I mostly shop Mercari using Buyee. Went back to ZenMarket since we have been talking about it. Did some search tests and saw different Mercari items on ZenMarket and Buyee. For instance, Buyee indicates that Mercari has a Sakura ATS3000 listed for sale. ZenMarket does not show this listing on Mercari. Am I searching ZenMarket correctly?
In some instances items found on mercari were not listed on buyee.
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I’ll tell you what… I’ve found Mercari searches to be problematic.
Firstly, compound optional criteria doesn’t work properly like half the time. Meaning, something like this: (Tombow, トンボ) SH-1500LP. I will find that if I do two separate searches, one with TOMBOW and one with トンボ, the combined number of hits is more than when using the compound expression. Something just doesn’t work right with their search engine.
I’ve also searched on some model names, both English and Japanese spelling along with the brand name and NOT found it… but then when scrolling through mechanical pencils by the brand name alone, a hit comes up. English or Japanese used in the title. But the criteria did not grab it. It’s really frustrating.
I’ve also found that when using ZenMarket to search on Mercari, I’ll sometimes find items that aren’t showing up with the same criteria on Mercari’s website… and also the reverse–it doesn’t show on ZenMarket searching of Mercari, but a direct search on Mercari turns up a hit.
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This has been my experience as well.
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Yes. I end up searching so many random ways for things because my search terms don’t get me the results I expect.
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It feels as though there are several more Mercari sellers these days that don’t do business with Buyee. Anyone else experience this? If so, any ideas why sellers are using them less?
Have you checked out ZenMarket? I think out of nearly 50 listings that I’ve loaded and attempted to buy through ZenMarket only 1 failed due to the seller not working with a proxy. It’s usually Yahoo Japan where I encounter this, and you can’t even bid or buy–ZenMarket has the seller registered as a block upfront.
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I have not tried it, but I’m thinking I should. Thanks for the recommendation!
You’re welcome. I know some folks here on Knockology use ZenMarket and/or Buyee, with some preferring Buyee. I’ve been very happy with ZenMarket. If you buy stuff regularly, it works out more economically. Buyee might be a little cheaper with just single item purchases, all things considered.
I mentioned about blocked sellers on ZenMarket. I’ve also double-checked on Buyee and FromJapan as well and usually they’re blocked in all 3, but occasionally Buyee doesn’t have a block. It could just be that a transaction attempt hadn’t been attempted yet through Buyee and they may end up blocked anyway.
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Good to know! I am on a monthly routine where I purchase for a month and close out, so it’s one large box a month for me. I never purchase a single item through Buyee. It makes shipping prohibitive if I can’t spread the costs across a number of items. Sounds like ZenMarket might be better for me?
Last I checked, Buyee has a 30 day storage period before they start charging you. ZenMarket has double that at 60 days (it used to be 45 days). After that, each item over 60 days is ¥50 a day. If you’re a pretty regular buyer, accumulating items gradually then shipping when you’re near the limit, ZenMarket is a great way to go. They have a credit system that makes the payment side easier. Also, they have “Zen Points” that accumulate that can be applied towards shipments.
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Do they have an app or browser based only?