The Most Typical Mercari Scams You Should Look Out For

So you’ve been offered a good deal on Mercari, but you’re not quite sure if it’s a reputable website. Or, you’ve heard about different Mercari scams online, and you’re not sure if you should avoid the site altogether or not.

First, it’s important to establish that the company itself is legitimate and not a scam.

Mercari is an online marketplace where users can buy and sell used items. The company was founded in Japan in 2013 and quickly gained popularity internationally. Users can list their items for sale easily through the Mercari app, which is available for free on both the App Store and Google Play.

Is Mercari Safe to Use?

Mercari is generally considered a safe platform and provides a secure environment for users to trade safely. However, like any other online marketplace, there may be risks involved, such as dealing with unreliable or dishonest sellers.

If you’re a Mercari user, it's important to exercise caution, as the more popular the site gets, the more likely fraudsters will gravitate toward it.

Overall, yes, Mercari is safe to use.

Six Common Mercari Scams to Avoid on the Platform

Yes, Mercari is safe, but it’s not fraud-free. Here are five of the most notorious scams to look out for on the platform:

1) The Fake Listing Scam

The number one rule when it comes to shopping online is to not trust every deal you see.

Some deals are too good to be true.

If you find a handbag you would normally pay $1,100 for in the store and on Mercari, it’s only $100 bucks, you should automatically assume it’s a scam. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people looking for a good deal and are willing to cast all doubt aside to find it.

It’s that type of mindset that leads people to fall for scams like this:

Thankfully, you can avoid this scam by:

• Only deal with sellers who have positive reviews and ratings. Sellers who have a reputation to protect are less likely to pull the wool over your eyes.
• Try to ask the seller as many questions as you can. Questions are like scam repellant for those trying to make a quick “deal.”
• Ask the seller for extra photos of the item. If it’s a real item, they shouldn’t mind snapping a few extra pics as proof.

2) The Switcheroo Scam

This scam is as old as time when it comes to selling online, but people still do it today, thinking they’re going to get away with it. If you’re a seller on Mercari, this is one you’ll want to look out for.

The Switcheroo is when someone buys one of your items and then randomly returns it. When you get the item back, you quickly realize that it’s not the item you shipped out.

Instead, you’re left with a cheap knockoff of the item or a broken/ruined version of it.  Or even worse, the scammer sends a completely different item that weighs about the same as the original.

If you’ve been a seller online for a while, there’s a good chance that you’ve had to deal with this scam already, and Mercari is no different. The bad news is, if you’re a seller on Mercari, there’s not much you can do about it, as Mercari is known for refunding the buyer once the return looks like it was delivered.

It’s still worth trying to contact Mercari’s customer service for help; just be prepared to write off the item later if there’s nothing the company can do for you.

3) The Offsite Payment Mercari Scam

This scam is one of the easiest ones to avoid on your part, but only if you know about it. This scam looks innocent at first, but its effects can be devastating. It works like this:

1. You’re interested in an item on Mercari.
2. You contact the seller to make sure they’re the real deal.
3. The seller messages back telling you there’s a problem with their Mercari account, and they need you to pay with Zelle or another outside payment system.
4. You send them money through the third-party payment service.
5. You never get your product, you never hear from the seller again, and you don’t get a refund.

The best way to avoid this scam is to make all your transactions on the platform. Don’t believe any of the seller’s lies. You should always be able to send payment through Mercari itself.

4) The Misrepresentation Scam

Here’s another classic scam you may run into on Mercari: selling fake or damaged items that appear to be perfectly fine. There are multiple ways that scammers try to pull this off:

• Altering images through Photoshop.

• Listing a used item as “new.”

• Lying about major damage to the item or claiming it works when it clearly doesn’t.

  
  

There are a few ways to avoid this one. First, check for the “verified seller” icon to make sure it’s not a fake profile. If the profile has a few followers and some good reviews under their belt, that’s even better.

If you’re still skeptical, you can also check to see if they have any Seller Badges:

Basically, look for anything about the seller that can prove that they have a reputation. If the seller has a reputation, they’re going to want to keep it, and selling fake or damaged items is just not worth it for them.

5) The Changing Address Scam

Yes, some sellers do try to pull this off, and many of them succeed. It works like this:

1. You order an item.
2. The “seller” fills a box full of ripped-up paper or garbage.
3. The “seller” uses a third-party shipping company to ship the box full of garbage to your home.
4. The garbage box gets accepted by the carrier.
5. The “seller” calls the shipping company and changes the address to a random house somewhere in your city.
6. The package gets delivered to some random person’s home.
7. From here, it’s a waiting game. The “seller” knows that you only have three days before the return window passes.
8. Three days have passed, and you realize you don’t have your item yet.
9. You contact Mercari, but at this point, it’s too late.

To avoid this tricky scam, just remember to keep an eye on your tracking. Your app may say that it was delivered, but it may have been delivered to some random house. If this happens, make sure to inform Mercari right away, and they’ll take care of everything.

6) The Fake Customer Service Representative Scam

Here’s an insidious Mercari scam that could do a lot more damage than cheat you out of a few bucks.

The fake customer service representative scheme works just like any other type of phishing scam:

1. You get a random message on Mercari or an email informing you about an “issue with your account.” You’re told that you need to resolve the issue immediately, or you risk losing your account altogether.

2. You click on the provided link and fill out the form, including all of the personal information that’s requested.

3. Once you send out the form, the fraudster has everything they need to ruin your life.

   
   

To avoid this scam, all you need to do is remember that a real Mercari representative would never send you an unsolicited message outside of the platform itself. And if you’re worried that your account may be in danger, you can also contact the company yourself to confirm.

How to Report a Mercari Scammer

If you or someone you know becomes a victim of a scam on Mercari, don’t just brush it off or pretend like it didn’t happen. It’s better to make the platform a safer place by reporting the scammer to Mercari.

You can report any type of fraud you find on the platform by calling 1-888-578-5870. You can also visit the Mercari Help Center at any time to report your concerns.

Mercari takes fraud very seriously, and most of the scammers they catch are suspended on the platform for life.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to reiterate that Mercari is a legitimate website where you can buy and sell goods, just like eBay or Etsy. But just like with any website online, you can’t trust that you’re dealing with a reputable seller or buyer just because they present themselves as one.

Feel free to use the platform as much as you’d like; just keep an eye out for the Mercari scams on this list as you do.

For more online scams to watch out for, check out these articles:

The 8 Most Dangerous Cash App Scams (with Screenshots)

Payment Fraud Stats From the World's Most Popular Apps: Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, Paypal,

and More

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