～Available in Taiwan and Hong Kong Starting Today, With Aim to Expand to 50 Countries and Regions in the Future
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Mercari, Inc. (“Mercari”) announced the new strategy for its crossborder business on September 30, 2025. This strategy includes the launch of Mercari’s first global app for overseas buyers, the Mercari Global App (“Global App”), and the enhancement of its crossborder e-commerce platform for domestic businesses. This strategy aims to solve issues faced by both buyers and sellers in crossborder transactions and to expand the business globally. The Global App will be available in Taiwan and Hong Kong starting today, and will gradually expand to other countries and regions.
■ Background
Mercari has been committed to a mission to “create value in a global marketplace where anyone can buy & sell” since its founding, and continues to work toward global expansion as part of its mid-term business strategy today.
Toward this goal, we launched our crossborder transaction business in 2019 in collaboration with crossborder e-commerce businesses.1 Additionally, we continue to proactively pursue global expansion, launching the web version of Mercari in Taiwan in August 2024 and in Hong Kong in May 2025.2
Through these initiatives and a variety of over 4 billion items cumulatively 3 , the gross merchandise value (GMV) of our crossborder transaction business has grown more than 15 times in the past three years, exceeding 90 billion JPY annually.4
The market size of crossborder e-commerce is also expanding, and according to the estimates of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 5, it is expected to grow from 1.01 trillion US dollars in 2024 to 6.72 trillion US dollars by 2034—an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 23.1% from 2025 to 2034.
Mercari recognizes that while this market growth poses a significant opportunity, there are challenges faced by both overseas buyers and Japanese sellers—especially businesses—in sharing more of Japan’s wonderful items and culture with the world.
- Challenges faced by overseas buyers: In addition to challenges around user experience such as language barriers and complicated purchasing processes, there is often anxiety around the credibility of overseas platforms.
- Challenges faced by domestic businesses: While many businesses are interested in expanding their sales channels overseas, taking the first step remains a significant challenge.
1. Marketplace app Mercari begins crossborder sales to over 100 countries – Overseas Buyers Can Now Purchase Items Using Proxy Service – (November 2019) https://about.mercari.com/en/press/news/articles/20191115_crossborder-2/
2.Mercari Expands to Taiwan With Crossborder Transactions (August 2024) (available only in Japanese) https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20240829_crossborder/
Mercari Expands to Hong Kong With Crossborder Transactions (May 2025) https://about.mercari.com/en/press/news/articles/20250507_crossborder/
3.Mercari’s Cumulative Listings Surpass 4 Billion (September 2024) (available only in Japanese)
https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20240911_4billion/
4.Mercari, Inc. FY2025.6 Q4 Financial Results Presentation P36 (https://pdf.irpocket.com/C4385/hGOm/QABk/Snp2.pdf)
5.In reference to the “FY2022 E-Commerce Market Survey Report,” METI (available only in Japanese)
https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2025/08/20250826005/20250826005-a.pdf
■ Mercari’s new strategy for crossborder transaction business
Given this background, Mercari has formulated a new strategy for its crossborder transaction business. This new strategy aims to improve the experience for both buyers overseas and businesses in Japan, and to create an environment where global transactions can be conducted easily and safely. We will establish two pillars at the core of this strategy. First, to enable rapid global expansion, we will provide a single, common platform that can be used globally, the Mercari Global App. Second, we will enhance our e-commerce platform to support the overseas expansion of domestic businesses. We will accelerate our growth by leveraging these two pillars.
To expand our global crossborder transaction business, we are strategically focusing on the Japanese Entertainment & Hobby sector, which is particularly popular globally. We will be gradually introducing features tailored to Entertainment and Hobby transactions, such as pre-order sales and auction features. We will also be collaborating with content licensors, providing a desirable transaction experience for both buyers and sellers.
■ Global App overview
The Mercari Global App will enable overseas buyers to browse and purchase items from Mercari and Mercari Shops in Japan. The Global App solves problems related to language, payment, and complicated procedures, providing overseas buyers with an easy, safe, and secure shopping experience similar to that of Mercari in Japan.
The Global App will be available in Taiwan and Hong Kong starting today, and is planned to gradually expand to more countries and regions in the future.
Features of the Global App
- 1. Immersive discovery experience through access to Japan’s largest marketplace inventory
- Mercari is Japan’s largest marketplace app with a cumulative total of 4 billion listings. With its vast inventory, easy-to-use UI and UX, and safe transaction environment, Mercari provides an enjoyable treasure hunt-like shopping experience.
- 2. Seamless shopping experience that breaks down barriers of language and currency
- In addition to real-time translation by AI, the Global App supports major payment services in each country and region. Overseas buyers can make purchases easily the same way they would from their own countries’ online shopping sites without having to worry about language or currency differences.
- 3. A safe and secure system where Mercari takes care of all transaction concerns (Releasing after January 2026)
- Mercari will resolve concerns that often arise in crossborder transactions, such as whether the item will arrive and whether the quality will be assured. Before shipping, Mercari will inspect each item individually to ensure quality, and deliver it safely and securely using a delivery method optimized for the destination country or region. Users will be able to complete all processes from making payments to tracking delivery status within the app, ensuring the same standard of comfort and convenience, even across borders.
*App images are for illustrative purposes only. Features and UI will be updated sequentially after September 30.
■ Enhancing the e-commerce platform to support overseas expansion for businesses
The Global App encourages listings by businesses in order to increase the appeal of the platform. We will provide an enhanced e-commerce platform leveraging the expertise we have accumulated through operating our domestic marketplace to enable businesses without specialized knowledge or experience in crossborder transactions to expand overseas.
Three features of our enhanced crossborder e-commerce platform
- Feature 1: Easily sell overseas via Mercari Shops
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- Sell items to overseas buyers with virtually the same operation as selling in Japan—no special arrangements needed.
- Feature 2: Secure transaction system
- Mercari offers features that support the most complex and specialized tasks, such as the handling of various overseas payment methods, complicated international shipping and customs procedures, and customer support in foreign languages. We will build a safe and secure system through reliable partnerships with Stripe for payments and Sagawa Express for shipping. We will also offer customizable sales settings by country and region to help avoid conflicts with local licensors. Starting in the first half of 2026, we will also introduce the Safe Appraisal feature through partnerships.
- Feature 3: A foundation that supports growth
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- Not only can businesses list items, but they can also leverage Mercari‘s vast overseas network and expertise to deliver their items to fans around the world more efficiently. In the future, we will continue to support the growth of businesses by rolling out features such as theme pages for businesses, a “verified badge” that allows businesses to signify that their items are official, and more.
■ Future outlook
The Global App will be available in Taiwan and Hong Kong starting today, and is scheduled to launch in the United States in the spring of 2026. We aim to continue expanding availability of the app to over 50 countries and regions within the next 3 years, and to over 100 countries and regions in the mid to long term. We also plan to release updates to the UI and UX, and will continue to update the app to improve the experience for our users.
Through our new crossborder transaction business strategy, Mercari aims to create the “No.1 Overseas Marketplace From Japan,” and we will continue to promote the circulation of all forms of value globally going forward.