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.
Let's talk about selling online, the good and the bad.
There are 3 major selling platforms that I've personally tried. Mercari. Poshmark. Ebay.
Platforms
Mercariis selling app they do have a website that you can use on your computer but you will not be able to list items from it.
Poshmark is also a selling app and it's like Mercari, you can view their site on your computer but you can not sell through the website.
With eBay you can sell on their website or with their app, whichever is more convenient for you.
What Can You Sell?
On Mercari you can sell almost anything. Books, clothes, toys, dvds, makeup, collectables, and more.
Poshmark is more restricted to clothing (womens, mens, and childrens) and makeup. I see people sell other items on Poshmark as well but you can lose your account doing so.
With eBay you can list pretty much anything as well.
Selling Fees
Mercari used to have no seller fees but they recently started charging 10% of the listing price. This isn't too bad and when creating a listing they show you how much you will make when the item sells. You are not charged per listing, you are only charged when the item sells.
On Poshmark for all sales under $15 the fee is a flat rate of $2.95 and for all orders about $15 Poshmark takes 20% all fees are taken after a listing has sold.
eBay fees are a bit more complicated in my opinion, you have a listing fee, a fee after the items sells, here is a link to standard selling fees on eBay
Shipping
On Mercari you can ship through Mercari with a prepaid label, you can choose to ship via USPS or FedEx and you can also choose whether the seller or buyer pays for shipping. You can also choose to "ship it yourself" which means you can take it to any shipping service but you will be paying out of pocket for shipping. Tip ; always get a tracking number to add to any sales, without a tracking number buyers can claim they never received and without proof of delivery your order will be canceled. Mercari only offers shipping in the US.
Poshmark's shipping is pretty standard, you get a shipping label to ship Priority Mail via USPS. They charge a standard price of $6.49 and the buyer always pays. Poshmark only ships within the US.
You also have a few shipping options on eBay you can print a shipping label from online or you can take it to a shipping service of your choice. You can also choose to offer free shipping and pay yourself or have the buyer pay for shipping. On eBay you can ship within the US or internationally as well.
The Good
Mercari's seller fees are a lot cheaper than other sites.
Poshmark's shipping is easy and convenient they charge a flat rate and the buyer pays so you don't have to worry about paying out of pocket or with funds from your sale.
With eBay you can sell internationally so more buyers and you have the freedom of listing almost anything.
The Bad
Mercari sales have gone down a bit since the selling fees, some people decided to leave. The customer service can be bad. I've had very good moments with customer service but a few bad moments left a sour taste.
Poshmark is nice but you are limited to the items you are able to sell.
eBay has more fees and the fees can get pretty complicated.
So which would you choose?
Offers ;
Get a $2 Credit when you download the Mercari app and use invite code YYSGQZ
Get a $5 credit when you download the Poshmark app and use referral code BMSYH
Are you not making any sales on Poshmark or are you thinking about selling on Posh and you're not sure how to make sales? Well fear not because I have a couple tips/tricks to help you out.
A short review ; I've been selling on Poshmark for around 2 years and I've earned a total of $1,159, it doesn't seem like a lot but I also sell on other selling platforms and when I first started selling on Poshmark I only listed a few items and I let them sit, I didn't know how to help myself gain more sales but over the years I've picked up on some tricks and some sales. I'm very happy with Poshmark as it's simple to use and they have a friendly customer base. (I also sell on Mercari, see my review here)
Now Posh has a pretty simple set up so I'll be giving you tip for each progress of listing/selling your items.
Listing your items ;
The very first most important thing is taking good photos. Especially with the cover shot because that's the first thing the buyer sees. I have a little process for my photos and I've changed it up over time. I will add in some photos from my personal page for example and add tips.
So when I first started selling on Poshmark I started out with collage photos. Some were cute, other not so much. I do not recommend this, you want to post many photos of your item but you don't want them all together, these photos would have been fine separated and added to a listing. Also notice not all of the item is in the photo, that's okay but you do need to have at least one photo with the full item.
After awhile I started posting more photos but randomally, this only I posted a modeled photo and a close up of any flaws which is something to keep in mind, if your item has a flaw, add photos AND mention it in the description. You don't want an unhappy buyer returning an item because you failed to mention the condition.
Cover Shots - Make sure your cover shot is something catchy, here are a few examples of my cover shot
I've used photos from google search which is great because the buyer can see the item modeled or maybe they've seen the exact photo on tumblr or pinterest.
I've also used photos of items laying on a solid blanket and of the item hung up on the wall, these are nice because they are simple backgrounds that help bring the eye to the item you are selling.
I've also used model pics, of me wearing the item to show how it fits.
These are all pretty good cover shots to draw a buyer in. Notice some of my photos are edited, I mess with the lighting/contrast because I personally like the aesthetic, this is optional but always mention it in the description with something like *please note that the cover photo has been edited so the color is different, please see other photos for better lighting and note that color might appear different on different screens/etc.
I now take a photo of the item on mannequin (tops/dresses/skirts/scarves) or hanging on a wall. I also like to keep the area around my mannequin cute and basic. Here is an example ;
You see the full item and it's not too busy of a photo but it does catch the eye fast.
So basically have the full item in the picture, get a nice cover shot to draw buyers in and always mention any flaws.
Now on to the title and description, for the title you want to include as much info as possible. Here are a few examples ;
For these Lululemon pants the title is "Lululemon | Bust a Move Pant" for brands like Lululemon if you know the name of item, always include it in the title because some people are looking for specific items.
Another great example is this sweater, the title is "Peter Pan Collar Maroon Sweater" which describes this sweater pretty well, another word I could have added next to Maroon would be Burgundy if there was room.
Now on to the description, I personally like to have a copy and paste note saved in my phone that I post on every listing it used to be ;
🚫 No Trades 🚫
📦 Fast Shipping 📦
💵 Open to Offers 💵
💕 Willing to Bundle 💕
then it went to ;
➵ Price is Firm
➵ Pet free home
➵ Not a smoke free home
➵ Ask questions before purchasing
now it's at ;
➵ Pet free home
➵ Smoke free home
➵ Ask questions before purchasing
So notes from these three different descriptions would be ; if you are from a smoking home, put it in the description, I personally don't smoke but I lived in a home where there was smokers and got complaints of the smell, I never noticed the smell because I was constantly around smokers, then I got my own apartment which I don't allow smoking in and when a family member comes over that smokes, I automatically notice the smell. So even if you don't smoke, but there is a smoker in the house, mention it. Now that I'm in a new apartment I like to put "Smoke free home" to let buyers know they won't have to worry about the smell, it also helps get more buyers, especially people with asthma who can't be around smoke. Also mention if it's a pet free home or dog / cat friendly home because of pet hair. You can always say something like "Cat friendly house which may result in some cat hair but I wash all items before shipping" this helps buyers that are allergic know they can't buy from you or they can risk it but they know what to expect. You don't want someone buying something and having an allergic reaction. I sometimes add "open to offers" on my listings but people make offers most of the time anyways so it's not really needed. You could also add "fast shipping" if you ship within 1-2 days. Another thing is to add whether you do bundles or not, although Posh now has a bundle feature some buyers still like for people to list a bundle listing.
More great things to include in descriptions is size, fit, and flaws. Here is a great examples of a good description.
I've added the brand, size, measurements, and a brief description. A big tip when listing pants is adding the waist and inseam, because most people will ask about it and it helps buyers better with sizing, especially since all jeans fit different. I also like to include a photo showing how to get the waist/inseam measurements because some people don't know what the measurements are and I personally know how that feels, I always got so confused when people asked for the inseam but after a quick google search I found out.
More tips for the description that they ask ;
Always select the right answer for each item, it helps people when searching.
Always select the color(s) of the item, incase someone search for "blue sweater" yours just might pop up. For the original price, if you forgot it don't worry either put a similar price or just put a 0.
A really nice thing about Posh is they show you how much you will earn after the item has sold.
What to do after you've created your listings ;
Have you listed all your items and you're not getting any likes or making any sales? Well here are some tips to help afterwards.
1. Share your listings; This helps take your item back to the top of the brand page. I like to share my items whenever I'm bored, instead of stalking facebook or Instagram I like to share listings. This also helps all your sold listings to stay at the bottom of the page, so that new customers can go through your listings and not have to see random sold items because after a few sold items they will just assume everything else is sold.
2. Share other peoples listings ; Most people do share for share which means if you go share 3 of their items they will probably share 3 of yours. (not everyone does this) I personally make sure to share other peoples listings when they've shared mine. Also look for pages with more followers when they share your listing it will be to a bigger audience.
3. Share to social media ; Mainly Pinterest, when I'm looking up stuff on Pinterest I always see Posh listings so I tend to share mine a lot because you never know who is looking up outfit ideas and notice your item and boom new customer. Just create a board called Poshmark or Poshmark Finds, etc.
4. Share to parties ; I know you're probably thinking, I get it, share all listings everywhere but it really does help. If you see a party is happening, share as many listings as you can, as often as you can because it really does help, you'll notice after sharing listings to a party, other people will share your listings.
Do you have any tips or tricks of your own? Comment them down below!
Also let me know if this helped you any? And should I do another post on selling on other platforms like ebay or mercari?
If you're new to Poshmark, feel free to use my invite code BMSYH for a free $5 credit when sigining up for Poshmark via the app.
Old video I posted about Poshmark ;
Thanks so much for reading. I hope you've enjoyed this post and got some tips to help you make some sales.
