Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
As of November 2026, Mercari’s help center shows a 10% selling fee for US sellers, charged on the item price plus any shipping the buyer pays, with listing for free and no separate payment processing fee on new or updated listings. Cashing out to a bank by direct deposit costs $0, and Instant Pay costs a flat $3 per withdrawal. This page gives you the fee table, a formula, four worked profit examples with the arithmetic shown, and a short comparison with eBay. I wrote it at Ecommerce Paradise for store owners who use a resale marketplace as a side channel next to a main store.
Every Mercari figure below comes from Mercari’s own help center and shipping pages, which I read in November 2026 (links in each section). Mercari changes fees and shipping rates, so treat this as a snapshot and confirm the numbers in your own account before you price anything. The examples are illustrations with stated assumptions, not predictions of your results.
Mercari Fees at a Glance (as of November 2026)
This table is the short version for a US seller. The sections after it explain what each line is calculated on and where the page gave no figure.
| Fee or rule | Amount (as of November 2026) | Charged on or how it works |
|---|---|---|
| Listing an item | Free | Mercari says listing is always free; fees apply when an item sells or when you use a paid service |
| Selling fee | 10% | Item price plus buyer-paid shipping, for listings created or updated on or after January 6, 2025 |
| Payment processing fee, seller | No separate fee on new or updated listings | Older, not-yet-updated listings follow the earlier structure, where processing was charged to the buyer |
| Direct deposit (ACH) withdrawal | $0 per successful withdrawal | One per day, usually within 5 business days, checking accounts only |
| Failed direct deposit | $2 | Charged only when the withdrawal fails |
| Instant Pay | $3 flat per withdrawal | One per day, up to $600 a month, eligible Visa or Mastercard debit cards |
| Cancelation fee | 5% of the item price, capped at $25 | Only for frequent cancelations, after warnings |
| Mercari Authenticate | $5 per item, over a set dollar amount | The dollar threshold is not shown on the page |
| Authenticate Certificate | $10 | Paid by the seller |
| Buyer Protection fee (for reference) | 3.6% | Paid by the buyer on item price plus buyer-paid shipping, not by you |
The selling fee, cancelation fee, Authenticate fees and payout rules come from Mercari’s Fees on Mercari help page. The payout details match Mercari’s Getting paid guide.
The Mercari Fee Formula
Here is a formula for any US order. It is not an official Mercari formula, just the pieces Mercari’s pages describe, put in one line:
Selling fee = 10% x (item price + buyer-paid shipping)
Net proceeds = item price + buyer-paid shipping – selling fee – the shipping label cost you cover
Profit = net proceeds – what you paid for the item – packaging and any other costs
Mercari’s Gross Sales Report describes net proceeds in a similar way, as the amount paid to you after seller-paid shipping and Mercari’s fees. Sales tax charged to the buyer appears in its own column in that report and is not part of net proceeds, so I leave it out of every example.
Two shortcuts follow from the formula, assuming the shipping the buyer pays equals your label cost:
- With buyer-paid shipping, net proceeds = 0.9 x item price – 0.1 x shipping. The shipping charge is a pass-through, but you still pay 10% of it as fee.
- With free shipping (you cover the label), net proceeds = 0.9 x item price – label cost.
To price backward from a target, use the free-shipping version: price = (what you paid + target profit + label cost) / 0.9. For example, an item that cost you $12, a $15 profit target and an assumed $8 label gives ($12 + $15 + $8) / 0.9 = $38.89 after rounding up. Check it: 0.9 x $38.89 = $35.00, minus the $8 label leaves $27.00, minus the $12 cost leaves $15.00.
The 10% Selling Fee
Mercari’s fees page says the selling fee is 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, for listings created or updated on or after January 6, 2025. The page for that change, Changes to our fee structure, describes it as reintroducing a selling fee while lowering the buyer fee to 3.6%.
Three details matter when you price an item:
- The fee base includes shipping the buyer pays. A $40 item with $8 of buyer-paid shipping is charged 10% of $48, which is $4.80, not $4.00.
- The page says the fee applies to the combined item price and buyer-paid shipping. It does not spell out how a free-shipping listing is treated, but the wording implies that shipping you cover is not in the base, which is how I calculate it in the examples.
- Listings that predate January 6, 2025 were expected to take a week or more to reflect the new structure automatically, and the transition FAQ says an edited listing moves to the new structure, per the fees page and that FAQ.
The transition FAQ, FAQs about our new fee structure, also says Mercari planned to notify sellers about listings at risk of negative earnings, and that listings still showing negative earnings would be deactivated automatically. Mercari suggested raising the price by at least 10% to avoid that. For a store owner, the useful takeaway is simple: a thin-margin item can go from a small profit to a loss when a 10% fee and a label are both deducted, so run the numbers before you list.
Payment Processing Fees
On the current structure, Mercari says there is no additional payment processing fee for buyers or sellers on new and updated listings. That is different from many marketplaces and card processors, where a percentage plus a fixed amount is taken from every sale. If you also take card payments on your own site, my guide to Stripe fees shows what a separate processor costs on top of a platform. The PayPal fee calculator does the same for PayPal.
The old structure matters only for listings that have not been updated. Mercari’s fees page says those listings carry a $0.50 plus 2.9% processing fee charged to the buyer, and that it is not refundable on returned or canceled orders. The transition FAQ quotes the same 2.9% + $0.50 for items sold under the old structure. Since you cannot see which structure an old listing sits on without opening it, the safe move is to edit or relist older inventory before you count on the numbers in this article.
Shipping Costs and Who Pays
Shipping is usually the biggest cost after the item itself, and Mercari’s pages are careful about what they do and do not say. The Mercari shipping page says prepaid labels are discounted by up to 40% off retail carrier rates for standard and economy shipments, compared against USPS, UPS and FedEx retail rates. The page’s own footnote shows the comparison was completed on December 18, 2022, so I treat the 40% as a marketing claim, not a rate you can count on.
Other rules the shipping page lists:
- Labels cover USPS, UPS and FedEx, and you choose the carrier.
- Prepaid labels work for items up to 50 lbs and 34 inches in length.
- You must ship within 3 business days of the sale, and tell the buyer if there is a delay.
- Shipping Protection covers up to $200 for standard, Media Mail and economy shipments.
- Oversized items go under Ship on your own, where the page says to include a tracking number, and Mercari Local handles fragile or bulky local pickup and delivery.
The rate tables live on the fees page, not the shipping page. When I read it, it labeled its carrier tables as effective 10/19/2026, with First-Class envelope promotional rates effective 9/17/2026 and a USPS table updated May 7, 2026, and the page footer showed an October 23, 2026 update. For the 1 lb row, the USPS Ground Advantage line listed $7.99 and $8.99, and the 5 lb row listed $15.99 and $18.99. The text I could read did not label which figure is which, so use the live table for your exact package.
The fees page also lists penalties that are easy to trigger. If a package exceeds the size or weight on the label, extra fees apply, though the amount is not stated. Using the wrong packaging with a Mercari label, such as Priority Mail Express or Flat Rate boxes, lets Mercari deduct extra costs from your balance, and the page says the seller pays 100% of any carrier fines. Packages over 100 lb must be shipped by the seller at the seller’s cost, and the page lists a flat $2,500 freight rate over 150 lb.
Getting Paid: Direct Deposit vs Instant Pay
Mercari gives you two ways to move your balance to a bank, and the difference is a flat fee for speed. The details below are from the Getting paid guide.
| Option | Fee | Speed | Limits and rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct deposit (ACH) | $0 if it succeeds, $2 if it fails | Typically within 5 business days, not on banking or company holidays | One per day, checking accounts only, one linked bank account per Mercari account |
| Instant Pay | $3 flat per withdrawal | Up to about 30 minutes, depending on the bank | One per day, up to $600 per month, Visa or Mastercard debit only, verified government ID, latest app version |
You can cancel a direct deposit until 11:59 PM PT on the day you request it. If the account or routing number is wrong, the guide says the receiving bank rejects the funds within 10 business days.
Because Instant Pay is a flat fee, its cost depends on how much you move at once. A $3 fee on a $21.90 withdrawal is about 13.7%, while on a $300 withdrawal it is 1%. If you ship several orders a week, batch your cash-outs and use free direct deposit unless you need the money now. Mercari’s fees page also says a declined Instant Pay request returns the full amount, including the fee, to your balance.
Other Charges to Know
Beyond the selling fee, shipping and cash-out costs, Mercari’s fees page lists a few more charges. A cancelation fee applies only to frequent cancelations: 5% of the item price, capped at $25, after warnings, deducted from your balance or charged to your card within 30 days of the notice. Mercari Authenticate is $5 per item for items over a set dollar amount, and the page does not show that amount. The Authenticate Certificate is $10.
The page also lists a $25 per hour charge to law enforcement or government agencies for subpoena, court order or search warrant processing, which does not affect normal sellers. I found no monthly subscription fee and no minimum payout amount listed on the pages I loaded, so I do not claim either exists.
Mercari Promotions and Coupons
Mercari’s coupons and promotions page, which showed an October 26, 2026 update date when I read it, is mostly a buyer-facing page. It lists items such as free shipping on orders of $50 or more under stated terms, a first-purchase welcome offer in the app, and Refer and Earn credit. It also lists seasonal shipping and category codes that change over time, so I do not list codes here.
For a seller, three points matter:
- The page lists no seller fee promotions, such as a reduced selling fee.
- It labels Featured Deals as seller-applied discounts, so the discount comes out of your price.
- It does not say who funds the coupons or shipping promotions, so I cannot tell you whether a promotion costs you anything. Check the promotion terms inside the app before you opt a listing in.
It also describes a trading-card shipping promotion with reduced prepaid label rates during an unspecified promotion window. Since promotions come and go, look at the live page before you plan a month around one.
Did Mercari Fees Change in 2026?
On the official pages I loaded, the last change to the selling fee structure is the one that took effect January 6, 2025: a 10% seller fee, a 3.6% buyer fee, no separate processing fee, and free ACH withdrawals. I did not find a 2026 change to the 10% selling fee, Instant Pay’s $3 fee or the direct deposit rules. What did change in 2026 is shipping: the fees page carries carrier rate tables with effective dates of May 7, 2026 and October 19, 2026, plus a promotional envelope table effective September 17, 2026.
The Form 1099-K page also reflects a 2026 filing detail. It says the threshold for the 2025 tax year is more than $20,000 in gross payments and more than 200 transactions, and it does not state a 2026 threshold. I cover that more in the tax section below.
Four Worked Examples
These are examples with stated assumptions for a US seller, using the 10% selling fee and the payout rules above as of November 2026. The arithmetic in each table is re-checked. The label cost is an assumption I chose for round numbers, not a Mercari rate, and sales tax is left out because it is charged to the buyer separately and is not part of net proceeds. In Examples 1, 3 and 4 the buyer pays shipping equal to your label cost. In Example 2 the buyer pays no shipping.
Example 1: A $40 Item With Buyer-Paid Shipping
Assume the item sells for $40, the buyer pays $8.00 shipping, your label costs $8.00 and you paid $12 for the item.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fee base | $40.00 + $8.00 | $48.00 |
| Selling fee | 10% x $48.00 | $4.80 |
| Net proceeds | $40.00 + $8.00 – $4.80 – $8.00 | $35.20 |
| Profit | $35.20 – $12.00 | $23.20 |
The selling fee is 12% of the item price, because the fee also applies to the shipping you collect. Check with the shortcut: 0.9 x $40 – 0.1 x $8 = $36.00 – $0.80 = $35.20.
Example 2: The Same Item With Free Shipping
Now assume you offer free shipping on the same $40 item, so the buyer pays $0 shipping, you cover the $8.00 label and you paid $12.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fee base | $40.00 + $0.00 | $40.00 |
| Selling fee | 10% x $40.00 | $4.00 |
| Net proceeds | $40.00 – $4.00 – $8.00 | $28.00 |
| Profit | $28.00 – $12.00 | $16.00 |
Profit drops from $23.20 to $16.00 because the label now comes out of your price. To match Example 1 with free shipping you would list at $48, which gives a $4.80 fee, net proceeds of $48.00 – $4.80 – $8.00 = $35.20 and the same $23.20 profit. Free shipping does not avoid the fee on that money, it just hides it inside the price.
Example 3: A Thrift-Store Flip and a Small Cash-Out
Assume you bought an item for $6, it sells for $25, the buyer pays $6.00 shipping and your label costs $6.00.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fee base | $25.00 + $6.00 | $31.00 |
| Selling fee | 10% x $31.00 | $3.10 |
| Net proceeds | $25.00 + $6.00 – $3.10 – $6.00 | $21.90 |
| Profit | $21.90 – $6.00 | $15.90 |
| Profit if you cash out only this order with Instant Pay | $15.90 – $3.00 | $12.90 |
Choosing direct deposit keeps the full $15.90, and the only cost is waiting up to about 5 business days. That is why I treat Instant Pay as a convenience fee, not a default.
Example 4: A $300 Item With Buyer-Paid Shipping
Assume a $300 item that cost you $190, the buyer pays $20.00 shipping and your label costs $20.00.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fee base | $300.00 + $20.00 | $320.00 |
| Selling fee | 10% x $320.00 | $32.00 |
| Net proceeds | $300.00 + $20.00 – $32.00 – $20.00 | $268.00 |
| Profit | $268.00 – $190.00 | $78.00 |
The selling fee is $32, or 10.67% of the item price, and it is the largest cost after the product. A percentage fee grows with the price tag, so the same 10% that costs $4.80 on a $48 order costs $32 here. If you plan to resell higher-priced goods, compare that with a per-order cost on a store you own before you decide how much inventory to put on a marketplace.
Mercari vs eBay, Poshmark and Depop
The fairest comparison is on the fee structure, because each marketplace has different buyers, categories and rules. I could read eBay’s official fee page, but I could not read Poshmark’s or Depop’s. The Poshmark help page was blocked to my fetch tool, and the Depop page returned an error. I therefore do not quote their rates, and I recommend you read each platform’s current fee page yourself before you compare.
For eBay, the fee page I loaded shows a final value fee of 13.6% of the total sale amount up to $7,500 per item, plus 2.35% on the portion above $7,500, for most categories. It also shows a per-order fee of $0.30 for orders of $10.00 or less and $0.40 for orders above $10.00, and the first 250 listings each month free. The page I loaded did not show a date, so confirm it on eBay’s selling fees page.
| Item | Mercari (as of November 2026) | eBay, most categories |
|---|---|---|
| Listing | Free | First 250 listings a month free, then $0.35 each |
| Percentage fee | 10% of item price plus buyer-paid shipping | 13.6% of the total sale amount up to $7,500, 2.35% above |
| Per-order fee | None listed | $0.30 up to $10.00, $0.40 above $10.00 |
| Separate processing fee | None on new or updated listings | Not listed separately on the page I loaded |
As an example only, take the $40 item with $8 of shipping from Example 1, a $48 total. Mercari’s fee is 10% x $48 = $4.80. If eBay’s base were the same $48 and I ignore sales tax and any category differences, the fee would be 13.6% x $48 = $6.53 plus $0.40 = $6.93, which is $2.13 more. Fee level is not the whole story, since eBay may bring different buyers or demand for your category, but it shows how the structures differ. For a longer view of another marketplace, my Etsy fees calculator covers the listing, transaction and Offsite Ads fees. My post on Etsy alternatives for sellers compares six other places to sell.
Taxes and Bookkeeping for a Mercari Side Channel
If you sell on Mercari next to a main store, the fees above are business costs, and you need a clean record of them. Mercari’s Gross Sales Report page says the report lists item price, buyer and seller shipping, the Mercari selling fee, the payment processing fee and net proceeds for each order. It also says Mercari does not have your original item cost, so the report does not include it. You still have to track what you paid for inventory yourself.
On taxes, Mercari’s 1099-K FAQ says a Form 1099-K goes to sellers who exceed both thresholds, more than $20,000 in gross payments and more than 200 transactions, for the 2025 tax year. The reported amount is gross, and the page says it includes the item price, buyer-paid shipping and buyer-paid sales tax, with seller-paid shipping and Mercari seller fees treated as part of the gross item price. In plain terms, the form can show more than you actually received. Mercari says it cannot give tax advice, and neither can I, so check your own situation with a tax professional.
Two practical steps help. First, keep resale income separate from personal money. A registered business and a separate business account make that easier, and my guide to business formation for high-ticket dropshipping explains the setup.
If you want a formation service, Bizee is one option, and you should compare its current price and terms before you pay. Second, use bookkeeping software or a service that matches fees, labels and payouts to orders each month, such as Finaloop, which is one option to look at.
Where Mercari Fits Next to a High-Ticket Store
I teach the high-ticket dropshipping model, where you sell higher-priced products through your own store and a supplier ships the order. If you are new to that model, start with what high-ticket dropshipping is. A resale marketplace like Mercari works differently, because you usually buy or own the item and ship it yourself, which is a different business from dropshipping.
That difference is the reason I see Mercari as a side channel and not a replacement. It can help a store owner clear returned stock, personal inventory or sourced resale items without building a new site. For the main business, you pick products from the high-ticket niches list. Then you line up suppliers using the guide on how to find suppliers for high-ticket dropshipping.
When your resale volume grows and the percentage fee starts to hurt, a store you control gives you pricing and brand control. A store on Shopify is one route. My breakdown of Shopify fees shows what that costs.
If you are starting a first marketplace shop instead, read how to start an Etsy shop for the setup steps and mistakes to avoid.
What I Could Not Verify
These items were not shown on the official pages I loaded, so I do not give numbers for them:
- The dollar amount above which Mercari Authenticate applies
- Whether a free-shipping listing changes the selling fee base, beyond the wording that the fee applies to item price plus buyer-paid shipping
- Which party funds Mercari’s coupons and shipping promotions
- Which of the two prices on each prepaid label row is the best rate and which is standard
- Poshmark and Depop seller fees, because their official fee pages did not load for me
- Any 2026 Form 1099-K threshold, because the page states only the 2025 tax year figures
Your Mercari account and the live help pages show the figures that apply to you. This article is general information and not tax, legal or financial advice, and terms change, so check the provider.
How I Would Use This Page Before Listing an Item
- Confirm the listing was created or updated on or after January 6, 2025, so you are on the current structure.
- Decide whether you will offer buyer-paid or free shipping, and price the label from the live rate table.
- Run the formula once with buyer-paid shipping and once with free shipping, and pick the version that clears your target profit.
- Plan to cash out by free direct deposit, and use Instant Pay only when you need the money sooner.
- Log the sale, the fee, the label and your cost in your bookkeeping the same week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Mercari seller fees in November 2026?
Mercari’s fees page shows a 10% selling fee on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping for listings created or updated on or after January 6, 2025. Listing is free, there is no separate payment processing fee on new or updated listings, direct deposit costs $0 and Instant Pay costs a flat $3. Shipping labels are a separate cost that depends on carrier, weight and service.
How do I calculate Mercari fees on a sale?
Multiply the item price plus any shipping the buyer pays by 10%, then subtract that fee and any label cost you cover from what the buyer paid. For a $40 item with $8 buyer-paid shipping and an $8 label, the fee is $4.80 and net proceeds are $35.20 before your item cost.
Does Mercari charge a payment processing fee to sellers?
Not on new or updated listings under the structure that started January 6, 2025, according to Mercari’s help pages. Older listings that were never updated followed the earlier structure with a 2.9% plus $0.50 processing fee charged to the buyer, so edit or relist older items.
How much does Mercari Instant Pay cost?
Mercari charges a flat $3 per Instant Pay withdrawal. It is limited to one a day and $600 a month, needs an eligible Visa or Mastercard debit card and a verified government ID, and can take up to about 30 minutes to arrive. Standard direct deposit is free and usually arrives within 5 business days.
Does Mercari send a 1099-K?
Mercari’s 1099-K page says it files a Form 1099-K for sellers who go over both thresholds for the 2025 tax year, which are more than $20,000 in gross payments and more than 200 transactions. The page does not state a 2026 threshold, and Mercari says it cannot give tax advice, so ask a tax professional about your own reporting.
Related Articles
If you are weighing marketplaces, payment costs and your own store, these posts go deeper on the same decisions:
- Etsy Fees Calculator 2026: Listing, Transaction and Payment Fees
- Etsy Alternatives for Sellers in 2026: 6 Places to Sell Compared by Fees and Fit
- Shopify Fees in 2026: Every Charge, Rates by Plan and Real Examples
- Stripe Fee Calculator 2026: What You Keep on Every Payment
- PayPal Fee Calculator 2026: What You Keep on Every Sale
Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.
