For those still manually removing backgrounds.
That task,
could be significantly faster starting today.
Mercari has introduced a
“god-tier update” that sellers will be very happy about.
When listing on Mercari,
have you ever thought this?
“Removing backgrounds is such a hassle…”
You can remove backgrounds cleanly using tools like Photoroom, but
Image upload
Background removal
Save
Re-upload
This process,
steals your time little by little as the number of listings increases.
It’s fine for one item.
But when it becomes 10, 20, or 50 items,
it makes a huge difference.
Good news for those people.
Mercari adds a “background blur feature”
On March 9, 2026,
Mercari announced a new feature.
Its name is…
📸 One-tap background blur feature
When taking photos with the camera on the listing screen,
just tap the “blur button”.
With just this, the background will automatically blur.
AI automatically recognizes the product
This feature,
The AI recognizes the outline of the product and blurs only the background
is how it works.
In other words,
even if there are objects around,
even if the room is a bit messy,
even if the shooting location isn't perfect,
it means you can easily take photos as is.
As a result,
it's easier to get photos where only the product stands out.
A subtle but significant update
This isn't flashy, but
it's quite significant for those who want to increase their number of listings.
The process until now was,
Shoot → Edit → Save → Re-upload
but now it's closer to,
Shoot → List immediately
.
This difference is quite large.
Ultimately, listings are differentiated by
the accumulation of time saved on each item.
That is why
you should make good use of features like this.
However, it is not a cure-all
It is a convenient feature, but
of course, there are points to be aware of.
For example,
The colors of the product and background are similar
The lighting is weak
The outline is difficult to recognize
In cases like these,
the AI may not be able to judge well,
and the blur might not be applied cleanly.
In such situations, it is safer to use
Photoroom
Pixelcut
or similar tools as you have done before.
It is quite easy to use.
The steps are simple.
How to use
Update the Mercari app to the latest version
Launch the camera from the listing screen
Tap the 'blur' icon
That is all.
*Currently, this is only supported when shooting with the in-app camera only.
Support for album images is planned to be added sequentially in the future.
Conclusion: Using the right tool for the right job is best.
My recommendation is to use them selectively like this.
Products you want to showcase clearly
Photoroom
Pixelcut
Products where you just want to increase listing speed
Mercari's background blur feature
I think using them this way is quite efficient for now.
In the end, those who increase their listing speed are the strongest.
After all, on Mercari,
number of listings × consistency
is very important.
That is precisely why,
“getting stuck and stopping listings because it's a hassle”
is the biggest waste.
I think this latest feature is an update that reduces one of those “stopping points.”
If you tend to stop listing because background removal is a hassle, please try using it starting with today's listings.😊