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When it comes to the resale market, there are any number of ways that people make money. One of the big ways is through reselling clothing and accessories, and for the biggest potential profit, many people have turned to selling luxury goods. Thanks to apps like Poshmark and Mercari, reselling these fashion finds is easier than ever.
However, with that ease of use comes some drawbacks, at least for buyers. It can be hard to determine if a luxury item is authentic or not. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, and Gucci are just a few of the brands that consumers want at a discounted price, but at the same time, they do not want a knock-off. This is where the authentication process comes in.
Over on Poshmark, items with a price tag over $500 are automatically sent in for authentication. However, if an item is under that price, it may require requesting the service.
Then there is Mercari. While Mercari might be a close competitor to Poshmark, they never had the same authentication process that the other app did – until now. As Glossy reports, the resale app has decided to offer sellers a brand new service that they believe will help to not only instill confidence in buyers, but also change the way the authentication process works.
With the help of Mercari Authenticate, sellers can have their items authenticated without even needing to ship it off somewhere. This remote authentication requires Mercari sellers to take multiple photos of their products and upload them to an app. The team will then determine if the item is authentic or not before it is ever sold and shipped off to a customer. By not requiring sellers to ship off their products, it can actually help to cut down on how long it takes to get a determination. Mercari is estimating approximately 48 hours to determine if a luxury item is in fact real.
Beyond just helping customers to find authentic items, Mercari is hoping to get the edge over their competition, as this remote authentication is designed to make it easier on sellers looking to offer assurances to their customers. The goal is to make the entire process easier for both buyers and sellers, which in turn will lead resellers to actually posting more luxury goods on Mercari over sites like Poshmark and TheRealReal.
While Mercari introduced this new remote authentication process to their users at the start of December by offering the service free until the end of 2019, once 2020 begins the cost of authentication will increase to $15 per item. At this point, it looks like this service is already starting to improve the customer experience, as more people are liking and buying items that have the diamond of authenticity over the listing.
Whether or not remote authentication is the wave of the future remains to be seen, but it looks like Mercari is going to give this new feature a chance as they look to compete with sites like Poshmark and TheRealReal for more luxury brands and sales.
*Originally published on Guardian Liberty Voice
Written by Kimberley Spinney
Sources:
Glossy – Mercari wants to edge out resale competitors by authenticating luxury through an app
Personal Experience with Poshmark and Mercari
Image Credit – Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License