Why does a Japan Mercari account get restricted? This guide explains Mercari's official rules on one-person-one-account, identity verification, prohibited behavior, VPN and overseas access, and what to do after you receive a restriction notice.
Chinese users often call Mercari (メルカリ) the "Japanese Xianyu" or "coal stove." When an account suddenly cannot list, buy, comment, or request a payout, the first reaction for many people is to switch devices, change the IP, or re-register. On Mercari Japan, however, these actions usually make the problem worse: the platform strictly enforces a one-person-one-account policy and may restrict access through VPNs, external servers, or from outside Japan.
What actually works is not faking your environment. It is using your own verified account, registering truthful information, only listing items that are allowed to be traded, following the platform's transaction flow, and completing the verification or appeal steps the transaction bureau asks for when you receive a restriction notice.
What types of Mercari account restrictions exist?
The Mercari guide on account usage restrictions groups restrictions into three broad categories:
- Time-limited restrictions: may last a number of hours or a defined number of days;
- Restrictions that only the platform can decide to lift: usually require identity verification or additional explanation, and the account is restored only when the platform decides a lift is appropriate;
- Indefinite restrictions: in cases of serious violations or when the platform judges that the user cannot follow the rules, the account may never be able to trade again.
Some serious behaviors can lead to an indefinite restriction even on a first offense. During a restriction you usually cannot list, buy, make an offer, request a price reduction, comment, or like, but you should still handle transactions already in progress and follow the platform's instructions on balances or refunds.
The most common reasons for restrictions
1. Registering or holding more than one account
The Mercari rule on improper use of accounts explicitly prohibits one person from holding or registering multiple accounts, except for accounts prepared for official campaigns. The platform also prohibits impersonating other people, using someone else's account, and transferring or trading accounts.
So when you change phone numbers, forget a password, or cannot log in to an old account, you should not simply register a new one. Recover the original account first, update your information, or contact the transaction bureau. Buying a so-called "old account," borrowing a Japanese friend's account, or several people sharing one personal account can all raise identity and ownership issues.
2. Personal information that does not match or cannot be verified
Mercari may ask you to confirm your identity whenever the platform considers it necessary. Until verification is complete, some or all of the service may be temporarily unavailable. The official identity confirmation guide explains that you must submit your information through a smartphone and the Mercari app; the platform will check your identity data against what is registered on the account, and the process cannot be completed on a PC or tablet.
Your name, date of birth, address, ID, and the information registered on the account should all match. Do not register with a randomly translated name, a made-up address, someone else's phone number, or a borrowed ID. When your information changes for legal reasons, update it through the platform's flow instead of opening a new account.
3. VPN, external servers, and overseas access
The Mercari help center clearly states that, to keep the service secure, the platform restricts access from external environments or from outside Japan. If your account shows the message "このユーザーは制限されています" but there is no obvious trading violation, the official suggestion is to first check whether:
- your network is identified as going through an external server;
- your current route shows as access from outside Japan;
- you have a VPN turned on on your device;
- you are accessing Mercari through an external app.
The official advice is to turn off the VPN, check your internet provider, and try again from a normal environment. This should not be read in reverse as "just switch to a proxy that looks more like Japan." Faking your location or constantly changing routes continues to trigger the security checks and does not solve identity, account, or trading violations.
4. Listing prohibited or licensed items
Mercari has specific restrictions on illegal goods, counterfeits, controlled items, and on sales that require a license you do not have. Before listing, check the latest prohibited categories, local laws, and category eligibility, especially for medicines, medical-related items, beauty products, food, alcohol, tickets, branded goods, and digital content.
"Others are selling it too" is not a compliance basis. After a listing is removed, reposting it with a new title or new images can escalate from a single product issue into repeated violations and an account restriction.
5. Inaccurate descriptions, photos, or item condition
The Mercari overview of prohibited behavior requires accurate transaction information and prohibits false or misleading descriptions, using other people's images or text without permission, listing third-party items on their behalf, and failing to provide photos that clearly show the item's condition.
For second-hand items, photograph the actual object and clearly show scratches, stains, missing parts, repairs, and packaging. For branded items, keep purchase, authentication, and receipt records. Do not lift images from an official site and pass them off as your own, and do not use "no returns" to override responsibilities that the platform rules still require you to take.
6. Trading outside the platform flow
Asking buyers to use a payment method outside the platform, moving people to an external service, having a third party handle the transaction, making offline handovers without agreement, or arranging side deals outside the platform can all violate the rules. The platform also prohibits fake transactions, family members buying from each other to fake activity, suspected money laundering, and actions that interfere with normal trading.
Keep all pricing, payment, shipping, cancellation, return, and review steps inside the flow Mercari provides, and keep the in-app communication records.
7. Repeated fulfillment and after-sales issues
Common risks include clicking "shipped" before the parcel is actually sent, long delays before shipping, incomplete tracking information, shipping methods that do not match the listing, refusing parcels, returning items without authorization, repeatedly failing to leave a review, or cancelling orders multiple times for seller-side reasons. When a logistics problem happens once, let the buyer know promptly and handle it through the platform's entry; when it happens repeatedly, it erodes the trust the account has built up.
Safer Mercari habits for 2026
Stick to one-person-one-account
The account is registered, verified, and used by the same person. When your phone or number changes, recover the original account first. Do not buy, rent, transfer, or hold accounts on someone else's behalf, and do not create accounts in bulk for family members.
Reconcile your information before you start trading
Confirm that your name, date of birth, address, phone, and ID documents are consistent, and that the email and phone you use most often can still receive verification. When identity confirmation is required, submit through the official entry inside the app; do not send your ID to anyone offering a "verification agent" service.
List each item with real product information
Use your own photos, pick the correct category, brand, size, and condition, and list defects and accessories. Make sure you can actually fulfill the price and shipping setup you have published; if stock is short, pause the listing first instead of selling and then looking for supply.
Use a normal, explainable network
Use a regular home or mobile network in your actual location and within the scope the platform allows. Do not log into Mercari with a VPN, rented server, remote desktop, or a constantly rotating batch of proxies. Frequently switching devices, countries, and networks also increases the verification burden on your account.
Handle transactions and notices promptly
Ship within the time you promised, use a trackable method, and fill in the information correctly. Check the "お知らせ" tab every day for individual messages from the transaction bureau. If you see a notice about a removed listing, identity verification, or a security alert, pause similar activity right away.
Keep compliance evidence
Keep the original photos of the actual item, purchase receipts, serial numbers, authentication records, shipping receipts, and chat logs. When something is misjudged, specific evidence is more helpful than a single sentence saying "I did nothing wrong." If you want to keep this account's login session and operating time separated from your everyday browsing so that you can later answer "when and from which environment did I log into this account," you can place Mercari in a dedicated browser environment. Workspaces such as PurpleMark record the runtime and activity of each environment, which can serve as a supplementary reference on top of the platform's own notices, but the tool's records do not replace Mercari's official notices or in-app evidence chain.
What to do after your account is restricted
Step 1: Stop repeated logins and re-registration
Do not keep trying passwords one after another, do not keep switching networks, and do not immediately register a new account. First, capture the error message and the time, and record the device, network, and action in use at that moment.
Step 2: Read the individual message from the transaction bureau
In the Mercari app or web version, open "お知らせ" → the notifications list → "事務局から個別メッセージ." The message may explain the reason, list the materials you need to submit, or describe the next step to lift the restriction.
Step 3: Complete the identity check or explanation that the platform asks for
If the platform asks for identity documents, a transaction explanation, or other materials, submit them only through the app and the official help entry. Make sure the files are clear and unmodified, and that your answers match what is on the account and in the transaction record.
Step 4: Check the network
If the restriction notice appears but you have no violation record and you are normally using Mercari from within Japan, check whether your VPN, corporate network, proxy, rented server, or network egress is being read as overseas. Turn those settings off and try again from a normal route.
Step 5: Contact the correct official channel
The Mercari help page on the reason for a restriction explains that you can ask about the reason for a restriction through the official consultation channel. When you contact them, include the account information, the error message, the transaction bureau's notice, the time, the device and network situation, and the materials that prove the listings and transactions are compliant.
Step 6: Wait reasonably for the decision
Whether a restriction is lifted depends on the nature of the violation and the platform's judgment. Sending the same ticket over and over, being rude to support, or submitting fake materials will not speed things up. According to Mercari's official guidance, indefinite restrictions are usually not lifted, and they should not be sidestepped by opening a new account.
FAQ
Can a Chinese user register a Mercari Japan account through a proxy?
You should not do that. Mercari restricts access from outside Japan or from external environments, and the account may also require real personal information and Japan-related service conditions. Do not use a proxy, borrow an identity, or buy an account to bypass the eligibility requirements.
Can one household have more than one Mercari account?
The rule is that each person can only have their own single account. Family members should each use their real identity, their own contact details, and their own account, and should not share, operate accounts on each other's behalf, or buy from each other to manufacture fake transactions.
Will switching to a new phone restore a restricted account?
If the cause is a trading violation, an identity issue, or improper use of the account, switching devices does not erase the record. Read the message from the transaction bureau and follow the official flow.
Does identity verification guarantee I will not be restricted?
No. Identity verification only covers part of the identity check; listings, descriptions, transactions, payments, shipping, after-sales, and account usage all still need to follow the rules.
Summary
The key to a stable Mercari account is not a set of "account-warming parameters." It is keeping your identity, account, listings, and transactions consistent: one account per person, real information that can be verified, accurate descriptions and real-item photos, payments and fulfillment kept inside the platform's flow, and a normal network.
When a restriction comes in, stop the cycle of retries and new registrations, read the transaction bureau's individual message, complete the identity check or supplementary evidence the platform asks for, and then consult the official channel. Buying accounts, sharing identities, turning on a VPN, or faking a Japan location can all turn a manageable security check into a more serious account violation.
