Mercari Partners With BEENOS To Bring Japan Inventory To US Shoppers
Mercari is opening up direct from Japan shopping to the US market with new BEENOS international fulfillment partnership.
Buyers on the Mercari US site will now see items from Japan sold by BEENOS included in search, with the option to filter results just to Japan to see all BEENOS inventory or to US only if they want to exclude these items.
Here's how the partnership with BEENOS works:
Items you buy from BEENOS were originally listed outside of the US by people just like you. There's a good chance you'll find unique or discounted treasures that are hard to find stateside. BEENOS acts as the seller and takes care of all the international shipping logistics for you.
Shipping
The seller in Japan ships the item to a BEENOS warehouse where it's inspected for damage and prepared for overseas delivery. Then they ship it to you.Messaging
BEENOS can answer most questions about items. Try writing to them like you would to any other seller.
Mercari says all internationally-shipped items on the US site will appear as sold by BEENOS. When an item is purchased, a seller in Japan ships the item to the BEENOS warehouse, where it will be inspected before being forwarded to the buyer.
The item cost includes inspection, warehouse handling, and importing the item from Japan to the US. As the item is shipped internationally, shipping costs are higher than domestic orders.
To protect buyers from damaged or not as described items, BEENOS checks that the item is as described in the listing and photos. Items that are found to be not as described or prohibited to ship to the United States will be flagged, and the buyer will be refunded in accordance with Mercari’s standard return policy.
Mercari’s standard return policy applies to all internationally purchased items, but buyers should be prepared for the higher shipping costs and longing times in transit that come along with international shipments.
View the full FAQ:
Items that ship from Japan will have an International Shipping tag near the item price, as well as disclosure in the From section under Delivery details.
As always, buyers and sellers are both encouraged to read the full terms and conditions for internationally shipped items, which Mercari updated today.
The move comes as Mercari US CEO John Lagerling is under intense pressure to deliver GMV and user growth while showing that the significant shakeup to Mercari's fee structure announced in March was the right strategic move.
Lagerling quietly laid off ~45% of US staff last month, telling employees in an internal Slack message that he took responsibility for strategic mistakes which overestimated post-pandemic growth and to remain viable in the U.S. market, they must cut costs and consolidate quickly.
Liz Morton
He praised employes for "show[ing] up with talent, professionalism and grit during some tough times" but said"the business has not performed well amid macro headwinds and, admittedly, some strategic mistakes."
He went on to list some of those strategic mistakes, explaining that the company grew too quickly in the belief they would have continued growth from pandemic era highs that ultimately did not materialize and taking responsibility for not successfully navigating the post-pandemic landscape.
Lagerling also admitted what many have feared since March - the fee structure changes may have convinced sellers to list more items on the site, but have not had the hoped for impact on active buyers and GMV.
"More recently, changes to our fee structure have helped us increase listings, but have not yet delivered the short-term results that we had hoped for on the buyer / GMV side. To remain viable in the U.S. market and ultimately get back on track, we must cut costs and consolidate quickly."
Introducing new inventory from Japan could certainly help boost GMV and buying activity - but only if it's cost effective and so far, users commenting on Reddit don't appear to see the value.
For every item i look at its coming to 64 dollars for shipping lol. They also apparently do not combine shipping at all even though it seems to be a proxy. Not sure how this is going to make sales considering either sellers upping the item price above its original mercari jp listing or the shipping.
All these Japan listings popping up is so annoying. Shipping is $64 and on top of all those Mercari fees? Pass
Too bad about the absurdly high shipping fees, likely mostly eaten in fees to this Beenos fulfillment company.
Unfortunately, since BEENOS is a third party fulfillment company, there will be unavoidable middleman costs involved for the inspection, warehousing, and logistics services they provide - and buyers will bear those costs one way or another.
What do you think of Mercari US adding products shipped from Japan through BEENOS? Let us know in the comments below!
