Guide · Mercado Libre for US sellers
A US brand can reach Mercado Libre's buyers two ways. Global Selling (the Cross Border Trade program) is one account, registered to a US entity, listing in English and USD, paid in USD, shipping from the US or from Mercado Libre's warehouses in Mexico and Chile. A local seller account is one country, registered to a local entity with that country's tax ID, priced and paid in local currency, shipping through the domestic Mercado Envíos network. This page lays the two out on the decisions that matter, then covers running both, and how InfiPlex connects each.
Side by side
| Decision | Global Selling (CBT) | Local seller account |
|---|---|---|
| Who can register | A US-registered business: legal name, entity type, EIN, US principal place of business; a primary contact verifies ID with a selfie and facial check; non-resident owners add a passport and W-8 | A person or company registered in that country with its tax identifier: RFC in Mexico, CNPJ in Brazil, CUIT in Argentina, NIT in Colombia, RUT in Chile |
| Countries | Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina from one account, each as its own marketplace user | One country per account; a second country is a second entity and a second account |
| Listing language and price | Listed in English at the CBT level in USD; Mercado Libre translates to Spanish or Portuguese and converts to local prices, with net-proceeds pricing available per market | Listed in the local language and currency; you set the local price |
| Payout | USD by international wire or Payoneer every two weeks; balances under USD 500 roll to the next cycle | Mercado Pago in local currency, on that country's release schedule |
| Shipping | Remote: ship from the US with a partnered-carrier label, hand-off within 3 business days. Full: send stock to Mercado Libre's warehouses in Mexico or Chile, or to its US center in Texas, and Mercado Libre delivers | Domestic Mercado Envíos: Full, Flex, cross docking, drop-off, or your own carrier, all in-country |
| Duties and taxes | Import duties and taxes on cross-border parcels are calculated by Mercado Libre from listing weight and dimensions and passed to the buyer | Domestic sale; local VAT or IVA obligations sit with your local entity |
| Buyer communication | Mercado Libre's translator covers questions, post-sale messages, and claims in English; reputation still expects replies within 24 hours | In the local language, by you |
| Listing limits | Caps per country set by reputation, for example up to 10,000 active listings for a green seller in Mexico | Caps by reputation for that site |
| Stock model | A Remote global item has one quantity shared by every country it is listed in; Full stock is counted separately per warehouse | Stock per listing, or per warehouse where distributed stock is enabled |
| API | Global Selling API: one global token operates every marketplace user; parent CBT item plus a child item per country; /marketplace/ resources | The standard site API for that country and seller id |
Choosing
Global Selling is the answer when you do not have a legal entity in the country, when you want to test five markets before committing stock to any of them, or when your catalog ships fine at cross-border speed. Working capital stays light and the seller-side paperwork is a US company's paperwork. The cost is delivery time and buyer-paid duties on every parcel, which caps conversion on price-sensitive categories.
A local account is the answer when you already have the entity, the tax ID, and either local stock or an importer of record. Delivery drops to domestic speed, duties leave the buyer's checkout, and Full and Flex open up. The cost is the entity itself: registration, local tax filings, local-currency payouts to repatriate, and a separate account per country.
Running both is normal for a brand with a Mexican or Brazilian subsidiary: the local account carries the fast-moving catalog from in-country stock, Global Selling carries the long tail and the other countries from the US. Mercado Libre's program is one international account covering several countries; separate accounts belong to separate legal entities or brands, so a local account beside a Global Selling account is the intended shape, not a workaround.
Automation
A Global Selling account connects to InfiPlex as one channel: orders from every marketplace user pull about every 15 minutes, the DHL label prints at pack, tracking posts back, and inventory feeds the shared global item quantity with a buffer sized for cross-border lead times. A local account connects as its own channel with its own settings, buffer, and log types. Both draw on the same warehouses and the same inventory pool as Amazon, Shopify, and every other channel, so a unit sold to a Brazilian buyer through the local account is not sold again to a Chilean buyer through Global Selling. The order flow itself is on CBT order lifecycle and shipping; the listing structure is on the Global Selling API guide.
Frequently asked
No. Global Selling registers to a US business with an EIN and a verified primary contact. A local tax ID is only needed for a local seller account, or for holding your own imported stock in-country outside Mercado Libre's Full program.
Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina for direct-to-consumer shipping with partnered carriers; Mercado Envíos Full is available in Mexico and Chile. Mercado Libre adjusts coverage, so confirm the current list in Global Selling when you enroll.
In USD, by international wire or to a Payoneer account, every two weeks, less applicable fees. A pending balance under USD 500 is deferred until it reaches the minimum.
Yes. Global Selling sellers can send stock to Mercado Libre's Full warehouses in Mexico and Chile, or to its fulfillment center in Texas, and Mercado Libre handles delivery from there. Full stock is counted separately from the Remote quantity on the global item.
The buyer, at checkout. Mercado Libre calculates duties and taxes per country from the weight and dimensions on the listing, which is why those fields have to be accurate.
Yes, and it is the intended shape when you have a local entity: one international account for cross-border, one local account per country where you hold stock. In InfiPlex they are two connections drawing on one inventory pool.
Yes. Global Selling uses a global user whose token operates every marketplace user, a parent CBT item with a child item per country, and the /marketplace/ resources for items, orders, and shipments. A local account is a standard site seller with its own site id.
Yes. A Global Selling account connects as one channel covering every marketplace user; a local account connects as its own channel. Both share warehouses and inventory with every other connected channel.
Resources
Global Selling and local accounts connected as separate channels, sharing stock with everything else you sell on. Live in 1–3 business days.
Tell us your current setup and where you hold stock and we will map the connections. Contact us, email info@infiplex.com, or call 888‑770‑0857.
InfiPlex™ is a trademark of InfiPlex. Mercado Libre, Mercado Envíos, and Mercado Pago are trademarks of MercadoLibre, Inc. InfiPlex is an independent integration provider and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Mercado Libre. Program rules, country coverage, fees, and payout terms are set by Mercado Libre and change; sources: Global Selling how-it-works and shipping solutions pages and the Global Selling developer documentation, as read September 28, 2026. Tax identifier requirements for local accounts are general and vary by country; verify with Mercado Libre and a local advisor.
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