Mercari recently made headlines by deciding to shift fees from sellers to buyers. On August 1st, it made another significant change, announcing it was making Japanese inventory available to US online shoppers and opening a retail store in Los Angeles.
Before seeing the announcement, an EcommerceBytes reader told us he had noticed in July that a fair number of listings in Mercari search results pages were from sellers in Japan, with quite a few of them showing international shipping. The concern for the reader: “For US sellers, possibly more competition, and although the shipping costs from Japan add a wallop to the overall cost, these listings add to the clutter that drown out one’s own listings.”
In its announcement, the Japan-based company said Mercari x Japan is a new product offering that will open up direct access to inventory from millions of sellers on its Japanese marketplace. US shoppers can now explore and browse an expansive selection of rare and hard-to-find items directly from Japan, it stated, including the following:
- Women’s and men’s fashion finds from brands like BAPE, BEAMS, Comme des Garçons, Hysteric Glamour, and Seiko
- An expanded sneaker selection, featuring Adidas, Asics, Converse, Nike, and more
- Women’s handbags from some of the most sought-after labels
- A variety of top toys from brands like LEGO, Hello Kitty, and Pokemon
- Japanese collectibles, which have grown significantly in popularity within Mercari U.S. in recent years, including Manga Comics (up 45%), Bandai items (up 100%), Sanrio (up 160%), and Sonny Angel which has seen an exponential surge in popularity
- Rare and nostalgic action figures from brands like Dragon Ball, Marvel, One Piece, Pokemon, and more
- Electronics such as gaming systems, video games, nostalgic toys, and accessories from brands like Nintendo, Sega, and Sony
A Mercari spokesperson told EcommerceBytes that to celebrate the launch of Mercari x Japan, a prominent influencer and resale entrepreneur Emma Rogue would be curating an exclusive selection of secondhand items. “These selections reflect her unique style and appreciation for Japanese aesthetics, offering shoppers a personal touch to their discoveries. Emma’s collection will be available to shop on Mercari, as well as in-person at Mercari’s first-ever physical store, Mercari on Melrose, now open on the iconic Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA.”
The EcommerceBytes reader subsequently received an email from Mercari that announced: “Shopping on Mercari just got a whole lot more exciting with a fresh influx of listings from Japan! Now you can snag those unique items you’ve admired from afar, explore great deals on an expanded selection from your favorite brands, or discover that rare limited-edition piece to complete your collection.”
The email linked to a FAQs page where it explained more: “All internationally-shipped items will appear as sold by BEENOS. When an item is purchased, a seller in Japan ships the item to the BEENOS warehouse, where it will be inspected before being forwarded to the buyer.”
A link to a history of BEENOS on its website shows that in 2007, the entity established ShopAirlines America, Inc., “the company that manages global shopping service sekaimon, through business alliance with eBay, Inc.” The BEENOS name came later, in 2014.
In 2021, BEENOS, through its wholly owned subsidiary Buyee, partnered with eBay to make products listed for sale on eBay US available for customers in Asia.
eBay is also opening up its US marketplace to inventory from Japanese sellers. In its recent 2nd-quarter earnings call, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone said that since eBay had opened its authentication center in Japan last year, its volume growth had accelerated. (In May, eBay also partnered with Rakuten to give its US shoppers the ability to purchase items listed by Japanese sellers, primarily in the fashion category.)
eBay’s CEO said he expected to see more opportunities to onboard sellers from Japan and from China and “make it easier for them to bring attractive inventory to our marketplace.”
