Sell in Japanese (John Cant 1 of 2) - a podcast by Michael Veazey

With Brexit on the horizon and U.S. imposing tariffs on Chinese imports, there couldn't be a better time to expand your business to sell in Japanese on Amazon Japan. Japan offers FBA just like in the other major markets, the shipping costs from China to Japan are lower than to the US, UK or Europe, and Japan overtook the UK in 2017 to become the third largest Amazon marketplace in the world.







Today on Amazing FBA, I sit down with John Cant of Rising Sun Commerce. John is an expert on Amazon selling in Japanese. Having lived in Japan for five years from 2005 to 2010, he's intimately familiar with not only what it takes to make money selling in Japanese Amazon Japan, but also with Japanese culture. What makes John an ideal guest for Amazing FBA is his background in e-commerce. He's been running a UK based Amazon business for four years and selling in Japan for two.  

On this Episode John & I Discuss:

John's background as an Amazon seller (3:02).

What Rising Sun Commerce is, how it came to get started... (3:29).

... and what services they offer (5:02).

The appeal of expanding your Amazon business to Japan (5:33).



* 127 million people live in Japan.

* It's the third largest economy in the world.

* Amazon Japan overtook the UK last year to become the third biggest Amazon Marketplace in the world.

* The exchange rate (Yen to Pound) is currently quite strong.



How selling on Amazon Japan compares with selling on Amazon UK or US (7:39).  

Advantages of selling in Japan vs. Europe or the US (10:36).



* Less competitive

* More accessible for new sellers and SKUs to get sales

* Less price competition



Difficulties for the UK based Amazon seller operating in Japan (14:49).



* Language

* Import Barriers

* Market Research



Overcoming product & listing research barriers inherent to marketing a product in a foreign land (14:48).

Is it a good idea for new sellers to venture into the Japanese marketplace (15:53)?

An example of suitable products to sell in Japan (17:04).

Check out the Car Seat Mirror Case Study at:

www.risingsuncommerce.co.uk

Sales & Profits in the Amazon UK vs. Amazon Japan (18:16).

Making decisions regarding ordering quantities without tools like Jungle Scout or Market Intelligence (19:18).

Cultural differences to consider when selecting products for Amazon Japan (23:00).

Holiday opportunities in the Japanese marketplace (25:29).

Does product packaging need to be in Japanese? (30:57)

Import Duties, Importer of Record & other associates supply-side costs related to selling in Japan (34:26).

Fulfillment in Amazon Japan and how it can differ from FBA in the UK or USA (40:08).

If you'd like to learn more about John's services, check out www.risingsuncommerce.co.uk and let them know Amazing FBA sent you, and tune in on the next episode for more about how to launch in the Amazon Japan marketplace.



Watch my full interview with John Cant of Rising Sun Commerce

Further episodes of Amazing FBA Amazon and ECommerce Podcast, for Amazon Private Label Sellers, Shopify, Magento or Woocommerce business owners, and other e-commerce sellers and digital entrepreneurs.

Further podcasts by Michael Veazey

Website of Michael Veazey