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

Mercari vs Amazon Shopping

Mercari 4.8★ · Free to download 70
Winner Amazon Shopping
Amazon Shopping 4.8★ · Free + IAP 75

For general online shopping with a vast selection and fast delivery (especially with Prime), Amazon Shopping holds an edge, despite recent app stability and customer service issues; however, for buying and selling unique, used, or collectible items, Mercari is preferred by its users.

Full reviews: Mercari · Amazon Shopping

Mercari is a strong platform for buying and selling used and collectible items, praised for its ease of use for sellers and unique finds, though it faces criticism for high fees and inconsistent customer service. Amazon Shopping offers a massive selection and convenience, but recent updates have led to app performance issues and frustration with AI integration and customer support.

Head to head

Features & Selection edge: Amazon ShoppingR5R16R22R39
Mercari Mercari is praised for its wide selection of unique, vintage, and collectible items, making it a good place to find things not available elsewhere R5R39. Users appreciate the ability to make offers and bundle items . However, some find the search filters inadequate and descriptions lacking, leading to incorrect purchases R16R22.
Amazon Shopping Amazon Shopping offers a vast selection of merchandise, from everyday items to gifts, with many choices and good pricing . Users can find almost anything they need . However, recent updates have introduced an unwanted AI chatbot that replaces search results, making the app cumbersome and frustrating for many users R61R67R73R97.
Ease of Use edge: MercariR2R10R13R14
Mercari Mercari is generally considered easy to use for both buying and selling, with a simple app interface and straightforward listing process R2R14. However, some users report issues with QR codes not loading R10, a frustrating purchasing experience due to automatic shipping address selection , and a lack of payment options . The AI importing tool for sellers is also criticized for generating inaccurate descriptions and not importing all photos R13.
Amazon Shopping Amazon Shopping is generally seen as easy to use for quick purchases and browsing . However, recent updates have made the app slow, prone to freezing, crashing, and bugs R61R73. Users also complain about a cluttered interface, poor filters, and inaccurate search results .
Reliability & Trust tieR1R12R14R28
Mercari Mercari's reliability is mixed. Some users have positive experiences with purchases and deliveries R14. However, there are significant concerns about scammers R1, sellers canceling orders and relisting at higher prices R28, and items not showing up R12. Sellers also report issues with buyer protection, unexpected shipping adjustments, and not getting paid until the buyer rates the transaction .
Amazon Shopping Amazon Shopping's reliability has declined for some users. Many report issues with delayed deliveries, especially for Prime members who pay for faster shipping . There are also instances of wrong items being delivered , packages missing or stolen , and orders being canceled .
Price & Value tieR2R4R7R15
Mercari Mercari is criticized for high fees, including seller fees, buyer fees, shipping costs, and shipping adjustments, making it difficult to predict earnings R4R7R15R23. Some sellers find prices a bit high . However, buyers can find good deals and affordable used products R2.
Amazon Shopping Amazon Shopping offers competitive pricing and good deals on a variety of merchandise . Prime membership provides benefits like free returns and potentially cheaper prices on some items . However, some users feel they are paying a premium and that deliveries are no longer fast enough to justify the membership fee . There are also complaints about being charged for Prime without consent .
Customer Support tieR1R2R3R12
Mercari Mercari's customer service receives overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users describing it as poor, unhelpful, and unresponsive R1R3R12. Many report dealing with bots that provide unhelpful information and no resolution, especially for issues like lost packages or shipping adjustments . However, a few users had positive experiences, praising reps as knowledgeable and quick to respond R2.
Amazon Shopping Amazon Shopping's customer support is also a major point of frustration. Users report that it has gone downhill, with a lack of human contact and reliance on AI, making it difficult to resolve uncommon issues . Many find the support unhelpful for problems like missing packages, tampered deliveries, or delivery errors .
Pick Mercari if

You are looking to buy or sell unique, vintage, or collectible items R5R39. You prefer a platform that is generally easy to use for listing and selling . You are willing to navigate potential customer service challenges for specific finds R2.

Pick Amazon Shopping if

You need a vast selection of general merchandise and everyday items . You prioritize fast shipping options, especially if you are a Prime member, despite recent delays . You are comfortable with a more traditional online shopping experience and can tolerate recent app performance issues .

Evidence note: Both apps have a high lifetime rating, but recent reviews for both show significant negative sentiment, particularly regarding customer service, fees/pricing, and app performance. Amazon's recent negative reviews frequently mention the forced AI search feature and app instability. Mercari's negative reviews often highlight issues with fees and customer support for problem resolution.

Frequently asked

Are there high fees on Mercari?
Yes, many Mercari users report that fees are extremely high, including buyer fees, seller fees, shipping costs, and unexpected shipping adjustments, which makes it difficult to predict actual earnings R4R7R15R23.
Does Amazon Shopping have a dark mode?
No, as of recent reviews, the Amazon Shopping app does not have a dark mode, which is a point of frustration for users in 2026 R115R119.
Is Mercari's customer service helpful?
Mercari's customer service receives mixed, but largely negative, reviews; many users describe it as poor, unhelpful, and unresponsive, often relying on bots that fail to resolve issues like lost packages or incorrect charges R1R3R12, though a few users have had positive experiences R2.
Why are Amazon Shopping users complaining about AI?
Amazon Shopping users are complaining because a new AI chatbot has been forced into the app, replacing traditional search results, making the app slow, prone to crashes, and difficult to use, with no option to disable it R61R67R73R97.

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. [R5] Mercari 5/5 · US Addictive!: I quit smoking weed and social media over a year ago. I told myself that I would use all the time and money I save to buy clothes and vintage jewelry. I now have a MASSIVE collection of super cool stuff from Mercari! It’s a much more healthful dopamine fix and I get to wear everything instead of lighting it on fire,
  2. [R16] Mercari 2/5 · US Items need more decriptions: Buying just looking at a picture is not cutting it. I have purchased a hat and a pair of shoes which appear red in the listing photos but turn out being hot pink. Sellers do not put color in the listing. I search by color and your search engine thinks these items are red too. I hate pink and now I have 2 really nice items in the wrong color!
  3. [R22] Mercari 1/5 · US Worst selling app: Truly the worst selling app when it comes to filtering what you’re looking for. You could search for lululemon shorts and tshirts, shoes, toys, etc would pop up. Just about everything and anything. I honestly think it’s on purpose.
  4. [R39] Mercari 5/5 · US You can find anything!: I have found so many childhood items on Mercari. Loved items that I didn’t inherit from grandma are here. All you have to do is search.
  5. [R2] Mercari 5/5 · US Very satisfied: Good serious website very easy to buy and sell. Great customer service and the deals you find in Mercari, you won’t find anywhere
  6. [R10] Mercari 2/5 · US QR Codes don’t load: I’ve been selling through Poshmark for 3 years and have never had a problem with their QR codes.
  7. [R13] Mercari 1/5 · US Waste of time, terrible importing tool.: This tool wrote AI descriptions guaranteeing items are “like new” - they aren’t and that there is “free shipping” - there isn’t. This doesn’t even appear in my listings I’m importing from. No way to turn this AI slop off and it picks just whatever photo it likes from your listings for the main photo. It also doesn’t import all photos. So bizarre. It’s 2am a
  8. [R14] Mercari 5/5 · US Awesome App: I am new to shopping on Mercari. I have made two or three purchases now. I have been highly satisfied with each purchase. I heard great things about the app which prompted me to shop here. I am highly satisfied so far.
  9. [R1] Mercari 1/5 · US Not the best: Super easy for scammers to operate on this site. Either as a seller or buyer. As a legitimate seller, selling a Mercari is a headache with very poor customer service
  10. [R12] 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.
  11. [R28] Mercari 2/5 · US Sellers Cancelling Orders: Disappointed that my last three orders were canceled and all were subsequently re-listed at higher prices. Could not leave a review for the seller afterwards. Very disappointed. Sellers don’t get any repercussions for canceling orders. They should have to pay a fine for canceling.
  12. [R4] Mercari 1/5 · US 1 star: Fees are extremely high
  13. [R7] Mercari 1/5 · US Buyer protection fee: Just another way to make money on both ends of the transaction, ebay doesn’t do this.
  14. [R15] Mercari 3/5 · US Losing Trust: I’ve been a longtime Mercari seller and used to love the platform. Selling was straightforward, fees were transparent, and transactions were easy. Over time, the platform has become increasingly difficult to use. Between buyer fees, seller fees, shipping costs, and shipping adjustments, it feels much harder to predict what a sale will actually earn. My most recent experience was es
  15. [R3] Mercari 3/5 · US Items go down more than 10%: Always enjoyed Mercari but, and I know I’m not the only one this happens to, when I place my items on sale, the price is only supposed to go down 10%, yet it goes down much more. I’ve messaged them SEVERAL times and NOTHING GETS DONE! Their customer service needs a major reset!!
  16. [R23] Mercari 5/5 · US Easy to use: Easy to use but fees and mailing is so expensive. Wish they could do free shipping like vinted and depop
  17. [R115] Amazon Shopping 1/5 · US No dark mode: In 2026, app from a tech company and no dark mode?
  18. [R119] Amazon Shopping 2/5 · US Dark mode?: How is it that it’s 2026 and the Amazon app still does not have dark mode!? How in the world are we supposed to do sleepy shopping when we can’t sleep- without blinding our partners!?
  19. [R61] Amazon Shopping 1/5 · US Alexa ai slop now forced.: I am not going to support Ai slop. All I want to do is look at results of a search not be forced to chat with a stupid ai. The app is cumbersome, sloppy and freezes often now after the update. Hey alexa, you’re horrible.
  20. [R67] Amazon Shopping 1/5 · US Stop with the AI!: They’ve replaced the search results with an annoying AI chatbot. Just show me search results. Replacing functional results and abandoning the model that made you a giant company is insanity.
  21. [R73] Amazon Shopping 1/5 · US Alexa AI on Amazon Shopping: This app is nearly unusable with the addition of Alexa AI. It is slow, constantly crashes, and images regularly fail to load. The default is to share all of your data with limited control options and no ability to disable this feature.
  22. [R97] Amazon Shopping 1/5 · US AI Bloated: Amazon, literally no one anywhere, ever wants your AI search as their default. Switch it back to normal search by default or at least give us an option to turn this garbage off

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