Mercari Opens Japan Marketplace To US Buyers With New Global App
Mercari is bringing its standalone Mercari Global app to the US, giving American buyers a dedicated way to shop items listed on Mercari and Mercari Shops in Japan.
The new app is separate from the existing Mercari US marketplace, which will continue to operate as a domestic buying and selling platform.
Mercari says the global app is designed to reduce the friction that has traditionally made shopping from Japanese marketplaces more complicated for overseas buyers, including language barriers, currency conversion, payment processing, customs, shipping, and transaction management.
Initially rolled out to Taiwan and Hong Kong in late 2025, the app includes real-time AI translation, local currency payments through domestic payment services, and access to products from Mercari, Mercari Shops, and select partner inventory made available through the company's existing partnership with Beenos.
Liz Morton
Mercari is also partnering with Zonos for cross-border commerce technology, according to Digital Commerce 360, including guaranteed landed cost calculations and compliance support.
That should allow US shoppers to see duties, taxes, and other import-related fees at checkout instead of being surprised by additional charges at delivery.
Mercari specifically called out Japanese entertainment and hobby categories as a strategic focus for the global app, which makes sense given the continued strength of collectibles and fandom-driven commerce across multiple marketplaces.
The company says its Japan marketplace has reached more than 4 billion cumulative listings, creating a deep inventory base as Mercari tries to make Japan-to-US shopping more direct.
The timing is especially interesting as Mercari US is finally starting to see results from turnaround efforts that began early last year, after years of losses and a messy fee strategy reversal that sparked widespread buyer and seller backlash in 2024.
Mercari US reported its first full-year profit in fiscal 2025, and more recent earnings showed US GMV improving while user growth continued to lag. Management has continued to focus on category-specific marketing, CRM-driven coupons, seller tools, trust and safety, and discovery improvements.
Liz Morton
Mercari also recently named Jeff LeBeau as the next CEO of Mercari US, effective July 1, 2026, putting new leadership in place at a pivotal time for the domestic marketplace.
That creates a two-track strategy for the US.
On one side, Mercari US is trying to stabilize and grow its marketplace. On the other, Mercari Japan is using the US as a major destination for buyers who may be more interested in Japanese collectibles, trading cards, anime goods, fashion, and hobby items than general secondhand resale.
The strategy may complement Mercari’s domestic business, but it may also create some confusion for users if Mercari does not clearly explain the difference between the apps, transaction flows, protections, fees, and shipping expectations.
Clear communication will be especially important because Mercari has been leaning heavily into trust and safety in both Japan and the US.
In Japan, Mercari recently introduced a Full Compensation Support Program and additional safety measures. For the Global App, Mercari says purchases will include shipping protection, with the company managing payment, shipping, package tracking, and item inspection before final shipment.
That could help ease concerns for US buyers who are new to cross-border purchasing, but it also raises questions about which protections apply, how disputes will be handled, how returns or damaged items will be resolved, and whether the experience will feel as simple in practice as Mercari is promising.
The separate experiences could also introduce new competitive dynamics in categories where US sellers may be competing with similar items from Japan.
Sellers on Mercari US have long requested international shipping options, but so far it does not appear that is on the roadmap for the Global App. That could leave US-based sellers watching Mercari open international demand for Japanese inventory without offering the same opportunity to them.
The gap could widen further as Mercari plans to add optional authentication, auction-style listings, preorder functionality, and entertainment and gaming elements to the Global App.
That lines up with previous moves in Japan, where Mercari launched auctions earlier this year to reduce the burden of price negotiations and help users sell rare or popular items more efficiently.
Liz Morton
Now Mercari is explicitly naming auction-style listings as part of the future roadmap for the US-facing Mercari Japan app, but it has not said whether auctions will eventually become part of the domestic Mercari US marketplace.
“Entertainment and gaming elements” is also an interesting phrase, potentially leaving the door open for livestream shopping or other gamified commerce features as live selling gains traction across platforms like Whatnot, Poshmark Shows, TikTok, StockX, and eBay Live.
To promote the launch, Mercari is offering US customers coupons through July 5, including a 30% off first purchase coupon for new customers, a 25% off trading cards coupon, and a 20% off sitewide coupon, each with maximum discount limits.
That promotional push could help drive early adoption, especially in categories where buyers are already used to hunting across international sites for rare or hard-to-find items.
The bigger question is whether Mercari can turn that early interest into repeat buying behavior.
For Mercari Japan, the Global App creates a new path to monetize Japanese inventory beyond its home market. For US shoppers, it offers more direct access to Japanese items without some of the friction of proxy services.
But cross-border commerce is complicated, and buyers will quickly judge whether Mercari can deliver transparent pricing, smooth checkout, reliable shipping, clear protections, and reasonable total costs.
Mercari’s US marketplace has already learned how difficult it can be to rebuild trust once fees or transaction problems create friction. The Global App gives Mercari another growth lever in the US, but only if the experience lives up to the promise.
