Mercari site itself or by using barcodes at participating shops and even a virtual MasterCard debit card in ApplePay and the iD eMoney network (my preferred route)<\/p>\n

      For more information…<\/h3>\n

      Here are some other useful tidbits about Mercari in English on the web:<\/p>\n