Mercari Selling Fees 2026
The 10% flat fee plus processing explained — with real take-home examples, a comparison to eBay and Depop, and the 1099-K threshold you need to know.
Mercari's fee structure is one of the simplest of any US resale marketplace: a flat 10% selling fee on every sale, plus payment processing to cash out your balance. There's no listing fee, no final value fee variation by category, and no subscription needed.
But "simple" doesn't mean "cheap" — 10% is higher than some competitors, and the payment processing fee to get money out catches some sellers off guard. Here's the full picture.
Mercari's fees — exactly what you pay
Selling fee: 10% flat
Mercari takes 10% of the sale price on every completed transaction. This is charged on the item price, not on shipping. So if you sell a jacket for $45 with $8 buyer-paid shipping, the 10% applies to $45 = $4.50.
Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.50
When you cash out your Mercari balance to your bank account, a payment processing fee applies. This is 2.9% of the sale price plus a $0.50 fixed fee per transaction.
So on that $45 jacket: 10% selling fee ($4.50) + processing (2.9% × $45 + $0.50 = $1.81) = $6.31 total fees, you keep $38.69.
→ Mercari fee calculator — enter any sale price and see your exact take-home instantly.
Item Boost (optional)
Mercari's paid promotion feature lets you pay to have your listing appear higher in search results. Boost costs are separate from the selling fee and optional — but if you use them, factor them into your per-item profit calculation. A $2 boost on a $12 sale that already has a $1.20 selling fee is a significant cost.
How Mercari compares to eBay and Poshmark
| Platform | Selling fee | Processing | On $45 sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercari | 10% flat | 2.9% + $0.50 | $6.31 fees |
| eBay (fashion) | ~12.9% FVF + $0.40 | Included | ~$6.21 fees |
| Poshmark | $2.95 under $15; 20% above | Included | $9.00 fees |
| Depop | 0% (removed 2024) | 2.9% + $0.30 | $1.61 fees |
At $45, Mercari and eBay are very close. Depop wins on fees (zero selling fee since 2024). Poshmark is significantly more expensive on items above $15. The right platform depends on your category — Mercari skews more electronics and household goods; Poshmark skews fashion.
1099-K threshold — are you required to report?
Mercari is a third-party payment processor covered by IRS 1099-K reporting. The federal threshold for 2025-2026 is $20,000 AND 200 transactions in gross sales, following the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act's reversion of an earlier, lower $600 threshold that never fully took effect. Several states set their own lower thresholds — Mercari will issue a 1099-K if you exceed either. This doesn't automatically mean you owe tax (selling personal items at a loss isn't taxable), but it means the IRS has a record of your sales. If you're buying to resell for profit, that profit is taxable self-employment income.
Pricing for profit — working backwards
If you need to hit a specific profit target, work backwards through the fee layers:
Minimum list price = (desired profit + item cost + shipping supplies) ÷ (1 − 0.10 − 0.029) − 0.50
Example: you paid $12 for an item, spent $1 on supplies, want $10 profit:
($10 + $12 + $1) ÷ (0.871) − $0.50 = $26.40 minimum list price
The Mercari fee calculator does this in reverse — enter your sale price and it shows the profit, or adjust until the profit hits your target.
Shipping on Mercari
Mercari gives you three options: buyer pays shipping (most common), you pay shipping (increases appeal but costs you), or free shipping built into the price (essentially pricing up to cover it). The 10% fee does NOT apply to shipping if the buyer pays it separately — so keeping shipping separate slightly reduces your effective fee rate on the transaction.
Mercari's Smart Pricing feature
Mercari's Smart Pricing lets a seller set a floor price and let the listing automatically drop over time toward that floor if it isn't selling — a built-in version of the manual price-reduction strategy many resellers already do by hand. The fee structure doesn't change based on how the sale price was reached (Smart Pricing or manual), so a sale closed at a Smart-Pricing-reduced price still carries the same 10% + processing structure calculated on whatever the final agreed price was. The strategic value is in listing velocity, not fee savings — items sitting stale for weeks earn nothing regardless of fee rate, so a feature that nudges price down toward an actual sale is usually worth more than holding firm on a price that isn't moving.
Local pickup and Mercari's fee treatment
For sellers using Mercari's local pickup or in-app "Mercari Local" delivery options in supported cities, the same 10% selling fee applies to the item price — local transactions aren't fee-exempt just because shipping isn't involved. The payment processing fee still applies as well, since the transaction still runs through Mercari's payment system rather than as a cash exchange. This is a common point of confusion for sellers new to local pickup, who sometimes assume avoiding shipping also means avoiding platform fees — it doesn't; only the shipping cost itself is removed from the transaction, not Mercari's cut.
Related calculators
- Mercari fee calculator — exact take-home after all fees
- eBay fee calculator — compare Mercari vs eBay on the same item
- Depop fee calculator — Depop has 0% selling fee since July 2024
- Self-employment tax calculator — tax on reselling profits
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mercari take per sale?
Mercari takes a flat 10% selling fee on the item price (not shipping if buyer-paid), plus 2.9% + $0.50 payment processing when you cash out. On a $45 sale, total fees are about $6.31, leaving you $38.69.
Does Mercari charge a listing fee?
No. Mercari has no listing fee. You pay the 10% selling fee only on completed sales, plus payment processing to transfer funds to your bank.
What is Mercari's payment processing fee?
2.9% of the sale price plus a $0.50 fixed fee per transaction, charged when you transfer your balance to a bank account. This is separate from and in addition to the 10% selling fee.
Is Mercari or eBay cheaper for selling?
They're very close at mid-price items. Mercari's 10% flat + processing vs eBay's 12.9% FVF + $0.40 (for fashion) typically works out within $0.50 on a $45 item. Depop is significantly cheaper (0% selling fee since July 2024). Use the Mercari and eBay fee calculators to compare on your specific prices.
Does Mercari report sales to the IRS?
Yes, once you cross the federal 1099-K threshold of $20,000 AND 200 transactions in a tax year (current for 2025-2026), or a lower state threshold if your state has one. If you're selling personal items at a loss, that's typically not taxable. If you're buying to resell for profit, that profit is taxable self-employment income.