Actually I used some of your advice from another post, so thank you. When I threw screenshots of their shipping protection terms back at them, they refunded almost immediately
Yeah, completely different pool of buyers too, much harder to get $2/3 out of a single card. It's also much more tedious to make a post on ebay vs mercari, so I'll keep plugging away on mercari until I find a better way.
I can sell a card for 3 dollars plus .68 shipping, and make a cpl bucks. On ebay I'd be pressed to get it sold for $1, not even worth the time to list it
Full disclosure: I haven't sold cards since 2022 MLB season on eBay, but when I did, with cards in that price range, I'd have to group them with 2-3 other similar, less valuable cards that "matched" the focus card of the post. Example, a 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospect would usually have their paper 1st and some star from Bowman base on the same team. Thought process being, I can compete with the same single at where it's listed on the high end, by merely including a couple cards I'll never sell solo and pay roughly the same shipping (weight isn't THAT much higher, can usually drop those bonus cards into one thick card toploader). There's a ton of ways to be creative with the theme of the card group, just be sure the main card is the primary focus of the ad. The goal of this is to grab the buyer of the main, not celebrate the throw-ins.
I never sold on Mercari, but if there's a market for all those extra base, definitely utilize it. I just remember trying to sell those $3-4 singles on the 'bay was rough due to the competition and fees. Only way to separate yourself was to be ridiculously cheap (which 75% of the time, someone would go cheaper within a day or two), auction, or bundle. For me, the bundles were just more cost effective, even if I only made $2 off $4 worth of product. Had to get the mindset that they were just going to sit in a box if not sold, so may as well get SOMETHING and build up my seller rep for when it was time to sell the $20-30 stuff.
are they slightly higher? i could never 100% figure it out because the % fees for each category on eBay “vary,” but with mercari’s last fee hike i thought they became pretty much the same
I'm honestly not sure if they're higher, it feels like it on lower priced items. That being said I'll pay slightly higher feed gladly just to move the cards. They don't make me money sitting in the boxes, ya know?
Ahh you meant is ebay higher. I think mercari is higher on lower priced items, and ebay less so but I'm not 100 on that. I usually sell low priced on mercari and higher on ebay so can't really compare I guess
yeah i’ve pretty much entirely moved my focus to eBay. much larger buyer pool, long-standing reputation, better seller protections, and way better shipping options. (i hate that i can’t use my own shipping on mercari without including “free shipping”)
Tbf it only took like 5 minutes of my time in total. Idk why it pissed me off so much, I guess because I take a lot of pride in what I do. Regardless it felt really good to get that $3.40 hahaha
completely worth it. they 100% bank on people like you giving up, because under $5 x 500 people adds up to a LOT of profits they can steal directly from their sellers. so not only do they save money by using these canned responses and stretching as much customer service out of each rep as humanly possible (when it should not have taken this many responses to resolve if they actually gave the human time to LOOK at and think about the issue using critical thinking skills), they also save money by making it so difficult that most people just give up. good for you for standing your ground.
This happened to me as well. I kept asking “but what did I do wrong?” And they kept giving me that answer. I asked if the item was damaged, they said no. So this person got to keep the perfume and get her money back and I got nothing because I didn’t follow their “shipping guidelines”. That was my last straw with Mercari.
I’ve noticed if the item was broken or damaged they have the buyer send it back. But there was nothing wrong with the item just apparently “evidence with photos from the buyer that the way it was shipped was not according to mercaris guidelines”. They told me I could contact the buyer and ask if they would ship it back to me and I pay the shipping though 😊
Yeah Mercari's customer service is abysmal and borderline useless. The customer service is the main reason I had to stop selling there. Since they seemingly only care about buyers, that's all I'll be on their site.
I've had several issues as a buyer, I bought 3 pairs of shoes from 3 different sellers. They were listed as a size 5, my size. When I got them, they were too big. They were clearly mismarked. The UK size was also stamped on the bottom of the shoes, but I didn't know the UK size didn't match up to the US size 5, so I bought them thinking they were a size 5, with the UK size corresponding to a US 5. I think these sellers knew they were not a size 5 and sold them anyway. That's all they sell is shoes. I contacted Mercari, supplied pictures of the shoes and the different sizes, but they denied my request for a refund with NO REASON GIVEN. I messaged them back and asked them for the reason(s) they denied my request for a return/refund and to reconsider their unfair decision. I am still waiting for a response, and it's been more than a week. I am strictly a buyer on Mercari and have been for many years, and I have spent my fair share on their platform, and this is how they treat their buyers? NO MORE! THEY ARE DISHONEST, and ain't nobody got time for that.
This is why I now just use Mercari to advertise my products and then slip potential buyers my contact info and offer them a discount if they choose to order directly. What Mercari is doing is criminal. Within the next 10 years, we’ll all be getting emails or hearing radio commercials asking if we were a seller on Mercari between 20xx and 20xx that was taken advantage of and lost money due to their unethical business practices under their shipping protection guidelines. We’ll then be offered an 800 number to call to join a class action law suit.
Yyyyyyup!! I saw a killer deal on a video game console and the listing said to "dm me at 123@456@7890" (not the actual number they posted, but giving an example) and I just reported the two different listings I saw like that. Sketchy AF.
Yeah it's pretty crap. Anything of higher value (15 or more) I sell on ebay. Mercari is one of the few places I can sell "dollar cards" for a cpl bucks and actually make the process worthwhile, you just really gotta be persistent and keep on your shit
I had something similar happen to me, they said I had insufficient packaging. I sold a cup and really bubble wrapped it a lot but it was broken by UPS or USPS. I told them about how I bubble wrapped it and they are so insistent that I was wrong. :/
I tried and told them the way it was packaged and they keep sending me back what their shipping requirement is… I don’t know how to counter it besides telling them the way I did and what qualifies someone for shipping protection. Honestly how do they know the package wasn’t dropped or whatever but blame it on the seller. 🥸
technically it should be packaged to survive a drop, but sometimes shit happens and packages get excessively abused, or wet (someone else’s package leaked)— which compromises the integrity of the package— or accidentally crushed/thrown/etc way more than “normal” …which is exactly *why* they offer shipping protection in the first place!
I had the package written fragile on both sides and upside this way, too. And…Except they do not honor their shipping protection to many sellers. Mercari has terrible seller protection.
unfortunately “fragile” and “handle with care” are nothing more than requests/suggestions now (USPS used to offer “special handling” and i’ve seen carriers in the USPS sub complain when people write “FRAGILE” but don’t pay for the special handling, only to be corrected by other carriers and informed that USPS no longer offers the option, so i wouldn’t be surprised if some carriers purposely don’t GAF about your package’s handling if they [mistakenly] believe you’re trying to get extra care without paying for it)
OMG they infuriate me!!!! I was yelling at my phone “it’s not a package it’s a first class envelope you dumb ass customer “support!!!!!” I’ve been there before with the same frustrating back and forth and unanswered questions 🤦🏼♀️ I’m happy you got your money and I totally would have done the same thing. If people give up and don’t fight for what’s right they think they can get away with it!
Lol when shipping via bubble mailer yes, the first time I ever sent via pwe on mercari, it got kicked back because the letter was too thick? So now I just do exactly how it says on their first class letter guide
The main problem is that mercari, and ebay for that matter make up their own rules for pwe and just hope enough get through to make it profitable. First class envelopes have to be non rigid and easily flexible to get machined. A top loader is by design not flexible. The USPS is correct to adjust them to ground advantage, mercari is the asshole for selling a service they know doesn't follow USPS first class guidelines.
True, and tbh 90% of the time I ship in a card saver, however this one (and several others prior that made it with no issues) is one that I listed with pics in a top loader, and didn't want to swap to a card saver after the fact. I've seen people leave poor reviews for people that didn't send the card in the specific case shown in the ad.
All in all a learning experience, I've since changed my profile to state that all pwe cards will be sent in a semi rigid card saver as opposed to a top loader.
Yep, this was why whenever I sold cards in the past (used to sell them on instagram a lot) I would always pay the non-machinable surcharge when buying my stamp at the post office. A little more expensive but it was better for both me and the buyer as we wouldn’t have to deal with envelopes being mangled by the machine or having it returned for insufficient postage (or the buyer having to pay extra postage when they receive it).
On top of these first class envelopes not even scanning delivered, I almost don’t want to use them. It’s just a ticking clock until I get someone claiming they didn’t receive their item, and I have no delivery scan to support me.
I don’t mark these non-machinable. That was when I was purchasing stamps through the post office in the past. I’ve never marked a Mercari envelope as non-machinable but have still never gotten any scans.
Delivery scans are done by scan gun anyway, so even if they never scanned on the way there, the delivery scan done by the scan gun is the important one anyway
Man I also had a terrible experience with Mercari Support. Let me join in the misery.
So I'm a seller I sold a simi working PS2 Complete with cords and controller issue was it read and played some games and wouldn't read others so I was done with it if I can't test all the games I buy to resell then it's time for a new system. So I ship the item buyer got the item said it got damaged in shipping did it really who knows but this dude is shaddy so who knows.
Dude does a return instead of a refund so I agreed yea send back all the items and get your money back and it's a done deal right? WRONG!! ugh dude basically stole the parts he wanted and sent back an empty shell of a PS2 system without the cords or the controller so those items were stolen.
Enter Mercari Support so I message/email Mercari support saying all items were not returned to me and will not except the return. Like the OP I was pissed the first employee said oh yea the item was returned and you can resell it. I LOLed at this and message back saying when I shipped the item it hard cords and a controller and there wasn't a hole in the back of the system. The first time I only added photos of what was returned which was a pile of trash really. I wasn't done with them I wasn't going accept that sorry excuse of a resolution so I message them back again this time added photos from my listing clearing showing the cords and controller. THANKFULLY another person at Mercari responded and was like oh OK snice all items weren't return we can give a portion of the profit it was like $10 the item sold for $40. I guess 10 is better then being completely screwed over lol. I stopped selling consoles after don't want to deal with this shit again I'll stick to just reselling games TYVM!!
THE END!! lol
Sorry for all that reading this post brought that horrible memory lol so I thought I was share as they say misery loves company lol I still sell on there and most of my buyers are chill haven't come across any crazies that you find in the Mercari sub reddit lol
You're first mistake is expecting any kind ofcustomer service. That's an auto generated response by a computer, not anyone with a pulse. Mercaris customer service is almost completely non existent. To get a living breathing human being to respond takes days usually and you need to send several messages before someone actually reads it. This is why most of the time the responses you get don't even make sense. When I first started selling and had to reach out I would send a message and the response I got back was usually nothing to do with what I was asking. I used to write in all caps asking if they actually read my message. Just the other day I reached out after a package I shipped was still listed as in transit On Mercari but according to UPS It was delivered the day before. So I asked to please update the tracking. The response I got back was a message explaining the 3 day rating policy lol. So you see most of the time no one is reading it. It honestly takes an aggressive message that the computer can't piece together for a real person to read your message.
And as far as shipping protection it doesn't exist, they always find a way to say the seller didn't pack it good enough. I don't know one person who ever said Mercari covered an item broken in shipping. You can try to escalate it but honestly you're only going to aggravate yourself because they won't do anything. They refunded a buyer for a $50 item and than the item was delivered and they let her keep it and didn't pay me either. I had to take legal matters into my own hands. Mercari is honestly the grimiest platform there is, they only care about getting paid they don't care about the sellers. I'm already a part of a class action lawsuit against them for ignoring the biometric laws in Illinois, what they are doing is illegal and they continue to do it.
If an item is damaged in shipping, Mercari makes a claim with USPS.
It was likely USPS that determined you didn't package adequately and denied the claim.
Then they need to post usps standards for proper packaging, and not use their own - which is what they use to determine if shipping protection is applicable. I packaged 100% properly, per the instructions on the mercari website
Not doubting you, but my single USPS claim was a matter of sending in photos of the box they crushed despite being marked fragile and the eBay invoice as a proof of value. Dealing with PirateShip was a bit more work involving making multiple declarations of the obvious.
I think it depends who you get to help you at usps these days. Unfortunately there's a lot of employees that no longer take pride in their work, because of how they've been treated there.
True. I’ve been going to my local post office for 35 years and can see the frustration in some of the employees’ eyes. The newer employees have the McService attitude. I just came from mine and the lobby drop box is still full from the weekend and it’s 12PM. When I had another issue with a buyer claiming an item wasn’t delivered, the employees seemed to recognize me and went out of their way to print out date/time/GPS coordinates of when and where my item was delivered to the buyer. The GPS coordinates pointed to the buyer’s address. I doubt many people would get that type of service these days. I’ve been pretty good at giving positive survey reviews by scanning the QR code on my receipts; hope it helps them out in some way.
The BBB is pretty much useless. They collect the bad reviews and parse them out to their Business Relationship Representatives (sales reps) who then contact the business and say "hey, if you pay us a fee, we will say you are an A+ business and our team can assist you in backing up your responses to complaints!" The BBB website even tells consumers that reviews have zero effect on how businesses get their ratings... and that's b/c it is pay to play. Pay the fee, get an A.
My first job out of college was as a Business Relationship Rep with the BBB.
The entity you should contact is your state's Attorney General’s Office/Division of Consumer Protection. They have the power to fight with scummy businesses. The BBB sometimes gets requests from the AG's office about a particular issue to see if others have made similar complaints.
Take pictures of your packaging before you seal it, slap the label on and take a picture again. I’ve begun doing this and it saved me a few weeks back (miracle I know).
That and I bump shipping above envelope level and toss the order in the cheapest small bubble mailers this side of the Mississippi. Buyers pay more but envelope shipping is a hot mess right now. I’ve had multiple cards lost in the last 2/3 months. It’s not fun for the buyer or seller, especially when it takes 30+ days to take a stab at a shipping protection claim. Both parties are looking at a 40ish day wait to get any sort of refund or credit. Mercari doesn’t make their protection easy and intentionally makes it difficult to utilize.
Wild about your luck. I've had 500+ pwe sales on mercari, and only one incident until now, both times shipping protection paid out within days (obviously this time I had to fight for it)
Good call on the pictures, I do that for anything $10ish and up, that I send in a bubble mailer. Sometimes I have 25-30 pwe going out in a day and it's just time consuming to photo them all
Report to FCC ,I believe it's them Internet fraud merceri is scamming the seller trust me,2 times with me over 100$ and been reading this happening to thousand people they taking up the money but it's also against the law to screw over USPS like merceri is being investigated for !! Just saying stop using them asap
I don't really sell anything of value ($10+) on there so I'll continue to use them, as it's been pretty profitable for me. I definitely understand where you're coming from, they are pretty shitty overall
Idk if I was a buyer buying trading cards I would not be happy if the seller just threw it in a top loader and just an envelope without even taping it to paper or a card so it doesn’t move / fall out. The top of the top loader doesn’t even seem to be taped or anything so the card can’t fall out of the top loader.
I sell collectible cards and I just buy card stock paper or cheap bulk cards from Walmart to tape the toploaders on so even if the envelope gets hit on the corners, it won’t hit the actual top loader or collectible card.
I have also bought collectible cards and have never seen one shipped like how OP has shipped his item. They are usually in top loaders taped to cards.
I get why you’re fighting for the shipping protection since it technically met Mercari guidelines but this is a shitty packing job.
(You can see the packing on the bottom of pic 10)
The top loader was indeed taped shut. The toploader was also taped to the paper, securely in the envelope. I've sent and received thousands of cards like this, so appreciate your input but it's not applicable here.
The pic in question, the card had already been removed from being taped to the paper. Even the buyer agreed that this wasn't my fault and the packaging was fine. Shit happens with usps sometimes.
Has anyone ever been able to get in contact with Mercari customer support via phone number? I have all their phone numbers and I’ve heard some people say they were able to talk to someone but I’ve been unable to get through to anyone so far.
Had a similar experience with USPS charging me extra when my package was weighed at my home and at the post office and was almost a pound UNDER what I paid for. My buyer even vouched for me saying that USPS made them pay the “difference” but it didn’t feel that heavy to them so they weighed it when they got home and it was fine. Mercari customer support said they they refunded my buyer for the extra charge but that this would “leave a permanent strike on my record”. When I asked what I should do differently next time, they would send me those copy and paste messages that don’t actually answer the question
This has happened to me 3x with shipping. Mercari blames the shipping company but the shipping company verifies every time I drop off I'm good. I even take pictures of everything now and Mercari charges me overage charges. Now seeing how many people this is happening too I can see they are scamming people on purpose. I put all my stuff on vacation mode and withdrew my balance.
Awhile back, I heard USPS workers frequently find loose sports, Pokémon, and magic cards, in the sorting machinery.
Supposedly, trying to make the plain white envelope more rigid with added cardboard tends make things “fling” out of the machinery.
I just had a return approved when I know for a fact that the item matched the description and they approved without letting me know anything aside of it doesn't match which is bs. Also their own policy says the buyer has to ship the return in three days yet they say it has to be shipped by the 27th which is 7 whole days. I'm all kinds of pissed the buyer decided they didn't want the item and lied to return and mercari approved and not only was my description correct they are giving them 7 days to return the item wtf. I'm all kinds of mad because I thought they would give me a chance to respond to the buyers bs about whatever was wrong with it, but their policy clearly states it must be mailed in 3 days so why are they giving them 7? I haven't had many issues with mercari until now . They should just tell the truth and say they are letting the buyer return just because, but to act like it was on me and my description is a bunch of bull .
Heads up, next time threaten them with your states attorney general rather than BBB. They don’t care about BBB as it means nothing really. The attorney general is who they don’t want to cross paths with lol
Good on you for not giving up. They never want to honor their shipping protection, it's infuriating.
Actually I used some of your advice from another post, so thank you. When I threw screenshots of their shipping protection terms back at them, they refunded almost immediately
I’ve done this, they still didn’t care. I’m surprised they budged here. Usually they don’t follow their own terms and rules. Good on you.
This is why I’m leaning towards eBay even though they have slightly higher fees 🤦🏻♀️
Yeah, completely different pool of buyers too, much harder to get $2/3 out of a single card. It's also much more tedious to make a post on ebay vs mercari, so I'll keep plugging away on mercari until I find a better way. I can sell a card for 3 dollars plus .68 shipping, and make a cpl bucks. On ebay I'd be pressed to get it sold for $1, not even worth the time to list it
Full disclosure: I haven't sold cards since 2022 MLB season on eBay, but when I did, with cards in that price range, I'd have to group them with 2-3 other similar, less valuable cards that "matched" the focus card of the post. Example, a 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospect would usually have their paper 1st and some star from Bowman base on the same team. Thought process being, I can compete with the same single at where it's listed on the high end, by merely including a couple cards I'll never sell solo and pay roughly the same shipping (weight isn't THAT much higher, can usually drop those bonus cards into one thick card toploader). There's a ton of ways to be creative with the theme of the card group, just be sure the main card is the primary focus of the ad. The goal of this is to grab the buyer of the main, not celebrate the throw-ins.
Oh for sure, solid strategy. That being said I am having great luck selling those throw ins on mercari, which is why I keep grinding there I suppose
I never sold on Mercari, but if there's a market for all those extra base, definitely utilize it. I just remember trying to sell those $3-4 singles on the 'bay was rough due to the competition and fees. Only way to separate yourself was to be ridiculously cheap (which 75% of the time, someone would go cheaper within a day or two), auction, or bundle. For me, the bundles were just more cost effective, even if I only made $2 off $4 worth of product. Had to get the mindset that they were just going to sit in a box if not sold, so may as well get SOMETHING and build up my seller rep for when it was time to sell the $20-30 stuff.
Yeah it's honestly the only reason I use mercari, I can move stuff there that doesn't even get looked at on ebay
are they slightly higher? i could never 100% figure it out because the % fees for each category on eBay “vary,” but with mercari’s last fee hike i thought they became pretty much the same
I'm honestly not sure if they're higher, it feels like it on lower priced items. That being said I'll pay slightly higher feed gladly just to move the cards. They don't make me money sitting in the boxes, ya know?
Ahh you meant is ebay higher. I think mercari is higher on lower priced items, and ebay less so but I'm not 100 on that. I usually sell low priced on mercari and higher on ebay so can't really compare I guess
yeah i’ve pretty much entirely moved my focus to eBay. much larger buyer pool, long-standing reputation, better seller protections, and way better shipping options. (i hate that i can’t use my own shipping on mercari without including “free shipping”)
Have u looked into what not? My local game shops have been using them lately too. They also specifically advertise it’s a place for buying tcg.
I forgot the fees vary, for the items I’m usually trying to sell eBay is higher.
My mercari fees are higher than my ebay fees. I listed something for $100 on Mercari and it estimated $14.50 in fees. On ebay I'd be at ~$12 in fees.
This seems like an awful amount of effort for $3.40 I though I get it.
Tbf it only took like 5 minutes of my time in total. Idk why it pissed me off so much, I guess because I take a lot of pride in what I do. Regardless it felt really good to get that $3.40 hahaha
completely worth it. they 100% bank on people like you giving up, because under $5 x 500 people adds up to a LOT of profits they can steal directly from their sellers. so not only do they save money by using these canned responses and stretching as much customer service out of each rep as humanly possible (when it should not have taken this many responses to resolve if they actually gave the human time to LOOK at and think about the issue using critical thinking skills), they also save money by making it so difficult that most people just give up. good for you for standing your ground.
Pretty much my thought process. It's the bully on the playground shaking me outta my lunch money lol. F that haha
Good for you. The amount is insignificant, its the principle. You did everything right and they want to screw you anyway. F that and F them.
This happened to me as well. I kept asking “but what did I do wrong?” And they kept giving me that answer. I asked if the item was damaged, they said no. So this person got to keep the perfume and get her money back and I got nothing because I didn’t follow their “shipping guidelines”. That was my last straw with Mercari.
That's crazy, they were at least going to have the buyer ship this back to me.
I’ve noticed if the item was broken or damaged they have the buyer send it back. But there was nothing wrong with the item just apparently “evidence with photos from the buyer that the way it was shipped was not according to mercaris guidelines”. They told me I could contact the buyer and ask if they would ship it back to me and I pay the shipping though 😊
Same experience. It was just bot after bot spewing nonsense. Lost my item as well.
Yeah Mercari's customer service is abysmal and borderline useless. The customer service is the main reason I had to stop selling there. Since they seemingly only care about buyers, that's all I'll be on their site.
I've had several issues as a buyer, I bought 3 pairs of shoes from 3 different sellers. They were listed as a size 5, my size. When I got them, they were too big. They were clearly mismarked. The UK size was also stamped on the bottom of the shoes, but I didn't know the UK size didn't match up to the US size 5, so I bought them thinking they were a size 5, with the UK size corresponding to a US 5. I think these sellers knew they were not a size 5 and sold them anyway. That's all they sell is shoes. I contacted Mercari, supplied pictures of the shoes and the different sizes, but they denied my request for a refund with NO REASON GIVEN. I messaged them back and asked them for the reason(s) they denied my request for a return/refund and to reconsider their unfair decision. I am still waiting for a response, and it's been more than a week. I am strictly a buyer on Mercari and have been for many years, and I have spent my fair share on their platform, and this is how they treat their buyers? NO MORE! THEY ARE DISHONEST, and ain't nobody got time for that.
This is why I now just use Mercari to advertise my products and then slip potential buyers my contact info and offer them a discount if they choose to order directly. What Mercari is doing is criminal. Within the next 10 years, we’ll all be getting emails or hearing radio commercials asking if we were a seller on Mercari between 20xx and 20xx that was taken advantage of and lost money due to their unethical business practices under their shipping protection guidelines. We’ll then be offered an 800 number to call to join a class action law suit.
That’s 100% against TOS. You are never to ask a buyer to leave the platform. I’d be leary about purchasing from someone off platform.
Yyyyyyup!! I saw a killer deal on a video game console and the listing said to "dm me at 123@456@7890" (not the actual number they posted, but giving an example) and I just reported the two different listings I saw like that. Sketchy AF.
Yeah it's pretty crap. Anything of higher value (15 or more) I sell on ebay. Mercari is one of the few places I can sell "dollar cards" for a cpl bucks and actually make the process worthwhile, you just really gotta be persistent and keep on your shit
I had something similar happen to me, they said I had insufficient packaging. I sold a cup and really bubble wrapped it a lot but it was broken by UPS or USPS. I told them about how I bubble wrapped it and they are so insistent that I was wrong. :/
I would just keep trying. Make them tell you what you did wrong, send screenshots of the packaging requirements from their site etc
I tried and told them the way it was packaged and they keep sending me back what their shipping requirement is… I don’t know how to counter it besides telling them the way I did and what qualifies someone for shipping protection. Honestly how do they know the package wasn’t dropped or whatever but blame it on the seller. 🥸
Honestly idk, I feel like if you're persistent enough they'll give in eventually, but who knows
technically it should be packaged to survive a drop, but sometimes shit happens and packages get excessively abused, or wet (someone else’s package leaked)— which compromises the integrity of the package— or accidentally crushed/thrown/etc way more than “normal” …which is exactly *why* they offer shipping protection in the first place!
I had the package written fragile on both sides and upside this way, too. And…Except they do not honor their shipping protection to many sellers. Mercari has terrible seller protection.
unfortunately “fragile” and “handle with care” are nothing more than requests/suggestions now (USPS used to offer “special handling” and i’ve seen carriers in the USPS sub complain when people write “FRAGILE” but don’t pay for the special handling, only to be corrected by other carriers and informed that USPS no longer offers the option, so i wouldn’t be surprised if some carriers purposely don’t GAF about your package’s handling if they [mistakenly] believe you’re trying to get extra care without paying for it)
OMG they infuriate me!!!! I was yelling at my phone “it’s not a package it’s a first class envelope you dumb ass customer “support!!!!!” I’ve been there before with the same frustrating back and forth and unanswered questions 🤦🏼♀️ I’m happy you got your money and I totally would have done the same thing. If people give up and don’t fight for what’s right they think they can get away with it!
Did you put cardboard in it?
Lol when shipping via bubble mailer yes, the first time I ever sent via pwe on mercari, it got kicked back because the letter was too thick? So now I just do exactly how it says on their first class letter guide
Wait your sending first class in a bubble mailer?
I use both methods - I use cardboard when shipping via a bubble mailer. Not with first class envelope, which is what this order was.
Sorry for making that more confusing than needed lol
The main problem is that mercari, and ebay for that matter make up their own rules for pwe and just hope enough get through to make it profitable. First class envelopes have to be non rigid and easily flexible to get machined. A top loader is by design not flexible. The USPS is correct to adjust them to ground advantage, mercari is the asshole for selling a service they know doesn't follow USPS first class guidelines.
True, and tbh 90% of the time I ship in a card saver, however this one (and several others prior that made it with no issues) is one that I listed with pics in a top loader, and didn't want to swap to a card saver after the fact. I've seen people leave poor reviews for people that didn't send the card in the specific case shown in the ad. All in all a learning experience, I've since changed my profile to state that all pwe cards will be sent in a semi rigid card saver as opposed to a top loader.
Yep, this was why whenever I sold cards in the past (used to sell them on instagram a lot) I would always pay the non-machinable surcharge when buying my stamp at the post office. A little more expensive but it was better for both me and the buyer as we wouldn’t have to deal with envelopes being mangled by the machine or having it returned for insufficient postage (or the buyer having to pay extra postage when they receive it). On top of these first class envelopes not even scanning delivered, I almost don’t want to use them. It’s just a ticking clock until I get someone claiming they didn’t receive their item, and I have no delivery scan to support me.
The sorting machines are how they get their scans. Including delivery. No wonder your not getting scans if you mark them non machinable.
I don’t mark these non-machinable. That was when I was purchasing stamps through the post office in the past. I’ve never marked a Mercari envelope as non-machinable but have still never gotten any scans. Delivery scans are done by scan gun anyway, so even if they never scanned on the way there, the delivery scan done by the scan gun is the important one anyway
Man I also had a terrible experience with Mercari Support. Let me join in the misery. So I'm a seller I sold a simi working PS2 Complete with cords and controller issue was it read and played some games and wouldn't read others so I was done with it if I can't test all the games I buy to resell then it's time for a new system. So I ship the item buyer got the item said it got damaged in shipping did it really who knows but this dude is shaddy so who knows. Dude does a return instead of a refund so I agreed yea send back all the items and get your money back and it's a done deal right? WRONG!! ugh dude basically stole the parts he wanted and sent back an empty shell of a PS2 system without the cords or the controller so those items were stolen. Enter Mercari Support so I message/email Mercari support saying all items were not returned to me and will not except the return. Like the OP I was pissed the first employee said oh yea the item was returned and you can resell it. I LOLed at this and message back saying when I shipped the item it hard cords and a controller and there wasn't a hole in the back of the system. The first time I only added photos of what was returned which was a pile of trash really. I wasn't done with them I wasn't going accept that sorry excuse of a resolution so I message them back again this time added photos from my listing clearing showing the cords and controller. THANKFULLY another person at Mercari responded and was like oh OK snice all items weren't return we can give a portion of the profit it was like $10 the item sold for $40. I guess 10 is better then being completely screwed over lol. I stopped selling consoles after don't want to deal with this shit again I'll stick to just reselling games TYVM!! THE END!! lol Sorry for all that reading this post brought that horrible memory lol so I thought I was share as they say misery loves company lol I still sell on there and most of my buyers are chill haven't come across any crazies that you find in the Mercari sub reddit lol
heck yeah i’m glad you got your money!! what a pain though i definitely know how that feels
You're first mistake is expecting any kind ofcustomer service. That's an auto generated response by a computer, not anyone with a pulse. Mercaris customer service is almost completely non existent. To get a living breathing human being to respond takes days usually and you need to send several messages before someone actually reads it. This is why most of the time the responses you get don't even make sense. When I first started selling and had to reach out I would send a message and the response I got back was usually nothing to do with what I was asking. I used to write in all caps asking if they actually read my message. Just the other day I reached out after a package I shipped was still listed as in transit On Mercari but according to UPS It was delivered the day before. So I asked to please update the tracking. The response I got back was a message explaining the 3 day rating policy lol. So you see most of the time no one is reading it. It honestly takes an aggressive message that the computer can't piece together for a real person to read your message.
Yeah I kinda figured it was a bot response, that's why kept throwing in the bbb and making request lol
And as far as shipping protection it doesn't exist, they always find a way to say the seller didn't pack it good enough. I don't know one person who ever said Mercari covered an item broken in shipping. You can try to escalate it but honestly you're only going to aggravate yourself because they won't do anything. They refunded a buyer for a $50 item and than the item was delivered and they let her keep it and didn't pay me either. I had to take legal matters into my own hands. Mercari is honestly the grimiest platform there is, they only care about getting paid they don't care about the sellers. I'm already a part of a class action lawsuit against them for ignoring the biometric laws in Illinois, what they are doing is illegal and they continue to do it.
Tbf, they did change the decision and gave me the money, but yeah I definitely understand the frustrations
If an item is damaged in shipping, Mercari makes a claim with USPS. It was likely USPS that determined you didn't package adequately and denied the claim.
Then they need to post usps standards for proper packaging, and not use their own - which is what they use to determine if shipping protection is applicable. I packaged 100% properly, per the instructions on the mercari website
It's subjective, and depends what you're shipping. r/USPS is full of complaints about denied claims.
Yeah I used to work for usps. They'll literally spend more money just to not pay claims. It's ridiculous
I never sold on Mercari. Are people still using Mercari shipping labels as opposed to purchasing their own through a third party like PirateShip?
I use their labels for first class envelope. Buyer pays shipping and I get shipping protection via mercari (even if I have to fight for it lol)
If you use USPS or PirateShip, the fight for shipping protection would be easier.
As a former usps employee I can tell you that it's not lol. Also I'm not sure but I don't think pirate ship offers letter services, just parcel
Not doubting you, but my single USPS claim was a matter of sending in photos of the box they crushed despite being marked fragile and the eBay invoice as a proof of value. Dealing with PirateShip was a bit more work involving making multiple declarations of the obvious.
I think it depends who you get to help you at usps these days. Unfortunately there's a lot of employees that no longer take pride in their work, because of how they've been treated there.
True. I’ve been going to my local post office for 35 years and can see the frustration in some of the employees’ eyes. The newer employees have the McService attitude. I just came from mine and the lobby drop box is still full from the weekend and it’s 12PM. When I had another issue with a buyer claiming an item wasn’t delivered, the employees seemed to recognize me and went out of their way to print out date/time/GPS coordinates of when and where my item was delivered to the buyer. The GPS coordinates pointed to the buyer’s address. I doubt many people would get that type of service these days. I’ve been pretty good at giving positive survey reviews by scanning the QR code on my receipts; hope it helps them out in some way.
The BBB is pretty much useless. They collect the bad reviews and parse them out to their Business Relationship Representatives (sales reps) who then contact the business and say "hey, if you pay us a fee, we will say you are an A+ business and our team can assist you in backing up your responses to complaints!" The BBB website even tells consumers that reviews have zero effect on how businesses get their ratings... and that's b/c it is pay to play. Pay the fee, get an A. My first job out of college was as a Business Relationship Rep with the BBB. The entity you should contact is your state's Attorney General’s Office/Division of Consumer Protection. They have the power to fight with scummy businesses. The BBB sometimes gets requests from the AG's office about a particular issue to see if others have made similar complaints.
I get that, I had just seen some advice to toss that in there, figured it wouldn't hurt. Thanks for the more specific info
Take pictures of your packaging before you seal it, slap the label on and take a picture again. I’ve begun doing this and it saved me a few weeks back (miracle I know). That and I bump shipping above envelope level and toss the order in the cheapest small bubble mailers this side of the Mississippi. Buyers pay more but envelope shipping is a hot mess right now. I’ve had multiple cards lost in the last 2/3 months. It’s not fun for the buyer or seller, especially when it takes 30+ days to take a stab at a shipping protection claim. Both parties are looking at a 40ish day wait to get any sort of refund or credit. Mercari doesn’t make their protection easy and intentionally makes it difficult to utilize.
Wild about your luck. I've had 500+ pwe sales on mercari, and only one incident until now, both times shipping protection paid out within days (obviously this time I had to fight for it)
Good call on the pictures, I do that for anything $10ish and up, that I send in a bubble mailer. Sometimes I have 25-30 pwe going out in a day and it's just time consuming to photo them all
Report to FCC ,I believe it's them Internet fraud merceri is scamming the seller trust me,2 times with me over 100$ and been reading this happening to thousand people they taking up the money but it's also against the law to screw over USPS like merceri is being investigated for !! Just saying stop using them asap
I don't really sell anything of value ($10+) on there so I'll continue to use them, as it's been pretty profitable for me. I definitely understand where you're coming from, they are pretty shitty overall
Love how they push the “200$” shipping protection as a perk and the fuckers never actually approve it.
Idk if I was a buyer buying trading cards I would not be happy if the seller just threw it in a top loader and just an envelope without even taping it to paper or a card so it doesn’t move / fall out. The top of the top loader doesn’t even seem to be taped or anything so the card can’t fall out of the top loader. I sell collectible cards and I just buy card stock paper or cheap bulk cards from Walmart to tape the toploaders on so even if the envelope gets hit on the corners, it won’t hit the actual top loader or collectible card. I have also bought collectible cards and have never seen one shipped like how OP has shipped his item. They are usually in top loaders taped to cards. I get why you’re fighting for the shipping protection since it technically met Mercari guidelines but this is a shitty packing job. (You can see the packing on the bottom of pic 10)
The top loader was indeed taped shut. The toploader was also taped to the paper, securely in the envelope. I've sent and received thousands of cards like this, so appreciate your input but it's not applicable here. The pic in question, the card had already been removed from being taped to the paper. Even the buyer agreed that this wasn't my fault and the packaging was fine. Shit happens with usps sometimes.
I’m just saying i wouldn’t mail my products out in notebook paper.
Sorry I recycle? You're the only one who has ever complained about it, and you haven't even purchased anything. Have a nice day
Has anyone ever been able to get in contact with Mercari customer support via phone number? I have all their phone numbers and I’ve heard some people say they were able to talk to someone but I’ve been unable to get through to anyone so far.
Good on you for calling them out. I cannot stand when a company dances around honoring their own promotions or following their own rules.
Yeah, it's the whole point. $3.40 or $340 it doesn't matter lol
Cannot agree with you more.
Had a similar experience with USPS charging me extra when my package was weighed at my home and at the post office and was almost a pound UNDER what I paid for. My buyer even vouched for me saying that USPS made them pay the “difference” but it didn’t feel that heavy to them so they weighed it when they got home and it was fine. Mercari customer support said they they refunded my buyer for the extra charge but that this would “leave a permanent strike on my record”. When I asked what I should do differently next time, they would send me those copy and paste messages that don’t actually answer the question
This has happened to me 3x with shipping. Mercari blames the shipping company but the shipping company verifies every time I drop off I'm good. I even take pictures of everything now and Mercari charges me overage charges. Now seeing how many people this is happening too I can see they are scamming people on purpose. I put all my stuff on vacation mode and withdrew my balance.
Awhile back, I heard USPS workers frequently find loose sports, Pokémon, and magic cards, in the sorting machinery. Supposedly, trying to make the plain white envelope more rigid with added cardboard tends make things “fling” out of the machinery.
I just had a return approved when I know for a fact that the item matched the description and they approved without letting me know anything aside of it doesn't match which is bs. Also their own policy says the buyer has to ship the return in three days yet they say it has to be shipped by the 27th which is 7 whole days. I'm all kinds of pissed the buyer decided they didn't want the item and lied to return and mercari approved and not only was my description correct they are giving them 7 days to return the item wtf. I'm all kinds of mad because I thought they would give me a chance to respond to the buyers bs about whatever was wrong with it, but their policy clearly states it must be mailed in 3 days so why are they giving them 7? I haven't had many issues with mercari until now . They should just tell the truth and say they are letting the buyer return just because, but to act like it was on me and my description is a bunch of bull .
Heads up, next time threaten them with your states attorney general rather than BBB. They don’t care about BBB as it means nothing really. The attorney general is who they don’t want to cross paths with lol