business

Flea market app Mercari closes up 77% in market debut

12 Comments
By Sam Nussey

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12 Comments
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I like Mercari, but it has its drawbacks. They rely on that stupid Japanese registration system that absolutely requires you to enter a Kanji or Hiragana name to complete registry (no Katakana or Romaji only), and so people who have a non-Kanji, no Hiragana names registered to their bank accounts can't get their money for things sold.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

You can get some bargains on it. You don't have to pay a monthly subscription, which is a big advantage over Yahoo Auctions. You can also send messages to haggle the price down.

For heavy users though, Yahoo Auctions is generally better.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I like mercari. Great app for buying and selling safely. I just dont like the rating system. Sometimes people give bad ratings even after a deal has been completed without a hitch. Also sending is quite complicated.

I really envy Shintaro Yamada who created Mercari, he made a great app that pulls in millions of profit. He will be a billionaire soon.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Goods are overpriced and the entire system from registration to buying, is more work than it needs to be.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I like mercari. Great app for buying and selling safely. I just dont like the rating system. Sometimes people give bad ratings even after a deal has been completed without a hitch. Also sending is quite complicated.

I agree. I don't think certain buyers understand how the ratings systems work. Definitely some crazy people on there. All you can do is report or block them I guess.

But I've successfully bought and sold many things so far. I just wished more people would use it, more deals could be made!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The 'flea market' scenario is a strange thing in 'motainai' Japan. Many of the flea market venders are just driving around looking for stuff the people throw away and reselling it at these markets. I suppose it's just capitalism at work, but many of these jokers are asking near-new prices for stuff they got out of the garbage.

It's also quite amusing that many Japanese thing that it is 'Free Market'. They are always quite shocked to learn that the name of these markets comes from items that are old and 'may' contain fleas.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

www.buy-my-gomi.com would have been a more suitable name!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I am not interested in the business of Mercari but IPO (Initial Public Offering) of the stocks is the only way poor investors have chances to make a sure and quick money. To do that, they have to apply for the purchases of IPO of the companies beforehand and some will be lucky to have a right to purchase the stock at the prospective price. They are chosen by lotteries. In case of Mercari, the prospective price was decided at 3000 yen and lucky guys purchased the Mercari stock at 3,000 yen before the stock is first exchanged at the market today. The first price of Mercari was at 5,000 yen. If he sold the Mercari today at the opening, he could make 200,000 yen instantly. It soared to 6,000 yen later at the highest. They are limited to be given 100 stocks for a lottery winner. But stock companies, I guess, allow their good customers with more stocks in favor giving them chances to make quick money. My friend is trading at more than ten security companies and he is only doing IPO things and is not interested in ordinary trade. He made three million yen so far this year.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Mercari is great but the users ruin it, each person has their stupid rules and if you don't follow them they'll give you bad feedback even if the transaction was 100% perfect in the actual buying and shipping aspect (what, you just buy something of mine without introducing yourself first and asking for permission? How dare you)!

The Mercari guide says to just ignore any personal rules but doesn't seem to punish users who do require all the nonsense. They really need to start issuing warnings and suspending the accounts of these annoying sellers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I haven't come across personal rules from sellers, what a drag! They set the price, the payment is automated, and all they have to do is stick the thing in the post. There is no need for histrionics.

For Yahoo Auctions, snipe at 5:10 remaining in the auction because most have an auto extend and bidding with less than five minutes will simply extend the time other bidders have to respond. If there is something you want which is popular but super cheap with a day remaining, bid high to get the price up to more realistic territory as soon as possible, to stop not-that-serious bidders from sticking around and getting sucked into the battle at the end. You do not want to have to outbid multiple egos (bidders) at the death. If you can get something for the going rate, which can be understood from past auctions, you have done well enough.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The guy in the centre of the photo looks like kim jong un.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Buyers and sellers always have gripes about each other. Mercari seems geared more towards cheapskates. You could be selling a brand new LV wallet with receipt/box at 25% discount and people will still ask for an additional 25-50% discount. And Japanese often don't understand how negotiations work. Price can be ¥50,000 (alreay discounted), they will offer ¥20,000. You counter at ¥40,000 and then silence.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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