Mercari Shops vs Individual Sellers: What Changes for Buyers (Questions, Price Requests, Shipping, Cancellations and Receipts)

When you search on Mercari, items listed by individuals and items from Mercari Shops, which are run by businesses, appear in the same results. You buy both in the same app, but how you ask questions, request a lower price, choose shipping, cancel and get receipts is not the same. Based on Mercari's official help pages, this guide sets out the differences from the buyer's side.

How to tell a Mercari Shops item

Mercari's help pages say a Mercari Shops item is one whose item page shows a black band reading "メルカリShops" at the top. According to Mercari's own explainer, Mercari Shops is a service for companies and sole proprietors to run online stores, which sets it apart from the main Mercari marketplace, intended in principle for individuals selling things they no longer need.

In search results you can also use the filter to narrow the seller type to individual or Mercari Shops. Mercari's announcement suggests, for example, choosing Mercari Shops when looking for new items or food, and individual sellers when looking for second-hand or rare items.

Questions before buying: comments vs inquiries

With individual listings you ask the seller through comments on the item page, which other users can read, so anyone considering the same item can see the exchange. Mercari Shops has no comment feature; instead you use "Ask about this item" on the item page or "Contact" on the shop page.

Mercari Shops inquiries are a one-to-one conversation with the shop and are not visible to others. If a shop has chosen not to accept questions before purchase, the button does not appear at all. After buying, you contact the shop through "Contact the shop" on the order screen.

Can you ask for a lower price?

On individual listings, buyers sometimes ask for a lower price in comments, and it is up to the seller whether to agree. There is also a price reduction request button on the item page for proposing a specific amount. Mercari's help pages, however, list Mercari Shops items among those where the price reduction request button does not appear.

On Mercari Shops, the price set by the shop is basically the price. Some shops issue coupons, so if price matters, check what the item page and shop page show.

Shipping and anonymous delivery

With individual listings, anonymous delivery applies when the seller uses Rakuraku Mercari-bin, Yuyu Mercari-bin or Tanomeru-bin. On Mercari Shops the anonymous option is Rakuraku Mercari-bin; Yuyu Mercari-bin and Tanomeru-bin are not available.

So if you want, for example, the post office or convenience-store pickup options of Yuyu Mercari-bin, check the shipping method on the item page before buying. In both cases, the days until dispatch are shown on the item page.

Cancellations and returns

Cancelling an individual transaction requires agreement from both sides. After discussing it with the other party, you submit a cancellation request from "Cancel this transaction" at the bottom of the transaction screen and choose whether and how the item will be returned. If the other party does not agree, or does not respond within 24 hours, the request does not go through.

On Mercari Shops, returns are accepted only in cases the shop has set out, and you can find the terms via the shop name at the bottom of the item page, then Shop information and Shop details. Because these are mail-order sales, the cooling-off system does not apply. If the shop does not send a dispatch notice within a set period after payment, the order is cancelled automatically (30 days for normal items, 90 days for long-dispatch items) and you are refunded according to your payment method.

If you need a receipt

Mercari Shops has no function for issuing receipts or qualified invoices. Mercari's help pages say the automatic purchase email or your payment method's statement can be used instead. If you really need a receipt you can ask the shop, but it may not be able to provide one. For a qualified invoice, contact the shop directly.

Koetsu's two Mercari stores

Koetsu sells through two channels: an individual Mercari account (Mercari profile) and the Mercari Shops store Loop KOBE. As this guide explains, how you ask questions and cancel differs between them, so please check each item page before buying. Neither store ships directly overseas.

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