All notes

US-Japan online shopping runs mostly one way

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) estimates cross-border B2C e-commerce between Japan, the US, and China every year. Its 2024 numbers show a lopsided flow.

  • US shoppers bought an estimated ¥1.6 trillion (about $10.5 billion) online from Japanese sellers.
  • Japanese shoppers bought about ¥0.39 trillion (about $2.6 billion) from US sellers, roughly a quarter of that.
The flow back is about a quarter. U.S. shoppers buying from Japanese sellers: ¥1.60T, about $10.5B. Japanese shoppers buying from U.S. sellers: ¥0.39T, about $2.6B. METI estimates for 2024, before the 2025 U.S. tariff and de minimis changes.

Why it matters

Both are large, wealthy markets. But market size alone doesn't tell you how much shoppers buy from abroad. A country can have huge online sales and still buy little across the border.

Before you pick where to sell, check:

  • Do shoppers there already buy products like yours from overseas sellers?
  • Which marketplaces carry that cross-border demand?
  • What shipping, duties, and local rules do to your margin.

These are 2024 figures, before the 2025 US tariff and de minimis changes. Flows into the US may look different now.

PreSelling compares markets side by side for one product, so you can see where demand already exists before you order.

Takeaway: Check which way demand flows. A market can be huge and still buy little from your country. Before you pick where to sell, check whether its shoppers actually buy across the border. Markets: US, UK, FR, DE, JP.

Sources

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