Skip to main content
Card class: HeroCategory: Marketplace

At a glance

Ships-Within-3-Days Rate is the share of your orders dispatched inside Mercari’s recommended 3-day window. Let it sit below 90% for long and you risk losing the Fast Shipper badge and the search visibility that comes with it.
What it countsThe percentage of completed Mercari orders in the period that were shipped within 3 days of purchase, as recommended by Mercari.
Sample typeBackend API data from Mercari, refreshed on the standard data refresh.
Why it mattersFast dispatch drives the Fast Shipper badge, higher search placement, and better buyer ratings. Slipping below 90% puts all three at risk and can quietly suppress your listings.
Reading the valueHigher is healthier, and 90% is the line to stay above. Compare against the prior period to catch a developing slide early.
Currencypercent
Time window30D vsP
Alert trigger<90%
Sentiment keymer_ship_within_3d_rate
Rolesowner, operations

Calculation

Vortex IQ divides the number of orders shipped within 3 days of purchase by the total orders in the trailing 30-day window, expressed as a percentage, and shows the change against the prior comparable period. Shipping is timed from purchase to the carrier’s first acceptance scan, so printing a label alone does not count as shipped. Orders still inside their 3-day window are excluded until they ship or the window closes.

Worked example

A representative reading of Ships-Within-3-Days Rate for a typical Mercari reseller. A book reseller normally runs at 96%. On 18 Jun 26 the card reads 87% and is down versus the prior period, tripping the <90% alert. Looking back, a short trip meant several parcels missed their window. The seller catches up on the backlog and sets a reminder to mark vacation mode before the next trip, and the rate recovers above 90% within a week as old late orders age out of the 30-day window. Cross-reference Pending Shipment to see if a current backlog is about to drag the rate down again, and average review rating to check whether late dispatch has hurt feedback. When the rate dips, Vortex Mind traces upstream causes such as a fulfilment gap or a carrier delay, and Ask Viq answers plain-English questions like “which orders pushed my ship rate below 90% this month?”

Sibling cards merchants should reference together

CardWhy merchants reach for it
mer_pending_shipShows the current backlog that could push the rate down next.
mer_revenue_at_riskQuantifies the dollars exposed when dispatch slips past the window.
mer_avg_review_ratingReveals whether slow shipping has begun to harm buyer feedback.
mer_return_rateIndicates whether delays are leading to cancellations or returns.
mer_total_revenueConfirms whether a sales surge is straining your dispatch capacity.

Reconciling against Mercari

Where to look in Mercari’s own dashboard: Mercari surfaces shipping speed through your seller profile and the Fast Shipper badge status, and individual order pages show the time from purchase to the first carrier scan. There is no single percentage shown the same way this card frames it, so reconcile by sampling recent orders against their ship-by performance. Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:
ReasonDirectionWhat to do
Period boundary. The rate uses a rolling 30-day window, so an old late order ages out and lifts the rate without any new action.VariableMatch the period range.
Time zone. The 3-day window is measured in Mercari’s time zone, which can flip a borderline order between on-time and late.MarginalConfirm time zone match.
Filter scope. Shipping is timed to the carrier acceptance scan, not the label print, so a printed-but-undropped label counts as not yet shipped.VariableMatch filter settings.
Cross-connector reconciliation: Compare against your carrier’s scan log to confirm exactly when each parcel was accepted. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind.

Known limitations / merchant FAQs

Q: How often does Ships-Within-3-Days Rate update? It refreshes on the standard Vortex IQ data refresh, recalculating across the trailing 30-day window as orders ship and older ones age out. Q: Why does my Mercari dashboard show a different number? Mercari frames shipping speed through your badge status and per-order timings rather than a single 30-day percentage. Differences usually come from the window length or from whether label printing versus carrier scan is treated as shipped. Q: Does printing a label count as shipping on time? No. The clock stops at the carrier’s first acceptance scan, not when you print the label. A printed label that sits undropped past day 3 counts as a late ship, which matches how Mercari judges promptness. Q: Can I customise the alert threshold? Yes, sensitivity thresholds are configurable per profile in the Sensitivity tab. Adjust to match your business baseline rather than relying on the generic default.

Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre

Ships-Within-3-Days Rate is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Mercari and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. Start for free or book a demo to see this metric running on your own data.