Poshmark vs. Mercari vs. eBay: Which is Better for Reselling Clothes?

Looking for a low-lift side hustle? Reselling clothes on eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari can be an effective and efficient income source.

Think of it as a potential opportunity for the gig economy to meet eCommerce. You control the work, and you get to curate an online store, acting as an eCommerce merchant. There are many platforms aspiring merchants list their clothing on, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll discuss Poshmark, Mercari, and eBay. Each platform has its own key features, target audience, and advantages.

That said, this eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari guide below outlines key features that distinguish these selling platforms. And if you're looking to start shipping clothes from your store, you should consider working with a shipping partner such as Easyship for seamless shipping to your online clients.

Selling on Poshmark

Poshmark is a marketplace for those looking to sell modern clothes and accessories, often secondhand. With more than 60 million users within North America and approximately 100 million items for sale, it is a great place to clear your closet or update it by selling some items. This platform is a great option for anyone looking to sell mid to high-end products.

Plus, as previously mentioned, the app also has a social aspect. You can host “parties” virtually to mingle with other community members, and welcome new sellers. Plus, you can interact with listings, and aesthetically customize your profile — all with the end goal of crafting a beloved eCommerce store.

Selling on eBay

An eCommerce giant since the early 2000s, eBay is exceedingly popular, boasting millions of users worldwide, across nearly 200 markets.

eBay succeeded in establishing a person-to-person online community, wherein sellers and buyers are brought together and can communicate directly. What’s more, you can sell anything on the platform, from low-priced knick-knacks to luxury pieces. Items are categorically arranged for easier listing. Finally, eBay's customer support is unparalleled if you run into any issues.

Related: Etsy vs eBay - Understanding the differences

Selling on Mercari

Mercari is the new kid on the block, having begun operations in 2013. The platform best suits sellers and buyers looking for great deals, collectors, or simply those who enjoy shopping. Even though you can sell clothing on the platform, it is not the best marketplace for disposing of designer items.

However, there is a large market for sporting goods and baby apparel. Mercari has a simple, user-friendly listing process, and a social chat feature that allows for promos to give listings some extra love through discounts and commissions.

eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari: What’s the Difference?

When it comes to reselling clothing, eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari all have a number of differences that make it challenging for sellers to make an apt prompt. So to answer the question on everyone’s mind, like is Mercari vs. eBay better than Poshmark or vice versa, you should understand the differences between the platforms. Below are some key features that distinguish these among eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari.

1. Selling Fees

eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari takes a portion of sales made from merchants. The amount is taken, and when differs, though. Below, we break down rates.

eBay: The platform allows up to 50 free listings for first-time sellers on the eBay platform for reselling clothes. After that, merchants then pay $0.35 for each additional listing and an additional 10-12% of the final value after the sale is taken.

Poshmark: Poshmark allows for free, unlimited listings with a 20% commission from the original sale price.

Mercari: Mercari allows for free listings with a 10% commission taken after an item is sold.

2. Shipping Prices & Fees

Shipping can be a logistical nightmare when you don’t know what you’re doing, which is why you'll want to make sure you have a world-class shipping strategy. If you plan to turn your side hustle into a large-scale operation for eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari, it might make sense to work with a service like Easyship. Easyship will help you make sense of shipping options such as expedited shipping, flat rate shipping, and courier rates.

eBay: Shipping with eBay depends on the item being sent to the delivery destination. Determining the cost involves weighing the items, and selecting a class, and carrier.

Poshmark: With Poshmark, the platform has a flat shipping rate of $7.11 and buyers pay this fee for shipping less than 5 pounds.

Mercari: Mercari shipping options, including free shipping for sellers willing to cater to their customers' shipping fees.

3. Potential Reach and Audience

The more eyeballs on your items, the more sales you’ll inevitably make for your eCommerce business (whether it's eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari). It’s also to consider an audience’s quality over quantity in terms of targeting — it doesn’t make sense to sell knick-knacks on Poshmark, for example.

eBay: eBay has more than 182 million users with over 1.3 billion listings.

Poshmark: Poshmark has over 50 million users, and 5 million sellers, The Verge reports.

Mercari: Mercari has 15.38 million active users a month and about 1.5 billion listings as of January 2020, according to a February 2020 press release.

4. Listing

When listing items on eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari, you are the owner, CTO, CMO, and COO of your own eCommerce store. It’s up to you to control your store’s aesthetics, organize any promotions or bundles, how you communicate with your audience and how they receive their orders.

eBay: Pacing a listing on eBay is more complicated and time-consuming than it may seem. It is more than taking a photo and creating a description. Sellers must also include details like dimensions and material type during the listing process so customers know what they're buying. Despite having 476 mobile downloads, the platform is not known to be especially smartphone-friendly.

Poshmark: Overall, the process of listing items on Poshmark is straightforward. With just a few buttons, you can take a picture of an item, create a description with relevant search terms (including brand, size, and condition) and upload a full listing. Poshmark is known to be especially mobile-friendly, as all the following steps are best executed on the mobile app.

Mercari: The platform has simplified the listing process. Sellers can upload listings from a phone or desktop with ease and without hassle. These uploads can be up to 12 pictures for a Mercari listing.

5. Customer service

eBay: eBay’s customer support line will help you get to the bottom of your issues, allowing you to speak to an agent. In terms of customer experience, eBay has many clear rules guiding late shipments, canceled orders, and more.

Poshmark: Poshmark’s customer support is limited to email, which can take up to 2 business days. It is available to buyers and sellers.

Mercari: While the ongoing pandemic has strained Mercari’s support systems, they offer a robust online help center. If you have more pressing issues, like suspected fraud, you can call to speak with customer service. Mercari also has a strict return policy. All sales are final, but a return can be requested within three days of delivery if the goods are defective, damaged, or don’t meet expectations.

eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari: Which Marketplace is Better?

When you’re considering beginning to list items on eCommerce platforms, choosing between eBay vs. Poshmark, vs. Mercari, can be daunting if you don’t do your research. That’s why it’s best to know your inventory and then study how you can ace your shipping strategy. For example, modern clothes are all the rage on Poshmark, but you can pawn your pawns on the eBay platform.

Additionally, while the fees are high on Poshmark, items turn over fast. Conversely, listings on Mercari are easier to maintain and the fees easier to swallow, but items don’t move as quickly on the Japanese platform.

Full-time sellers might want to opt for eBay to benefit from more users and ease of selling items at a time across categories. eBay is an excellent choice overall for those looking to make a large income by selling multiple items. Cross-posting across multiple is also a viable option for sellers looking to capitalize on all platforms.

Easyship integrates with the leading eCommerce platforms, such as eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari, and helps merchants streamline their shipping with dynamic rates at checkout, a multi-carrier network, label generation, and more. Merchants can compare rates, generate a shipping policy, and calculate taxes and duties with our free tools, all while saving big on shipping costs.

Sign up for a free Easyship account today to supercharge your shipping for eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari!

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