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@TSatt I have really LOVED selling on Mercari because it is super fast to list and very streamlined. It’s very, very fast and easy to cross-post and there is no sharing like Poshmark. You just need to remember to say any flaws in the description since you are not prompted to. I also started selling on there because Google loves Mercari. It’s a really cleverly designed app experience that makes Ebay look super dated and clunky.
So far I have been spinning off things from our own house (mostly clothing) and I’m willing to promote to likers and drop prices. I sell everything shipping included on Mercari. Shipping prices are good except first class, so I use Paypal for that. FedEx for Mercari can be beyond slow but have the best pricing.
The drawbacks are that you tend to fetch lower prices on Mercari, but the fees are less – 10% and no Paypal fees. You have to pay that fee on shipping if you choose to do shipping included. I’m in a Facebook group where people report much faster sales, including items that sat and sat on Ebay beforehand.
Mercari is very cut and dried with customer service. The buyer has to work a bit to get a return approved within the three day window. It’s all done by email. I had to cancel a sale once when I accidentally reactivated a listing after returning from vacation, and they sent a little smack down email and posted an automated notice on my feedback board.
I look forward to trying it out for vintage hard goods. Haven’t done that yet, but shipping cost over a pound is better than Ebay. Mercari is clearly sharing more of their commercial discount vs. Ebay. I would be cautious about selling electronics or high dollar items on Mercari though at this point. I’ve heard some horror stories, but who knows how good those sellers were.
Kind of slow after a few weeks of not listing. Sold this vintage nos blanket for best offer $200. I could have sold this several times for $200, but I kept missing the offer notification and would later see it expired. Paid $40 at indy thrift and got great feedback from a gift giver.
Sold this Mexican sun face pottery for best offer of $60. Paid $7 at indy thrift.
Gotta love the right Christmas craft kits. Sold this Bernat kit full price. Paid $3 at thrift store.
Let’s hear it for death pile items moving out! vintage frig book, Starbucks mug, pyrex lid lot. Some of the less desirable pyrex isn’t really worth much and is a pain to ship, so I just lotted up the lids and sold the casseroles on facebook.
I think location is a big factor, but you may or may not have to deal with more competition in urban places too. The sweet spot is finding places where valuable things are still being overlooked and there are wealthier types who donate great items. Here the cost of living is very high, we have lots of elderly people, and the minority of younger people are working hard to pay for it so they have less time to scavenge. But down the coast a half hour there are more young people on it with their phones out. Also the employees down there are better at spotting good stuff. Our Goodwill is constantly hiring and cannot find good workers.
Total Items in Store: 359 Ebay, 54 Mercari
Items Sold: 6 Ebay, 4 Mercari
Gross Sales: $321 Ebay, $58 Mercari
Cost of Items Sold: $73 + $30 shipping included + some ours
Highest Price Sold: $200 (NOS vintage blanket, paid $40 indy thrift)
Average Price Sold: $53 Ebay, $15 Mercari
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 2 MercariIt’s been a crazy Fall with unusual happenings both challenging and fun. Ebay is what I do with my “extra time” and it’s just not fitting in right now. My strategy is to take offers on old stuff and keep the store active.
I hope you enjoy your stay in beautiful SF up there. You might look into major rummage sales as an option in the urban areas. Perhaps worth it if you can also hit some estate sales or auctions on the same trip. You won’t have to invest as much and there are two of you to split up and conquer the sale. I follow someone great on Youtube (thePaperCastle) who lives in NJ and does very well with rummage sales at a cheap buy in. She has gotten to know and calendar her favorite rummage and church sales. Personally, I adore rummage sales but we only have 3 big ones each year as the area around our city is not as densely populated.
Congrats Amatino on the win with 51 listings! I didn’t have a prayer this week. LOL
Ugh. My work schedule has changed and life is pretty hectic this Fall. I really haven’t had much time at all for Ebay unfortunately. I guess the good news is watching old items sell off and space clear out. Haven’t had time for sourcing either. I listed two of our costumes on Mercari this week.
My office moved and we remodeled, so I have acquired quite a bit of odd shaped boxes and bubble wrap. My husband finally complained about it and the stock in the garage because he loathes getting up into the attic to get the holiday stuff. So, there’s some extra incentive to not shop. Ironically there is actually 30% less inventory on hand but I do need to consolidate some boxes. I probably can give away some of this packing material. Too bad no elves are close.
I also missed an awesome Halloween / Fall special sale at my favorite indy thrift because I had to take my reluctant (major understatement) daughter to get a flu shot instead. Have a great week ladies.
I would create one variation listing and offer to bundle shipping within reason if flat rate shipping is not better. I use foam between plates, wrap with plastic shipping wrap on a roll to make a chunk before bubble wrapping. Then protect the chunks from each other. Cups and odd shaped serving pieces are harder to ship together though.
@pythonesk Yes, I have created some boards either by item type, brand, or general category. I also participate in Facebook sharing groups when I have time and when I need to share others’ listings, I use one board to park all of those.
You’re welcome! I have these really cool ones in my piles to list. Also like pick up nautical stuff.
@Sigilini Not all of them have sold super high, but they usually sell within a few months. Most of them are brass or pot metal / cast iron look. I’ve sold these Indian Chief for $125; something like these brass tennis ones for less. I usually put Man Cave in the title (if appropriate) and pin them on Pinterest.
I do pretty well with bookends. A coworker brought me a Princess Diana collector’s plate and some English wall plates (chipped) from his mom’s house today. After looking them up we had a laugh and he said “I guess my mom wasn’t a good collector.” I told him he probably threw out the good stuff. Actually, his realtor in So Cal “generously” offered to clean out the house. :/
Total Items in Store: 359 Ebay, 56 Mercari
Items Sold: 2 Ebay, 2 Mercari
Gross Sales: $50 Ebay, $21 Mercari
Cost of Items Sold: $3 (most items ours)
Highest Price Sold: $30 best offer, Our PBK party games
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 0Crappy week on Ebay even though I didn’t turn my store off during vacation. I enjoyed the Podcast, especially the analysis of live and online auctions. The scavenging is not at all the problem for me in this location, but still interesting. Hope to list away on the piles soon. It is super crazy outside Ebay these days so that’s hard during 4th quarter. Have a great trip to SF. Hope you have an extra day or two up there to enjoy the City.
Thank you ladies for the birthday wishes. The long weekend in Scottsdale was great, except for my Ebay business and it was splurgy as we were traveling with spendier friends. No listing, no purchases. Life is so very busy. It’s kind of tough because I know I have holiday stuff in the attic that should get listed and there is a rummage sale at the end of the month. I really hope to get back to listing soon.
Amatino, we may be mainly twins but I’m not a belly dancer. 🙂 What a fun hobby. My mom totally did that in the ’70s.
I have bought and sold about 20 items on Mercari at this point. I have mainly sold better brand clothing and pop culture items but I plan to cross-post some vintage soon. I see Mercari having an advantage because it’s very Google friendly with its hashtags (optional) and short titles.
It’s super efficient and simple. Once you start using it, you can see how clunky Ebay is. Ebay wants to add a lot of new users, but there is a bigger learning curve then these clean apps and the fees are higher on Ebay. Mercari right now is a straight 10% off the top, transfers balance to your bank account free without going through Paypal. Mercari can’t collect sales tax yet or give you combined sales summaries. For items over a pound, Mercari passes on good shipping discounts vs Ebay.
I really love it because it’s uber fast to list and time is my major challenge. No need to type and finish on the desktop like Ebay. Only a couple of item specifics you finger tap with super simple categories and shipping. I think you get +/- 30% lower prices than Poshmark or Ebay at this time and buyers are encouraged to make offers. Mercari has a daily 10 item max promote feature I use to drop prices once I have likes (watchers).
I had an issue as a buyer with a brand misrepresented, and Mercari asked for a bunch of photos, took a few days to review but it was all done by messaging, so no annoying long waits or calls with a clueless foreign rep. I have read, however, that Mercari can be kind of harsh vs. Ebay, have closed accounts with balances, etc. I wouldn’t list expensive items (over $75) and I transfer out my balance regularly. None of my buyers have refused to approve merchandise yet or failed to rate me within 3 days. Returns are essentially discouraged. It’s my understanding that the buyer has to demonstrate that the item is not as described, so I suspect the return rate is much lower than Ebay and that is nice for clothing.
If anyone is interested, I’ll let you know how vintage does. Most of the FB people reviewing seem to be selling clothing and not home goods or vintage. I read that shoes do well.
Sorry for your loss. If not too awkward, you can offer to sell things to your family members before you liquidate. I’m in the estate business and sometimes the lesser value “things” get in the way of relationships, especially if the expectation is not unequal division. Congratulations on your early retirement! I hear it’s good to look at the numbers in waiting until after age 62 to pull social security.
