In the wave of cross-border e-commerce, Mercari (coal stove), as a highly anticipated C2C second-hand goods trading platform, has attracted the attention of many novice sellers. However, opening a store on Mercari for the first time may encounter various problems and challenges. To this end, I have specially compiled the latest 10 questions and 10 answers guide for 2024 to help novice sellers smoothly start their e-commerce journey on Mercari~

Question 1: What is Mercari's product selection strategy?

Answer: In the early stage, choose light craft products to reduce logistics costs, and avoid products with strict review and troublesome returns, such as electronic products and maternal and child products

Question 2: How to increase sales on Mercari?

Answer:

(1) Ensure the quality of the product and provide true and detailed descriptions and high-quality pictures so that buyers can clearly understand the actual situation of the product.

(2) Optimize product titles and descriptions, add keywords and clear pictures, maintain price competitiveness and good seller reviews, and respond to buyers' questions and needs in a timely manner.

(3) Hold promotional activities regularly, provide coupons and discount codes to attract buyers to buy and increase purchase conversion rates

Question 3: What is Mercari's return policy?

A: Mercari's return policy states that after receiving the product, if there is a problem with the product, such as not matching the product description, the product is a fake/counterfeit, the product is prohibited for sale, the product is damaged or defective when delivered, the seller sent the wrong product, etc., the buyer can apply for a return within 3 days. If the seller has clearly stated in the product description, the buyer cannot return the product on the grounds of "unsuitable" or "smell".

Revelation: In order to avoid losses caused by returns, sellers should be as detailed as possible in the product description, add multiple pictures, and emphasize important information to reduce returns caused by inaccurate product descriptions. At the same time, sellers should also pay attention to changes in Mercari's return policy so as to adjust their sales strategies in a timely manner.

Question 4: What should Mercari avoid?

Answer:

(1) Avoid illegal operations: You should not use unfair means such as empty package games. Once these behaviors are discovered by the platform, they are likely to lead to account closure.

(2) Provide good customer service: On Mercari, the rate of account closure due to complaints is extremely high. Therefore, how to respond to buyers' complaints and questions is directly related to whether the account can survive, so it is crucial to provide good customer service.

Question 5: What is Mercari's traffic algorithm?

Answer:

(1) Listings that match the buyer's search terms will be given priority.

(2) Listings with high views, likes, and quotes are usually ranked higher.

(3) Sellers with positive reviews, fast delivery times, and responsive communication will often have their listings given priority.

Question 6: What should I do if the goods I sent are returned?

Answer: When you encounter a situation where the goods are returned, there are several ways to deal with it:

(1) Verify the address: First, you should confirm with the buyer whether the delivery address they provided is correct. Once the address is confirmed, you can update this information through Mercari's Help Center.

(2) Re-shipping options:

Option 1: You can cancel the current transaction and re-list the product. You can then notify the buyer to make another purchase.

Option 2: You can also choose to re-ship the product yourself, but this time not through Mercari's co-operating courier service. In this case, you need to make sure to provide the buyer with tracking information such as the courier number, and please note that Mercari will not cover the cost of this shipment.

Option 3: If you choose not to re-ship the product, you can cancel the transaction and refund the payment to the buyer.

Question 7: Who pays for shipping?

A: This is the same as Xianyu in my country. If the seller chooses to let the buyer pay for shipping, the shipping cost will be included in the product price; if the seller chooses to pay for shipping themselves, the cost will be deducted from the sales revenue. For self-shipped products, the shipping cost is entirely the responsibility of the seller.

Question 8: How do I set up a payment method on Mercari?

A: Log in to your Mercari account, go to the "My Income" or "Wallet" section, choose to add a new payment method, such as a bank account, debit card, or credit card, and enter the relevant payment information and complete the verification according to the prompts. If you do not have an overseas bank account, you can also choose to bind with a third-party platform such as WindPayer. The withdrawal fee is preferential, and payment and collection are more convenient and quick.

Question 9: How to price the product?

Answer: The following factors need to be considered:

(1) Platform fees: Since Mercari charges a 12.9% commission plus a fixed fee, it is recommended to reserve about 15% of the cost to cover these platform fees.

(2) Market research: Refer to the pricing of competitors to understand the price range of similar products in the market, which will help you set a competitive price.

(3) Smart price adjustment: Mercari provides a smart price adjustment function. If the product has not been sold for a long time, the system will automatically lower the price to promote sales.

(4) Set a floor price: In order to avoid selling the product at an excessively low price, you can set a minimum selling price (floor pricing). In this way, even if the smart price adjustment function is activated, the product will not be sold below the floor price you set.

Question 10: What are Mercari's anti-blocking strategies?

Answer:

(1) Comply with platform rules: Carefully read and comply with all Mercari policies to avoid illegal operations.

(2) Social media account maintenance: After registering a social media account for related promotion, perform account maintenance, including using a fixed IP to log in to the account, logging in to the store every day to browse and like, etc., simulating the various operations of normal users, so that the account shows reasonable activity.

(3) Account environment stability: Use a static residential IP proxy to configure the Mercari store, log in to the account with a fixed IP, and isolate the network environment between accounts. When I opened a store on Mercari, I used 98IP. They provide clean IPs worldwide, including dynamic and static IPs, and can match an independent IP address for each of my accounts. Since then, I have rarely been blocked due to account IP association or instability.

Through the above ten questions and ten answers, I believe you have a clearer understanding and preparation for opening a store on Mercari. Finally, I hope this guide can provide practical help and guidance for your Mercari store opening journey, and help you achieve brilliant results in the world of cross-border e-commerce!