~ Daikokuya Belong as 1st partner “Nikosuma” ~
Mercari Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Mercari) is announcing that it will start a “purchase request” to purchase products sold on “Mercari” in cooperation with businesses starting today. As the first partner, purchases will begin on December 19 in cooperation with Daikokuya Co., Ltd. and “Nikosuma” provided by Belong Co., Ltd. Going forward, we will continue to expand cooperation with various partners, not limited to secondary distribution operators.
■ About “purchase requests”
A purchase request is received from Mercari for products sold on “Mercari,” and the purchase price is presented. If the seller wishes to sell at that price, the product is shipped in the same way as a normal transaction between individual customers, and the purchase is completed after receiving the product on the Mercari side and confirming that there is no problem with the product (note, Mercari buys it from the customer and then sells it to a partner business).
The usage fee is similar to normal transactions between individual customers, and a 10% fee is charged from the seller.
Purchase prices are assessed by purchasing businesses affiliated with Mercari, and customers who until now have submitted products that have been unsold on “Mercari” themselves to the purchaser can also have them assessed by the business while exhibiting them simply by listing them on “Mercari,” so it is possible to choose whether to continue listing or sell them immediately at that purchase price. If it can be confirmed that the actual product does not change from the listing information, the purchase will be made as it is at the price at the time of the online assessment, so there is no difference between the preliminary assessment and the actual assessment.
■Background
Until now, Mercari has been enhancing and updating various features so that customers can use it easily and conveniently, such as the “AI listing support” function*1, which allows entering product information simply by taking a photo and selecting a category at the time of listing, the “easy listing” function*2, which allows easy listing in as little as 15 seconds, and the “no price listing” function*3, which allows products to be listed without deciding on a price.
Mercari sells 7.9 units per second*4 It's an easy-to-sell marketplace, but there were a certain number of unsold products. People who “throw away” or “fertilize their drawers” account for 60% of unsold products*5, and we would like to deliver experiences that make it easier for customers to sell products than ever before by providing this function. Also, 14.8% of people are “making offline purchases or putting them on flea markets,” so the trouble of withdrawing listings on Mercari until now and applying for a purchase can also be completed on Mercari.
Furthermore, by pursuing “Planet Positive,” which contributes to the environment and society through business, Mercari has aimed to realize a circular economy where all values circulate smoothly. By cooperating with various businesses and local governments, such as the “Mercari Eco Box*6,” Yakult Sanyo, and the collection and sale of “still usable” unnecessary items*7 with Akitakata City and Miyoshi City in Hiroshima Prefecture, we are carrying out various initiatives on the theme of “avoid throwing away” so as to contribute to the realization of a circular economy.
With the start of providing “purchase requests,” what until now has only been purchased by individuals has spread to purchases based on assessed amounts from purchasers experienced in product trading, making it possible to provide an experience that makes it easier than ever to sell not only to novice customers, but also to customers who sell frequently.
*1: Mercari starts providing “AI listing support.” Update your selling experience more easily
*2: Mercari launches an “easy listing” function that can be selected at the time of listing
*3: Mercari starts offering a “no price listing” feature that allows products to be listed without deciding on a price
*4: Flea Market App “Mercari” Releases Infographics Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Service Launch
*5: Results of a questionnaire survey of customers using “Mercari” (target number: 2,362 people, target period: 2024/1/12 to 15)
*6: Mercari starts distributing “Mercari Eco Boxes” and packaging materials in collaboration with the Nippon Foundation and 23 local governments
*7: Mercari cooperates with Yakult Sanyo, and Akitakata City and Miyoshi City in Hiroshima Prefecture to collect “still usable” unnecessary items and begin a demonstration experiment to promote reuse and sell them at “Mercari Shops”
■ How to use “Purchase Requests”
1. When there is a purchase request for a product being sold, a notification will be sent on the product details screen.
2. You can check the purchase request amount on the request list page.
3. The seller accepts the purchase request after verifying their identity.
4. Similar to normal transactions between individual customers, the seller ships the product, and the purchase is completed after Mercari confirms the product (note, Mercari buys it from the customer and then sells it to a partner business).
5. After Mercari and the seller carry out an evaluation, the transaction is completed, and sales proceeds are credited to the seller.
Mercari will continue to cooperate with various partners to provide service development so that more customers can easily use “Mercari” without hassle, thereby eliminating “throwing away” and aiming to realize a circular economy where limited resources are used with care.