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Resale and secondhand · Mercari

Mercari Photo Requirements: 12 Photos Per Listing, No Pixel Spec

Every one of the 7 image rules below comes off a page Mercari publishes, with the source linked.

7 image rules7 read at MercariChecked 10 August 2026

The short answer

Mercari allows up to 12 photos per listing and publishes no minimum or maximum pixel size. Its US help centre returns zero results for pixel and zero for resolution. What Mercari does specify is behaviour: natural lighting, plain backgrounds, a photo of every side, every flaw called out, and a first photo strong enough to earn the tap.

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What Mercari asks for

Every row states where it comes from. A rule read off a page Mercari publishes is marked as a primary source; a figure that circulates among sellers without appearing in the platform’s own documentation is marked and hedged, and it is never printed as though the two carry the same weight.

Mercari image requirements: photos per listing, official pixel requirement, first photo, background, lighting and colour, flaws and coverage, prohibited photo content
RequirementWhat Mercari asks forWhere it comes from
Photos per listingUp to 12.Stated in Mercari's Creating a Listing guide. Photos can be rearranged at any time after posting.Primary source
Official pixel requirementNone published. Mercari's US help centre returns 0 results for pixel and 0 results for resolution.Mercari's dedicated photo article, How to take great photos, is four illustrated panels with no written specification attached.Primary source
First photoThe first photo is the first thing shoppers see, so Mercari tells sellers to make it their best.Order is editable after listing, so a weak lead photo can be swapped without relisting.Primary source
BackgroundPlain backgrounds, so there are no distractions.This is a recommendation in Mercari's listing guide, not an upload check. A cluttered background does not block a listing.Primary source
Lighting and colourMercari recommends taking as many photos as possible in natural lighting to capture the item's exact colour.Primary source
Flaws and coveragePhotograph and call out any of the item's flaws, and take photos of every side of the item.Undisclosed damage is the usual root of a return request, so the flaw shot protects the sale as much as the buyer.Primary source
Prohibited photo contentPhotos that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racism or discrimination are not allowed, and neither are pornographic images or images of genitalia.Mercari's Offensive Materials policy applies to items, listings, photos and content alike.Primary source

Slide the table sideways to see every column.

  • Primary source means the value is read off a page Mercari publishes, linked under Sources below. 7 of 7 rows here are primary.
  • Platforms change these rules without announcing them. Every source below carries the date it was read, and the figures here were checked on 10 August 2026.

Why this matters on Mercari

Mercari is more forthcoming than most resale apps about how many photos you get, and completely silent about how big they should be. Twelve photos per listing is documented. A pixel dimension is not, and searching Mercari's own help centre for pixel or resolution returns nothing at all.

That silence matters because Mercari's photo guidance is behavioural rather than technical. It tells you to shoot in natural light so the colour is true, to use a plain background, to photograph every side, and to call out every flaw. Those are the instructions that decide whether the item sells and whether it comes back as a return.

The other half of the picture is content policy. Mercari's Offensive Materials rules apply to photos as directly as they apply to items, and a listing can be pulled over what is in the frame rather than what is for sale. Most sellers never come near that line. The ones who do usually did not realise the background counted.

The walkthrough

How do you get a photo through Mercari?

5 things in order, each one answering a question a seller actually types.

  1. How many photos does Mercari give you, and how should you spend them?

    Twelve. Mercari recommends taking as many as possible, and you can reorder them whenever you like. A twelve-slot plan that works for clothing and most hard goods:

    • Lead shot, whole item, plain background
    • Front, back and both sides
    • Brand and size label, readable
    • Sole, base or underside
    • Close-up of texture or hardware
    • Each flaw, one per slot, in focus
    • Included extras such as a box, dust bag or spare buttons

  2. What background does Mercari want?

    Plain, so there are no distractions. Mercari does not define a colour and does not enforce this at upload, so it is guidance rather than a rule you can fail.

    In practice a white or light neutral surface reads best in the Mercari feed, where thumbnails sit close together and a busy background makes the item hard to read at a glance. A white sheet, a sheet of posterboard or a clean floor all work.

  3. Why does Mercari keep insisting on natural light?

    Because colour accuracy drives returns. Mercari's stated reason for recommending natural lighting is to capture the item's exact colour, and a buyer who receives a different shade than the photo showed has a legitimate not-as-described claim.

    Shoot near a window with the curtains open, skip the flash, and do not correct the colour afterwards to make the item look better than it is.

  4. How much of the damage do you have to show?

    All of it. Mercari asks sellers to photograph and call out any of the item's flaws, and to take photos of every side. A pull, a scuff, a missing button and a faded seam each deserve their own slot with the camera close enough to see it.

    Disclosed damage costs you a little on price. Undisclosed damage costs you the sale, the shipping and the rating.

  5. What can get a Mercari photo taken down?

    Content, not quality. Mercari's Offensive Materials policy bars photos that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racism or discrimination, along with pornographic images and images of genitalia. It applies to the whole frame, so a poster, a flag or a screen in the background counts.

    Before uploading, look past the item at what else is in shot. Photomop is a photo studio that runs on your own device, and its object removal tool clears an unwanted item out of the background without a reshoot.

The settings, in one place

The Photomop preset for Mercari

Crop all twelve listing photos to one square shape with the item centred and even margin on each side, so the Mercari feed shows the same framing across the set and the lead shot never sits at a different scale from the details.

Crop image runs on your own device, at full resolution, with no watermark on the export.

Open crop imageHow on-device processing works

What goes wrong on Mercari

Every one of these is a real rejection or a real drop in placement, not a matter of taste.

  1. Uploading three photos when Mercari gives you twelve, then wondering why the listing gets skipped.

  2. Shooting under a ceiling light, which shifts the colour and turns an accurate description into a return.

  3. Leaving the lead photo as a detail crop, so the browse grid never shows what the item actually is.

  4. Assuming Mercari enforces a minimum resolution and skipping the check, when nothing in the app will warn you.

  5. Photographing an item on a bed or floor with unrelated household clutter and background content in frame.

  6. Hiding a flaw to protect the price, which Mercari explicitly asks sellers not to do.

Questions sellers ask

Mercari image requirements, answered

The questions people search for once a photo has already been refused.

All 22 platform guides
What size should Mercari photos be in pixels?

Mercari does not publish a pixel size. Searching its US help centre for pixel or resolution returns zero results. Shoot at your phone's native resolution, use natural light, and upload the original file.

How many photos can I add to a Mercari listing?

Up to 12, per Mercari's Creating a Listing guide. Mercari recommends taking as many as possible, and you can rearrange the order at any time after posting.

Does the first photo on Mercari matter more than the others?

Yes. Mercari states that the first photo is the first thing shoppers see and tells sellers to make it their best. Because photo order is editable, you can swap in a stronger lead shot without relisting.

Does Mercari require a white background?

No. Mercari recommends plain backgrounds so there are no distractions, but it does not specify a colour and does not check the background at upload.

Can a Mercari listing be removed because of a photo?

Yes, on content grounds. Mercari's Offensive Materials policy covers photos as well as items, and bars images promoting hatred, violence, racism or discrimination, plus pornographic images. It applies to everything visible in the frame, including the background.

Where these Mercari rules come from

Each link is the page the figures were read at, with the date it was opened and whether it could be read at all.

Same cluster

More platform guides

Neighbouring guides, so every platform in the set is one hop from every other.

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The tools this guide uses

Each one runs in the browser tab you are reading this in, on your own device.

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Elsewhere on Photomop

Get the file right before you upload it

Photomop is a photo studio that runs on your own device. Resize to the exact pixels Mercari asks for, compress to the weight limit, convert the format and batch the lot, all at full resolution with no watermark. The image glossary explains any word in the table above.

Open the toolboxAll 22 platform guides