Do you have some items sitting in your closet or a garage that you don't use anymore? Do you want to get rid of them and make some money? If so, Mercari is the perfect place for you. Mercari is a Japanese-based company that is quickly growing in the U.S. Market with over 100 million downloads from U.S. customers on the Google play store and App Store. It allows users to buy and sell gently-used clothes, shoes, and accessories online.
If you are new to Mercari, this blog post is for you! We will break down what Mercari Promote is, how does it work, and tips and tricks to sell your items faster. If you're looking for an easy way to get your items seen in-app then the answer is Mercari Promote! Keep on reading to find out more.
What is Mercari Promote?
Mercari Promote is a marketing tool for sellers on the Mercari app. It is a feature that allows sellers to make their listings stand out in the marketplace. There are two ways to highlight and place your item at the top of search results, the Give Promote or Offer to Likers feature.
1. Give Promote
A Mercari feature that allows you to boost your listing in the search results.
How it Works:
You need to reduce the price of your listing by at least 5%. Once the price reduction has been made, Mercari will boost your listing in the search results and also notify people who liked your listing. You can promote up to 10 listings per day, and a single item can be promoted once every 24 hours. Please note that if you want to promote the same item again, it needs to be at least 5% lower than its historically lowest price (but can never go lower than $9).
For example, the original listing price is $100. In order to promote that item, you need to reduce the price to $95. If you want to promote that same item again, the listing price needs to get lowered once again to at least $90.
To promote your listings on the app simply follow this step-by-step guide:
- Go to your account
- Click “My Listing” and Select “Selling”
- Click the Promote button located at the bottom of the item you want to promote.
- Select “Promote” to proceed.
2. Offers to Likers
A Mercari feature that lets you send a special price offer to those who liked your listing.
How it Works:
With the Offers to Likers feature, you need to reduce your listing price by at least 10% or more. After the price reduction, Mercari will send a push notification message to those who liked your listing to inform them of this limited-time deal. The price reduction is temporary and will only stay for 24 hours. The reduced price offer is exclusive only to those who show interest in your listing (your likers.)
Remember that purchases made using this feature are binding. You can make a new offer after 24 hours. The new offer should have a lower price of at least 10% than its historically lowest price (but can never go lower than $6.)
For example, the original listing price is $100. In order to use the “Offer to Likers” feature, you need to reduce the price to $90. If you want to promote that same item again, you need to lower the price once again to at least $81.
To give Offers to Likers a try, simply follow this step-by-step guide:
- Go to your account
- Click “My Listing” and Select “Selling”
- Click “Promote” located at the bottom of the item you want to promote.
- Select “Offers to Likers” to proceed.
Promote vs. Offers to Likers
Both features are great in enhancing your marketing strategies and improving your sales on Mercari. If you look closely, these two features are almost the same with minimal differences. Here are ways to differentiate each Mercari promote features:
Minimum Price Drop
The minimum price drop in order to use Promote is by at least 5% while the Offers to Likers need the price reduction by at least 10%. If you are planning to promote the same item again, you need to reduce its price by at least 5% (Promote) or at least 10% (offers to likers) lower than its historically lowest price. Meaning, if you already promoted an item worth $100, you need to lower it once again to $85 for Promote and $81 for Offers to Likers.
Offer Receivers
Everyone can see the price reduction when you use the Promote feature. While when using the Offers to Likers, only those who liked the item (most recent up to 50) can see the price drop. After the price reduction, Mercari will send push notification messages to all those who like your listing to inform the price drop.
Listing Price
When you use the Promote feature, the new listing price will become permanent. On the other hand, the Offer to Likers listing price is only set temporarily. The listing price expires after 24 hours. If you wish to use the “Offer to Likers” feature again, the listing price must have an additional 10% below its historical lowest price on Mercari.
Listing Limitations
When using the “Promote” feature, you can only promote up to 10 items. A single item can only be promoted once every 24 hours. While the “Offers to likers” feature does not have any listing limitations on the number of items you want to offer. However, up to 50 likers are only being notified per item.
Pricing Limitations
The prices must meet the minimum price drop of at least 5% for Promote and at least 10% for Offers to likers. If you are going to promote the same item again, it needs to have an additional 5% for Promote and 10% price reduction for Offers to likers lower than its historical lowest price.
Additionally, new item prices can never go lower than $9 for Promote and $6 for Offers to Likers. Also, keep in mind that prices are binding, except for Offers to likers (prices expire after 24 hours.) Remember to always leave enough margin in your pricing to be able to respond to offers as soon as possible. Some buyers make counter offers to negotiate the price of an item or ask for a bundle price to save money on shipping costs.
Pro-Tip: The best times to list on Mercari depend on the items you are selling and your target audience. If you are selling women's clothing and accessories, the best time to list is at night on weekends where more users are active.
Mercari Promote Pros and Cons
Mercari promote offers a great feature for sellers on Mercari to sell their slow-moving items on the app. These features allow you to price your item accordingly so the buyers can speed up their buying decision during these limited-time events.
Here are some of the Pros and Cons of using Mercari Promote:
PROS:
- Speed up the buying decision of your customers
- Sell slow-moving items in your closet
- Provide great deals for your buyers
- Give your listing a boost and stay on top of search results (for 24 hours)
- More visibility to your newly listed and older listings
- Notifies your likers of the price drop
CONS:
- High minimum price drop for Promote(5%+) and Offers to likers(19%+)
- No guaranteed sales
- There are limitations.
Remember that you should only lower your listing price on the amount you are comfortable with. As a seller, we shouldn’t take a loss on an item. Note that aside from the merchandise price, there are other fees you should factor in when deciding your listing prices such as the packing and shipping cost.
Also, it is a must, to be honest with your listing description. Describe your items clearly, including the materials and fabric used for clothing items. If you are unsure about the materials in your items, take a close-up picture of the label for your potential buyers to see. All flaws and damages, even a tiny hole, should be disclosed to avoid unnecessary issues from your buyers.
Pro-Tip: Use relevant keywords on your title and description to maximize your listing reach and give you more visibility.
Improve Your Sales on Mercari
Selling on Mercari is free, they do not have a listing or subscription fee. But, when your item sells, they take 10% from the sale and the rest is your earnings. When done right, Mercari promote is a great marketing tool to improve your selling strategies and connect you with more potential buyers looking for similar products you are selling. However, listing manually can be very time-consuming especially if you have listings on multiple online marketplaces and resale platforms.
If you are looking for trusted and proven ways to improve your sales on Mercari, Poshmark, Depop, eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, Letgo, and more, give OneShop a try. OneShop is an all-in-one app that offers an easy and hassle-free way to upload, relist, delist and keep your items on top of search results pages.
It acts as your 24/7 marketing automation tool that keeps your listing on top of search results pages for more potential buyers to see. It also lets you save time from creating drafts and uploading your listings manually on multiple marketplaces and sites. It has all the features a seller needs to sell online faster in just a few clicks.
Now, you can try our features free for 7-days! Simply sign-up to avail and see the difference yourself. Plus, we do not require credit card information to avail of this free trial.