How to List on Mercari: A Beginner's Guide to Listings That Sell
A beginner's guide to Mercari listings: photos, title, description, the five condition grades, pricing limits and what Mercari asks you not to do.
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Mercari's listing form is short, which makes it easy to post quickly and just as easy to post something nobody finds. Mercari's own guide to creating a listing sums up its search in one line: the more accurate a listing is, the higher it will appear in search results.
Here is how to make each part of the form accurate.
Photos: up to 12
You can add up to 12 photos. The first one is what shoppers see first, so make it the whole item, well lit, on a plain background. Then use the rest for:
- The brand, model or size label
- Each side of the item
- Anything included: box, charger, accessories
- Every flaw, close up
- For electronics, the item powered on, if it works
Title: brand and what it is
Lead with the brand and the item type, then the details a buyer would add to narrow a search: model, size, color.
Nintendo Switch OLED Console White with Dock and Joy-ConsAt the time of writing, Mercari's US form allows titles of about 80 characters; the app shows you the limit as you type. Spend it on searchable words rather than on L@@K or must see.
Description: short, honest, specific
Mercari buyers read on their phones. Keep the description to what helps them decide:
Nintendo Switch OLED, white. Works perfectly, factory reset.
Included: console, dock, both Joy-Cons, power adapter, HDMI cable.
Not included: original box.
Condition: light scratches on the back of the console (photo 6).
Screen has no scratches.Mercari asks sellers to state the brand clearly and not to add brand names or hashtags that are not associated with the item. A couple of relevant hashtags at the end of the description is fine; a block of unrelated ones is not.
Condition: the five grades
Mercari has five conditions, and choosing the right one heads off most disputes. In short (Mercari's item conditions page has the full definitions):
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
| New | Completely unused, with original tags or packaging (NWT) |
| Like New | Used very lightly or not at all, without tags (NWOT) |
| Good | Used, with minor signs of wear |
| Fair | Used, with noticeable wear or flaws |
| Poor | Major flaws or not fully working; sold as is |
Mercari adds category-specific definitions, for example battery health for electronics, so check the page for your item type. When in doubt, choose the lower grade and describe why.
Price and shipping
- Prices on Mercari run from $1 to $2,000, or up to $5,000 for items eligible for authentication.
- For shipping, you enter the package weight and either choose a carrier option or ship on your own. Weigh the packed item rather than guessing.
What hurts your visibility
Mercari's search help asks sellers to avoid irrelevant terms, and notes that search also takes seller reliability and recent sales into account. Deleting and relisting the same item to bump it works against you. Accurate listings and reliable shipping do more than any trick.
A checklist before you list
- First photo shows the whole item clearly.
- Brand is stated, in the title and the brand field.
- Category and condition are set.
- Every flaw is photographed and described.
- No unrelated brands or hashtags.
- Package weight is measured, not guessed.
Where Holgo fits
Holgo's Mercari listing AI writes a Mercari-shaped listing from your photos: a title led by brand and model, a plain text description with flaws listed one per line and what is included, a category from Mercari's own list, and a condition grade judged from your close ups. Mercari has no listing API for individual sellers, so Holgo never touches your account. You paste the listing in yourself, and shipping stays your choice.
Let Holgo write the first draft
Upload photos of an item and Holgo writes the title, description and the details Mercari asks for. Free credits to start, no store connection and no card.
