Poshmark vs Mercari: Which Is the Better App for Sellers?
What Are They?
Poshmark and Mercari are both resale apps. You can sell anything from clothes, to decor, to electronics. Poshmark is geared more toward clothing, while you will likely find a wider array of products on Mercari.
Key Similarities
Both apps provide you a platform to sell and promote your items and will take a cut of your profits. Both apps allow you to promote your items to the top of searches. They also give a buyer three days to return an item if it is not as described or flawed in some way. At the end of a sale or purchase, the customer will rate the seller and the seller will rate the buyer.
Key Differences
Poshmark takes a hefty 20% of a seller's profit, whereas Mercari has removed the percentage. They now charge a $2 fee to transfer your money out of the app per transfer.
On Poshmark, higher end clothing items seem to be what sells most. For Mercari, I’ve had more success selling lower quality, more used items.
When promoting your items, Poshmark allows you to promote your items to the top of a search for free. Mercari also allows you to promote items, but you will have to mark the item down slightly.
Poshmark has a fairly steady shipping rate at $7.99. If an item exceeds a large weight, it may cost more. Mercari, however, has different rates lending on the weight of the item.
Poshmark ships through USPS. Mercari allows shipping through USPS, FedEx, and UPS.
There are a few other differences between the two, mostly features that Poshmark has. These include options for wholesale or boutiques, more options to classify your items when listing, analytics, an ambassador program, livestreams, inventory and sales reports, and a convenient bundling feature. Poshmark also allows for a vacation hold on your closet when you’ll be away from the app for a while and can’t ship.
One feature Mercari has that Poshmark does not offer is a smart pricing system. So, Mercari will automatically reduce the price of your items over time to help with promotion and increase the chances your item sells, if you opt for that.
My Personal Experience
In short, I’ve sold more and made twice as much on Poshmark than I have on Mercari. I list pretty much all my items across both apps. I joined Poshmark in early 2018, and I joined Mercari in the same year. I’ve been an ambassador on Posh for a few years, but I don’t know that that has impacted sales at all.
As of writing, I’ve sold 163 items on Poshmark totaling $5,440.19 after fees. The average net profit per item is $33.37. As for Mercari, I’ve made $2,583.32 selling 110 items. That averages $23.48 per item.
Poshmark analytics screenshot
Generally, I’ve been able to sell higher-end brands on Poshmark with better condition (mainly new with tags, or new without tags). On Mercari, I’ve had more luck selling items that weren’t in as good of condition or weren’t high-end brands. I’ve noticed that the buyers on Poshmark seem to be willing to spend more on an item, whereas Mercari shoppers prefer a cheaper rate and have been less likely to accept an offer or submit a counteroffer. I’ve also had people attempt to return items on Mercari, but they were denied, as their reasoning for the returns did not align with the return policy.
My Recommendation
If you want to start selling items, I’d recommend listing them on both apps to increase your odds. Between the two, I do prefer Poshmark. It has been around longer, and I do feel the app is easier to navigate as both a customer and a seller. I appreciate all the features that Poshmark offers its sellers. If you are just trying to get an item sold, consider who your target audience is. As I mentioned before, if it is a good quality, higher-end item, you’d probably have more success on Poshmark. If you’re selling an old, used iPod, then you will likely have better luck on Mercari.