At first, one may quickly think that Mercari is just one of the minor players of an already-saturated industry on the internet, which is the online marketplace. Even worse is one may jump right away to the conclusion that it’s just a repetition of some of the popular marketplaces and it has nothing new to offer. Although to some extent it is, it doesn’t mean that it has nothing special or unique to offer.
The internet, the technology, and the gadgets that we use are slowly shaping the way we live our lives. Change continuously happens without us consciously noticing them. We adapt with an involuntary effort. The same goes for the services online that we use. The technology available to us and our behavior go hand-in-hand. When a new advancement takes place, our minds look for something new as well to be in sync with it.
Mercari is one perfect answer to how new technology can influence our buying practices and bring it to a higher level and better standard of convenience and efficiency.
While the idea of the online marketplace is nothing new as it has been executed as early as the birth of the internet, the idea of a mobile-focused marketplace is just right on time. This is particularly undeniable given the prevalence of mobile phones and tablets when portable devices are not only available but are also effortlessly accessible due to their affordability. Given the fact majority of us are on our mobile devices most of the time due to work and personal needs, it’s just fairly reasonable to have an online marketplace tailored to be mobile-friendly and app-centric. And we do have an answer for that, which is Mercari.
While the mobile service is Mercari’s main gun to gain a competitive edge over other marketplaces in the industry, it also offers a desktop equivalent. So, anyone who’s using the services will not be limited by the app itself, although it is optimized for mobile use, and users are encouraged to use the app to buy and sell commodities.
Being launched in 2013, it’s not a new player in the game. It has started in Japan but has now since expanded its wing to service in the US. In its originating country, however, it keeps itself as the industry-leading marketplace that plenty of people trust and are comfortable using.
The company follows a commission-based revenue model. For every item sold, they get a cut, which some may find a little off-putting. They take a cut of the item’s price once that it’s sold. Some may find it reasonable, but plenty would rather stay maximize all the other opportunities that will save them as many bucks as possible.
To begin listing your item, you must have an account, so you must sign up or use your Facebook credentials. This may discourage some as not everyone is readily welcoming to signing up for services or platforms that are new or those that they don’t know how to use yet.
Here are the 10 alternatives you certainly can check out:
1. ThredUp (https://www.thredup.com)
ThredUp is an online store that provides a platform for people to sell their high-quality clothes that may be branded or not. Interested sellers must send their clothes to the company. Sent stuff will then undergo a close examination to see if they meet the quality standards that ThredUp sets. If they passed, they will then be eligible to be up for sale. Upon selling, ThredUp will get a variable commission depending on the value of your clothes. The main selling point of the platform is to help some individuals to get their closets cleaned up. To help them downsize while not dismissing clothes they will no longer use as total wastes. So, instead of sending them off to the garbage bags and completely being indifferent about them, why not make a profit out of them? This is undeniably beneficial for someone who has tons of used clothes he/she doesn’t know what to do with. It’s a listing platform, yes, but it’s very specific and only clothes to be resold.
2. eBay (https://www.ebay.com)
eBay is the way to go if you want to maximize your budget but not totally escape away from having any premium. eBay is a premium listing platform. Hence, you can expect that you will be charged a certain fee or cost for every product you will sell on the platform. With that said, eBay doesn’t charge to list or advertise.
When you make a sale, however, they take a small percentage from your earning. Don’t feel too surprised or discouraged about it. eBay has a huge potential in getting you a wide reliable audience. The commission they get is only up to a meager fraction. Because it’s not entirely a free platform, you must create an account so you can advertise and sell. Another thing that makes eBay a popular option for online sellers and buyers is its auction method for selling. Yes, you have an option to set bidding.
3. AdvertiseEra (https://www.advertiseera.com)
AdvertiseEra is a free online listing platform that allows you to increase your presence online quickly and easily. Its category list is broad. Certainly, there’s one that will perfectly suit what product or service you are offering. These categories are mainly sectioned into Services, Community, Jobs, Pets, For Rent, Real Estate, For Sale.
Under these main divisions are the more specific options that you must select before you can proceed to the next page by clicking the “Continue” button you will find at the lower left-hand corner. Similar to other listing platforms online, you fill your advertisement with just enough information. So, when your audience sees your ad, they will be able to confirm that they are looking at the right ad.
Advertise Era is a great way to boost your exposure. Because it’s free, it will certainly not hurt to give this one a shot.
4. Olagames (https://ad.ologames.com)
Olagames is one of the free listing services that you should definitely take advantage of. However, it possesses its own strength and has its own uniqueness that may not appeal to every product or item that you are trying to sell. If you are selling home-related products, sporting goods, game stuff, this one will surely do a very good job connecting you to the people who may be very interested in such areas. The downside that it has, however, is that the platform is mainly designed for desktop use. It doesn’t have a downloadable app that you can use on the go with your mobile phones or tablets.
To begin listing your ad, click on the “Publish Your Ad” button. You will see four options in the category dropdown: Items, Games, Sports, Services. After selecting the one that fits what you’re trying to sell, you will see the subcategory section that provides you another set of options depending on the category that you pick. In the next sections, you must fill out the form with the title, description, and other information that will help the platform connect you to your targeted audience.
5. Ads.DigitalMarketingHints (https://ads.digitalmarketinghints.com)
Digital Marketing Hints almost has a similar aura as the other listing services here on the platform. It’s also free. Hence, you can rest assured that other than just a few minutes of your time, you won’t have to spend more, not a single dime. The listing service also has a simplified range of categories of the products that it sells. Sellers will only have to choose from: Items, Vehicles, Learning, Real Estate, Services. On the next pages, you will have to put in additional pieces of information that will help you target the audience that you are aiming for. In the optional sections, you may opt in to put your address and additional pieces of information, such as your contact and email address.
Although the platform doesn’t have all the pomp the flashiness like one will find in the other listing services on the internet, it’s easy to use. There are ads that may pop out, but overall, it’s a good one to use if you want to maximize all visibility.
6. Carousell (https://www.carousell.com)
Caroussell is a new brand face of an established and famed online listing platform, which is Olx. The said listing platform is one of the iconic platforms worldwide. It’s among the first ones who ventured into a system like this and took the listing services online. Despite that, Carousell is more than just a listing service. It also serves as a point of sale. Hence, it just doesn’t advertise, but it also facilitates a point of sale. A buyer can perform the buying on the website itself. A seller – on the other hand – can cash out throughout.
Caroussell is particularly famous in some parts of Asia. The products that they specialize in are mostly pre-loved items. Unlike other listing services that you can go one-off and not create an account, in Carousell it is a must. So, you can either use your Facebook account for your log-in or create a new account here with a valid email address.
7. Locanto (https://www.locanto.com)
Locanto feels nice and smooth to use because of its cleanly laid out user interface. It looks very professional. Navigating around it also feels comfortable. When you get to its homepage using its desktop version, it won’t be hard to figure out how to get started. The best part is: You can use the platform without having to pay a dime.
It readily directs you to your locality, but just in case, this remains an area that you would like to pay attention to. So, before you get started, you must double-check if you are in your locality. If not, then you must specify your location by clicking at the specific location in the “Please Select your Location” section.
The process begins by filling out the right title for your advertisement. After finishing that, an automatic pop-out should come out which should give you an idea of the right category for the product or services you are selling.
8. Etsy (https://www.etsy.com)
If you are looking to sell something that is entirely unique and in very limited supply, such as handcrafted products, there’s a huge chance that you will find your success here on Etsy. The brand has a known reputation for selling products that are one-of-a-kind and hard-to-come. You may be able to find your luck here if you are after such products or things.
Etsy profits from every item that’s being listed on the website. They charge 20 cents for each item that’s listed. For that fee, the ad will stay for up 120 days or four months. When the product or the item gets sold, the platform takes a commission of 3.5%. But then, as Etsy is a very specific platform unless your product is handcrafted, you may want to consider other online listing platforms.
9. GiganticList (https://www.giganticlist.com)
If you are after a low-key listing platform that wouldn’t cost you any dime, Gigantic List is one of the best candidates for it. Like with some strong listing platforms here, Gigantic List is modest but useful. Although one may lose some patience with the ads cropping up in almost every step that one will have to go through to finish listing the ad. While it may not have an app, its Desktop web interface is uncomplicated.
To start, one will just have to click on the Publish Your Add button which is easily visible at the top left-hand side. Because it has been a usual practice to start with a category, Gigantic List is no different. The categories available here are: Vehicle, Buy and Sell, Classes and Training, Real Estate, Services, Community, Health, and Jobs. The categories that one will choose will further be specified by the subcategory section one must fill out before continuing to the next page to provide more information about the product and the seller.
10. Vinted (https://www.vinted.com)
Vinted is not your ordinary listing service. Unlike most of the platforms that are founded in the United States, Vinted was established in Lithuania. Nonetheless, their service covers the US and some countries in Europe. It doesn’t have a scope in Asia. Hence, if your target audience is in Asia, you may want to skip this part and move to consider the other online listing websites mentioned above.
The company was founded in 2008. Relatively speaking, it’s been around for quite a time. It is certainly credible and reliable.
