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Mercari Fees: What Sellers Really Pay

Guide · 1,125 words · fees verified 27 August 2026

Mercari charges sellers a flat 10 percent, and there are two details around that number which matter more than the number itself. One of them makes Mercari cheaper than it looks. The other makes it slightly more expensive.

The structure

Mercari charges a 10 percent selling fee on the total sale amount, and that total includes any shipping the buyer paid. There are no listing fees and no payment processing fees charged to the seller.

That second point is worth pausing on, because it is genuinely unusual. Most platforms quote a commission and then deduct payment processing separately, so a like-for-like comparison has to add the two together. On Mercari the 10 percent is the whole platform charge on the sale.

Separately, buyers now pay a 3.6 percent buyer protection fee. That is charged to the buyer rather than to you, and it does not come out of your earnings, though it does mean the total the buyer sees is higher than your asking price.

The detail that costs you: shipping is in the base

Because the 10 percent applies to the total including buyer-paid shipping, you are paying commission on postage as well as on the item. That lifts the effective rate above 10 percent of the item price whenever shipping is a meaningful share of the transaction.

On a $100 item with $10 shipping, the fee is 10 percent of $110, so $11, which is 11 percent of the item price rather than 10. On a $20 item with $10 shipping, the fee is $3, which is 15 percent of the item price.

The practical consequence is the same as everywhere else: cheap items carry proportionally more cost than the headline implies. Bundling is the fix, since it raises the item value against a shipping charge that does not rise proportionally.

The history that confuses everyone

Mercari ran a zero-seller-fee experiment and ended it on 6 January 2025, reintroducing the 10 percent selling fee when the model did not drive the growth expected.

That matters because a great deal of the material still circulating online describes Mercari as free for sellers. It is not, and has not been since the start of 2025, so anything you read on the subject needs its date checked before you plan around it.

Getting paid

Payouts have options, and the faster ones cost more. Standard direct deposit is the cheaper route and an instant option is available at additional cost, so anyone withdrawing frequently should be deliberate about which they use rather than defaulting to the quickest.

It is a small amount per withdrawal and it becomes real across many of them, which is an argument for withdrawing in larger, less frequent amounts.

How it compares

On a $100 sale before shipping: Mercari $10. Poshmark takes 20 percent, so $20. Depop, where US sellers pay no selling commission and 3.3 percent plus 45 cents in processing, about $3.75. An 8.8 percent live platform, $8.80.

So Mercari sits in the middle. It is considerably cheaper than Poshmark and considerably dearer than Depop, and the comparison shifts with shipping, since Mercari charges commission on postage while Poshmark's standard shipping costs the seller nothing at all up to five pounds.

Bottom line

Mercari charges a flat 10 percent on the total sale amount including buyer-paid shipping, with no listing fees and no separate payment processing for sellers, so the 10 percent is the complete platform charge. Buyers separately pay a 3.6 percent protection fee that does not come out of your earnings. Because shipping sits inside the fee base, the effective rate on the item price runs above 10 percent whenever postage is a meaningful share, reaching 15 percent on a $20 item with $10 shipping. Mercari's zero-seller-fee experiment ended on 6 January 2025, so anything describing it as free for sellers is out of date.

What the same sale costs on ShopBidz

For comparison against the numbers above: ShopBidz charges the seller 8.8 percent, a 5.9 percent platform fee plus 2.9 percent card processing. Against Mercari's 10 percent of the total including the buyer's shipping that is $1.20 less out of a hundred-dollar sale.

Fees are not the whole decision. Mercari has the larger audience, and a higher rate on a sale that happens beats a lower rate on one that does not. The case for the cheaper platform is strongest when you already have buyers who will follow you, and weakest when you are starting cold.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Mercari take?
A flat 10 percent selling fee on the total sale amount, which includes any shipping the buyer paid. There are no listing fees and no separate payment processing charged to sellers, so that 10 percent is the complete platform cost rather than a commission with extras added on top, which is genuinely unusual among resale platforms.
Does Mercari charge sellers a processing fee?
No. Sellers pay the 10 percent selling fee and nothing further in processing. Buyers pay a separate 3.6 percent buyer protection fee, which is charged to them rather than deducted from your earnings, though it does raise the total a buyer sees against your asking price.
Is Mercari still free for sellers?
No. Mercari ran a zero-seller-fee experiment and ended it on 6 January 2025, reintroducing the 10 percent fee when the model did not produce the growth expected. A great deal of material online still describes Mercari as free to sell on, so check the date on anything you read about its fees before planning around it.
Are Mercari fees charged on shipping?
Yes, and it is the detail that most affects your real cost. The 10 percent applies to the total sale amount including buyer-paid shipping, so on a $100 item with $10 shipping the fee is $11, which is 11 percent of the item price. On a $20 item with $10 shipping it is $3, or 15 percent. Cheap items therefore carry proportionally more than the headline suggests.
Is Mercari cheaper than Poshmark or Depop?
It sits between them. Mercari's 10 percent is half Poshmark's 20 percent, and roughly three times Depop's cost for US sellers, who pay no selling commission and only 3.3 percent plus 45 cents. The comparison shifts with shipping: Mercari charges commission on postage, while Poshmark's standard shipping up to five pounds costs the seller nothing at all.
What does it cost to get paid on Mercari?
Payout options differ in speed and cost, with standard direct deposit being the cheaper route and an instant option available at additional cost. It is a small amount per withdrawal that accumulates across many of them, so withdrawing in larger and less frequent amounts is worth doing if you sell regularly.