Online flea market operator Mercari Inc. said Thursday it may keep some sought-after products off the platform to prevent malicious reselling, following the recent bulk buying and scalping of popular Pokemon trading cards.
Mercari's latest rule change is aimed at potential resellers who try to profit from selling high-demand products at high prices. It marks a departure for the popular market place where users were previously allowed to list any product at their own discretion, as long as it was legal.
It is the first time that Mercari has updated its so-called basic principles for users, which were created in 2021 when the reselling of COVID-related items that were in high demand, such as facial marks and disinfectants, became an issue.
The latest revision comes after revelations in August that Pokemon cards that came with the Happy Set combo meals offered by McDonald's Co. (Japan) fell victim to reselling.
Some people bought the meals in bulk solely to obtain the cards for resale and dumped the food without eating it.
The fast-food chain asked Mercari before the campaign launch to help address potential listings of the trading cards, a popular collectible item, but some cards were still resold at high prices.
The latest rule change will allow Mercari to prohibit certain products on the marketplace in some exceptional cases, including when listings are deemed illicit and price movements are volatile. The operator will also look at product reviews for harmful content.
"We will continue to revise (the basic rules) if needed so our market can be trusted," a Mercari official told a press conference.
==Kyodo
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