Mercari tracking

What is Mercari?

Mercari is a Japanese technology company that operates one of Asia's largest consumer-to-consumer online marketplaces. Founded on February 1, 2013 by Shintaro Yamada, Ryo Ishizuka, and Tommy Tomishima, the company launched its marketplace app in Japan in July 2013 with one central goal of making the act of reselling goods as simple as photographing an item, setting a price, and tapping a button from a smartphone. Yamada had previously founded a gaming company called Unoh Inc., sold it to Zynga in 2010, and returned to Japan with a vision for a mobile-first resale platform built to remove the friction that traditional secondhand channels imposed on ordinary individuals.

The company's early growth was rapid and its milestones came quickly. In March 2016, Mercari became the first Japanese startup to achieve unicorn status, crossing a valuation of one billion dollars. By July 2016, cumulative downloads of the Mercari app worldwide had surpassed 100 million. In 2017, the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Mothers market for high-growth ventures, raising approximately $1.2 billion in one of Japan's largest technology initial public offerings at the time. In the years following, Mercari extended its business beyond the original marketplace, launching Merpay, a digital payment service in February 2019, Mercari Shops, a B2C storefront platform in October 2021, and Mercari NFT, a digital collectibles marketplace launched in January 2025 in partnership with OpenSea.

• Founded: February 1, 2013, with the marketplace app launching in Japan in July 2013
• Founders: Shintaro Yamada (CEO), Ryo Ishizuka, and Tommy Tomishima
• Headquarters: Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6125, Japan
• Stock exchange: Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4385)
• Capital: 47.3 billion JPY as of June 2024
• Monthly active users: More than 23 million as of September 2024
• Cumulative listings: Over four billion since the platform's launch
• Unicorn status: Achieved in March 2016, the first Japanese startup to reach this milestone
• Key subsidiaries: Merpay, Inc. (digital payments and fintech), Mercoin, Inc. (cryptocurrency assets), and Mercari Shops (B2C storefront platform)
• Current markets: Japan (primary), United States, and cross-border Global App active in Taiwan and Hong Kong as of September 2025

In Japan, Mercari generates over 75 million monthly website visits, representing roughly 70 percent of the company's total global web traffic. This places the platform well ahead of domestic rivals such as Rakuma and Yahoo Furima in the secondhand goods segment. The platform supports a wide range of product categories including electronics, fashion, home goods, collectibles, trading cards, anime merchandise, authenticated luxury goods, books, and toys. Cross-border gross merchandise value on the platform exceeded 90 billion yen annually as of 2025, a figure driven primarily by international demand for Japanese anime, gaming, and hobby merchandise, and one that has grown more than 15-fold in three years.

Which countries does Mercari deliver to?

Mercari's geographic reach is shaped by two distinct models of operation. The first is direct marketplace activity in countries where Mercari maintains a local platform and physical logistics infrastructure. The second is cross-border commerce, where buyers in one country purchase items listed by sellers in another country's Mercari market. Japan and the United States are the two core markets where full native marketplace operations are active, while Taiwan and Hong Kong are served through the Mercari Global App, which launched on September 30, 2025 for cross-border purchases from the Japanese marketplace.

In Japan, Mercari covers the entire country through an integrated logistics network operating at approximately 41,000 drop-off locations nationwide, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart convenience stores, Yamato Transport offices, and Takkyubin locker pickup points at train stations. In the United States, the platform serves all 50 states plus Washington D.C. Mercari's prepaid shipping label system in the US covers the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska, though APO and FPO military addresses are excluded from the prepaid label offering and must be handled through independently arranged shipping.

• Japan: Full national coverage across all prefectures, served through integrated logistics with Yamato Transport and Japan Post drop-off networks spanning approximately 41,000 locations
• United States: All 50 states and Washington D.C., served via prepaid labels through USPS, UPS, and FedEx (APO and FPO military addresses excluded from prepaid label coverage)
• Taiwan: Cross-border purchasing from the Japanese marketplace via the Mercari Global App, launched September 30, 2025, with pickup available at over 7,000 7-ELEVEN Taiwan convenience store locations
• Hong Kong: Cross-border purchasing from the Japanese marketplace via the Mercari Global App, launched in 2025
• United States (Global App, planned): Cross-border purchasing from the Japanese marketplace scheduled to launch in spring 2026 under the Mercari Global App framework
• Former market: United Kingdom, where operations ran from 2016 until March 15, 2019, when the service was permanently closed due to insufficient growth and ongoing operating losses

Mercari has stated a medium-term ambition to expand the Global App to 50 countries within three years of its September 2025 launch date and to more than 100 countries over the mid-to-long term, targeting markets across Asia, North America, and beyond. The Global App is built around AI-powered real-time translation of Japanese listings and integrated payment processing through a partnership with Stripe, allowing buyers in supported markets to read Japanese listings in their native language and pay using local payment methods without requiring an account on the Japanese marketplace.

What are the Mercari services and delivery times?

Mercari does not operate its own carrier network. Instead, the platform has built integrated shipping solutions through partnerships with established carriers in each market it serves. In Japan, two branded services cover the bulk of seller shipments. In the United States, sellers can choose between discounted prepaid labels from major carriers or arrange their own shipping independently. For cross-border commerce, dedicated logistics arrangements handle the international routing of parcels from Japan to buyers abroad.

• RakuRaku Mercari Bin (Japan): Mercari's primary shipping service in Japan, operated through Yamato Transport (Kuroneko Yamato). Sellers drop off packages at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Yamato Transport offices, or Takkyubin lockers at train stations across a network of approximately 41,000 locations. The service includes anonymous addressing so that neither sender nor recipient sees the other's personal address, plus built-in tracking and insurance coverage.
• YuYu Mercari Bin (Japan): Mercari's Japan Post-integrated option, available for drop-off at Lawson convenience stores and post offices throughout Japan. Like RakuRaku Mercari Bin, it provides anonymous addressing, tracking, and insurance through a tiered pricing structure based on different size categories.
• Mercari Prepaid Labels (United States): Discounted labels integrated with USPS, UPS, and FedEx, available through the platform at rates the company states average approximately 40 percent below standard retail carrier pricing. Specific options include USPS Ground Advantage (packages up to 9.1 kg), USPS Media Mail (eligible media items such as books, CDs, DVDs, and printed music), First-Class Envelope (trading cards up to 85 g only), UPS Ground, and FedEx Ground. All prepaid labels include automatic Shipping Protection coverage.
• Ship on Your Own (United States): Sellers who arrange their own shipping may use any carrier of their choice. A valid tracking number must be submitted to complete the transaction. Shipping Protection through Mercari does not apply when using independently purchased labels.
• Mercari Local (United States): A same-day local delivery service powered by Uber's delivery network, matching nearby drivers for on-demand pickup and delivery within hours of purchase. A second partner, Dolly, may also be used depending on distance and availability. The service is suited for bulky items such as furniture, fitness equipment, and large home goods that are impractical to package and ship through a traditional carrier.
• Cross-border via BEENOS (Japan to United States): For US buyers purchasing from the Japanese marketplace, BEENOS acts as a cross-border intermediary: it sources items from Japanese sellers, inspects them at a warehouse inside Japan, and ships them internationally to the US buyer. Carriers used for the international leg include DHL Express, FedEx International, and ECMS International, with USPS potentially handling final-mile delivery within the United States.
• Mercari Global App (Japan to Taiwan and Hong Kong): Launched September 30, 2025, this cross-border service allows buyers in Taiwan and Hong Kong to purchase from the Japanese marketplace. International shipping is handled by Sagawa Express, a major Japanese logistics provider, under terms managed directly by Mercari rather than through a third-party intermediary.

For US domestic shipments using Mercari prepaid labels, packages typically arrive within three to four business days after the seller dispatches the order. Sellers are required to ship within three business days of a completed sale, putting the total expected window from purchase to delivery at approximately six to seven business days under ordinary conditions. For Mercari Local deliveries, fulfillment takes place within hours on the same day. For cross-border shipments from Japan to the United States through BEENOS, the transit time averages ten to fourteen days from the Japanese seller's shipping date.

What are the Mercari rates and maximum dimensions accepted?

In the United States, Mercari calculates shipping charges using a dimensional weight formula of package length multiplied by width multiplied by height, divided by 139. The platform charges whichever is greater between the actual weight and the resulting dimensional weight. This is standard practice across major US carriers. Packages are accepted up to a maximum actual weight of 22.7 kg and a longest side of 86 cm. For packages that exceed those specifications as verified by the carrier after shipping, an overage fee is charged retroactively. As of March 10, 2025, an additional penalty of 8 percent is applied on top of any adjusted shipping total for overweight or oversized packages.

Mercari has introduced a tiered pricing structure to handle different package sizes more accurately. A category called the Best Rate tier applies to packages that are one cubic foot or less in total volume and have a longest side of 56 cm or less, with lower pricing available for qualifying smaller shipments. Packages exceeding 45.4 kg by actual or dimensional weight must be shipped using the Ship on Your Own option, and packages exceeding 68 kg are billed at a flat commercial rate. In mid-2025, Mercari announced a 2 percent average increase to its USPS prepaid label rates effective July 28, 2025, while noting the adjustment remained substantially below USPS's own announced retail rate increases of 7.1 percent for Ground Advantage during the same period.

• Maximum actual weight: 22.7 kg for standard prepaid labels. Packages over 45.4 kg must use independently arranged shipping.
• Maximum longest side: 86 cm for standard prepaid labels
• Dimensional weight formula: Length multiplied by width multiplied by height, divided by 139. Charges are based on whichever is greater between actual weight and dimensional weight.
• Best Rate tier: Available for packages of one cubic foot or less with a longest side of 56 cm or less, offering lower base pricing than the standard tier
• Overage penalty: 8 percent surcharge applied on top of any adjusted shipping total for packages found to exceed purchased label specifications, effective March 10, 2025
• Japan pricing: RakuRaku Mercari Bin and YuYu Mercari Bin use fixed pricing based on package size categories defined by dimensions rather than purely by weight, giving sellers a predictable cost at the time of listing
• Promotional rates: Discounted flat rates on UPS and FedEx labels for packages up to 2.3 kg within one cubic foot, and reduced First-Class Envelope rates for trading cards, were available under a promotion running from February 16 through April 16, 2026

What are the Mercari delivery options?

In the United States, Mercari delivers primarily to home addresses through the standard home delivery networks of USPS, UPS, and FedEx, depending on which carrier is assigned to the shipment. Buyers who prefer an alternative delivery point can use carrier-specific pickup programs. UPS buyers can redirect packages to UPS Access Point locations, which include UPS Stores and authorized retail partners. FedEx buyers can use FedEx-authorized pickup locations. For buyers who need delivery to a P.O. Box, the seller must select a USPS label option, as USPS is the only carrier through Mercari's system that delivers to P.O. Boxes.

Mercari Local offers a different model for buyers and sellers in the same geographic area, using Uber's driver network to move items without standard packaging or carrier involvement. Sellers leave pickup instructions inside the app directing the driver to the item's location, without needing to be present for handoff. The buyer receives the item at their door from the driver, similarly without direct seller interaction. The service is particularly suited for large or bulky items such as furniture, fitness equipment, and kitchen appliances that would be costly or impractical to package and ship through a traditional carrier.

• Standard home delivery (United States): Delivery to residential addresses via USPS, UPS, or FedEx depending on the label type selected by the seller
• UPS Access Point (United States): Alternative pickup at UPS Store locations and authorized retail partners for UPS-shipped packages
• FedEx pickup locations (United States): Alternative pickup at FedEx-authorized locations for FedEx-shipped packages
• P.O. Box delivery (United States): Available only for USPS shipments, requiring the seller to select a USPS label option at checkout
• Mercari Local (United States): Same-day on-demand delivery via Uber (and in some cases Dolly), within hours of purchase, without standard carrier packaging requirements
• Yamato Transport home delivery (Japan): Door-to-door delivery through Yamato's national network for RakuRaku Mercari Bin shipments, with locker pickup options at train stations available as an alternative
• Japan Post delivery (Japan): Door-to-door delivery through Japan Post's national network for YuYu Mercari Bin shipments
• 7-ELEVEN Taiwan pickup: Available for buyers using the Mercari Global App in Taiwan, with access to over 7,000 7-ELEVEN store locations for parcel collection instead of home delivery

For packages shown as delivered but not received, Mercari advises buyers to verify their delivery address, check all possible drop-off spots around their home, and confirm with other household members before contacting the carrier directly. The platform notes that occasional mis-scanning by carrier staff can produce an incorrect delivered status for packages still in transit. In cases of wrong-address delivery, packages cannot be rerouted through Mercari's platform, and buyers must contact Mercari's support team directly for assistance with resolution.

What should I do if my Mercari parcel is lost or damaged?

Mercari operates a Buyer Protection program that applies a 3.6 percent fee to all purchases, calculated on the combined item price and buyer-paid shipping. When a buyer completes a purchase, payment is held in escrow and is not released to the seller until the buyer confirms the order by rating it, or until Mercari's review period expires without a dispute being raised. If an item arrives and does not match the listing description, the buyer has 72 hours after confirmed delivery to report the issue through Mercari's Help Center and request a return. If the buyer rates the order positively or fails to contact Mercari within this 72-hour window, a refund will not be issued under standard policy.

For items lost or damaged in transit, Mercari's Shipping Protection covers packages shipped using standard Mercari prepaid labels up to $200. For First-Class Envelope labels used exclusively for trading cards, coverage is limited to $20. This protection does not apply when sellers use independently purchased shipping labels. A required condition for Shipping Protection eligibility is the existence of a carrier possession scan, meaning the carrier must have scanned the package at acceptance and during transit to confirm it entered the shipping network. Without this evidence in the tracking record, the seller may be held responsible for any loss or damage rather than the protection program covering it.

• Reporting window for item not as described: 72 hours after confirmed delivery to contact Mercari's Help Center and request a return. Rating the order positively or missing this window forfeits the right to a refund under standard policy.
• Shipping Protection coverage (standard prepaid labels): Up to $200 for packages shipped via Mercari's prepaid USPS, UPS, FedEx, or Mercari Local labels
• Shipping Protection coverage (First-Class Envelope): Up to $20 for trading card envelopes sent using the First-Class Envelope label option
• Eligibility requirement: A carrier possession scan must exist in the tracking history for Shipping Protection to apply. Independently purchased labels are not covered by this policy.
• Damaged packages: Contact Mercari customer support through the Help Center and provide photographic evidence of both the damaged item and its original packaging
• Lost in transit claims: Buyers must wait until the package has had no tracking updates for a minimum of 30 days before filing a Lost in Transit claim for a refund
• Customer support channel: In-app and web-based ticketing through the Mercari Help Center. No prominent direct phone support line is published by the platform.

Does Mercari handle international shipments and customs formalities?

The domestic US marketplace does not support outbound international shipping for sellers. US sellers can only ship to addresses within the 50 states and Washington D.C. through the platform's native label system. Buyers outside the United States who wish to purchase items from the US marketplace must use third-party proxy and forwarding services, as no official international shipping option is integrated into the US marketplace for outbound deliveries to foreign addresses.

For buyers in the United States purchasing items listed on the Japanese marketplace, logistics are managed by BEENOS, a Japanese cross-border intermediary. BEENOS acts as a domestic Japanese buyer, purchasing the item from the Japanese seller, receiving it at BEENOS's warehouse in Japan for inspection, and then shipping it internationally to the US buyer. Carriers used for the international leg include DHL Express, FedEx International, and ECMS International, with USPS potentially handling final-mile delivery within the United States at the carrier's discretion. Transit from the Japanese seller's shipping date averages ten to fourteen days, and buyers receive email notifications from the international carrier with a tracking number once the parcel is dispatched.

Regarding customs and import duties for Japan-to-US orders, Mercari updated its pricing model as of August 29, 2025 to reflect US tariffs on products shipped from Japan. From that date, estimated customs duties and tariff costs are included in the upfront item price displayed to buyers at checkout, so the total shown at the time of purchase is the all-in cost with no additional tariff charges upon delivery. Orders placed before August 22, 2025 were not subject to these tariffs even if delivered after the August 29 effective date. Items found to be prohibited from importation into the United States are flagged during the BEENOS warehouse inspection process, with buyers refunded in accordance with Mercari's standard return policy.

• Carriers for Japan-to-US international transit (via BEENOS): DHL Express, FedEx International, and ECMS International, with USPS potentially used for final-mile US delivery
• Transit time (Japan to United States via BEENOS): Approximately 10 to 14 days from the Japanese seller's shipping date
• US tariffs on Japan imports (effective August 29, 2025): Included in the upfront item price at checkout. Orders placed before August 22, 2025 were grandfathered and not subject to these tariffs.
• Global App international carrier: Sagawa Express, handling cross-border shipments from Japan to Taiwan and Hong Kong under terms managed directly by Mercari
• Taiwan pickup option: Buyers in Taiwan can collect packages at over 7,000 7-ELEVEN Taiwan store locations through a partnership announced in October 2024
• Prohibited items: Flagged during BEENOS warehouse inspection in Japan and refunded per Mercari's standard return policy. General categories include counterfeit merchandise, controlled substances, and items restricted under US import law.

Under the Mercari Global App launched in September 2025 for Taiwan and Hong Kong, the cross-border shipping model differs from the BEENOS arrangement. International shipping is handled by Sagawa Express under terms managed directly by Mercari rather than through a third-party intermediary. The app includes AI-powered real-time translation of Japanese listings and automatic currency conversion, with payments processed through a partnership with Stripe. Mercari's stated plan is to launch the Global App in the United States in spring 2026 and expand to 50 countries within three years of the September 2025 launch date, with more than 100 countries targeted over the mid-to-long term.

Understanding tracking statuses

Mercari does not operate its own carrier network and does not issue proprietary tracking numbers. Instead, tracking information is pulled from each carrier partner into Mercari's Order Status page, giving users a centralized view of a shipment's progress. In the United States, carrier partners are USPS, UPS, and FedEx. In Japan, tracking flows from Yamato Transport and Japan Post. Buyers can access tracking through their Mercari account under My Purchases, through push notifications and email updates sent by the platform, or by entering the tracking number directly on the assigned carrier's website.

The tracking number format for any given Mercari shipment is determined by the carrier assigned to the order. USPS tracking numbers typically follow a 20 to 22 digit numeric format for Ground Advantage and Priority Mail shipments. UPS tracking numbers follow the standard UPS 1Z alphanumeric format. FedEx tracking numbers follow FedEx's standard numeric format. For QR-code enabled USPS and UPS labels, no physical printed label is required at the drop-off counter, and tracking activates upon the carrier's initial acceptance scan. For First-Class Envelope shipments used for trading cards, tracking is limited and typically reflects only three to five scan events throughout the entire transit cycle.