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Mercari vs Ebay: When purchasing Japanese items, Mercari is the answer!

If you are familiar with flea markets and Japanese platforms you might have heard about Mercari, however if you don’t know yet about this service, don’t worry: in this article you will find all the information you need to know!

 

What is Mercari?

Mercari was launched on February, 1st 2013, and growth at the point to now be one of the largest online marketplace platform in Japan!

In only 11 years, this service has become one of the favorite service for Japanese people with a wide selection of items categories!

With over 20 million users per month and over 3 billion of items listed, we believe that you will be able to find any items, including rare Japanese items, you are looking for!

There is more! The success and the rapid growth of Mercari was so impressive that Mercari launched the flea market app “Mercari” and in order to become a “global marketplace,” Mercari also released the US version in September 2014. 

We all agree that their success is beyond dispute, and by now you might wonder what makes Mercari one of the most favorite platform for Japanese users.

But let’s see in detail how Mercari works: Mercari is a platform where you can purchase items listed by private or stores. The listed items have a fixed price, while on eBay the option are “Buy it now” or “bidding” system. Due to low fees charged to the sellers, Mercari is the platform mostly chosen and where you will be able to find more competitive prices.

Mercari listing page

While famous in Japan, Mercari platform might be unknown to most foreigners, especially considering the fact that the platform is in Japanese.

Mercari listing page have 4 main sections that you will need to check carefully:

  1. Seller: Items can be sold by both private seller and Mercari official stores: for the second case you will be able to check this on the top of the page as for the above picture.
  2. Item name: where is possible to check the item name 
  3. Item price & shipping fee:  where is possible to check the item price and the shipping fees. Shipping fee can be on buyer or seller expense, the same information can be found also on the 商品の情報 (“item information” section in the listing page) please see the below for the available shipping option:
      • 送料込み(出品者負担):Shipping included (at seller expense)
      • 着払い(購入者負担):Cash on delivery (at buyer expense)

4. Item name description (商品の説明):where it is possible to check the item description.   Can’t find the information you need? You can always contact our Customer Service, and we will be  able to contact the seller on your behalf!

Mercari, the reason behind their success

The success of Mercari can be determinate in many reasons, especially, Mercari democratized the process of selling, making it possible for anyone to sell things.

Their process for both seller and buyer, it’s simple, convenient but efficient to the point that this marketplace has become the favorite of many.

Mercari vs Ebay: Why Mercari?

But why would Mercari be a better option for you rather than Ebay? Let’s see together in detail the main reasons!

  1. Billion of items thanks to the billion of items listed in Mercari, it will be easier to find your items here compared to eBay or other platform
  2. Japanese items  if you are looking for Japanese items, especially discontinued or rare, as Mercari is the largest platform in Japan, you will have more chances to find your item!
  3. Competitive prices thanks to lower fees charged to sellers, you will have more chances to not only find your items, but also to find good deals!

Last but not least, one more reason to purchase your items now is the current weak yen situation.

Until today, 18th July 2024, Japan has been registered the lowest currency rate, making this the perfect moment for you to purchase your items, especially the most expensive one that maybe were sitting down in your cart for a while!

For example, we all know the famous anime/manga One Piece by Eiichiro Oda, it seems that the price of the Comic Volume 1 (first edition) due to its popularity has seen a continue increase overseas, however the prices you can find on Mercari are more competitive!

Ebay  

Mercari

Get your items with an extra discount!

Not miss the chance to purchase your favorite items on Mercari and get a discount at the same time!

Check our Mercari Campaign as we offer Campaigns for Mercari and soon we will also distributing special coupons for new users!

Mercari’s 3 best-selling categories

Clothes, bags, and other accessories

Clothes, bags, and other accessories are probably the most popular category on Mercari. Famous brand Items are popular in Japan, and it’s easy to find different items, from new to vintage models.

                                           Purchase clothes, bags and accessories!                                        

 

Pokémon and Idol Cards, anime merchandise, and games

You will be able to find not only toys and stuffed animals, but also trending cards as Pokémon cards, idol cards and other games cards.

Looking for anime items? You can find also this type of items in this category and also video games.

                                   Purchase Trading Cards, anime goods and games!                                

 

Daily necessities

In this more generic category, you will be able to find different types of items for daily use or just interesting items that are sold only in Japan.

                                           Purchase daily necessities items!                                        

 

Mercari’s best-selling items on One Map

While the above categories are the top-selling categories on Mercari and as such in Japan. We would like to introduce the best-selling categories on our website, One Map!

    1. Trading Cards 🥇
    2. Pokémon
    3. Figure
    4. Stuffed toy
    5. One Piece

 

                                                    Purchase Trading Cards  🥇                                               

 

Why is it better to use One Map by From Japan?

Mercari, as per other online shopping website and flea market platforms, does not ship internationally.

This is might be the main reason for why you will be able to purchase your desired items with our help, however there are other reasons:

  1. Our partnership with Mercari: we are official partner of Mercari, with us, you won’t need to worry about your transactions
  2. Our Japanese purchasing staff: for any flea market it is necessary to negotiate or communicate with the seller, and our native Japanese staff will do this on your behalf.
  3. Our Customer Service: we offer a Customer Service in multiple languages: our staff will assist you with any inquiry regarding your items!
  4. Our services: You will be able to use our services, such as our free storage period, item insurance and more!

See also our article How to buy Mercari items from One Map with more detailed explanation on how to purchase items using our service!

Useful information

See below for more information regarding our service:

Are you a First-time Users? CHECK HERE!

Check out our Service Fees!

CLICK HERE to find more information regarding Mercari!


 

Curious to see if you can find your items in one of the biggest flea market platform?

Browse Mercari items on One Map website and find your items!

                                                Browse Mercari Items on One Map