Mercari Review + New Features and Promo Offer Free $10 Credit

Some of you may know I've bought and sold on Mercari for quite some time, years. I've had great experiences and some awful experiences.

You can read about one of my awful experiences here ; http://basicallyybella.blogspot.com/2015/06/mercari-review-hit-miss-but-i-wouldnt.html

Now with that being said, I still use Mercari for both selling and buying but I do not make large purchases. If you've read my old reviews or posts on Mercari you'll be happy to learn Mercari has made plenty of updates that help buyers and sellers, let's talk about them. 

Offers ; You can now use a "offer" button to make offers on items you're interested in. This feature has been on Ebay and Poshmark for quite some times and it's something I've always wanted Mercari to add it. This helps buyers make quick offers and it helps sellers because if an offer is made and accepted the payment is processed immediately. 

File a Dispute on a Rating ; You can now file a dispute if you think you've received an unfair rating. If someone leaves a bad rating because they didn't read the description, because the post office had delays on shipping, or some other unfair reason you can now file a dispute the rating to have it removed.

Opening Multiple Cases at Once ; I've had plenty of problems in the past where you could only contact customer service one time and then contact them again only after the first case is solved. This proved to be a nuisance if you purchase and sell a lot of items on Mercari but you don't have to deal with that anymore, you can now contact Mercari about multiple orders. 

Review ; Mercari is a great site to sell and to buy on. I do not recommend purchasing high priced items or electronics because of my past experiences. Mercari does have customer service so if you receive an item that is not as described you can return it for a refund. In order to file a claim you must contact Mercari and you can not leave a rating because that will close the order. You must also be able to prove you received an item that was not as described by sending Mercari photos.

Pros ;    
cheap selling fees
sell almost any items
offer button
customer service available for returns
rating system so buyers can see how reliable seller is
you can find great items for low prices

Cons ;
You can't purchase electronics without a risk

Now on to the Promo ; For a limited time only you can get a $10 credit for downloading the Mercari app (free) and using invite code YYSGQZ (new members only)

I'm thinking of posting a FAQ/tutorial on Mercari things, like how to request a return, etc. Would anybody be interested in these posts? If so ask some questions below that you think should be answered. 

Mercari Review ; Hit & Miss but I Wouldn't Risk It

 I started selling on the Mercari app quite some time ago, upon selling on there I only had two problems.
 One was a buyer claimed a game in a bundle did not work, however I even had photos up that the game did work. So if you are selling on Mercari and you're selling electronics, try to upload photos proving the items work. The buyer continuously insisted the game wasn't working and Mercari told them in order to get a full refund they would have to send the entire bundle back, which they declined, however I decided to give them a partial refund. Even doing that the buyer left negative feedback which all sellers will agree, sucks.
 The second problem I've had while selling on Mercari was a seller received an item broken. I carefully packaged the item and covered the package in "fragile" stamps. I do believe the post office was too rough with the package causing the item to get crushed. Both me and the buyer messaged Mercari and Mercari refunded the buyer, understandable but they also say no refunds are given until the seller receives the item back, which I did not. They did tell me to open a case through USPS to get a refund however the shipping Mercari offered at the time did not come insured. So because of USPS being rough with the package and Mercari not offering insurance through shipping I lost money.
 Both problems were minor and I've never had any other problems selling on Mercari although I did stop selling after too many problems with Mercari's customer service when buying items.


 Now buying on Mercari is an entire different story. I've made quite a few purchases on Mercari and I've had quite a few problems with purchases on Mercari but I am just going to go over the major problems.
  One was a laptop. I needed a new laptop bad because mine was overheating, causing the digitizer to go out. So I looked around for quite some time, then I found a nice HP laptop that said it was as good as new, the seller had all positive feedbacks and I commented on their listing, asking about the battery, heating, and condition of the laptop, the seller claimed it was "as good as new". Upon receiving the laptop I noticed the serial numbers were scratched off which raised a red flag for me but I plugged it in anyways and noticed it got hot, really fast. Before 30 minutes passed I had to shut it down because it was so hot. Automatically the seller started messaging me to "rate her" once you rate someone you can not open a case, before I could even reply to her message she was commenting on my listings to rate her and if I didn't I was a scammer. So I messaged her about the flaws and she started to harass me so I told her I'd message Mercari and let them handle it. This seller continuously messaged me through out the time Mercari took to "solve" the case. They asked for pictures and I sent pictures of the laptop, the condition, plus the messages she was sending me. In the end they said they couldn't "see" it overheating so they would not let me return it for a refund.
  Now on the the another problem I had with Mercari, while the case for the laptop was open I purchased some Beats by Dre headphones, before purchasing I asked if they had nay flaws, the seller said no so I purchased them, When I got the package I found a note saying the cord is messed up and you have to hold it out to hear the beats.. I messaged the seller and she said that wasn't a flaw, although clearly it is. I went to a store to get a new cord, to only find out it wasn't the cord that was messed up but the actual jack. As soon as Mercari closed the laptop case I messaged them about the Beats and they replied saying I didn't message them within 3 days after receiving the headphones and they completed the order. Now I find this unfair considering they only let you message them with one problem at a time. Now I have a laptop that you can only use for around 25-30 minutes before having to let it rest and a pair of broken beats and I'm at a loss for $200+.


 So with that being said in my opinion Mercari is a great app to sell on but not so much on buying expensive items, like electronics. Also if you decide to take a chance on buying something expensive be sure that you don't have a case already open or purchase expensive things back to back. After the laptop and Beats incident I no longer buy or sell on Mercari because they really do not protect the buyer like they claim to.