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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Mercari vs eBay online shopping & selling

Mercari 4.8★ · Free to download 65
Winner Mercari
eBay online shopping & selling 4.8★ · Free to download 50

For buyers, Mercari offers a slightly better experience with unique finds and generally positive purchasing experiences, while sellers on both platforms face significant challenges with fees and customer support.

Full reviews: Mercari · eBay online shopping & selling

Mercari is praised for its unique items and ease of buying, though sellers often struggle with fees and customer service. eBay, despite its vast selection, is plagued by app instability, high fees, and poor customer support, particularly for sellers.

Head to head

Buying Experience edge: MercariR23R37R43R45
Mercari Mercari is generally seen as a good place for buyers, offering unique items and good deals, especially for clothing and books R23R37R43R45. The buying process is often described as quick and easy .
eBay online shopping & selling eBay offers a vast variety of products and is good for finding specific items like collectibles . However, some buyers report issues with misleading sellers and scams R61R100.
Selling Experience tieR7R10R12R14
Mercari Mercari sellers appreciate the platform for helping them get value for their possessions and making sales R14. However, many sellers complain about high fees, shipping costs, and issues with payouts R12R18R30. There are also reports of accounts being suspended without clear reasons R7 and difficulties with returns and buyer disputes R10R18R34.
eBay online shopping & selling eBay sellers face significant challenges, including high fees that drastically reduce profits . Many report issues with dishonest buyers who are often favored by eBay's policies . The app's selling features are criticized for being unintuitive, especially the AI-generated listings . Payouts are often delayed or withheld .
App Reliability & Features edge: MercariR4R6R9R16
Mercari Mercari is generally considered easy to use . Some users desire more payment options like Affirm/Klarna R6 and a night theme R9. There are complaints about repetitive notification requests R16 and issues with erased messages R4. Some users find the shipping process slow and note missing features like bulk editing or a 'renew item' button . The recent integration and removal of Japanese items caused frustration .
eBay online shopping & selling eBay's app is plagued by frequent crashes, lagging, and freezing . Users report login issues and problems with buttons and categories not working . The new homepage and forced eBay Live features are widely disliked . Some users also report issues with notifications and payment methods bypassing PayPal .
Customer Service & Support tieR3R7R10R18
Mercari Mercari's customer service is frequently criticized as unhelpful, robotic, and poor R3R7R10R19. Users report issues with undelivered purchases, account suspensions, and disputes not being resolved in their favor R3R7R10R18.
eBay online shopping & selling eBay's customer service also receives widespread negative feedback, described as horrible, unresponsive, and unhelpful . Users report difficulties reaching real people, dealing with AI, and issues not being resolved, especially concerning scams and withheld funds R61R100.
Pick Mercari if

Pick Mercari if you are primarily a buyer looking for unique items and good deals, especially in categories like clothing or books R23R43R45. It might also be a better choice if you are a seller who values a straightforward selling process, despite potential issues with fees and customer support R14.

Pick eBay online shopping & selling if

Pick eBay if you are looking for a vast marketplace with a huge variety of products, especially for specific collectibles . It might still be a viable option if you are an experienced seller who can navigate its complexities and high fees, or if you are accustomed to its interface despite its stability issues .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews, particularly regarding customer service and seller experiences. While Mercari has a slightly higher lifetime rating, recent reviews for both platforms highlight similar frustrations with fees, support, and app functionality. The free-to-download model for both means many negative reviews stem from general user friction rather than a paid tier.

Frequently asked

Which app has better customer service?
Neither Mercari nor eBay are consistently praised for their customer service; both receive widespread criticism for being unhelpful, robotic, and difficult to reach (R7, R10, R19, R48 for Mercari; , , , for eBay).
Which app is better for sellers?
Both Mercari and eBay present significant challenges for sellers, including high fees and issues with payouts and buyer disputes (R30, for Mercari; , , , for eBay). Mercari sellers report account suspensions and difficulties with returns R7R10R34, while eBay sellers struggle with dishonest buyers, delayed funds, and an unintuitive listing process .
Are there many scams on these apps?
Users report encountering scams on both platforms, with Mercari users citing issues with undelivered items and support siding with scammers R3R36. eBay users frequently mention dishonest buyers and sellers, feeling that eBay does not adequately protect them from scams R61R100.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R23] Mercari 5/5 · US I love this App!: I mainly use this app to buy, and the deals and products I have received have been all great! I find the best deals here for clothing !!
  2. [R37] Mercari 5/5 · US Great Finds: I Always Seem To Find What I’m Looking For On Mercari….Thank You Kim Weimer
  3. [R43] Mercari 5/5 · US Thrifting: I absolutely love this app. I shop on it regularly. I can always find what I’m looking for at a decent price and decent shipping. Mercari never disappoints! Highly recommend
  4. [R45] Mercari 5/5 · US Hidden Treasures: Mercari is my go-to merchant app for used items, especially books. I love browsing their inventory and stumbling across hidden treasures!
  5. [R7] Mercari 1/5 · US Trash customer service: Trash customer service they will always suspend your account for nothing even if you’re with them before they get famous and you bought 100s of items through them customer service reply like a robot never help also they let all the scammers on the website and suspend the account for honest people very weird!
  6. [R10] Mercari 1/5 · US Customer support: Unfortunately customer support does not help out. You can have as many details and the correct information but they will find any little mistake down to if something was misspelled so they will not help the seller. I showed proof that a package was delivered and buyer canceled the order right before it got there. I showed them the tracking number stating it was delivered. What di
  7. [R12] Mercari 3/5 · US Shipping cost: Other apps offer free or very low shipping So there are more buyers. This app the item and shipping are priced higher
  8. [R14] Mercari 5/5 · US Amazing!: Fantastic app. I sell Pokemon cards on it daily :)
  9. [R4] Mercari 2/5 · US Erase messages: I hate whn you guys erase dms.
  10. [R6] Mercari 3/5 · US More options: I wish you had more options for paying like affirm/Klarna. Just a thought.
  11. [R9] Mercari 3/5 · US Too bright: Add night theme pls
  12. [R16] Mercari 1/5 · US Always asks to allow notifications: Stop asking me every single time I open the app to allow notifications. The answer will always be no. Take the hint or take a 1 star review.
  13. [R3] Mercari 3/5 · US Pretty Good…most of the time: I’ve had a few experiences out of the few purchases I’ve made that haven’t shown up. Now this might be out of the Mercari’s control, but the customer service when this has happened (twice out of 10 purchases) has been pretty unhelpful. You have to wait 30 days of a purchase being undelivered and then request a refund.
  14. [R18] Mercari 3/5 · US There’s many issues with this app: There so many issues with this app that have made me unwilling to sale on here anymore because of my money being taken from a sale customers got and lied about . Also I have had several other issues such as my item being dropped at the wrong place and not being compensated for that . Half the time it’s ok the rest it’s been terrible
  15. [R19] Mercari 1/5 · US Typical tech company: Lousy customer service and predatory practices for both buyers and sellers, with little recourse with support. Stay away.
  16. [R48] Mercari 1/5 · US Support is garbage: They have AI answer messages, after weeks going back & forth with AI you might get a human but you still won’t get help. According to Mercari I’m a “high volume seller” that’s paid them over $20,000 in commission and they still will not provide support. Now imagine being a new or small seller, they will not help or support you at all.
  17. [R30] Mercari 1/5 · US Excessive. No Buying Incentive.: I’ve been selling and buying on Mercari for a long time now, it’s just not worth it. They take a significant chunk of your earnings, and the buyer ends up paying fees as well. No one wants to buy anything on this app because it’s just so pricey, you either accept you’re losing money to make a sale, or your inventory stays put and just on “favorited” forever. I’ve mov
  18. [R34] Mercari 1/5 · US Women’s & Mens sizes are not interchangeable: I bought a pair of shoes that were categorized as women’s and listed as a size 8. When they arrived they were a men’s size 8. I provided pictures of the ad, the shoes next to a true women’s 8 and a screenshot of the Google scan of the barcode showing them as a men’s shoe. Mercari denied the return stating they were ‘as described’ I went back and forth
  19. [R36] Mercari 1/5 · US Do not trust this app: Tried to get a refund from a scammer and Mercari support actually took his side. I really tried going through the process as soon as I realized the situation and now I’m the proud owner of some trash and I’m out $40
  20. [R61] eBay online shopping & selling 1/5 · US Scammers no Service: I bought a old vintage Rolex watch in eBay. It is very small when it took the pictures this look big but after getting it it’s very small. I contacted the seller seller accepted return, but the eBay did return. I was so mad for my reason. I spent a lot of money and I didn’t Get back nothing.
  21. [R100] eBay online shopping & selling 1/5 · US Too many problems: I’ve been using eBay for 12 years now and in those 12 years I’ve been scammed over 100 times. eBay does nothing to stop bay sellers and scammers from stealing for its users. There time line for fixing your issue and receiving a refund are horrible. You have to do all the foot work to prove the bad seller or weather or not you received your item. If your item says it was delivere

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store