How to switch a Mercari order to your own label

Before you start

• The packed box, weighed and measured.
• The prepaid label, if one was already generated.
• To know who paid for shipping on this listing, because the routes differ.

If the buyer paid for shipping

1. Weigh and measure the packed box

   Get the actual weight, the longest side and the second-longest side before you decide anything.

   You should see the numbers to compare against the label the buyer paid for.

2. Compare that against the prepaid label

   A label bought for a lighter or smaller parcel is the whole problem here.

   You should see a clear gap, in pounds or inches, between the label and the box.

3. Take the package and the label to the counter and pay the difference

   Mercari documents paying the difference at the counter as a route, and it is the one that keeps the sale and the buyer's label.

   You should see the package accepted on the prepaid label plus your top-up.

4. On the Order Status page, select I Shipped It

   Mercari's order is drop-off first: "After dropping off the package with the carrier, tap I Shipped It".

   You should see the order marked as shipped.

If you paid for shipping

1. Open the Order Status page for the sale

   Go to the sold item and open its Order Status page.

   You should see the order with its label.

2. Edit the label

   Mercari documents editing the label on the Order Status page when shipping is seller-paid.

   You should see a label that matches the parcel you packed.

3. Ship it, then select I Shipped It

   Hand the package over, then select I Shipped It on the Order Status page.

   You should see the order marked as shipped.

If you ship on your own instead

1. Buy your own label and ship the item

   Use a tracked service. Mercari cancels on a missing or invalid number.

2. Provide the tracking number on the Order Status page

   Check it against the label first. Mercari cannot change it afterwards.

   You should see the number saved against the order.

3. Select I Shipped It

   On the Order Status page, select I Shipped It.

   You should see the order marked as shipped.

4. Contact Mercari about the unused prepaid label

   Mercari names contacting them as the step that goes with shipping on your own after a prepaid label was generated.

If you would rather relist it

1. Refund the buyer

   This ends the sale. Mercari documents it as the first step of the relist route.

2. On My Page, open My Listings

   Go to My Page, then My Listings, and find the item.

   You should see the listing, now inactive.

3. Select Edit and fix the shipping

   Open Edit and set the shipping the item actually needs.

   You should see the corrected shipping saved on the listing.

4. Select Activate

   Put the listing back on sale.

   You should see the item live again, with no buyer attached.

If it goes wrong

The relist route loses the sale

Refunding to relist is the only one of the four routes that puts the item back to zero. Read it as the last resort, not the tidy option.

An own label gives up Shipping Protection on that order

Mercari Shipping Protection requires that "The order has been shipped using a Mercari prepaid shipping label", and covers up to $200 ($20 on a First-Class Envelope). Paying the difference at the counter keeps the prepaid label, and the protection with it.

The parcel may be over Mercari's prepaid limits anyway

Prepaid labels stop at 50 lb actual or dimensional weight, 34 inches on the longest side and 20 inches on the second side. Above those there is no label to upgrade, and Shipping Protection excludes the parcel regardless.

What happens next

Whichever route you take, the tracking entry is one-way: Mercari is "unable to remove or modify tracking numbers", so check the digits before you submit.

On an own label the payout still waits for it, because "If you opt to ship on your own, you'll need to provide tracking information before you can get paid." You also carry the loss: Shipping Protection pays up to $200, or $20 on a First-Class Envelope, and only on a Mercari prepaid label. If the box was over 50 lb or past 34 inches on the longest side, fix the listing shipping before the next one sells rather than after.