Mercari Shipping Fee: Buyer-Paid vs Free Shipping and Your 10%
Quick answer: Mercari’s selling fee is 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, so shipping the buyer pays is part of the fee base. With free shipping you cover the label yourself and the 10% applies only to the item price. Listing is free and seller processing is included on these listings. Buyer Protection, about 3.6%, is paid by the buyer. See the Mercari fee estimator for the selling-fee path.
Fee figures follow Feebrief’s Mercari record (fees.json, 2026-10-23) and Mercari Help article 169 (re-read 2026-11-03; Shipping Prices table effective 10/19/2026). US, USD. Last updated .
Scope: who pays shipping and how it changes the fee base. This is not the full fee glossary, the reduce-fees page, or the Instant Pay page. Mercari Japan is out of scope. Label prices are not reproduced; see Mercari’s Shipping Prices table. Feebrief is not affiliated with Mercari; see the disclosure and how we verify fees.
The fee base
| Line | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | Free | — |
| Selling fee | 10% of item price + buyer-paid shipping | Seller |
| Seller processing | Included on these listings | — |
| Buyer Protection | About 3.6% of item + buyer-paid shipping | Buyer |
| Label price | Per Mercari’s Shipping Prices table (effective 10/19/2026); not reproduced here | Buyer or seller, depending on who covers shipping |
The 10% applies to listings on or after 2026-01-06; Feebrief’s fee data notes the structure as effective January 6, 2025. Seller Tiers discounts ended with the beta and are not assumed.
Who pays shipping
If the buyer pays shipping, it is added to the base on which the seller’s 10% is charged, and the buyer pays the label cost through the shipping charge. If you offer free shipping, the buyer pays no shipping, the 10% applies to the item price only, and you pay the label cost out of your proceeds. Other shipping-related charges, such as for wrong packaging, are mechanisms on Mercari’s side and no amounts are given here.
Worked example
Derived arithmetic is tagged [verify].
| Case | Selling fee | Label |
|---|---|---|
| $50 + $5 buyer-paid shipping | 10% × $55 = $5.50 [verify] | Paid by buyer through the $5 charge |
| $50, free shipping | 10% × $50 = $5.00 [verify] | Seller pays the actual label cost (varies by carrier and weight) |
The fee drops by $0.50 under free shipping, but the label cost typically exceeds that saving; compare against the actual label price.
Where to find label prices
Mercari’s Help article 169 includes a Shipping Prices table, effective 10/19/2026. Feebrief does not reproduce the rate card; Not publicly available here as a single figure because the price depends on carrier and weight.
Short questions
Is the 10% charged on shipping?
On buyer-paid shipping, yes: the base is item price plus buyer-paid shipping.
Who pays Buyer Protection?
The buyer, at about 3.6%.
Related reading
Sources
- Mercari Help Center, article 169 (selling fees and Shipping Prices), re-read 2026-11-03.
- Feebrief fee data set (fees.json), Mercari entry, 2026-10-23 — see methodology.
Disclaimer
Feebrief is an independent reference for resale marketplace fees and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Mercari, Inc.. Figures reflect published fee pages and Feebrief’s fee data set as of the dates shown and can change without notice. Arithmetic tagged [verify] is derived by Feebrief. Nothing here is financial or tax advice. See the methodology and the disclosure.