Can You Add Video to Mercari? Practical Ways to Show an Item Works

It is natural to want to add video to a Mercari item page. For electronics, toys, instruments, watches, and similar items, video can show movement, sound, and condition more clearly than photos alone.

However, Mercari's official listing flow covers adding product photos, the item name, category, condition, and price. You can add up to 20 product photos, but this official process does not show a step for uploading an item video.

All About's February 2024 explanation also states that Mercari does not have a video listing feature, while Yahoo! Flea Market supports video listings. In practice, the safer approach on Mercari is to first design your listing around what you can communicate with photos and the description.

If you cannot upload video directly, it may seem simple to put the video on YouTube or social media and paste the URL into the item description. Be careful here.

Mercari's official prohibited conduct includes actions that direct users to external services. Separate help pages also explain that directing users to social media or other external services is prohibited, including posting external contact methods in profiles, item descriptions, comments, transaction messages, or QR code images.

The final judgment depends on Mercari's own enforcement, but making a YouTube link or external video link prominent on an item page is not a safe standard tactic. On Mercari, it is more practical to make the item's condition clear within official features than to rely on external links that may violate the rules.

The first substitute for video is Mercari's 20-photo limit. Do not stop at one overall photo. Take separate photos of the item powered on, the display, included accessories, scratches, dirt, model numbers, ports, and any part related to operation.

In the description, simply writing "it works" is weak. Spell out the points buyers worry about. For used electronics, separate the facts about power-on status, main buttons, charging, sound, screen display, and included accessories. For instruments, separate sound checks, crackling noise, poor contact, strings, and parts condition.

Mercari's seller guidelines also recommend describing the item's condition, defects, specifications, and accessories in detail. The key is to break the information you wanted to show in one video into photos and bullet-style facts.

Even if you do not add video to the Mercari item page, recording a video can still be useful. For high-priced items, working electronics, audio equipment, and products with hard-to-describe condition, a short verification video before listing helps you avoid missing details when you write the description.

But posting that video as an external link in the item description is a separate issue. The information you can use inside Mercari is mainly photos, the description, comments, and transaction messages. If you record a video, the safer approach is to turn only the buyer-relevant facts from that video into photos and written details.

Examples include: "Confirmed that the item powers on," "Confirmed sound from both left and right speakers," "There is missing display area on the LCD," and "Charging cable is not included." Convert the video into facts that directly support the purchase decision.

Some products genuinely sell better with video: moving toys, instruments, audio gear, records, machine tools, and similar items. In those cases, rather than forcing a video link into a Mercari item page, it is better to also use a sales channel where video fits the format.

Yahoo! Flea Market has a video listing feature, and Yahoo!-related selling often has strong demand for video. On eBay, your own store, and sales pages that allow HTML or external media links, you can also use a dedicated player such as eCommercePlayer to show product videos or audio samples.

On Mercari, prioritize rule compliance and clear photos and descriptions. For products where video matters, list them in places where video can be used properly. That is the most realistic way to split your selling strategy.