9 expert tips to increase sales on Mercari in 2025
After spending months analyzing Mercari sellers, I tested strategies and pricing models on my own listings to see what works.
Explore the 9 tactics, like taking better photos and using a tool like Nifty, that helped me increase Mercari profit.
How to increase sales on Mercari: At a glance
1. Use clear, well-lit product photos
Clear, well-lit product photos help buyers see exactly what you’re offering while also building trust. Blurry or dim images can cause shoppers to scroll past your listing, and low-quality photos make you appear less credible.
Follow these tips to take winning product photos
- Use bright natural light: Natural lighting highlights true colors, textures, and brand details. Shoot near a window or outside for the best results.
- Avoid poor indoor lighting: Dim or yellow lighting can make items appear faded or old. Check how the photo looks on your phone before uploading.
- Take photos near a window or use a ring light: A soft, bright light source creates balanced shadows and professional-looking photos.
- Capture multiple angles and flaws: Take close-ups to show every side of the product, along with any defects, to build buyer trust.
Be sure to use quality photo-editing software to further improve your product photos. Nifty's free photo-editing tools let you enhance images with filters, color adjustments (brightness, contrast, saturation), and annotate images with shapes and text to highlight details. For background removal, Nifty offers Photoroom integration.
2. Write detailed, accurate item descriptions
Detailed, accurate item descriptions answer buyer questions before they are asked and help prevent returns that can harm your Mercari seller ratings. Each listing must include the following to answer buyer questions:
- Include accurate measurements: List exact dimensions, so buyers can confirm fit before purchasing. Use a tape measure and include a photo showing the measurement.
- List material composition: Many shoppers filter by fabric or texture, so specify materials clearly. Writing “100% cotton” or “wool blend” helps buyers know what to expect.
- Highlight the brand name: Add the brand to your title and description to boost search visibility. Recognizable brands can also support higher pricing.
- Add condition notes: Say whether the item is new with tags (NWT), just like you would on Poshmark, gently used, excellent used condition, or shows light wear. Honesty also attracts serious buyers.
- Show and describe flaws: Be upfront about stains, snags, or fading. Include clear photos of imperfections to build trust and close sales faster.
Here’s an example of how a Mercari listing for Levi’s jeans could appear:
Pro tip: Sprinkle some SEO into your listings by using Nifty, which automatically generates optimized titles and detailed descriptions from product photos. It analyzes your images and adds keywords, item details, and tags to improve your listing’s visibility. It can also detect measurements from tape-measure photos and add precise sizing.
3. Choose a clear pricing strategy
A clear pricing strategy helps your listings stay competitive while protecting your profit margins. Research what similar items have sold for recently, then decide whether to price slightly lower for quick turnover or remain at market value.
Follow these tips to develop a pricing strategy:
- Use Mercari’s Smart Pricing tool: This helps keep your listings active and competitive by automatically lowering your price within a specified range until it reaches your minimum. Some Mercari sellers say Smart Pricing works well, but they suggest you set your minimum price carefully, as you could lose money if the price drops automatically.
- Pricing a little higher to allow discounts: Marking up items gives you flexibility to offer discounts that attract bargain hunters without reducing your profits. Buyers feel they’re getting a deal, while you still reach your target price and move inventory faster.
- Factor in Mercari’s 10% seller fee and shipping costs: Anticipating these fees helps you maintain a healthy profit margin.
4. List or relist items every day
Listing or relisting items daily helps keep your shop visible in Mercari’s search results and feeds. Sellers claim that they increase sales by following this strategy, placing their products in front of active buyers seeking deals.
Mercari’s algorithm prioritizes fresh listings, so older items gradually move lower in search results even if they match search terms perfectly. Staying active daily signals to Mercari that you’re an engaged seller, which can improve your visibility in both search and recommendation feeds.
Note for new sellers: Mercari's progressive listing limit starts at 100 listings for fresh accounts. You earn 100 additional listing slots with each sale, so your second sale unlocks 300 total listings, your third unlocks 400, and so on. This structure rewards active sellers who move inventory quickly. If you're just starting out, focus on listing fast-selling items first to increase your listing capacity faster.
Skip manual relisting by using Nifty’s relisting feature. This functionality recommends how many items to relist on Mercari each day based on your closet size and the marketplace’s activity cycle. You set the listing time, and Nifty relists for you while you’re sleeping, working, or doing something else. Its automation runs 24/7 in the cloud.
When items sell, Nifty also handles auto-delisting. If you’ve crosslisted your Mercari items to other platforms like Poshmark or Depop, Nifty automatically removes them from those marketplaces when they sell. You won’t need to worry about double-selling.
5. Promote strategically instead of constant discounts
Offer discounts only during slow periods or to clear old inventory. When you offer frequent discounts, many buyers expect constant markdowns and wait instead of purchasing. Follow these steps for strategic promotion:
Step 1: Target interested buyers directly
Send private discounts to shoppers who liked or favorited your item within the last few days. Personalized offers convert better than general sales because they target people who are already considering a purchase.
Step 2: Return to regular pricing once traction builds
When items start receiving steady views or likes, end promotions. Returning to your standard price helps protect your store’s credibility and reinforces consistent value.
Step 3: Use discounts selectively
Strategic price drops make your shop appear professional and confident, demonstrating to buyers that your prices accurately reflect the genuine quality of your products.
6. Build positive reviews for credibility
High ratings signal trust and can help you win over hesitant buyers. If your profile glitters with several five-star reviews, you’ll most likely see better sales numbers.
Follow these pointers to receive more positive reviews:
- Ship quickly: Fast handling leads to happier buyers and better feedback. Set a same-day or next-day shipping routine.
- Package securely: Use proper padding and sturdy boxes to prevent damage. Fewer issues mean fewer complaints and more positive reviews.
- Communicate promptly: Mercari tracks your response time, so answer questions, confirm shipment, and provide updates. Prompt response can help you earn a Fast Responder badge, indicating that you respond to buyer messages within 12 hours. (Note that this response time only applies to item-related and transactional messages.)
- Request feedback after delivery: A polite, short message can nudge satisfied buyers to leave a rating. More reviews compound your credibility over time.
- Handle negatives professionally: Respond calmly, offer fixes or partial refunds when appropriate, and follow up to close the loop. One unresolved complaint can cost multiple future sales.
7. Post during peak hours for more views
Posting when shoppers are the most active puts your listings in front of more potential buyers right away. Mercari traffic tends to spike on weekday evenings between 6 and 10 p.m. and on weekend afternoons, when people browse during downtime.
Avoid posting in the middle of the night, since fresh listings added around 3 a.m. get buried fast.
Use a tool like Nifty to track which times bring the most engagement for your items. Then, schedule new posts or relists around those windows to maximize visibility and sales.
8. Track your sales performance and adjust weekly
Tracking your sales each week shows which products, prices, and strategies actually work on Mercari. Monitor metrics like views per listing, conversion rate, and average days to sell to identify what drives results.
You can use spreadsheets like Google Sheets or Excel, but if you really want to save time, get a tool like Nifty: its Analytics Suite tracks every sale, profit earned, and days in inventory.
9. Crosslist to other platforms to expand reach
Crosslisting, which is listing the same item on multiple resale platforms, can increase visibility and sales speed. Instead of only listing your items on Mercari, crosslist items to eBay, Depop, Etsy, and Poshmark.
Don’t manually organize your inventory. Get a crosslisting tool, like one of the following, which lets you upload and manage inventory from a central command center and post your products across marketplace platforms:
Common mistakes that hurt Mercari sales
Mistakes cost you sales on Mercari, even when you have in-demand inventory at competitive prices. Avoid these issues:
- Poorly written titles and bad photography: Vague titles like “cute top” and dark, blurry photos make your listings unappealing to scrolling shoppers. Use specific keywords, including brand, size, color, and condition, in titles, then pair them with clear images.
- Letting listings expire without relisting: Stale listings sink below fresh inventory in Mercari's algorithm. Relist aging items regularly to reset their position at the top of search results, where buyers actually browse and purchase.
- Using identical pricing across platforms: Copying the same price from Poshmark to Mercari ignores fee differences that directly affect your profit. Mercari's 10% fee versus Poshmark's 20% means you can price lower on Mercari. Know each platform’s fees so you can price your items right.
- Ignoring messages or low offers: Dismissing messages or rejecting low offers without counteroffers kills potential sales and damages your reputation as a responsive seller. Quick, professional replies keep negotiations alive, and buyers who start low might meet your price, or buy items further down the line, when you engage respectfully.
Success on Mercari results from consistency. If you refresh listings weekly, answer messages, and present your items professionally, you’ll see results sooner or later. Treat Mercari as an active marketplace, not a set-it-and-forget-it platform, and your conversions will steadily rise.
Increase your Mercari sales with Nifty
If you really want to know how to increase sales on Mercari, get Nifty. It’s an automation tool that helps you list faster, price smarter, and manage inventory across several platforms without the annoying manual work.
Here’s how Nifty can help you increase your sales on Mercari:
- AI listing builder: Take a photo, and Nifty auto-generates optimized titles, descriptions, and tags that match Mercari’s algorithm.
- Crosslisting made easy: Post to Poshmark, eBay, Depop, and Etsy in seconds. No manual copy-paste or tab juggling.
- Auto delisting and relisting: Sold an item? Nifty removes it everywhere. Have a stale listing? It relists automatically to stay visible in search results.
- Smart bulk tools: Update prices, apply discounts, and refresh listings in batches to stay competitive.
- Real analytics: Track sales, fees, and top-performing items in one dashboard so you know exactly what drives revenue.
See why over 10,000 sellers use Nifty to increase their profits and start your 7-day free trial.
FAQs
1. What is the best time to post on Mercari?
The best time to post on Mercari is typically during weekday evenings (6–10 p.m.) and weekend afternoons when shoppers are most active. Posting at these times pushes your listings higher in search and helps them gain more views, likes, and offers compared to early morning uploads.
2. How do I improve my seller reputation and build trust on Mercari?
You can build a strong seller reputation on Mercari by writing accurate descriptions, shipping quickly, and responding promptly to buyers. Focus on earning positive ratings, since Mercari's algorithm rewards reliable sellers with better search visibility.
List regularly with clear photos and honest details, and always communicate professionally. Sellers with consistent five-star ratings attract repeat customers who trust their listings and return for new inventory, creating steady sales without needing to constantly promote or share items.
3. How do I get more views on my listings?
To get more views on your listings, use clear keywords, detailed titles, and bright photos. List during high-traffic times and relist older items to push them back into search. Include the brand, color, size, and condition so your listings appear in the right searches. Regular posting keeps your shop active and helps your items stay visible to buyers ready to purchase.
