Mercari's fee is easy to state and easy to misjudge. The 10% is charged on the shipping the buyer pays as well as on the item, so on a cheap item with expensive shipping, a real share of the fee comes from postage you never keep. This calculator shows exactly what Mercari takes, what you earn, and how choosing who pays shipping changes your profit.
Rates are from Mercari's US help center (Fees on Mercari, last updated May 7, 2026), checked in October 2026. The calculator runs in your browser.
Mercari fees in 2026
| Fee | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Selling fee | 10% of item price + buyer-paid shipping | Seller |
| Payment processing | None on listings created or updated since January 6, 2025 | Nobody |
| Buyer Protection fee | 3.6% of item price + buyer-paid shipping | Buyer |
| Direct deposit | Free ($2 only if a deposit fails) | Seller |
| Instant Pay | $3 per cash-out | Seller |
This structure started on January 6, 2025, after a year in which Mercari had removed seller fees and charged buyers instead. Listings created before that date and never updated could still carry the old buyer fee and a $0.50 + 2.9% processing fee until they were edited. If you have very old listings, update them.
How to use the Mercari fee calculator
- Enter the item price.
- Choose Shipping: Buyer pays shipping, or I pay shipping (Mercari deducts the label from your earnings).
- Enter the shipping amount: what the buyer pays, or what your label costs.
- Tick Instant Pay if you will cash out this sale instantly.
- Enter your item cost and packaging, then read the fee, your earnings, profit, margin and break-even price.
Worked examples
A $35 item, buyer pays $6.99 shipping
The fee is 10% of $41.99, which is $4.20. You earn $30.80. The buyer separately pays the 3.6% Buyer Protection fee ($1.51), which does not come out of your earnings. With a $10 item cost and $0.50 of packaging, profit is $20.30, a 58.0% margin. Of the $4.20 fee, $0.70 is the 10% on shipping.
The same item, you pay shipping
Offering free shipping means the buyer pays $35 and you pay the $6.99 label. The fee drops to $3.50 because there is no buyer-paid shipping, but the label comes out of your earnings. Profit is $35 - $3.50 - $6.99 - $10.50 = $14.01. Free shipping can sell faster, so raise the price by about the label cost if the item can carry it.
A $12 item with $5.99 shipping
The fee is 10% of $17.99, or $1.80, which is 15% of the item price. Low-priced items with standard shipping lose a bigger share to fees, so bundle them where you can.
Cashing out with Instant Pay
Instant Pay adds $3 per cash-out. On the $35 sale that cuts profit from $20.30 to $17.30. If you cash out several sales at once, the $3 is shared across all of them, so the calculator's figure is the worst case for a single sale.
Who should pay shipping on Mercari?
The choice changes both your fee and your profit. When the buyer pays, Mercari takes 10% of the shipping too, but the label is covered. When you pay, the fee is lower, but the whole label comes out of your earnings. On the $35 item above, buyer-paid shipping leaves you $20.30 profit and seller-paid shipping leaves $14.01, a $6.29 difference: the $6.99 label minus the $0.70 fee you no longer pay on it. Offer free shipping when the item can carry a price about $6 to $7 higher without stalling, or when you need it to stand out in a crowded search.
A month on Mercari
Fifty sales a month averaging $28 with $6.50 buyer-paid shipping pay $3.45 each in fees, $172.50 in total. Your earnings for the month are $1,227.50 before item costs. If you use Instant Pay once a week instead of free direct deposit, add $12. Cashing out a batch of sales at once keeps the $3 from taking a bite out of every sale.
Accepting offers
Mercari's fee is charged on the completed item price, so an accepted offer lowers the fee along with the price. Enter the accepted price in the calculator to see what you will earn before you say yes, and keep the break-even price as your floor.
Pricing for a target profit on Mercari
With buyer-paid shipping, profit = price - 10% x (price + shipping) - your costs. Rearranged, price = (target profit + costs + 10% of shipping) / 0.9. For $15 profit on an item that cost $10 plus $0.50 packaging, with $6.99 shipping: ($15 + $10.50 + $0.70) / 0.9 = $29.11. Check it in the calculator: the fee on $36.10 is $3.61, you earn $25.50, and profit is $15.00.
How Mercari's fees got here
Mercari changed its fees twice in a short time. In 2024 it removed seller fees and charged buyers a variable fee instead. On January 6, 2025 it moved to the current split: 10% from the seller and 3.6% Buyer Protection from the buyer, both on the item and buyer-paid shipping, with free direct deposit. If you read older guides that mention a 12.9% total or a $0.50 processing fee, they describe the old structure.
Mercari versus eBay on the same item
On eBay, a $35 item with $6.99 shipping and 7% tax pays 13.6% of $44.93 plus $0.40, which is $6.51 in most categories without a Store. Mercari takes $4.20 on the same sale.
Mercari compared with other resale apps
For a $35 item with $6.99 buyer-paid shipping, the comparison table under the calculator shows Mercari at $4.20, Depop at $1.93 (processing only, with 7% tax), Poshmark at $7.00, TikTok Shop at $2.52 and Whatnot at $4.40. Mercari sits in the middle: cheaper than Poshmark on items of $15 or more, and more expensive than Depop when Depop sales are not boosted. eBay costs more in most categories, at 13.6% of item, shipping and tax plus $0.40 per order.
Many resellers list the same item on several apps and take the first sale. If eBay is one of them, AM Jarvis eBay Research shows units sold per listing and daily best sellers, which helps you price against sold items rather than asking prices. Compare the numbers with the eBay fee calculator, the Poshmark fee calculator and the Depop fee calculator.
Ways to keep more on Mercari
- Use free direct deposit instead of Instant Pay unless you need the money the same day.
- Weigh the package honestly. Buyer-paid shipping is part of the fee, and overpaying for a heavier label wastes money twice.
- Bundle low-priced items so one shipping charge and one fee cover several pieces.
- Set a floor before offers arrive. The break-even price shows the lowest item price that covers your costs.
Troubleshooting
My earnings do not match the calculator
Check who paid shipping on that order and whether the listing was created before January 6, 2025 and never updated, in which case older fees may apply. Promotions you funded, such as a price drop to likers, also change the final price.
Is the 3.6% Buyer Protection fee taken from me?
No. The buyer pays it at checkout on top of the item and shipping. The calculator shows it for reference only.
Does Mercari charge a fee on sales tax?
No. The 10% selling fee is charged on the item price and buyer-paid shipping only.