Mercari vs Poshmark: How Mercari Outshines Its Resale App Rival?

As a thrifty fashion enthusiast, I’ve spent countless hours exploring the world of resale apps to find the best deals and unique pieces.

Two giants in this realm, Mercari, and Poshmark, have caught my attention with their impressive offerings and features. Mercari, established in 2012, has amassed a staggering 400 million-strong user base and raised $700 million in funding, proving its popularity among shoppers.

On the other hand, Poshmark, founded around the same time and headquartered in Los Angeles, has been steadily making waves under the guidance of CEO Manish Chandra. With a mission to make fashion accessible for everyone, Poshmark is a fierce competitor in the resale app market.

But when it comes to the ultimate resale experience, I can’t help but be drawn to Mercari as it consistently outshines its rival, Poshmark. In this blog post, I’ll dive into the reasons why Mercari stands out in the battle of resale apps.

Mercari vs Poshmark: User Experience

To make the comparison, I’ll begin the comparison by examining the user interface of both these platforms.

The first thing you’ll notice about Mercari’s UI is that it’s clean and simple. You can easily find what you’re looking for just by scrolling through pages of products in categories like “Fashion” or “Home.” This makes it easy to navigate and shop around without getting lost in a sea of listings or buttons.

On the other hand, Poshmark’s interface isn’t quite as intuitive:

There are fewer options for sorting items by category, brand, or even price range, and searching by keyword doesn’t always produce accurate results (for example, if you search “yellow dress” on Poshmark, there are no results).

In addition to this problem with search functionality comes another issue: While Mercari separates its different types of listings (like auctions versus fixed-price sales), this distinction isn’t so clear on Poshmark because they all look pretty similar at first glance. There are no images attached to listings either!

Mercari vs Poshmark: Listing and Selling Process:

Let’s take a closer look at how each platform handles the listing and selling process.

Listing Fees

Poshmark charges $0.20 per item or $5 per month ($4.95/month if you pay annually), while Mercari has introduced a significant update to its fee structure for sellers, as the selling fee for new listings will be 0%.

This groundbreaking change positions Mercari as the first major U.S. marketplace to eliminate selling fees, evidently providing sellers with the ability to keep a larger portion of their sales without the deduction of fees.

While this may not seem like a difference at first glance, it adds up over time and can make all the difference in your bottom line regarding profit margins, mainly if your inventory includes multiple items!

Shipping Options

While both apps offer free shipping for buyers on many items (and even some sellers), Mercari offers more flexible shipping options than Poshmark, especially regarding international shipments!

You can set up your rates based on location rather than being limited by preset zones, as with Poshmark; this makes it easier for international sellers who want their buyers from other countries but don’t want them paying exorbitant rates every time they order something from overseas.

Mercari vs Poshmark: Buyer Protection and Customer Support

Regarding buyer protection, both Mercari and Poshmark offer similar policies.

Both platforms provide a money-back guarantee for items that are not as described in the listing or that don’t arrive.

However, Mercari offers a slightly better policy than Poshmark: If you don’t receive your item within seven days or less (depending on your location), you can file a claim with them to get your money back or get another item shipped out right away (in case the first one never arrives).

To do this, go into your transaction history and click “Report an Issue” next to each transaction where there was an issue with shipping times or the quality of the product received.

This will automatically send an email directly from Mercari asking if everything went okay, so there’s no need for communication between buyer/seller outside of those automated emails.

This is great because sellers can avoid getting caught up in drama from angry shoppers who might try scamming them by claiming they never received their shipment!

Mercari vs Poshmark: Product Selection and Pricing

Product Selection

As a budget-conscious shopper and avid explorer of resale apps, I’ve always been curious about the product selection and pricing offered by Mercari and Poshmark.

When delving into the variety and quality of items available on both platforms, I noticed that while they boast a vast assortment, Mercari has a marginally larger inventory.

However, this isn’t always a win for buyers as it can also mean fiercer competition within the marketplace. In my experience, if you’re searching for something specific, you’ll likely find it on either app.

But, if you’re casually browsing or giving an app a whirl for fun (and don’t mind waiting a little longer), Mercari might be a better fit for your needs since it has fewer listings at any given time compared to other resale apps like Tradesy or ThredUp.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, the structure plays a crucial role in determining how much shoppers spend on resale items on both platforms.

This applies whether they’re purchasing or selling items through their respective marketplaces’ “buyer” section (where users can buy items) or as third-party sellers who list products under separate categories called “seller” sections (where users may sell anything from clothing accessories to shoes).

In my personal comparison of prices between these two giants, Mercari offers lower fees than Poshmark ($1-$2 USD per transaction versus 3%-8% plus 5 cents per listing).

However, this doesn’t automatically translate to lower costs, as sellers on Mercari also pay monthly subscription fees ($9-$19 USD) that other competitors like eBay don’t require.

These fees come with added benefits, such as marketing tools and promotional tweets, which may be worth considering for some sellers.

Mercari vs Poshmark: Community and Social Features

We all are social creatures, and when you factor this with your love of resale apps, I’ve found that Mercari and Poshmark excel in fostering a sense of community and offering social features that make online shopping a more interactive and enjoyable experience.

Both platforms provide many social options, such as following fellow users, messaging, and commenting on items. They also make it easy to share your favorite finds on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

However, some key differences between these two resale marketplaces make Mercari stand out as an app worth using over Poshmark. For example:

• On Mercari’s app, you can see which items are trending at any given time; this feature isn’t available on Poshmark yet (but it may be coming soon).
• You can also filter searches by category or price range. This allows you to narrow down what kind of products interest you so that only relevant results appear in your feed!
• Mercari displays user ratings more prominently on the app, giving buyers better insight into the reliability and trustworthiness of sellers. While Poshmark also has a user rating system, it’s less visible and not as comprehensive.
• Mercari offers a feature called “Teams,” which allows users to collaborate, share advice, and offer support in themed groups. This feature is not available on Poshmark.
• Mercari frequently runs in-app promotions, such as free shipping events or discounted listing fees, which encourage user engagement and provide additional incentives for buyers and sellers. Poshmark occasionally runs promotions, but they tend to be less frequent and less varied.

Conclusion

As someone who appreciates the value of a smooth user experience and vibrant community in a resale app, I’ve found Poshmark a solid option for resellers and shoppers.

However, it doesn’t quite match the level of finesse that Mercari offers.

I’ve experienced moments of frustration when trying to quickly find or sell an item on Poshmark due to its somewhat clunky interface.

Additionally, Poshmark’s lack of native social features within the app, instead relying on Facebook log in data, leaves something to be desired compared to Mercari’s integration with Instagram.

If the above-mentioned aspects are useful, Poshmark might be just the app you want.

But for me, Mercari has the edge regarding a seamless, interactive, and enjoyable resale shopping experience.