Frequently Asked Questions from Overseas Sellers

Q1: Can I register Amazon.co.jp as an importer of record when I export my products?

A: No. Amazon cannot be an importer of record for FBA shipments. Please contact Attorney for Customs Procedure (ACP). We have a list of 3rd party service providers who can help you with FBA shipments.
The list is located here (look for "FBA shipment support").
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q2: I received an email which appears to be related to my performance and Amazon policy, but it is written in Japanese, and I don't understand Japanese.

A: This email is very important because it is about your performance and selling privilege on Amazon.co.jp. Currently, Account Specialist team provides support in Japanese and English only. If you can, it would be great if you can respond to the email in English, so that the team can reply back and provide you the required support.

Q3: The FBA shipment creation page in Seller Central says I need to send my products to a different fulfillment center than the one I used to send to. I would like to send my products to the fulfillment center I used in the past. Can I do that?

A: The system assigns your destination fulfillment center efficiently based on demands as well as inventory stocks. Please ship your products to the specified fulfillment center for the best results because that will put your inventory close to the customers and more products will become available for faster delivery. If you are not a Japanese resident, you need to use different ACPs (Attorney for Customs Procedure) for different destination locations. Please confirm with your current ACP if the ACP covers your new destination location before shipping. See the following videos for ACP.
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/fba.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/fba.html

Q4: I am thinking about selling alcohol beverages (or supplemental items, electronics, etc). What are laws and regulations in Japan that I am required to comply with?

A: See the following links for laws and regulations in Japan. There are also 3rd party service providers who can help you comply with these laws and regulations.
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/local-laws.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/local-laws.html

Please click here to know about the Service providers:
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q5: Are there any products prohibited from selling in Japan?

A: Amazon.co.jp has certain rules and restrictions for selling products. Please read the guidelines on the prohibited products:
Prohibited Product

Q6: What payment option I should offer to customer?

A: Amazon.co.jp provides multiple payment methods for customers to purchase items on our website. Please visit the following links and determine your best option to offer.

Cash On Delivery
Convenience Store Payment
Convenience Store Payment Settings
Managing Amazon Points
Help (for buyers): About Convenience store / ATM / Internet banking / e-Money payment:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200040860

Q7: How do I set up an account for selling on Amazon.co.jp? How do I register my address, bank account, and credit card?

A: Please visit the following help page and follow the steps for self-registration. You may use a service provider who will support your operation of selling on Amazon.co.jp.
Please read how to get support from 3rd party service providers by clicking here:
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q8: How do I register products for Fulfillment by Amazon on Amazon.co.jp? Can I get support for managing tax and delivery?

A: We have a list of 3rd party service providers who can help you with FBA shipment support and provide tax advice.
Please watch the video to know how to import your inventory to Japan using Fulfillment by Amazon (video):
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/fba.html/ref=as_jp_services_cn_nav_fbaovrv1
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/fba.html/ref=as_jp_services_en_nav_fbaovrv1

Please read the FBA Pre-shipment Preparation Guide (Manual)
Chinese: http://s3.amazonaws.com/JP_AM/FBA_marketing/Email_Images/FBA_RNL_OOC/Shared%20%28CN%29/FBA%20Pre-shipment%20Preparation%20Guide%20CN.pdf
English: http://s3.amazonaws.com/JP_AM/FBA_marketing/Email_Images/FBA_RNL_OOC/Shared%20%28EN%29/FBA%20Pre-shipment%20Preparation%20Guide.pdf

Please read how to get support from 3rd party service providers by clicking here:
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q9: Does Amazon recommend any carriers to me for international merchant fulfilled shipments?

A: No, Amazon does not recommend any particular carriers. However, we have a list of 3rd party service providers that can help you with global fulfillment. See the list below and look for Merchant fulfilled shipment support.
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q10: My customer sent me an email in Japanese, but I cannot understand Japanese.

A: You are required to support customers in Japan in Japanese. If you do not have resource or skills, you may want to leverage a 3rd party service provider. We have a list of 3rd party service providers who can help you in handling customer support. Please look for "Customer service in Japanese" in the following list. Please do not use Machine Translation or free translation on the Internet since the quality of language translation is not good.
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q11: I would like to make my product detail page in Japanese.

A: Please contact the service provider (for translation services) for help.
Please visit this page to know how to get support from professionals:
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q12: I am a FBA seller and my customer wants to return my product. Can Amazon receive the returned products?

A: Yes, Amazon fulfillment centers receive the returned products for products shipped via FBA. For merchant fulfilled shipments, you are required to have a local return address in Japan or provide customers with a free international return shipping. We have a list of 3rd party service providers who can help you with handling local returns.
Please look for "Handling customer returns" in the following list.
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html

Q13: I do not live in Japan and I am unable to open a local bank account. How can I receive my sales proceeds?

A: You may use Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers. Also the service provider （Payment solution）will help you. Please contact them for service.

Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers

Getting Support from Professionals
Chinese: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/cn/service-providers.html
English: http://services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/service-providers.html