Vinted vs Mercari for Sellers in 2026: Fees, Shipping, Payouts and Which to Use

Vinted vs Mercari comes down to what each one takes from your sale and who pays for shipping. Vinted charges sellers nothing, so you keep 100% of your sale price. Mercari takes a flat 10% of the item price plus any shipping the buyer pays, and in return it is a broader marketplace where you can sell almost anything that ships and choose whether you or the buyer covers postage. If you are clearing out clothes and everyday items, Vinted keeps more of each sale. If your stock is mixed (electronics, collectibles, toys, home goods) or you want control over shipping and an instant payout option, Mercari earns its fee. Below is the comparison on real prices, using the official pages of both platforms.

Vinteer is not affiliated with Vinted or Mercari. Every figure below comes from their official help pages, linked in each section and read on October 23, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the screen you see when you list or check out before you price.

Vinted vs Mercari at a glance

Mercari vs Vinted fees: what each platform charges

What Vinted charges sellers

Vinted states on its How it works page that "there are no selling fees on Vinted. You keep 100% of what you earn." The platform is paid by the buyer through the Vinted fee, which its price list describes as typically a percentage of the item or bundle price plus a fixed amount, "usually 5% + $0.70". The only seller-side cost is optional: a Bump, which pushes a listing for 3 or 7 days at a price that depends on duration, item price and reach. For the complete breakdown, see our guide to Vinted fees.

What Mercari charges sellers

Mercari's Fees on Mercari page says listing is always free and that a 10% selling fee applies to "the item price + buyer-paid shipping" on listings created or updated since January 6, 2025. There is no separate payment processing fee for sellers. Buyers pay a 3.6% Buyer Protection fee on the same base.

That is a change worth knowing, because many older articles get Mercari wrong. Mercari's own announcement of the change explains that when it moved fees to buyers in March 2024 (Mercari's page says only "March"; the year comes from press coverage of the March 27, 2024 change), "sellers got to keep 100% of their sales proceeds," but items became less affordable and sales fell, so it brought back a flat 10% selling fee in January 2025. If a post still says Mercari sellers pay nothing, or quotes the old payment processing fee, it predates that change.

The detail that matters most is the base. Mercari's 10% is not only on your item price. When the buyer pays shipping, the fee applies to the item price plus that shipping.

What you keep on a sale

Say you sell items from your own closet and the buyer pays shipping on both platforms. For the Mercari column we assume a 1 lb parcel at $7.99, which is the best-rate price (available when you add package dimensions at listing and the parcel is within 1 cubic foot and 22 inches on its longest side) of a USPS Ground Advantage 1 lb label on Mercari's rate table effective October 19, 2026 ($8.99 at the standard rate), and we assume the buyer-paid shipping equals the label cost. Vinted publishes no US shipping rate card, so shipping is a pass-through on that side.

Two takeaways. First, when the buyer pays shipping, Mercari's real cost is a little higher than 10% of your price: $5.80 on a $50 item is 11.6%, and $1.80 on a $10 item is 18%. Second, if you choose to pay for shipping yourself, so the listing shows free shipping, there is no buyer-paid shipping to charge on, so the 10% applies to the item price alone ($5.00 on a $50 item, our reading of "item price + buyer-paid shipping"), but the label then comes out of your proceeds. Over 20 sales of $50 in a year, the gap between the two platforms is about $116.

What the buyer pays on top

Vinted's zero seller fee does not make it free for buyers, and the buyer's total is what decides whether your item sells.

These are fees only, before shipping and sales tax. Mercari's buyer fee is lower than Vinted's at every price here, and Vinted says its own fee varies with the item, the order value and whether it is a single item or a bundle, so treat 5% + $0.70 as the typical case the price list gives. The bigger variable for the buyer is shipping, which we compare next. Run your own prices through the free Vinted fee calculator to see what your buyer would pay on Vinted.

Shipping: who pays and what it costs

Sources: Vinted's how shipping works, shipping costs (updated October 9, 2026) and compensation for sellers; Mercari's shipping labels and carrier options, Shipping Protection and rate table. Mercari lists two prices per row, a best rate and a standard rate.

The practical difference is control versus simplicity. On Mercari you pick the carrier and label, which lets you shop for the cheapest option on a heavy or bulky item, but you are also responsible for choosing the right weight class: Mercari says sellers pay any extra charge when the label weight or category is wrong. On Vinted the label and price come from the order, so there is less to decide and nothing to front, but shipping is always paid by the buyer, so you do not set the postage price yourself. For the Vinted side in depth, see Vinted shipping explained.

Payouts, buyer protection and returns

When you get paid

Vinted holds the money in a "Pending balance" until the order is completed. The buyer has 2 days after Vinted notifies them that the item should have arrived to press "Everything is OK" or "I have an issue," and once the order completes you are paid within 2 days into your Available balance. A withdrawal to your US bank account can take up to 5 business days, with a $0.10 minimum, and the withdrawal page we read lists no withdrawal fee.

Mercari releases your money when the buyer rates the order, or automatically if they do not rate within 72 hours of carrier-confirmed delivery (per its Seller Protection page). From your balance you can request a free direct deposit to a checking account, limited to one a day and typically received within 5 business days (Mercari's Seller Protection page says 5-7), or pay $3 for Instant Pay, which Mercari says puts funds in your account in about 30 minutes, up to $600 per month on eligible Visa or Mastercard debit cards after ID verification (Getting Paid). A failed direct deposit costs $2.

If speed matters, Mercari publishes a paid fast-payout option, and we found none on Vinted's pages. If you are not in a hurry, both pay out after the buyer's confirmation window: add Vinted's 2 days, 2 days to be paid and up to 5 business days to withdraw, or Mercari's 72 hours and 5 business days for direct deposit, to estimate your own timeline.

Buyer protection and returns

Both platforms protect the buyer first, so a photographed, well-packed, accurately described item protects you too.

• Vinted: the refund policy covers orders made with the "Buy now" button. The buyer has 2 calendar days to report a lost, damaged or significantly not as described item (refund policy). An item that matches its listing but does not fit or suit the buyer is not eligible, and buyers pay return shipping unless the seller provides a label.
• Mercari: the buyer has 72 hours after confirmed delivery to report an item. Returns are allowed for damage in shipment, the wrong item, or an item that significantly does not match the listing, and not for "doesn't fit," "not my style," or "changed my mind." An approved claim comes with a free return label for the buyer, who must ship it back within 3 days (Buyer Protection).

In practice the rules look alike. The difference to plan around is timing: Vinted gives the buyer 2 days, Mercari 72 hours, and in both cases your payment is not final until that window closes.

What you can sell, who shops there and which tools you get

Vinted's US catalog lists Women, Men, Designer, Kids, Home, Electronics, Books & Media, Hobbies & collectibles and Sports (what you can sell). Its selling tools are simple: Bumps to push a listing, bundle discounts, and offers buyers can send on single items or bundles (bundles). We found no US-only user count from Vinted, so we cannot rank the two by size.

Mercari says you can list "almost anything that can ship," at a price from $1 to $2,000, with up to 12 photos, plus a Smart Pricing tool that lowers your price gradually to a floor you set, and authentication for certain designer shoes, handbags and wallets (Creating a Listing). On audience, the best public figure comes from Mercari's fiscal 2026 results, as reported by Value Added Resource. These are third-party figures reported by a trade publication, not published by Mercari on its help pages: 4.2 million US monthly active users in the fourth quarter (the fiscal year ends in June), US GMV of $810 million for the year, with Entertainment & Hobbies, including collectibles and trading cards, credited for much of the recent improvement. That points to a marketplace that is strong beyond fashion, which is the honest difference between the two. Vinted is organized around clothing and everyday items. Mercari is a general marketplace with a clothing section.

We found no official sell-through figures for either platform, so any claim that one "sells faster" is an impression, not data. The best test is your own: list ten comparable items on each for a few weeks and compare days to sale and money kept.

Which should you sell on?

Choose Vinted if:

• You are selling clothes and everyday items from your own wardrobe and want to keep 100% of the sale price.
• You sell lower-priced items, where a 10% fee plus a percentage of shipping removes more margin.
• You want a simple flow: photos, price, prepaid label, no postage to calculate.

Choose Mercari if:

• Your stock is mixed or outside fashion: electronics, toys, collectibles, home goods.
• You want to pick the carrier, offer free shipping, or cash out in minutes with Instant Pay.
• You are building a side hustle. Mercari's own fee announcement says it will keep improving the selling experience "whether you're just casually decluttering or building a full-fledged side hustle."

Use both if you have a deep catalog. Check each platform's terms before you do, and remember the real risk is selling the same item twice, which costs you a cancellation and a refund. Pull the listing from one platform the moment it sells on the other, and keep a stock record so you always know what is still available.

Track what each platform actually earns you

Fees are one line of the real cost. What you kept per sale also depends on shipping you absorbed, returns, boosts and the time each platform asks of you. When Vinteer opens in the US, it will help Vinted and eBay sellers track sales, real profit and stock in one place, so you can see which platform pays better for the things you sell. Join the waitlist to be among the first in. If you are new to Vinted, start with how Vinted works for sellers, and for the other big comparisons see Vinted vs Poshmark and Vinted vs Depop.

Is Vinted better than Mercari for sellers?

Does Mercari charge sellers a fee?

Does Vinted take a percentage from sellers?

Who pays for shipping on Mercari and Vinted?

Which platform pays sellers faster?

Can I sell the same item on Vinted and Mercari?

Which has lower fees for buyers, Mercari or Vinted?