Whatever Happened to eBay Japan?
While eBay’s success in the Western world is well known, in Japan eBay failed to make a good first impression and the online auction giant pulled out of Japan in March 2002. If you try to visit eBay’s Japanese website now you will find an apologetic message, and a link to another Japanese auction site called Bidders. Bidders has only a tiny fraction of current the Japanese online auction market.
The demise of eBay Japan is no great loss and Yahoo! Auctions is enjoying immense popularity. Even when eBay Japan was in the running, Yahoo! enjoyed a 95% share of the online auction market, compared to eBay’s piddling 3%.
Yahoo! has made great inroads in Japan, both through their Yahoo! BB broadband services and also the ubiquitous Yahoo web portal. Yahoo! has been very well accepted in Japan and has gained the respect and trust of the Japanese people.
Cultural differences could place more of a part than it first appears. Yahoo! has been careful to tailor their service to the Japanese way of thinking and of life.
Even online, the famed Japanese politeness and etiquette is essential. For example, leaving feedback like ‘Great buyer’ or ‘Bad seller’ will just not cut it. Nor will leaving over factual or emotional responses. There is a definite requirement that all communication between the buyer and seller is respectful and verbose.
If you have ever used eBay, one thing that may shock you about Japanese online auctions is their trusting nature. I have bought a number of different items where the seller has sent me out the item before I’ve even paid for it! This works because most Japanese will feel guilty and run down to make their payment straight away. I’ve even bought from proper online stores and been given the same payment terms, delivery now… pay later! If only Western society was like that.
Another reason for Yahoo! Auctions’ rise to the top was perhaps their Yahoo! Payments system. Yahoo! Payments allows the seller to receive the funds from the sale into their bank account.
A browse through Yahoo! Auctions reveals a world of items that Western collectors would drool over. But before you attempt to logon, you’d better have several years of Japanese studies under your belt. Unless you can converse like a native, with all the intricacies of the Japanese politeness you won’t get far. You’ll also need access to payment methods that you can only do in Japan, such as a local postal money order. International payments are definitely not accepted - and a Japanese delivery address is a must.
Most sellers wont even sell to overseas for these reason, and also because they don’t want the hassles of international delivery. Why would they? With a population of around 127,000,000 people, potential buyers in Japan are not exactly hard to come by.
TAGS: EBAY, YAHOO, CULTURE, INTERNET, JAPAN
