Response Time Expectations
Japanese buyers expect replies within hours, not days. Here's the timing playbook for messages, shipping, and disputes.
Japanese flea market culture values 迅速な対応 (swift response) as a sign of trustworthy seller behavior. Slow replies don't just frustrate buyers — they affect your seller rating, search ranking on Mercari, and reputation. Understanding the unspoken timing expectations is one of the biggest gaps for foreign sellers.
The timing playbook
These are the unwritten norms. Sellers who consistently meet these get higher ratings and more repeat buyers.
(reference: respond to comments within 4 hours during the day, 12 hours overnight)
| What it means | Reply to comments within 4 hours during daytime (9am-9pm JST). Overnight comments → reply by next morning. |
| When to send | This is the norm, not a phrase to send. |
| Tone | Mercari's algorithm boosts listings from sellers who reply quickly. Slow replies = lower visibility. |
(reference: ship within 1-2 days of purchase)
| What it means | Most listings should ship within 1-2 days. Match what you set in 発送までの日数 (days until shipping) on the listing. |
| When to send | This is the norm, not a phrase to send. |
| Tone | If your listing says '1-2日で発送', ship within that window. If you can't, send a delay message immediately. |
When you'll be late — send this proactively
If shipping will be delayed beyond your stated window, send this BEFORE the buyer asks. Proactive notification is the gold standard.
お世話になっております。 発送について、ご連絡が遅くなり申し訳ございません。 ○月○日に発送予定でしたが、○月○日まで延びる見込みです。 大変申し訳ございませんが、ご了承いただけますと幸いです。
| What it means | Hello. I apologize for the delayed update on shipping. I had planned to ship on (date) but it will now be delayed until (date). I'm very sorry for this and appreciate your understanding. |
| When to send | As soon as you know shipping will be late. Don't wait for the buyer to ask. |
| Tone | Apologetic-default. Replace ○月○日 with actual dates. The proactive nature is what matters. |
Worse than a late reply is no reply. If you don't know when you'll ship, send a message saying so anyway. Buyers tolerate delays they're informed about. They don't tolerate silence.
Late-night and weekend expectations
You don't need to reply at 2am, but the threshold for 'reasonable' is shorter than you might think.
(reference: business-hour replies are expected within 4 hours; off-hours within 12)
| What it means | 9am-9pm: reply within ~4 hours. 9pm-9am: reply by next morning. Weekends: same as weekdays — Japanese sellers don't take 'weekends off' from Mercari. |
| When to send | This is the norm, not a phrase to send. |
| Tone | If you regularly take 12+ hour breaks, your seller rating will drop over time. |