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Selling Household Items on Mercari: A Beginner’s Walk-Through

ByDorothy Kemp

Mercari is an app and website where you can sell things you no longer need and mail them to the buyer. It is a friendly place to start. Selling a few things a month might, as a rough estimate, cover a small bill like a streaming service.

Here is how it works, as of October 2026.

What it costs to sell

Mercari changed its fees in January 2025. For listings created or updated since then:

  • Mercari takes a 10% selling fee on the item price plus any shipping the buyer pays.
  • There is no separate payment processing fee.
  • Moving your money to your bank by direct deposit is free. Instant Pay to a debit card costs $3.

How to list an item

  1. Download the Mercari app on your phone, or go to mercari.com, and create an account.
  2. Start a new listing and add photos. You can add up to 12. Make the first one your best, since it’s what shoppers see first. Daylight works well.
  3. Add a title, category, brand and condition. Describe the color, size and any flaws honestly.
  4. Enter the item’s weight so Mercari can work out the shipping.
  5. Set your price. Mercari suggests looking at similar items that have already sold.
  6. Choose who pays shipping: you, or the buyer at checkout. Then post the listing.

You can save a listing as a draft and finish it later.

Shipping made simple

When an item sells, Mercari gives you a prepaid shipping label with tracking and the buyer’s address already on it. You can print it, or for many USPS and UPS labels, show a QR code at a staffed post office or The UPS Store and they’ll print it for you. No printer needed.

Ship within three business days. Then tap “I’ve shipped it” in the app. Pack items well. Mercari says sellers are responsible for carrier fines for improper packaging.

Getting paid

After the buyer receives the item, they have three days to rate you. Once they do, or if they don’t and Mercari rates it automatically, the money appears in your Mercari balance. From there, direct deposit to your bank takes about a week. Instant Pay is faster but costs $3.

Things you can’t sell

Mercari bans items such as homemade food, medicines, alcohol, weapons, gift cards, precious metals, recalled products and counterfeits. Check the full list in Mercari’s help center before listing anything unusual.

Stay safe from scams

Keep everything inside the Mercari app. Mercari says it can’t protect you if you move a sale outside its system. Watch for these warning signs:

  • A buyer asking to pay you another way or to talk by text or email
  • A message with a link to another website. Mercari says it never sends links to outside sites
  • Anyone asking for your Social Security number or bank details

Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-step login.

A word on taxes and benefits

The IRS says a gain on a personal item is taxable, so keep simple records. Mercari sends a Form 1099-K only if you sell over $20,000 in more than 200 sales in a year, though some states have lower limits. If you get Social Security before full retirement age, or SSI or Medicaid, regular selling income could matter. Check your own situation at irs.gov and ssa.gov.

More on Replace a Bill

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