What’s better for sellers in 2022?

Emptying out your closet or basement can put extra money in your wallet if you choose the right app. Poshmark and Mercari offer easy ways to sell your like-new items, including clothing, homeware, and other collectibles.

But when it comes to Poshmark vs. Mercari, which is better for sellers? We’ve rated both to help you choose the right one for your needs.

What are Poshmark and Mercari?

Poshmark and Mercari are online consignment stores like eBay, but with a twist.

With over 80 million users (both buyers and sellers), Poshmark focuses on premium clothing, accessories, home goods and unopened skincare items.

The platform mainly offers expensive brands like Gucci and Chanel. It also has common brands like Converse, Coach, Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters.

You can list most clothing items and accessories as long as you comply with the site’s terms and conditions. However, most buyers are looking for higher quality products that they can get at a cheaper price as they are either used or new with tags.

On the other hand, Mercari has 20 million users and works like a flea market hosted online. It’s more like eBay than Poshmark in that you can list almost anything for sale.

Their motto is, “If you can ship it, you can sell it.” While they can’t sell anything illegal or dangerous, Mercari has no other limits.

Poshmark vs. Mercari for sellers

If you have a closet full of items that you need to get rid of, you can try Poshmark or Mercari. How they work for sellers.

Simple listing

When you have a lot of items to list, the last thing you want is a complex listing process. Instead, you want something that you can click, upload, and post so the marketplace instantly knows what you have for sale.

Luckily, both Poshmark and Mercari are among the best apps to sell your stuff when it comes to listing items easily.

Poshmark

Poshmark is like the social media of second-hand clothing. You can create a basic offer by uploading an image, writing a description and setting the price.

Alternatively, get fancy and attend posh parties. These are themed parties to attract new viewers or throw a party with your friends.

Poshmark relies on interacting with your posts to get your articles published. Every time someone likes or comments on your post, Poshmark gives it to more viewers.

In addition to images, you can add videos so buyers can fully appreciate the items you’re selling. Additionally, replying to comments or questions is incredibly important to keep your listings high in the app’s rankings.

Merci

Mercari does not have the same features as Poshmark. Nevertheless, creating a listing only takes a few minutes.

Also, instead of buyers posting their questions or comments for others to see, they allow instant messaging between the two parties.

Like Poshmark, Mercari has a Like button, and sellers can reach out to those who liked their item with an offer if they want to sell their item faster.

Available stock

Poshmark and Mercari have millions of users, so you will have a large audience in both apps. However, each audience will be looking for something more specific.

On Mercari you have an audience that is looking for a wide range of products. At Poshmark, the audience is focused on quality clothing and accessories.

Poshmark

Be careful when listing items on Poshmark. Take the time to learn their policies so you don’t list prohibited items. Since they focus on branded clothing and accessories, it’s best to sell your other inventory on Mercari.

You’ll have a lot of competition for your high-end clothing on the app, but it’s likely to be sold a lot more on Poshmark than Mercari.

Merci

Mercari is like the “catch-all” for listings. They don’t have any restrictive categories so your competition may be less as there are many different products listed.

It is best to sell lower value items on Mercari as most people are looking for a bargain on the platform.

selling expenses

Since Poshmark and Mercari are marketplaces, they have no inventory to sell for profit. Instead, they provide a service to sellers and must charge for that service in the form of seller fees.

As a result, you should pay close attention as you will likely end up paying listing and retail fees.

Poshmark

Poshmark offers transparent pricing that is easy to calculate before listing your item. When pricing your products, factor in listing and retail fees so you can walk away with your intended profits.

The good news is that Poshmark doesn’t charge a listing fee, but there are two tiers of selling fee pricing.

These stages include:

Items Under $15: Items selling for less than $15 incur a flat referral fee of $2.95. Items over $15: Items that sell for $15 or more cost 20% of the final sale price

This straightforward fee structure ensures you aren’t caught off guard by unexpected platform costs.

Merci

Like Poshmark, Mercari does not charge a listing fee. However, they have another retail value fee that you must pay.

First, you pay 10% of the retail price for each item you sell. Then you pay a payment processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per sale.

For example, if you sell an item for $20, you pay a fee of $2.88. This includes the final referral fee of $2 plus a $0.88 processing fee.

Shipping

Once you’ve sold an item, you need to ship it. Poshmark and Mercari offer prepaid shipping labels to help you ship sold items faster.

After buyer pay, Poshmark and Mercari will send you the shipping label for shipment.

Poshmark

Poshmark offers flat rate shipping via USPS. As long as the package costs less than five pounds it’s a flat fee.

To ship the item, carefully package it, attach the prepaid label, and take it to your nearest US post office or UPS drop box. If you don’t want to leave home, you can arrange for a USPS or UPS pickup.

Merci

Mercari does not have a shipping fee. Instead, you must weigh the item with the packaging before listing it. Then you can choose the preferred shipping method based on the cost or the convenience for duties.

Mercari encourages sellers to ship the item within three business days of receipt of payment.

payments

Because you sell items to make money, how you get paid matters. Poshmark and Mercari pay you, but they do so in different time frames and at different costs.

Poshmark

Before you get paid by Poshmark, not only must you ship the item, the buyer must accept it. If they don’t accept it within three days, Poshmark will automatically complete the sale.

You can keep your money in the app when you also buy items on Poshmark. Alternatively, you can cash it out via PayPal or a linked bank account.

Merci

Mercari doesn’t make you wait for the buyer to accept the item, instead they charge a fee for withdrawals.

Here are the fees you can expect:

Instant Pay: $2 fee, money is in your account within 30 minutes. Direct Deposit: No fee for transfers over $10, takes up to five business days

If you have more than $10 to transfer, opting for a direct deposit can ensure you keep more of your winnings.

Poshmark vs. Mercari for buyers

We’d be remiss if we didn’t also evaluate which app is ideal for shoppers. Ultimately, there are key differences when looking to buy anything from Poshmark vs. Mercari.

Here’s what to consider.

Easy browsing

It’s easy to browse the items for sale on Poshmark and Mercari. Whether you know what you’re looking for or just want to browse, you can sort items by category or price.

Poshmark and Mercari both have websites and apps for your devices so you can conveniently shop from anywhere.

Poshmark

Poshmark has a busy interface, but you’ll find it easy once you get used to it.

After using Poshmark a few times, you’ll probably find sellers you like. You can favor them in this case. Then they appear like social media feeds on your homepage.

With this feature, it’s almost like you can customize your homepage.

Merci

The Mercari app is also easy to use. You can search by keyword, sort by category, and set up alerts for articles you’re interested in.

As soon as a new item is listed, you’ll be one of the first to know about it and buy it before anyone else.

Available stock

Poshmark and Mercari have very different products. So if you know what you are looking for, you can choose the right platform.

Poshmark

Poshmark’s inventory consists mostly of high quality clothing and accessories. You can browse your options and even make offers to negotiate with sellers.

Merci

Mercari sells a little bit of everything, including clothing. So it doesn’t hurt to look for the same items at Poshmark and Mercari to see where you can get the best price.

However, if you are looking for something other than clothing, Mercari is your app.

Poshmark vs. Mercari: Final Verdict

Comparing Poshmark and Mercari, each has their own time and place based on your needs.
When you sell branded clothing, Poshmark is almost always the winner.

However, if you have other items that you want to get rid of, Mercari might be a better option to sell your stuff.