Beyond Amazon and Rakuten: Other Notable E-Commerce Platforms in Japan

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Do you want to buy Japanese products but only know Amazon and Rakuten? Many people may not realize that Japan’s e-commerce market is actually dominated by local platforms with international ones as supplements.

According to 2021 data, Rakuten Market’s gross merchandise volume exceeded $45 billion, firmly holding the top spot, while Amazon Japan closely followed with $23 billion in net sales.

This simple Japan e-commerce platform comparison reveals that beyond the two giants, the market has many treasure platforms targeting specific needs, waiting for you to discover.

Key Takeaways

• Japan’s e-commerce market has more than just Amazon and Rakuten – there are many characteristic platforms.
• ZOZOTOWN is Japan’s largest fashion apparel site, offering exclusive collaborations and precise size recommendations.
• Mercari is Japan’s largest second-hand trading platform where you can find various rare items.
• Qoo10 Japan focuses on beauty discounts and K-wave products, especially the “Mega Wari” mega sales events.
• Yahoo! Shopping integrates with PayPay payment, offering high point rewards; SoftBank users get more benefits.

ZOZOTOWN: Fashion Trend Specialized Portal

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If you love Japanese style outfits, you absolutely cannot miss ZOZOTOWN. It is not only a benchmark in Japan’s fashion world but also stands unshaken amid fierce competition from Amazon and Rakuten as a trend leader.

Japan’s Largest Fashion Apparel Site

ZOZOTOWN is an e-commerce platform born for fashion, gathering various apparel, accessories, and shoes from high-end designer brands to affordable national brands. You can imagine it as a huge online department store where almost all Japanese brands you can think of are available.

How influential is it? As of 2022, ZOZOTOWN’s annual active users exceeded 11.7 million, continuing to grow. This number proves its unshakable position in Japanese consumers’ hearts, making it the top choice for grasping Japanese fashion trends.

Exclusive Collaborations and Size Recommendations

One major charm of ZOZOTOWN is its frequent exclusive collaboration products. These collaborations often span anime, gaming, and idol culture, creating dream items fans rush to collect. For example:

• Chainsaw Man collaboration series, launching apparel themed around characters like Denji and Pochita.
• Two successful collaborations with popular mobile game Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat. Hatsune Miku.

Besides buying limited items, ZOZOTOWN focuses on solving online shopping’s biggest pain point: size mismatch. Its launched ZOZOSUIT measurement technology uses full-body markers and algorithms to generate extremely accurate 3D body models with average error of only 3.7 mm. This technology lets you bid farewell to traditional S/M/L sizes, directly recommending best-fitting clothing. Additionally, there is ZOZOMAT for shoe size recommendations and ZOZOGLASS for beauty color matching, comprehensively enhancing your shopping experience.

Overseas Buyer Tip

ZOZOTOWN mainly serves the Japanese domestic market and does not provide overseas direct shipping. For overseas friends wanting to buy, you need to use “forwarding services” or “proxy buying services.”

Simply put, the process is: you place order on ZOZOTOWN, ship goods to forwarding company’s Japan warehouse address, then forwarding company ships to you. For generated service fees or international shipping, you can consider using payment tools like Biyapay – it helps you easily handle JPY currency conversion and payment, making the entire process smoother.

Mercari: Second-Hand Treasure Hunting Top Choice

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If you want to find out-of-print anime peripherals, rare idol goods, or well-conditioned second-hand luxury items, Mercari is definitely your treasure hunting paradise. It is like a nationwide online flea market with massive new listings daily, letting you always have new discoveries.

Japan’s Largest Second-Hand Trading Marketplace

Mercari is the absolute leader in Japan’s C2C (consumer-to-consumer) market, with over 20 million monthly active users. Huge traffic means extremely rich product variety, from latest trendy items to nostalgic antiques.

You can find on it:

• Trading cards
• Games, toys, and peripherals
• Fashion apparel
• Out-of-print records
• Models or plastic kits
• Second-hand cameras and audio equipment

No matter what you want to find, it is worth searching Mercari first – surprises are often hidden there.

Fixed Price System for Easy Treasure Hunting

Unlike traditional auction sites, Mercari’s biggest advantage is the fixed price system. You do not need to spend time bidding or worry about being outbid at the last moment. See a liked price, directly place order. This mode makes treasure hunting simple and relaxing.

Overseas Buyer Must-Read: Proxy Buying Is the Only Way

Mercari has very strict restrictions on overseas users; it blocks overseas IP addresses and credit cards. This means you cannot directly register or buy. To treasure hunt on Mercari, you must use proxy buying platforms.

Proxy buying platforms help you place orders in Japan, receive goods, then ship to you. Of course, this incurs extra fees. Here is fee reference for some common proxy buying platforms:

When you need to pay these JPY fees, consider using payment tools like Biyapay – it helps you easily handle currency conversion and payment, simplifying tedious payment process.

Qoo10 Japan: Beauty Discounts and K-Wave Hub

If you love following latest beauty trends, especially fond of Korean makeup and skincare, Qoo10 Japan is definitely your shopping top choice. This platform operated by eBay Japan stands out among young Japanese generations with unique promotions and rich products, becoming a major competitor in beauty market alongside Amazon and Rakuten.

Mega Wari Super Sales

Qoo10’s most attractive feature is the “Mega Wari” held four times a year. During this event, the platform issues large quantities of 20% OFF coupons, making product prices extremely competitive.

This sales event has super high popularity among Gen Z and makes Qoo10 an important partner for Korean beauty brands entering Japan market. The platform even launched “Mega Debut” plan to support emerging brands and holds offline beauty festivals, further expanding its influence in beauty field. For you, this means buying latest, trendiest beauty products at most cost-effective prices.

Korean Beauty and Affordable Gadgets

Qoo10 is truly a K-wave hub. Many Korean brands choose here for new product launches or exclusive sets. According to platform’s “Mega Beauty Awards,” you can easily find current most popular products.

• Anua: Its Retinol 0.3 Niacin Renewing Serum won award, popular anti-aging choice.
• Skin&Lab: Highly praised for Glutathione Ampoule Toner.
• fwee: Its 3D Voluming Gloss lip glaze creates three-dimensional full makeup look, deeply loved.
• Medicube: As professional skincare brand, its PDRN Pink Peptide Ampoule also on list.

Besides beauty, you can find various affordable daily gadgets, trendy apparel, and Korean food on Qoo10 – a platform full of surprises.

Overseas Buyer Tip

Compared to Mercari, Qoo10 is much friendlier to overseas buyers. Some stores support overseas direct shipping, allowing direct orders. However, carefully confirm if the store provides international shipping at checkout. If transaction requires handling JPY payment or currency conversion, consider using payment tools like Biyapay to simplify process.

Yahoo! Shopping: Comprehensive Mall Integrated with PayPay

Are you already a loyal PayPay user? If yes, Yahoo! Shopping is definitely a comprehensive e-commerce platform you cannot miss. It deeply integrates with Japan’s No.1 cashless payment tool PayPay, creating an extremely attractive point reward ecosystem for users.

PayPay Payment and Point Rewards

Yahoo! Shopping’s biggest feature is perfect integration with PayPay payment system. PayPay has over 70 million registered users in Japan, a national-level payment app. When shopping on Yahoo! Shopping, using PayPay payment lets you enjoy generous point rewards.

Daily Point Reward Plan

• Using “PayPay After Payment,” “PayPay Balance,” or “PayPay Card” payment, daily maximum 5% PayPay points.
• If also Yahoo! Premium member, reward rate can rise to 7%.

This means every purchase accumulates funds for next shopping – a big incentive for budget-conscious you. This continuous high reward rate makes Yahoo! Shopping stand out in price competition.

Exclusive Benefits for SoftBank Users

If you are SoftBank or Y!mobile user in Japan, your benefits on Yahoo! Shopping go even further. The platform provides exclusive offers for these specific users, making your shopping experience more cost-effective.

SoftBank users enjoy these exclusive benefits:

• Points Multiplied: Shopping on Yahoo! Shopping earns 10 times standard reward points.
• Membership Free: Essentially free Yahoo! Premium membership, directly unlocking higher point rewards mentioned earlier.

These offer strategies successfully bind telecom services with e-commerce platform, creating irresistible shopping reasons for specific user groups.

2024 Latest Japan E-Commerce Platform Comparison Overview

After browsing so many platforms, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. To help you clearly grasp differences, we compare from three angles: features, product types, and overseas buyer friendliness, helping you quickly find the most suitable one.

Platform Features and Core Advantages

Each platform has unique operating strategy and customer attraction methods. You can see their core advantages at a glance through the Japan e-commerce platform comparison table below.

Main Product Types Analysis

Locking the right platform lets you fastest find what you want to buy. This Japan e-commerce platform comparison lets you understand each site’s popular product types.

• ZOZOTOWN: Mainly sells Japanese brand apparel, exclusive collaboration products, shoes, bags, and accessories.
• Mercari: Covers everything, especially suitable for finding anime figures, idol peripherals, trading cards, second-hand luxury, out-of-print items, and vintage cameras.
• Qoo10 Japan: Strength in Korean beauty skincare, trendy makeup, and affordable daily gadgets.
• Yahoo! Shopping: As comprehensive mall, strengths in home appliances, food, daily necessities, and outdoor gear.

Overseas Buyer Friendliness Rating

For overseas you, whether platform supports overseas shipping and payment is key to shopping experience.

Overseas Shopping Cost Tip

When using proxy buying or forwarding services, besides product price itself, you need to pay extra fees like about $3-5 USD service fee and international shipping. You can consider using payment tools like Biyapay – it helps you easily handle these USD or JPY payments and currency conversions, simplifying tedious cross-border shopping process.

Hope this Japan e-commerce platform comparison gives you new understanding of Japan’s online shopping world. Japan’s e-commerce market diversity far exceeds your imagination. Now, you can make the smartest choice based on your needs:

• Pursuing Fashion Trends: Head to ZOZOTOWN.
• Enjoying Second-Hand Treasure Hunting: Explore Mercari.
• Snapping Discount Beauty: Lock on Qoo10.
• Accumulating PayPay Points: Do not miss Yahoo! Shopping.

Bravely step out of familiar platforms and explore these characteristic sites! Your Japan online shopping experience will level up.

FAQ

Why can’t I directly buy on some Japanese sites?

Many Japanese platforms like Mercari and Yahoo! Shopping restrict overseas IP addresses and credit cards. This is to reduce transaction risks and management difficulties. Thus, you need proxy buying services to successfully place orders.

What is the difference between “forwarding” and “proxy buying”?

Forwarding: You place order yourself, ship goods to forwarding company’s Japan warehouse, then they ship to you. You handle shopping process. Proxy Buying: You provide product link; proxy platform handles all purchasing, receiving, and shipping steps for you.

What to note when buying second-hand on Mercari?

Before buying, carefully read product description and photos to confirm condition. You can ask seller questions through proxy platform. Remember to include proxy service fee and international shipping in total cost to assess if worthwhile.

If I have no JPY credit card, how to pay?

You can use payment tools supporting multiple currencies. For example, mentioned Biyapay helps you handle currency conversion and pay JPY fees, making cross-border payment process simpler.