In recent years, the use of online marketplaces has skyrocketed, especially for the purchase and sale of used or pre-owned goods. They offer a platform for individuals and small businesses to buy and sell a wide range of products — making the whole “online money-making” much easier!
These digital markets are like a wild west of wonder, where you can score rare finds and one-of-a-kind trinkets.
And when it comes to online marketplaces, Mercari is at the top of our list for selling goods and making easy money online!
15 Best Alternative Websites Like Mercari
Mercari faces stiff competition from other e-commerce sites. Let’s dig into the top 15 best mercari alternatives in the market today!
Poshmark
Poshmark is the toughest competitor of Mercari local in the entire reselling business. The company deals in designer items and fashion products of elite brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.
Poshmark was founded in 2011 in Redwood City in California. Poshmark’s app has more than 20 million users and 80 million+ product listings. The company provides its services in the USA, Canada, Australia, and India.
Poshmark is a unique online marketplace that has established itself as a social e-commerce platform. Like Instagram, Poshmark allows users to create their profiles and list the products for sale.
The company uses persuasive techniques to encourage users to buy products on its platform. The main source of revenue of the platform is the fee it charges on the sale of products.
Also Read: Apps Like Poshmark
Tradesy
Tradesy is an online P2P marketplace for women’s fashion. The company started in 2011 in Santa Monica, California, and has limited its operation to the USA.
Tradesy now works under its parent organization Vestiaire Collective. The company has a user base of more than 7 million users and over million products. Tradesy mobile app is a popular service in the USA for fashion products.
Tradesy’s business model enables it to not own any products. It connects the potential buyers and the sellers directly. Tradesy enables sellers to earn more and buyers to pay less.
All products belonging to luxurious brands are available on the platform. Users can also sell their products. The company’s primary income comes from the fee it charges on sales. It generated over $30 million in revenue in 2021.
eBay
eBay is the largest online marketplace for secondhand goods. Almost every type of product is available on the platform. The company was launched in 1995 and is based in San Jose, California. The platform is one of the oldest of its kind. eBay has over 135 million users in about 190 countries.
Usually, products like electronic gadgets and appliances are popular on the platform but there is a wide variety of other products too. Like a common e-commerce site, eBay allows sellers to list their products along with their descriptions, images, and price.
The company charges the sellers for the sales and also for the promotions of their products among the buyers. eBay is a multi-billion dollar company and is the epitome of success for other brands in the same industry.
eBay’s source of revenue is seller fees, transaction fees, and marketing fees from consumers. The company also earns interest from its invested companies like PayPal, Skype, etc. In 2021, eBay generated a massive revenue, surpassing $10 billion.
Depop
Like Poshmark, Depop is a P2P social e-commerce platform. It has an innovative operating methodology that enables users to list the products to be sold as posts on their profiles. The company was set up in 2011 in Italy and operates in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and the UK.
Its user interface feels quite similar to that of Instagram and the app is popular for fostering the sale of used, vintage, and repurposed clothes. Users promote their Depop profiles on their social media accounts inviting rapid sales.
Like Instagram posts, products are listed on Depop in the same fashion. On Depop, sellers build their profiles and generate a significant following in order to sell their clothes online. In 2021, the company recorded annual revenue of $300 million.
Also Read: Websites Like Amazon
OfferUp
OfferUp is a C2C resale marketplace, ranked among the fastest-growing marketplaces by Statista. Launched in 2011 in Bellevue, Washington, the company has grown rapidly since then.
According to reports, the app has more than 20 million monthly active users. The company’s services are all over the USA but shipping is restricted in some regions like Alaska and Hawaii.
The company’s app is widely popular as a medium for connecting with local buyers and sellers. From mobile phones to handbags, everything needed in daily life is available on the app. OfferUp does not charge any fees for listing or purchasing the items.
However, promotion and shipping services do have a charge. The company focuses on providing safety to all users so it allots trust badges to their profiles for validation.
OfferUp is a goods resale platform like eBay. From clothes to furniture, various products are available for sale on OfferUp.
Founded in 2011, in Bellevue, Washington, OfferUp operates across the USA except for a few states and currently has 90 million+ downloads and ~20 million monthly active users.
The company was formed as a competitor to Craigslist and provides a range of products like clothing, electronics, furniture, tools, etc.
OfferUp provides a feature of MeetUp which is a spot in the locality where buyers and sellers can meet after chatting on the app. The company makes revenue through commission charges on product sales.
Curtsy
Curtsy is a platform dedicated to female garments. The app offers amazing deals that provide users with easy cash in exchange for old unwanted garments. The company operates through its app which is available on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Founded in 2015, this San Francisco-based company operates in the USA only.
Curtsy is a comparatively early-stage company with miles to cross before it reaches the level of its competitors- Poshmark, Depop, ThredUp, etc. The company has a user base of ~1 million and a revenue of ~10 million.
The company’s target audience includes women of age between 15-30 yrs. There is a rental facility for clothes available on the app too. The company deducts a commission on each sale which is its primary source of revenue.
Also Read: Apps Like Taskrabbit
Craigslist
Craigslist is a classified advertisements platform that provides information about products available for sale. The company was started in 1995 in San Francisco, California with the objective to inform people about local social events.
Today the company is the leader in the advertising industry in the USA and has an enormous user base of 250 million+ monthly visitors across 70+ countries. According to Business Insider, Craigslist receives more traffic on its website than LinkedIn and Netflix
The popular advertising platform has a well-structured UI that features multiple sections of interest. From housing ads to job openings, and even classified ads of old unwanted items for sale, everything is available on the platform.
The company’s revenue comes from the fees it charges on specific listings like job postings, therapeutic services, brokered apartment rentals, etc.
Vinted
Vinted is a resale platform for vintage clothes. The app offers its users access to thousands of fascinating apparel from all corners of the world. A business focused on Recommerce, having a stronghold on the American and European markets.
The company was launched in 2008 in Lithuania and serves around 30 nations today.
Vinted like other online resale marketplaces, offers a platform for users to sell or buy clothes, shoes, and other apparel. Vinted has a community of 45 million+ members. The company primarily generates revenue from its paid buyer protection service.
This fee is for the customer support, insurance, shipping cost, etc. The company provides. Vinted’s commission fee is a lot cheaper than competitors like Poshmark and Mercari App.
Also Read: Websites Like Amazon
OpenBazaar
A unique P2P online marketplace that was decentralized and uses cryptocurrency for transactions. The marketplace was launched in 2014 as inspiration taken from a hackathon project. The marketplace is no longer active due to a lack of funds required for running it.
During its days of operation, OpenBazaar enabled buyers and sellers to transfer money using Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies.
The platform enabled users to directly interact with each other without paying any money to a third party. Any product could be sold on OpenBazaar. The company generated ~$5 million in revenue before it shut.
Etsy
Known as one of the strongest ebay alternatives, Etsy’s is an online selling site for creative goods like handmade, vintage, and craft items. The company was started in 2005 and operates in 200+ countries.
There are more than 120 million products listed on the platform. With more than 60 million users on its app, the company is the users’ first choice when it comes to purchasing handmade goods and vintage items.
The company provides both buying and selling opportunities. Most of the goods on Etsy have an artistic value and are sold by talented craftsmen.
Items such as jewelry, bags, clothes, home décor, toys, paintings, etc. fall under the umbrella of Etsy’s product list.
The company earns through the listing fee it charges on every product, service fees, and third-party payment processor fees. In 2021, the company generated more than $2 billion in revenue.
Vestiaire Collective
Vestiaire Collective is the largest brand globally, for selling second hand fashion items. The company was started in 2009 in Paris and operates in more than 59 countries like France, the USA, the UK, etc. The app has around 10 million users globally.
Tradesy, a popular resale platform was recently acquired by Vestiaire Collective.
Apparels of the most luxurious brands are available on Vestiaire Collective’s marketplace. Buyers and sellers can both get the best deals on the best-in-class fashion products.
Sellers list products on the platform for free. The company charges a fee of 12% on every sale made through its app. It generated annual revenue of more than $250 million in 2021.
ThredUp
ThredUp is another online selling app for selling items like secondhand clothes and accessories. The company was founded in 2009, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company currently operates in the USA and Canada. The ThredUP Online Thrift Store is the app of the company that has around 2 million users.
ThredUp is a promoter of consignment shopping and has a huge collection of apparel from top brands. Users can order a Clean Out Kit from the company and fill it with the clothes they no longer use. Further, the company lists the products that can be sold on the app.
The company’s revenue comes from the shipping fee charged on the sold products. In 2021, the company earned around $270 million in revenue.
The Real Real
The company has a unique business model that provides a platform to trade consignment goods. Founded in 2011 in San Francisco,
TheRealReal operates for sale only in the USA but can ship products to foreign locations as well. These are luxury items like fine jewelry, clothing, art pieces, watches, etc belonging to a third party.
TheRealReal’s working methodology is that it acts as a consignor or an agent who manages the goods of the third party until they are sold. Post-sale, the owner gets a portion of the money made from the sale.
The company mainly earns from the consignor fee it charges from the third party for making the sale possible. The company posted revenue of more than $468 million in 2021.
StockX
StockX is an online marketplace for apparel; mainly sneakers. A large variety of luxury clothes are available on the app. Recently, electronics were also included in the product list of the company
The company was launched in 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. StockX has its offices in the UK, the USA, Australia, and Canada. It operates in 200+ countries where it sells at least a few products.
According to reports, the company has been performing exceedingly well and has grown its net worth to more than $3 billion.
StockX uses auctions for trading products. Buyers place bids that are accepted by the sellers as per their choice. The company charges a fee from the sellers on every sale made.
Carousell
Carousell is an e-commerce platform for selling new and secondhand goods. The company was launched in 2012 in Singapore and serves the major regions of southeast Asia, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and a few more.
In 2020, Forbes declared the company as one of the largest secondhand marketplaces in Southeast Asia. The company has 250 million+ listings and 10 million+ users on its platform.
Carousell provides products as well as services like home services, handyman services, business services, etc. Sellers can create their profiles and list their products.
Subsequently, buyers make offers for these products. There’s no listing fee or fee charged on a sale by the company however promotion of products is paid.
FAQs
Is There A Better App Than Mercari?
According to reports, there are a number of alternative apps for Mercari. Poshmark, Depop, Stuffle, The RealReal, and Rebag are a few brands that fall on this list. Brands like eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon Marketplace, etc are the benchmarks in this field.
The aforementioned platforms have a much higher user base than Mercari. Due to their age-old legacy, they have an upper edge over Mercari when it comes to building trust in the public.
Mercari is not available in most regions across the world while the competitor companies have established themselves in more than 100 countries.
Is Poshmark or Mercari Better?
People desirous of establishing a reselling business often ask this question. Let’s help them by mentioning some useful stats here.
Both are highly popular reselling platforms with Poshmark having a higher number of users (~80 million) than Mercari (~60 million). While Poshmark operates in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, and India, Mercari claims to be available in more than 100 countries. This indicates the dominance of Poshmark in popularity over Mercari.
We should also note that Mercari is comparatively newer than Poshmark as it began in 2013 while the latter has been in the market since 2011. On the user front, Mercari offers higher earnings per product than Poshmark due to its lower commission rates.
Also, as far as the variety of products is considered, Mercari has a wide range of products but Poshmark’s main attraction is clothing.
Both platforms are growing and have truckloads of opportunities to expand their business. Users can use them as per availability and their needs.
Who Competes With Mercari?
The e-commerce business has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. In its influence, reselling marketplaces have also joined the race of growth. There are a number of alternative apps available in the market for the same purpose. However, their distinguished functionalities decide their future in this highly competitive industry.
To name a few best sites for reselling, we have eBay, ThredUp, Tradesy, Poshmark, Amazon Marketplace, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace, and Vestiaire Collective. eBay and Amazon Marketplace are the market leaders in this segment due to their longer duration of existence in the market.
Optimistically, Mercari’s revenue has been growing regularly and the app has huge potential to reach the zenith of the secondhand items resale industry.
