The short version
- Mercari: Flat 10% selling fee; buyer pays a separate 3.6% protection fee
- WishThrift: No listing fee, no selling commission, and no buyer-side fee
- Bottom line: WishThrift charges nothing on any sale
- Rates verified: 26 Jul 2026, direct from Mercari’s own fee page
Fee comparison
| Platform | What it costs to sell |
|---|---|
| Mercari | Flat 10% selling fee; buyer pays a separate 3.6% protection fee |
| WishThrift | No listing fee, no selling commission, and no buyer-side fee |
In full, as verified on 26 Jul 2026: Flat 10% selling fee charged on item price plus buyer-paid shipping. No seller payment processing fee (removed January 2025). Buyers pay a separate 3.6% Buyer Protection fee.
Who actually pays
Both sides pay on Mercari: the seller is charged a flat 10%, and the buyer pays a separate 3.6% Buyer Protection fee. That is worth spelling out, because a fee charged to the buyer is still money coming out of the transaction — it just comes out of what they were willing to spend rather than what you receive. On WishThrift there is no fee on either side, so the price you agree is the whole story.
What you keep on a $50 and a $200 sale
| Sale price | Fee on Mercari | You keep | You keep on WishThrift |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $5 | $45 | $50 |
| $200 | $20 | $180 | $200 |
$50 fee: flat 10% selling fee. $200 fee: flat 10% selling fee. Mercari’s 10% is charged on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, so the real deduction is a little higher than the figures above whenever shipping is involved. There is no separate seller payment processing fee — that was removed in January 2025 — but buyers pay a 3.6% protection fee.
Where Mercari is genuinely better
A comparison that finds nothing good to say about the other side is not worth reading. These are real advantages, and for some sellers they will settle the question:
- Simple, predictable pricing. A flat 10% with no tiers, no per-order fee and no processing cut is far easier to reason about than eBay’s or Etsy’s stacked fees.
- Buyer protection that buyers trust. Funds are held until the buyer confirms, which measurably reduces hesitation on higher-priced items. WishThrift has nothing equivalent.
- Shipping labels and tracking are built in, with the cost transparently split or absorbed. On WishThrift you arrange delivery yourself.
- A large, established US audience already used to buying second-hand from strangers.
Where WishThrift is better
- 10% stays with you. On a $200 sale that is $20 more in your pocket, before counting what the buyer saves.
- Nothing is added to the buyer’s side either, so your asking price is not quietly inflated by a 3.6% protection fee at checkout.
- Local collection is a first-class option, which makes furniture and other bulky items practical in a way a shipping-first platform never quite manages.
- Categories well beyond consumer goods, including vehicles, furniture and tools.
Who each one suits
Mercari. Mercari suits sellers shipping small, easily boxed items to strangers who want the reassurance of holding funds until delivery, and who find 10% a fair price for that.
WishThrift. WishThrift suits sellers handing items over locally, selling at prices where 10% is material, or listing things too large or awkward to post.
WishThrift is also the newer and considerably smaller of the two, and that is worth saying plainly: a larger audience finds buyers faster. Because listing here costs nothing, the question is rarely which one to choose — it is whether there is any reason not to use both.
Moving your listings across
Mercari listings transfer almost unchanged — the description conventions are similar and the photo standards are, if anything, higher than most platforms need. The one adjustment is pricing: sellers commonly pad the Mercari price to absorb the 10%, so drop it back to what you actually want when you relist, and say so. An honest price is the fastest thing you can do to sell an item.
Want to try it without paying anything? Listing on WishThrift is free, there is no commission, and you keep the full amount you agree with the buyer — see how selling works or create a free account.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mercari still free to sell on?
No. Mercari reinstated a flat 10% selling fee, charged on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, and buyers pay a separate 3.6% protection fee. Any guide describing Mercari as fee-free is out of date. WishThrift charges no fee to either side.
Is WishThrift cheaper than Mercari?
Yes. Mercari takes 10% from the seller and 3.6% from the buyer; WishThrift takes nothing from either. On a $200 sale that is $20 the seller keeps and about $7 the buyer never has to find. Mercari’s advantage is built-in shipping and payment protection, neither of which WishThrift offers.
Does WishThrift hold the money until the item arrives?
No, and it is important to be clear about that. WishThrift does not process or hold payments — you and the buyer agree how to pay and how to hand the item over between yourselves. That is why there is no fee, and it is also why you should confirm payment before parting with anything.
Sources and method. Mercari’s rates were verified on 26 Jul 2026 via jellysell.com Mercari fee calculator (rates checked 4 Jul 2026 vs Mercari fee schedule). WishThrift’s own position — no listing fee, no commission, no buyer fee — is checked against the live site. Fees change, sometimes without notice: this page is reviewed quarterly and the figures above should be confirmed against Mercari’s own fee page before you rely on them for a large sale. Note: MODEL CHANGED — Mercari reinstated its selling fee. Any older copy describing Mercari as fee-free is wrong.
More comparisons: all marketplace fee comparisons · work out what your item is worth · read about condition grades.