Mercari To Split New USPS HAZMAT Noncompliance Fee With Sellers
Mercari is the latest marketplace to shoulder part of the burden of new USPS hazardous materials noncompliance fees as it works to keep sellers on the platform.
The US marketplace will cover half of the new $50 charge, leaving sellers responsible for $25 when improperly marked packages are flagged beginning September 1.
The fee, introduced by USPS July 12, can apply when a non-hazardous item is shipped in a reused box that still carries a visible HAZMAT label or marking.
Because those packages require special handling regardless of what is inside, Mercari is warning sellers to completely remove or blot out old labels before shipping. Correctly declared and labeled hazardous materials shipments are not affected.
Poshmark is taking a more seller-friendly approach to the same fee, covering the full $50 through July 31, then charging sellers $5 beginning August 1 while absorbing the other $45 for qualifying outbound shipments.
Liz Morton
Mercari’s policy leaves sellers responsible for five times as much as Poshmark users, while still protecting them from the full USPS charge.
The $50 penalty is separate from the new USPS handling charge for properly declared hazardous materials sent through certain services. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express shipments now carry a $7.50 HAZMAT handling fee, while Ground Advantage currently has no additional handling charge.
A seller could still face the noncompliance fee when a package is improperly declared or carries markings that do not match its contents, even if no separate handling charge would otherwise apply.
The rollout comes as Mercari US tries to strengthen seller confidence and improve marketplace growth under new CEO Jeff LeBeau, who took over July 1.
Liz Morton
Mercari has made shipping costs a larger part of that effort, including limited-time discounts earlier this year on select UPS, FedEx and USPS prepaid labels. Those promotions provided temporary relief from higher carrier rates without changing the company’s underlying shipping structure.
Covering half of the fee continues Mercari’s recent effort to soften shipping-related costs without absorbing them entirely, though sellers still face a meaningful charge when packages are flagged.
For sellers, the safest approach remains checking items for regulated contents before listing and carefully inspecting reused packaging before shipment. A forgotten HAZMAT label on a reused box could turn a low-value Mercari sale into a $25 mistake.
