🇯🇵 Everything you need to sell on Rakuten
Japanese Marketplace · JP, US, DE, FR, UK, AU, KR, TW
Rakuten is Japan's largest e-commerce marketplace, operating a virtual shopping mall model where each seller has a branded storefront. Rakuten collects Japanese consumption tax on behalf of sellers and provides extensive marketing and logistics support.
💰 Fee Structure
Monthly system fee: ¥25,000-¥100,000 (plan dependent). Commission: 2.0-8.0% (plan and category). One-time registration: ¥60,000.
📋 Seller Requirements
Japanese business registration (houjin or kojin jigyo nushi), Japanese bank account, Rakuten University training completion, store design review.
Compliance Topics
💰 Tax Collection
Rakuten collects Japanese consumption tax (10%) on marketplace sales since the qualified invoice system took effect in October 2023. Sellers must register as qualified invoice issuers for B2B transactions.
- •Japan: 10% consumption tax collected on all marketplace sales
- •Qualified invoice system requires seller registration from Oct 2023
- •Sellers with revenue over ¥10M must register for consumption tax
- •Rakuten generates tax-compliant invoices for transactions
- •Cross-border: US sales tax not collected by Rakuten
📋 Seller Requirements
Rakuten requires sellers to establish a Japanese business entity (or individual business registration), complete Rakuten University training, and pass a store design review before opening.
- •Japanese business registration (法人 or 個人事業主) required
- •Bank account in Japan for payouts
- •Rakuten University online training course (mandatory)
- •Store design and business plan review by Rakuten
- •Registration fee: ¥60,000 (tax included)
💳 Fee Structure
Rakuten charges monthly system fees (plan-based) plus commission on sales. Three plans (GOLD, STANDARD, LIGHT) cater to different seller sizes.
- •GOLD plan: ¥100,000/month + 2.0-4.5% commission
- •STANDARD plan: ¥50,000/month + 3.5-7.0% commission
- •LIGHT plan: ¥25,000/month + 3.5-8.0% commission
- •Monthly system fee reduced based on annual sales volume
- •Registration fee: ¥60,000 one-time
🚚 Fulfillment (Rakuten Fulfillment)
Rakuten offers RSL (Rakuten Super Logistics) for warehousing and delivery, plus standard seller-shipped options. Prime members get expedited shipping.
- •RSL (Rakuten Super Logistics): warehousing + delivery service
- •RSL delivery within 1-2 days for most of Japan
- •Seller-shipped: standard 2-7 day delivery
- •Free shipping threshold encourages conversion
- •Integration with Japan Post, Yamato Transport, Sagawa Express
🌍 Cross-Border Selling
Rakuten supports cross-border selling through its Ichiba platform for Japanese consumers and Rakuten.com for US consumers. International sellers need a Japanese business entity or partner.
- •Rakuten Ichiba: Japan-focused, requires Japanese business entity
- •Rakuten.com: US marketplace, accepts US-registered sellers
- •Translation and localization support available
- •Rakuten Global Express for international delivery from Japan
- •Partnerships with logistics providers for cross-border shipping
Official Sources
This information is for general reference only and does not constitute legal, tax, or compliance advice. Platform policies may change; always check official sources for the latest requirements.