Sell without holding stock.
Place your products in other stores.
Connected selling is a way of selling in which a business with products (Supplier) and a business with a storefront (Builder) connect on ECport through a request and approval. One product can be sold in several storefronts.
- Sell without holding stock
- For other companies' products, the Supplier generally manages the inventory and ships. Builders list products on their own storefront without buying stock.
- Sell even without your own site
- Suppliers can sell by having their products listed on other companies' storefronts, even if they do not run a storefront of their own.
- Only approved products are listed
- Only products that went through a request and approval are listed. Nothing appears on another company's site without permission.
Products and storefronts connect through a request and approval.
Either side can send the request. A Builder can find products and request them, and a Supplier can request to be listed on a storefront.
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01
Register products
The Supplier registers product details, prices, stock and images, and publishes them.
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02
Send a request
The Builder finds products and requests them; the Supplier requests to be listed on a storefront.
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03
Review the terms and approve
Both sides review the terms such as the sales commission. The connection is made when the other side approves.
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04
Listed in the storefront
Approved products are listed on the Builder's storefront.
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05
Shipping and payouts
When an order comes in, the Supplier ships it, and each side's sales, less fees, are paid to their registered accounts.
Who does what is already defined.
These are the roles of the Supplier and the Builder when other companies' products are sold. When a Builder sells its own products, the Builder is the seller and ships them.
| Item | Supplier (has products) | Builder (has a storefront) |
|---|---|---|
| Seller | The Supplier is the seller. | Not the seller of other companies' products. |
| Stock and shipping | Manages stock and ships to the buyer. | Holds no stock. |
| Price | Sets the product price. The same price applies in every connected storefront. | Sells at the price set by the Supplier. |
| Fees and rewards | Receives the sales less the sales commission (the Builder's reward) and other fees. | Receives the sales commission (reward), at the storefront's standard rate or a rate agreed per product. |
| Customer support | Checks shipping status and product defects. | Is the first point of contact for buyers. |
| Returns and refunds | Handled by both sides according to the sales terms and the terms of use. | Handled by both sides according to the sales terms and the terms of use. |
* Scroll the table sideways to see more.
How it differs from wholesale buying, consignment and dropshipping
All of these let you sell other companies' products in your own store, but they differ in who holds the stock and who the seller is. Wholesale buying, consignment and dropshipping are shown in their general form; actual terms depend on the contract.
| Way of selling | Who holds the stock | Seller | Unsold items | Storefront's income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale buying | The store | The store | Stay with the store | Difference between selling and buying price |
| Consignment | The owner (the store keeps the items) | Depends on the contract | Usually returned to the owner | Sales commission |
| Dropshipping | The supplier | Usually the store | None, as items are bought after the order | Difference between selling and buying price |
| ECport connected selling | The Supplier | The Supplier (the Builder is not the seller) | None for the Builder, as items ship from the Supplier's stock | Sales commission (reward) |
* Scroll the table sideways to see more.
What connected selling costs, and the limits of each plan
Apart from the monthly plan price, fees apply when a sale is made. The connected sales fee applies when a Supplier's product is sold through a Builder's storefront. Each plan has limits on how many products and sites you can connect.
| Item | Starter | Standard | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| per month (incl. tax) | ¥0 | ¥9,800 | ¥39,800 |
| Setup fee (incl. tax) | ¥0 | ¥5,500 | ¥5,500 |
| Connected sales fee | 6.5% | 2.75% | 2% |
| System fee | 6.5% | 3.25% | 2% |
| Payment fee | From 3.6% | From 3.6% | From 3.6% |
| Connected products | 10 products | 50 products | Unlimited |
| Connected sites | 3 sites | 20 sites | Unlimited |
* Scroll the table sideways to see more.
Monthly prices are per month when billed annually (tax included). Fee rates exclude tax; consumption tax of 10% of each fee is added. Enterprise is quoted individually.
What you can do, and what to check first
What you can do
- Sell your own products and other companies' products on the same storefront
- Sell one product in several storefronts
- Sell only in other companies' storefronts, without a storefront of your own
- Agree on the sales commission (reward) rate per product with the other side
Check before you start
- To send a request, you need to finish registering with the payment service (Stripe) that receives your sales.
- The storefront you want to be listed on needs to have a sales commission (reward) rate set.
- You can connect products and sites up to the limits of your plan.
- The other business decides whether to approve. A request does not guarantee a listing.
- Prices cannot differ by storefront. Every storefront sells at the price set by the Supplier.
- To list other companies' products on your storefront, you need to create the storefront first.
- To sell to buyers overseas, each storefront needs to apply for Buyee Connect. See how overseas sales work
Steps to start connected selling
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01
Create an account
Create an account for free and choose a plan that fits your business.
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02
Set up your business details and payout account
Enter your business details and register with the payment service (Stripe) that receives your sales.
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03
Register products / create a storefront
Suppliers register and publish products; Builders create a storefront without code and set the sales commission rate.
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04
Request and approve
Find products or storefronts and send a request, or review the terms of a request you received and approve it.
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05
Start selling
Approved products appear in the storefront. Orders, shipping and sales are shown in one dashboard.
FAQ / Frequently asked questions
Connected selling
FAQ.
Common questions about stock,
shipping and fees before you start.
QUESTION THEMES
- Stock and shipping
- Seller and responsibility
- Fees and rewards
- Limits and conditions
01Can I start an online shop without holding stock?
Yes. Find other companies' products on ECport and request a connection. Once approved, you can list and sell them on your own storefront. The Supplier generally manages the stock and ships.
02Can I sell in other stores without my own storefront?
Yes. A Supplier can request to be listed on a storefront, and once approved, sell its products there. Your own storefront is not required.
03How is connected selling different from consignment or dropshipping?
In connected selling, the Supplier is the seller of its products, and the Builder who runs the storefront is not the seller. The Builder holds no stock, and items ship from the Supplier's stock. The Builder receives a sales commission (reward) on what sells.
04Can my products be listed on other sites without my permission?
No. Nothing is listed without permission. After a connection request, the terms such as the sales commission are reviewed, and only approved products are sold through the connection.
05Who handles shipping, returns and inquiries?
The Supplier generally handles shipping and anything about the product itself. The Builder who runs the storefront is the first point of contact for buyers and checks with the Supplier when needed. Returns and refunds follow the sales terms and the terms of use.
06How are fees and rewards decided?
The sales commission (reward) the Builder receives is the storefront's standard rate or a rate agreed per product. In addition, ECport's connected sales fee applies when a connected sale is made (Starter 6.5%・Standard 2.75%・Business 2%, excluding tax).
07Can the price differ by storefront?
No. A connected product sells at the price set by the Supplier in every storefront. What can differ by storefront is the sales commission (reward) rate.
08How many products and sites can I connect?
Starter: connected products 10 products / connected sites 3 sites
Standard: connected products 50 products / connected sites 20 sites
Business: connected products Unlimited / connected sites Unlimited
Enterprise limits are set to your requirements.
Start from products, or from a storefront.
If you have products, start as a Supplier; if you have customers, start as a Builder.
Creating an account is free. If you are not sure which way to start, you can start by talking to us.