Browse > Home / Business, Technology / Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites

Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites

December 4, 2007
By Ken Worsley


Yahoo Japan and eBay are apparently set to combine their online auction sites. Although an announcement has not yet been made, the Nikkei claims that operations are set to begin before the end of this year, and that Yahoo Japan users will soon be able to bid on items listed on eBay’s US-based site. Next year, Yahoo Japan items will be listed in English on eBay, allowing users in North America to bid on items from Japan.

This move seems set to make it easier for residents of both countries to exchange goods on an individual basis. Of course, illegal items will be prohibited from sale. What this should provide, however, is an easier way-to-market for savvy online sellers dealing in specialty goods in either country. Will we end up seeing even more Hollister t-shirts in Tokyo, or anime paraphernalia in the US? With or without this tieup, the answer is probably yes. With it, it could be an emphatic yes.

Filed Under Business, Technology 

Social Bookmarks:
del.icio.us:Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites digg:Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites newsvine:Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites furl:Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites reddit:Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites
Related Posts:
News Corp moving into Japan’s online advertising market
Percentage of Trades Done Online Down 4%
Dentsu’s President on Advertising, Internet Ads, and Google
Subprime buyins: Nomura at Lehman’s, Mitsubishi at Morgan Stanley
And then there was one: Two more potential Nova buyers say no

Comments

7 Responses to “Yahoo Japan, eBay to announce tieup of online auction sites”

  1. Kraig on December 4th, 2007 1:25 am

    This will be really big, if they can get the technology to work seamlessly. Are they planning to use PayPal? This could also drive a lot of customs officials nuts.

  2. Steve on December 4th, 2007 4:10 pm

    If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Good to see YJ with some leverage. Ebay’s a great case of trying to move into Japan without understanding the market. Maybe now they’re starting to get it.

  3. WG on December 5th, 2007 3:52 pm

    Apparently this is official now. Pretty big news, actually. The quote I saw from the CEO of eBay was telling, “We are excited to partner with Yahoo Japan in providing Japanese users with localized site designed to enable them to shop on the eBay marketplace with ease and convenience.”

    …especially when one remembers that eBay failed at cracking the market when they tried to go it alone.

    http://mdn.mainichi.jp/business/news/20071204p2g00m0bu013000c.html

  4. Ken Worsley on December 5th, 2007 5:38 pm

    Thanks for the link. It seems a case study for getting into the Japanese market, and reminds me of what Tom Standage from the Economist was saying about market entry positions.

    For more on eBay’s earlier exit from the Japanese market, check out Greg Lane’s article from a recent issue of Japan Inc.

  5. Karl on December 6th, 2007 2:31 am

    WG’s link speaks of Yahoo Japan looking at some way to move its brand overseas. Is that possible? Softbank runs Yahoo Japan under a licensing agreement. Surely it forbids them from using the brand outside of Japan.

  6. JJ on December 6th, 2007 11:19 pm

    Thanks for the link on eBay’s past foray into Japan. I assume that given their agreement with Yahoo in the US, the only way for them to move into the US market is to do something not in direct competition, ie, Japanese-language auction services. I can see Yahoo US making exceptions here.

  7. Kev on February 7th, 2008 3:47 pm

    How will bidding go if the yahoo seller doest want to ship outside of Japan, or if the ebay person doesnt want to ship outside of America???

Got something to say?