[Permanent Preservation Edition] 7 Secrets to Setting "Effective" Keywords for Mercari Reselling

80% of the success in Mercari reselling is determined by keyword settings.

This is no exaggeration.

Even if you use the same tools, the quality of the products you find will be completely different depending on whether you are good at setting keywords or not.

In this article, I will introduce 7 tips for keyword settings that you can use immediately.

Secret 1: Cast a wide net for brand names using "Japanese OR English OR Abbreviations"

Brand name notation varies depending on the seller.

❌ Nike (Japanese) → ✅ Nike (Japanese) OR Nike OR NIKE

❌ Louis Vuitton (Japanese) → ✅ Louis Vuitton (Japanese) OR "Louis Vuitton" OR LV OR Vuitton

If you don't capture variations in notation using OR, you will miss out on opportunities. The basics of how to combine AND/OR/NOT like this are also explained in detail in What is "Boolean Search" to increase Mercari reselling search accuracy by 10 times?.

Secret 2: For negative keywords, "the more, the better" is just right

A common mistake beginners make is having too few negative keywords.

For example, when looking for a game console, even if you stack up `NOT junk NOT broken NOT power-only NOT read-error NOT controller NOT case NOT cover NOT stand NOT box-only NOT accessories NOT "parts-only"`, it might still not be enough.

You might think, "Wow, that many?" But, if your exclusions are weak, you will receive a flood of notifications for unnecessary products, causing you to miss the notifications you actually need.

Secret 3: Think in terms of "words sellers are likely to use"

Sellers are not product professionals. They often use unique expressions and abbreviations.

For example, when looking for unused items, expand beyond just "new" to include `new OR unused OR unopened OR "new unused" OR BNIB OR "with tags" OR "like new"`. The trick is to imagine the seller's writing habits and build your keywords accordingly.

Secret 4: Exclude the very things you are "not looking for"

Be conscious of and exclude "other products" that hit on the same keywords, not just the keywords for the product you are looking for.

For example, when looking for a "PS5 console", entering "PS5" will also hit PS5 controllers, PS5 headsets, PS5 software, PS5 skin stickers, etc. You need to narrow it down like `PS5 AND console NOT controller NOT headset NOT software NOT skin NOT sticker NOT "simultaneous"`.

Secret 5: Limit to the "profitable range" by price bracket

It is not just about keywords; setting a price range is also important. The process is: (1) Research the market price of the item -> (2) Calculate the purchase price that yields a profit -> (3) Monitor only that range.

For example, if an iPhone has a market price of 50,000 yen, with fees and shipping totaling about 7,000 yen and a target profit of 5,000 yen or more, the maximum purchase price is 38,000 yen. By setting the price range to "minimum 10,000 yen, maximum 38,000 yen," you can exclude notifications for items priced higher than the market rate and focus only on profitable items.

Secret 6: Use category specification to exclude "different genres"

With keywords alone, items from unexpected categories may appear in your search results. For example, searching for "Nike Air Max" will hit not only sneakers but also keychains, posters, and patterned T-shirts. Simply limiting the category to "Shoes > Sneakers" will wipe out this noise.

Secret 7: Review periodically

It is not a "set it and forget it" task. As a rule of thumb, take action once a week by checking if there are too many unnecessary notifications and adding exclusion keywords, adjusting the upper and lower price limits when market prices change, adding new keywords when new models are released, and reviewing genres with seasonal demand fluctuations like apparel. By cycling through PDCA, the accuracy of your keywords will continue to improve.

No matter how much you refine your keywords, it is meaningless if you are slow to purchase after receiving a notification. The reasons why popular genres are prone to bidding wars and how to deal with them are also covered in Mercari Reselling Bidding Wars: Why Are You Always the "Runner-Up"?.

Summary

1. Capture variations in notation—specify Japanese, English, and abbreviations using OR

2. Use plenty of exclusions—fundamentally reduce unnecessary notifications

3. Think from the seller's perspective—imagine the words sellers use

4. Exclude "different items"—be aware of other products with the same name

5. Narrow down by price range—monitor only the range that yields profit

6. Use categories in combination—eliminate noise from other genres

7. Review periodically—improve accuracy through PDCA

To make full use of these secrets

The 7 secrets above—especially the Boolean search techniques in (1), (2), and (3)—cannot be used unless the tool supports them.

Flea Market Hunter fully supports AND/OR/NOT, grouping with parentheses, and category/price range specification. If you want to compare the differences with other monitoring tools, please also check out [2026 Latest] Thorough Comparison of Mercari Monitoring and Notification Tools.

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