TOKYO - Mercari, a major player in Japan’s flea market app industry, announced new countermeasures this week to address the growing number of disputes occurring between buyers and sellers as more people turn to secondhand marketplaces.
Street interviews highlighted how widely these apps are used. A woman in her 20s said she sells things like textbooks and old game consoles. An 18-year-old student said she shops for clothes because she can get them more cheaply. A man in his 20s shared a bad experience: "I bought a camera, but it was defective. I had already submitted the receipt confirmation, so I couldn’t cancel it."
As such transactions increase, so do complaints. In one case six months ago, a seller shipped a plastic model kit to a buyer who later requested a return. When the return arrived, it turned out to be filled with trash—an example of so-called “return fraud.”
The woman affected said, “The buyer insisted they had sent the correct item and said the deal would be canceled with no compensation whatsoever.”
In an effort to resolve such cases, Mercari allows disputed items to be sent to a product inspection center. One such item processed recently was a blue cardigan.
According to Sato Aya of Mercari’s consumer support team, the center checks "whether the color, brand, and condition of the product match the listing and photos." Even if the seller followed the rules, customers may still claim the item was not as expected. In such cases, Mercari recovers the item and provides compensation.
Center director Miyasaka Yohei said, "We can now provide compensation within about two days of receiving the item."
Some disputes have involved even more unusual errors, such as receiving a stove instead of a waste processor.
To address malicious behavior more proactively, Mercari has rolled out a new AI-powered system. By monitoring the number of return requests and total compensation claimed, the system flags accounts that appear to be abusing the platform. Confirmed cases of abuse may result in account termination.
CEO Sako Toshisuke of Mercari Marketplace said, “When malicious behavior is detected, restrictions will be applied automatically or we’ll intervene immediately to resolve the issue. We intend to make strong use of AI in these efforts.”
The company has stated that it will provide full compensation quickly to victims of fraud. As scams become more sophisticated, swift and effective responses are becoming increasingly critical.
Source: 日テレNEWS
