Mercari Updates Shipping Prices, Cracks Down On Oversized Packages With New Penalty Fee
Mercari announces shipping price changes, new penalty for shipping overages amidst carrier rate increases.
The changes will go into effect February 18th for new or edited listings and old listings will be automatically updated starting on March 10th.
Each year, shipping carriers adjust their rates to account for factors like inflation, costs, and demand. As a result, we’re updating prepaid label rates starting February 18, 2025 with a 1% increase on average. View the updated rates here.
The good news:
Introducing USPS Ground Advantage for up to 20 lbs. This cost-effective option includes the convenience of USPS package pickup—a great choice for heavier shipmentsLower rates on select USPS labels, now with 12 oz at $6.29 (vs. $6.34), 1 lb at $7.29 (vs. $7.34), and UPS SurePost and FedEx Economy 2 lb labels, now $8.29 (vs. $8.49)
Mercari prepaid labels still offer an average of 40% savings* compared to retail carrier rates. Plus, every label offers up to $200 in Shipping Protection and $20 for First-Class Envelope.
New rates take effect February 18, 2025:
The new rates will apply to new listings and any updates on existing listings.No action is needed to update existing listings.Automatic updates start March 10, 2025:
Listings created before February 18, 2025 will reflect the new rates automatically. It may take up to two weeks for these updates to apply.
And along with the good news, Mercari is also giving bad news - a new 8% penalty fee is being introduced for all shipments where the carrier says the weight and dimensions were larger than stated, resulting in a shipping charge adjustment.
Penalty for underpaid shipping labels
Starting March 10, 2025, items exceeding the purchased label’s actual weight or dimensional (DIM) weight will incur an 8% penalty fee on the total adjusted shipping price. The additional shipping charges are assessed while the package is in transit when the shipping carrier provides the actual weight or/and dimensional weight.
Double-checking your package weight and measurements, helps to avoid unexpected fees and contributes to maintaining low shipping costs for the Mercari community. Learn more here.
Mercari is not alone in dealing with the growing costs of shipping charge adjustments, in face Facebook Marketplace has recently announced they are doing away with pre-paid shipping labels all together in a move some believe may be driven at least in part by those escalating costs.
Liz Morton
Those shipping adjustments can rightly or wrongly be significant - sellers across many marketplaces often complain about being billed outrageous amounts due to apparent errors in automating screening by the carriers and even when the adjustments are correct, they can add up quickly.
Mercari provided additional information in a help page about shipping overage charges, showing for very large items like furniture, the actual penalty could even reach $2,500!
If the actual weight or dimensional weight provided by the shipping carrier is higher than the label used for a Mercari provided label (see Fees on Mercari), you will be charged that weight less the amount already paid plus 8% fee.
If Mercari does not provide a label for that weight, then the carrier residential retail rates for zone 7 including all surcharges and an 8% fee will apply less the amount already paid. If it is over 150 pounds in actual weight or dimensional weight, it will be billed at a flat rate of $2,500.
Starting March 10, 2025, items exceeding the purchased label’s actual weight or dimensional (DIM) weight will incur an 8% penalty fee on the total adjusted shipping price. The additional shipping charges are assessed while the package is in transit when the shipping carrier provides the actual weight or/and dimensional weight.
They also provided a chart showing the maximum dimensional weights allowed for different shipping services.
Sellers expressed concerns over being charged penalties incorrectly, with one reddit post already having over 100 responses.
They are adding an 8% penalty ON TOP of adjusted shipping charges. I’m not sure about you all, but I’ve been selling for years and only have been having issues lately with incorrect charges on shipping weights (primarily FedEx) and I have a proper scale and ruler and all. It’s already hard enough to dispute these, I can only imagine how much worse it will get!
This is DEF one of the biggest loser moves yet. That’s a terrible way to do it. I understood if you went over the weight and it charges you for the next shipping option.. that made sense… but penalizing sellers what is essentially a Fee for making a mistake (add the fact that the carriers fuck up the weight and dimensions all the time) is absurd.
Stop using FedEx. It’s not Mercari. And you’re only getting the surcharge if you incorrectly list the weight and/or dimensions. Fed ex will impose steep surcharges for packages with dimensional weight. It’s not enough to just weigh on a scale. Mercari’s new rates are supposed to incorporate ground advantage which, if done right, should help us to eliminate UPS and FEDEX for heavier packages. We shall see.
As with the changes on Facebook Marketplace, many Mercari sellers are recommending using other service providers like Pirate Ship which offer easier ways to dispute if you believe an adjustment is incorrect and importantly, don't charge additional penalty fees on top of the extra shipping amount.
What do you think of Mercari's new shipping rates and overage penalty fee? Let us know in the comments below!
Now, as the platform promised, I didn’t get charged an overage on a buyer selected bundle; however I have seen a few comments on forums about bundles with 10 listings, requiring huge boxes for shipment, and sellers getting a label for one listed item. They sure seemed to like to encourage bundling, so am curious about if this affects it.
