I believe most of you have used online shopping, flea markets, or auctions at least once.
Furthermore, many of you have probably experienced listing and selling items yourselves.
Since Japan is an island nation, when you want to sell your prized collection, you unconsciously think of selling domestically.
However! If you think about it, the world has 80 times the population of Japan, meaning 80 times the demand!
Moreover, items that can only be obtained in Japan also increase in scarcity value.
eBay Japan Co., Ltd. has launched "eBay SpeedPAK Economy," a new delivery service for the world's largest online marketplace, "eBay," for the Japanese domestic market!
It is a unique service that allows for safe and secure international shipping from your nearby Lawson or post office.
"eBay SpeedPAK Economy" Service Launches
eBay Japan Co., Ltd. has started providing the new service "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" for the Japanese domestic market.
The speakers at the press conference held in a certain location in Tokyo were:
- Masayuki Okada, President and Representative Director, eBay Japan Co., Ltd.
- Kang Zhang, General Manager of the Shipping Team, Cross-Border Business, eBay
- Ryosuke Ichida, Category Manager, Category Management Department, eBay Japan Co., Ltd.
- Takashi Ohori, Business Solution Manager, Ecosystem & Integration Department, eBay Japan Co., Ltd.
They took the stage and revealed the overview, advantages of the introduction, and future prospects of this service.
Comment from Masayuki Okada
I believe there are three major hurdles in cross-border e-commerce.
First is the cultural hurdle, and second is the language hurdle.
These two have become relatively easy to overcome by leveraging digital transformation, such as ChatGPT.
What remains at the end is "logistics."
The "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" we are introducing today is an innovative shipping solution that will significantly lower the logistics hurdle.
Cross-border e-commerce is finally becoming commonplace. Eventually, the word "cross-border" itself may disappear.
(Translated from Japanese)
Comment from Kang Zhang
We cooperated with the Japan team over the past year and launched the "eBay SpeedPAK Express" service in October 2023.
And we have put effort into today's announcement of "eBay SpeedPAK Economy."
SpeedPAK is eBay's largest delivery logistics network, managed by our partner Orange Connex.
Since 2018, we have delivered hundreds of millions of packages worldwide.
eBay will continue to expand the SpeedPAK service in Japan to support the rapidly growing Japanese cross-border business.
(Translated from Japanese)
Easy International Shipping from Your Local Lawson or Post Office
Japanese items are extremely attractive to people living overseas.
However, international shipping is inevitably accompanied by concerns such as "What about shipping costs?" and "How is trouble handled?", which tends to raise a psychological barrier.
This is where "eBay SpeedPAK Economy," the official logistics service newly started by eBay, comes in!
By using this service, you can ship overseas with safety, low cost, and ease.
The overview of "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" (information at the time of writing) is as follows:
- Deliverable Countries: United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii)
- Delivery Days: 4–12 business days
- Tracking Service: Included (Free)
- Usage Fee: From 1,141 yen
- Seller Protection: Seller account protection
- Shipping Locations: Lawson (stores with Loppi machines) and Japan Post
- Service Provision Tool: CPaSS (Sea Pass)
"eBay SpeedPAK Economy" is a shipping service for sellers handling lightweight and small-sized products.
In less than three weeks since the service launch, approximately 2,560 packages have been shipped, boasting impressive results with a 100% arrival rate within 12 business days and a 96% arrival rate within 9 business days!
The ease of the procedure is the same as shipping domestically in Japan, which is great, as you can complete the procedure 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at Lawson stores equipped with Loppi.
A free package tracking service is included, as well as an account protection feature in case of trouble.
Since about 70% of products sold from Japan through eBay are bound for the United States, the only deliverable country at the start of the service is the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii).
However! Support for the United Kingdom is planned for August 2024, Germany during the third quarter, and Australia and Canada in the future.
How to Use "eBay SpeedPAK Economy"
"eBay SpeedPAK Economy" utilizes eBay's official shipping tool, CPaSS.
CPaSS has been introduced in over 10 countries, mainly in Asia, and the advantage is that both sellers and buyers can trade with peace of mind by linking order and shipping information with eBay.
First, sellers in Japan bring their package to the post office or a Lawson store equipped with Loppi.
Then, they read the QR code created in advance on CPaSS using the store terminal and follow the instructions to attach the shipping label to the package.
The procedure is complete simply by entrusting the package!
Packages are aggregated by Japan Post at Orange Connex's domestic warehouse in Japan and shipped to the United States in bulk, achieving low prices.
In the United States, they similarly pass through an Orange Connex warehouse before reaching the buyer.
This is the whole picture of "eBay SpeedPAK Economy," which arrives in 4–12 business days at a low price starting from 1,141 yen.
"eBay SpeedPAK Economy" can be used immediately after creating a CPaSS account, linking it with your eBay account, and turning on "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" in the settings screen!
You can make your cross-border e-commerce debut right away.
Sellers can also have packages accepted by shipping them directly to the Orange Connex domestic warehouse in Japan.
For details, please see the eBay SpeedPAK Japan User Manual 2024 (PDF File).
Q&A Session
(Following blockquotes are translated from Japanese)
Please share any efforts made regarding the introduction of CPaSS in Japan.
We focused on localization to make the tool easy to understand and use, rather than just a direct translation.
We also visited actual Japanese sellers to receive feedback and made additions and improvements to the functions.
Since we have just started, we plan to continue improving the functions by receiving feedback from users.
Please provide a summary of the first half of 2024.
We are seeing very strong growth, and we believe a large part of this is due to the influx of new sellers, in addition to existing sellers.
Specifically, in what eBay calls the Enthusiast Category, many collectible-focused products are currently being purchased from Japan.
Regarding regions, the US remains strong, but the global team has requested that we list more products for Australia, Canada, and various regions in Europe.
We have also been building a system to allow sellers to reach markets outside the US, such as by releasing the eBaymag tool last year, and we anticipate this movement will accelerate.
With the "eBay SpeedPAK Economy," the number of deliverable countries will increase, and this is a juncture where trends outside the US will also change.
Will the existence of SHEIN and Temu affect eBay?
eBay has a huge market and many sellers worldwide, allowing buyers to choose from a wide range of products.
Products that are particularly growing in Japan, such as car parts, digital cameras, apparel, and anime-related goods, are precisely what symbolizes eBay's strengths.
Furthermore, eBay has a global logistics network with dedicated teams, so there is no need to worry about the impact on shipping.
Please explain the intended use cases for "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" versus "eBay SpeedPAK Express."
"eBay SpeedPAK Express" specializes in speed, arriving in the US in as little as 1.7 days in past examples.
For luxury brand watches and bags, many users choose Express due to the buyer's desire to "get it quickly."
On the other hand, "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" is characterized by a slightly longer delivery time but lower cost, which makes it a very effective shipping method for those handling lightweight and low-priced collectible items such as trading cards and video games.
Another advantage is that eBay also allows the buyer to decide the shipping method, enabling selection according to buyer needs, such as "I want it quickly even if it costs more."
The Dawn of Cross-Border E-commerce Is Near...!
"eBay SpeedPAK Economy" is a new service that allows you to ship products overseas using the same process as within Japan.
By removing the technically and psychologically high barriers of cross-border e-commerce and partnering with convenience stores, you can complete the procedure 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, giving a feeling that more people will debut on eBay as a side job.
Since it is an official eBay service, it also provides peace of mind to buyers, making it a truly win-win service.
Since many of our readers are likely game enthusiasts, a retro game sleeping in your closet might be an unexpected treasure when viewed globally...!?
Why not take this opportunity with the new "eBay SpeedPAK Economy" service, which has brought the world closer than ever before, to start a cross-border e-commerce business?
For details, please see the eBay News Release or the "eBay SpeedPAK" Special Page.