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E-Commerce · head to head

eBay vs Mercari

E

eBay

E-Commerce

Global marketplace where sellers list into eBay's audience under eBay's fee schedule and rules

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mercari logo

Mercari

E-Commerce

Japan-founded peer-to-peer resale marketplace with a flat seller commission

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mercari has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: eBay the final value fee applies to the total the buyer pays including postage and tax rather than to the item price, so a low value item with expensive shipping loses a much larger share of its margin than the headline percentage implies.; Mercari the flat 10 percent commission plus payment processing fees applies even to very low-value items, so selling something for a few dollars can leave the seller with proportionally little after fees and packaging.
  • They diverge on capability: eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Mercari covers Flat seller commission.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which eBay and Mercari actually diverge.

Attributes where eBay and Mercari differ
AttributeeBayMercari
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree to list; 10 percent seller commission on sale price plus payment processing fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in eBay

  • Auction and fixed price listings
  • Managed payments
  • eBay Stores
  • Promoted Listings
  • Bulk listing tools
  • International selling programmes
  • Money Back Guarantee
  • Seller performance standards

Only in Mercari

  • Flat seller commission
  • Prepaid shipping labels
  • Local pickup and offers
  • Smart pricing and price drops
  • Mercari authenticity guarantee
  • Instant or standard payout

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

eBay

  • Selling used, refurbished or one-off stock that has no natural search demand on its own sitenot Mercari
  • Parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brandnot Mercari
  • Liquidating returns or excess inventory without building an audience for itnot Mercari
  • Testing whether demand exists for a product line before investing in a standalone storefrontnot Mercari

Mercari

  • Someone clearing out a wide mix of household items, not just clothing, in one listing appnot eBay
  • A casual seller who wants a flat, predictable commission rather than a tiered fee structurenot eBay
  • A buyer looking for secondhand electronics or general goods alongside apparelnot eBay
  • A seller using local pickup to avoid shipping costs on bulky itemsnot eBay

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

eBay

  • The final value fee applies to the total the buyer pays including postage and tax rather than to the item price, so a low value item with expensive shipping loses a much larger share of its margin than the headline percentage implies.
  • Fees stack rather than substitute, since a Store subscription, a per order fixed fee, Promoted Listings and cross-border percentages all apply on top of the category rate, and the effective take rate is only visible after a full month of settlement reports.
  • eBay controls search placement, so as a category gets competitive the practical cost of visibility becomes the Promoted Listings rate, and that is an auction against other sellers that only goes one way.
  • You do not get the customer relationship, because eBay mediates messaging and does not supply a marketing list, so repeat business depends on eBay showing your listing again rather than on anything you own.
  • The account is the entire asset and it is governed by policies eBay enforces unilaterally, so a suspension or a category restriction ends the revenue immediately with no portable equivalent of a domain, a theme or a customer database to move elsewhere.

Mercari

  • The flat 10 percent commission plus payment processing fees applies even to very low-value items, so selling something for a few dollars can leave the seller with proportionally little after fees and packaging.
  • Shipping is the seller's responsibility to arrange and package correctly, and disputes over item condition or damage in transit are common friction points in buyer-seller resolution.
  • Instant payout carries its own fee on top of the selling and processing fees already deducted, so getting money out quickly costs more than waiting for standard transfer.
  • Buyer protection and authenticity verification are limited outside the specific luxury authentication programme, so counterfeit risk on unverified categories rests largely on buyer judgement of listing photos and seller ratings.
  • Market depth and typical sale prices vary significantly between the Japan and US versions of the app, and the two operate as largely separate marketplaces despite the shared brand.

Pricing, plan by plan

eBay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the eBay review.

Mercari

Free
  • SellingFree
    • 10 percent selling fee on final sale price
    • Separate payment processing fee, roughly 2.9 percent plus a fixed amount
    • Instant payout carries an additional fee versus standard bank transfer

Which should you pick?

Choose eBay if

  • You need auction and fixed price listings.
  • You also want managed payments.
eBay review

Choose Mercari if

  • You need flat seller commission.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want prepaid shipping labels.
Mercari review

Questions people ask

Is eBay or Mercari better?
Neither clearly leads. eBay starts at On request and Mercari at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, eBay or Mercari?
Mercari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for eBay and Free for Mercari.
Does eBay or Mercari run on more platforms?
eBay runs on Web. Mercari runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Mercari for free?
Yes. Mercari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. eBay starts at On request.
What is eBay best used for?
eBay is most often used for selling used, refurbished or one-off stock that has no natural search demand on its own site, parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brand, liquidating returns or excess inventory without building an audience for it, testing whether demand exists for a product line before investing in a standalone storefront. Of those, selling used, refurbished or one-off stock that has no natural search demand on its own site and parts and spares catalogues where buyers search by fitment rather than by brand are not what Mercari is typically brought in for.
What can eBay do that Mercari cannot?
eBay covers Auction and fixed price listings, Managed payments, eBay Stores, Promoted Listings. Mercari covers Flat seller commission, Prepaid shipping labels, Local pickup and offers, Smart pricing and price drops.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

eBay: What does selling on eBay actually cost?

A category-dependent percentage of the total buyer payment including postage, plus a fixed fee per order, plus any Store subscription, advertising rate and international fees. Model all of them together, not the first one alone.

Mercari: How much does Mercari charge sellers?

A flat 10 percent selling fee on the final sale price in the US, plus a separate payment processing fee, both deducted from the seller payout.

eBay: Can I use my own payment provider?

No. Payments run through eBay and settle to your bank account on eBay's payout schedule, so you do not choose the processor and you do not control settlement timing.

Mercari: Does the buyer pay any extra platform fee?

No separate platform fee is added at buyer checkout the way Vinted adds a buyer protection fee; the buyer pays the listed price plus shipping if not included.

eBay: Do I get my customers' email addresses?

Not for marketing. eBay mediates buyer contact, which is why sellers who rely on it have no list to fall back on if the channel changes.

Mercari: Is Mercari the same marketplace in Japan and the US?

No, they operate as separate marketplaces under the same brand, with different inventory, pricing and fee history.

eBay: Is eBay an alternative to having my own store?

It is a channel, not a substitute. Sellers who use it well treat it as demand they rent while building something they own in parallel.

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