We are right in the middle of the new life season.
Many of you may be turning over a new leaf in a new land or environment after finishing entrance exams or job hunting!
Spring cleaning or moving may result in unneeded items, and there are likely things you need to purchase anew.
We live in a wonderful era where items ordered online can arrive within a few days, no matter where you are in Japan.
Platforms that quickly match the demands of buyers and sellers, whether individuals or corporations, are abundant.
eBay, the online marketplace supporting such e-commerce, held the “eBay Japan Awards 2023” to honor Japanese sellers who achieved outstanding results in domestic cross-border e-commerce (overseas sales) during the 2023 fiscal year.
Leading Sellers Representing Japan Gather at “eBay Japan Awards 2023”
The “eBay Japan Awards 2023” was held to honor Japanese sellers who achieved outstanding results through eBay, one of the world's largest online marketplaces.
A total of 16 individuals and corporations received awards across 6 categories.
Seller of the Year: Syuppin Co., Ltd.
The "Seller of the Year" grand prize, given to the seller with the highest overall evaluation based on sales performance on eBay in 2023 and buyer feedback, was awarded to Syuppin Co., Ltd.
Syuppin Co., Ltd. deals in watches and road bikes, with its 30-year-old camera business as its core.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
Since we handle daily operations through a division of labor including procurement, pricing, product creation, and customer support, we focused on strengthening cooperation between each section and improving work efficiency.
Additionally, by re-evaluating how we use data, we reduced work duplication and aimed to streamline operations, making adjustments so we could handle many orders without increasing resources.
Q. Are there any sales trends you felt in 2023?
I think film camera sales have been active on eBay until now, but over the past year, I believe the shift from film cameras to digital cameras has become particularly strong.
Also, perhaps because we live in an era where photos can be taken easily with smartphones, there is a tendency for digital cameras to become items of higher personal preference, and an increase in average unit price was also observed.
Q. Are there parts of your business where you feel the post-COVID-19 era?
Our company also has a physical store in Shinjuku, and on busy days, more than half of the demand comes from inbound tourism.
There were instances where people who used eBay visited our physical store in Japan and complimented us on the good experience they had on eBay.
New Seller of the Year: Seigo Makita
The "New Seller of the Year" rookie award, given to the seller who started selling on eBay after 2022 and grew sales the most, was awarded to Seigo Makita.
As a sole proprietor, he mainly deals in golf-related products.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
After establishing a solid product lineup, I identified needs and worked on resolving buyer anxiety by increasing the number of photos and descriptions to make the pages easier to understand.
Q. Please tell us the reason for choosing the sole proprietor format and its advantages and disadvantages.
I am currently operating as a sole proprietor because of tax advantages and because I didn't know the sales forecast for the entire year.
So far, I haven't felt any major disadvantages, but I am discussing the future with my tax accountant.
Q. Are there trends in best-selling products?
Models sold a little while ago are circulating in the Japanese market as high-quality used items, and they have a good reputation among overseas customers.
Q. You achieved results in a short period since opening your store; where did you learn the know-how?
I previously worked for a domestic e-commerce company in Japan, so I am applying the knowledge gained there to cross-border e-commerce.
I aimed for efficiency by handling products with the highest possible unit prices.
Q. I believe business involving holding inventory carries risks, but...
I think the trust factor is significant.
If you have inventory, you can respond to requests like "I want to see this part of the product" by increasing the number of photos, and since you can shorten the period until shipping, customer satisfaction is also high.
Category Growth Award
Handbags Category: JFA Co., Ltd.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
For fixed-price listings, we procured products with a consciousness of trends and listed products with high visibility.
Additionally, for auction-style listings, we adopted a policy of listing a certain number of items every day to ensure reliable sales.
Watches Category: aonohappa Co., Ltd.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
We mainly focused on increasing the number of listings and the use of advertisements.
Particularly due to the effects of advertisements and promotional tools we hadn't used before, we saw a considerable improvement in impressions and page viewers.
Jewelry Category: Komehyo Co., Ltd.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
Regarding the e-commerce business, we focused most on cross-border e-commerce.
Partially due to the weak yen, we were able to grow more than expected. To ensure satisfaction beyond just price, we made an effort to continuously list many products, handle customer interactions thoroughly and politely just like domestic e-commerce, and ship quickly.
Sneakers Category: Refort, Ltd.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
We worked for a year with the goal of winning the award for two consecutive years.
We were conscious of always staying at the forefront as a top sneaker seller and creating an overwhelming lead.
Additionally, besides selling on eBay, we devoted ourselves to the production and promotion for the release of the eBay customer service tool BayChat developed by our company.
Collectible Card Games Category: Collect Co., Ltd.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
We opened a card shop last September, and we have been focusing on preparations for that opening and operations after opening.
We started in a state of not knowing our left from our right, but through repeated trial and error, things have somehow taken shape.
By starting the card shop, there are many positives for eBay as well, so we want to grow both through that synergy in the future.
Anime Goods Category: Oh-ami Inc. (AmiAmi Japan)
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
We focused on international sales strategy. Specifically, we implemented improvements to infrastructure including logistics facilities, exhibited at multiple overseas anime events, and strengthened marketing.
Within that, on eBay, in addition to traditional new product sales, we aimed to raise the base of active listings by listing more used products.
Video Games Category: MondoLife Co., Ltd.
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
We put effort into improving product delivery speed.
We focused on adjusting handling times and increasing staff.
Automotive Parts Category: Laffey Co., Ltd. (car-jp.sushi)
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
After hearing about Bad Buyer Experience (BBE) from eBay, our company established "Best Buy Experience" (BBE) as our slogan and has been active throughout 2023 to provide the best customer-first purchasing experience.
Cameras Category: Syuppin Co., Ltd. (Map Camera)
This award was received simultaneously with Seller of the Year.
Sporting Goods Category: Seigo Makita (JapanGolf Ayasetrade)
This award was received simultaneously with New Seller of the Year.
Musical Instruments Category: Ray (L’amitie Store)
Q. Please tell us what you focused on most in 2023.
Various things happened in 2023, and personally, it was a year of endurance, but even so, I steadily focused on raising the base of business quality.
Among those efforts, what I focused on most was building a customer response system and optimizing the packaging and shipping system.
By providing prompt and accurate information and safe and efficient product shipping, I provided a sense of trust to customers and improved customer satisfaction.
These initiatives are part of the factors that led to receiving the 2023 eBay Award, and at the same time as building deep relationships with customers, they contributed greatly to improving business performance.
eBay Cross-Border E-Commerce Report Released
On eBay, one of the world's largest online marketplaces, transactions are happening around the world even now.
eBay Japan Inc. announced sales trends for items listed by Japanese sellers from January to December 2023.
In terms of transaction volume, luxury goods such as "Women's Apparel & Bag Brand Items" and "Watches, Parts & Accessories" maintained 1st and 2nd place, following the previous year.
In terms of growth rate by category, automotive parts ranked 1st with a 50.3% increase compared to the previous year. Digital cameras with a 42.6% increase and trading cards with a 25.8% increase followed in 2nd and 3rd place.
Popularity of Pokemon Cards Remains Steady
The Collectibles Category grew rapidly by 25.8%.
The influence of Pokemon cards, which are popular with both players and collectors, is tremendous, and it seems that "Pokemon Card 151," released on Friday, June 16, 2023, continues to sell even now.
Additionally, it was reported that the ONE PIECE Card Game, which has projects underway for its 2nd anniversary, saw a five-fold increase compared to 2022.
The 25th anniversary of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards is also boosting category popularity.
Comment from Naoki Kitamura, Head of Category Management Department
The 2023 fiscal year was a difficult situation with few external factors that would act as a major tailwind for cross-border e-commerce, such as currency stabilization and the revival of inbound tourism due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, even under such circumstances, the sales volume from Japan on eBay achieved remarkable double-digit growth and has maintained a stable, strong performance entering 2024. Additionally, with the full-scale introduction of the official multi-country expansion tool eBaymag, sales amounts for Europe grew by +21% and for the highly-watched Australia by +19% year-on-year, helping sellers develop new markets.
Changes in conditions such as the US Presidential Election are expected this year, but there are many factors where tailwinds can be expected, such as further rising awareness of sustainability rooted in society and increased demand for Japanese products accompanying the increase in foreign travelers due to the weak yen.
As for this year's outlook, we plan to expand the categories handled by the Authenticity Guarantee and enhance logistics services with SpeedPAK (eBay official logistics service), which is eBay's proprietary shipping service. We will proceed with further market expansion centered on these initiatives.
(Translated from Japanese)
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