Frequently Asked Questions

• Rakuten is the largest e-commerce platform in Japan
• We account for 28.0% of the e-Commerce market
• Our Domestic E-commerce Distribution Amount was 6 trillion yen (as of 2022)
• More than 80% of Japan's population have Rakuten IDs.

• Japan's economy is the fourth largest in the world and the average disposable income of its consumers is much higher than many other leading e-commerce markets.
• Japan is the fourth largest e-commerce market with a comparatively low number of online sellers. If you are not currently generating revenue from the market, this is a great opportunity for you!
• As one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in Japan, Rakuten offers overseas merchants the quickest access to millions of new customers with our Cross Border e-Commerce program.
• Rakuten's brand-focused strategy enables brands to establish a customized official shop, serving not only as a platform for enhancing online sales but also for building brand awareness.

Yes. Overseas products are becoming increasingly popular to Japanese consumers. Japanese consumers have a positive view on international brands and products — they are usually associated with good quality with competitive pricing.

No. With Rakuten's Cross Border E-commerce program, you can open a shop on Rakuten with a non-Japanese entity directly with the 'Direct Shop Plan' , and receive a payout in your own local currency to your local bank account. View the list of eligible countries here.(link to /how-it-works)

Yes. You can still open your shop on Rakuten by outsourcing to a service partner. Your entity signs an outsourcing contract with the service partner, then the service partner signs a direct contract with Rakuten Ichiba on your behalf. Our Onboarding Consultant will recommend you to our trusted service partners based on your business needs.

Merchants can choose international shipment leveraging existing logistics solutions or Japan domestic fulfillment to fulfill their Rakuten orders. With international shipment, merchants can work with either their existing shipping courier, or our trustworthy partners and approved vendors. For Japan domestic fullfillment, merchants can import inventory to Japan, and process deliveries with Rakuten's own fulfillment service Rakuten Super Logistics. Consult with your Onboarding Consultant for requirements to join this service.

Yes. Having Japanese operation capacity is a must to be successful on Rakuten as the marketplace is in Japanese and most Japanese consumers are not able to speak English. An overseas merchant can either hire bilingual speakers in house, or outsource the store operation to a bilingual third-party service agency. Rakuten will provide a list of recommended service agencies for the merchant to choose from.

You will receive payout via wire transfer or from PingPong, an authorized cross-border payment service provider.

• In order to receive a payout from PingPong, you need to register a PingPong account and pass their screening.
• Wire transfer is only eligible for certain countries and regions. Our settlement cycle is Net 20
• You will receive payout twice a month; on the 15th and the last business day of the month

Yes, Rakuten takes pride in our highly approachable services. Our team is equipped with;

• a Merchant Development Manager to help merchants with defining product and market fit, opportunity, and onboarding
• a Shop Open Advisor to guide merchants and help prepare for shop launch
• an e-Commerce Consultant to provide consultation in market insight, shop operation best practice, and marketing and ads campaign. From applying to selling on Rakuten, overseas merchants will receive one-on-one service every step of the journey.

Technically, our E-commerce Consultants are here for you on every working day and you can schedule meetings with them on a regular basis. The consulting service is included in the cost of onboarding Rakuten. They provide consultation in;

• SEO
• Marketing and ads
• Page/banner graphic design
• Email campaigns to help you grow shop sales
Collaboration between brands and their consultants, such as setting up advertising budgets and participating in events and campaigns to boost traffic and customer retention.

Customers are normally responsible for paying tax and duty at the point of last mile delivery in Japan. If your carrier provides a DDP solution, you may use their service to cover the tax and duty to provide a more convenient shopping experience for your customers. As an overseas company, when you ship products from overseas warehouses to the Japanese customers directly and the order is under ¥16,666, it is considered as personal import, and is usually duty free unless otherwise specified by a logistic company.

The recommended ad budget varies depending on individual merchants' goals, but as a general guideline, we typically suggest allocating around 10% of sales.

For overseas merchants, the following are not allowed to be sold on Rakuten Ichiba:

• Raw foods
• Fresh produce
• Seeds for farming
• Pet foods
• Liquid chemicals or cleaning products
• Weapons
• CBD
• Used products
Speak with our Onboarding Consultants to learn more about the rules and guidelines on products prohibited from being sold overseas.