Good buys on Mercari? (Or other used marketplaces)

[Biketokyo]

Since having a baby in the fall, my wife and I have discovered the cost and time saving joys of Mercari. It’s where we have bought nearly all of our baby clothes and many other non-consumables. Beyond baby goods, I’ve bought a few pieces of almost new clothing and a couple used games. I get the impression that there is a lot of other things Mercari could be a good site for beyond clothes though. One poster mentioned some time back getting vegetables direct from farmers using the site.

So, I was wondering, what kinds of things do you all find to be good purchases on Mercari (or other used marketplaces)?

[goodandbadjapan]

I've used it for selling English books. I was told it isn't very good for that but I have found quite the opposite. Prices can be quite high for a lot of things (good for selling, less so for buying) but I tend to use the sales proceeds of books to purchase using points and it feels like I am just swapping stuff really.

[captainspoke]

The hoikuen we used had a bazaar (and party) every year, first saturday in july.

Besides all the other entertainments, food, etc, there was a room and a half set up to sell stuff people had donated--odd dishware (unwanted gifts), boxes of laundry soap, toys, the odd appliance, and lots of used and unused clothing. We probably got rid of our car seats there when the kids got bigger.

If not for actual use as clothes, some of it made wonderful rags (cotton washed a zillion times). We still have a stack of those common small towels (like you'd get from a bank, or onsen).

Anyway, places in your area may have similar bazaars.

[kawasemi]

Man, I love Mercari so much. It has more or less replaced Amazon for our family. A few of the more recent buys I've made:

• a beginner guitar, guitar pedal,
• Rolling pin
• international chess board and clock
• Nikon d40 which I'm super pleased with
• Kindle Paperwhite gen 5, & case
• Pie crust weights
• Xiaomi smart band
• Replacement thinkpad nubbins
• pre-confederation Newfoundland stamps

I'd like to think Mercari could do well in other countries, but I fear folks would just abuse it. Hope I'm wrong.

[Teflon]

Mercari saved my feet.

When I first went snowboarding in Japan with a bunch of friends, they assured me I could rent everything I needed at the ski resort. That was a relief because I hadn't brought any gear with me from the US. It never occurred to me that size 32 snowboarding boots would be a problem. When we got to the ski resort they told me the max size they had was 30! It had been a long drive and I didn't want to be sitting on the sidelines all day so I decided to try and squeeze into them. Anyway, big mistake! My feet were in so much pain and after many hours of snowboarding I took the boots off and it was literally a bloody mess.

When I got home I threw away my socks -- which were ruined -- and scoured the internet for size 32 snowboarding boots in Japan but I couldn't find anything. Later, a Japanese friend suggested Mercari and sure enough they had a brand new pair of quality boots in size 32 and for a very good price. I was skeptical but decided to take a chance. Needless to say, the seller was very professional and friendly and when the boots arrived they were exactly as advertised and fit me perfectly! No more bloody feet. lol

[Bushiman]

Mercari is awesome!
I've bought so many things from snowboards, books, sportswear to audio gear, and I've sold a bunch of stuff too! I've sold electronics, clothes, hats, all at a way better price than if I went into one of the secondhand shops... All manner of stuff I've just found in cupboards unused for decades I've sold... It's amazing!

[AreTheyTheLemmings?]

One poster mentioned some time back getting vegetables direct from farmers using the site.

There was an item on the news a while back saying there's been a number of cases of thieves stealing veges from people's fields and selling them on Mercari. I'm sure it's a just a nasty few who are doing that, but perhaps it might pay to make sure you're getting those veges direct from the farmer and not directly from the thief.

[TokyoBoglehead]

Is Mercari that much better than Yahoo Auctions? I should check it out.

I've also used Jmty and Craigslist for large items quite successfully.

[zeroshiki]

Mercari basically ate Yahoo's lunch to the point where they pretty much had to create Paypay Furima (Flea Market) and funnel their Yahoo Auctions sellers to it. I actually prefer Yahoo Auctions' style but I'm old so there's that.

[Bushiman]

Is Mercari that much better than Yahoo Auctions? I should check it out.

I used to use Yahoo Auction a bunch, but I just got fed up of the 'unknown' shipping fee... I'd buy something thinking it was a great bargain, only for the seller to then let me know shipping would be some ridiculous price...
With Mercari, 99% of the items have the shipping included... Plus, you can ask sellers for a discount or straight up ask them to reduce the price to what you're willing to pay...