Amazon vs eBay vs Shopee: Best Marketplaces to Sell Internationally from Japan (and What to Know About Qoo10)

Quick Overview: Choose a Marketplace by the Country You Want to Sell To

The best international marketplace is the one where buyers in your target country already shop. If you want to reach a wide range of countries in North America, Europe, and beyond, Amazon is a strong candidate. If you sell one-of-a-kind items or collectibles to buyers worldwide, look at eBay. For Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil, consider Shopee. Qoo10, on the other hand, is a marketplace for consumers in Japan, so it is not a route for selling from Japan to other countries.

This article compares the target countries, fees, and seller requirements of Amazon, eBay, and Shopee, along with Qoo10, checked against each company's official pages as of November 2026. It also estimates the fees on a $100 sale and explains how to split roles between a marketplace and your own online store.

What Is a Cross-Border Ecommerce Marketplace?

A cross-border ecommerce marketplace is an online shopping platform where you list products and sell them to consumers in other countries. Sellers borrow the marketplace's existing traffic, payment system, and buyer trust to reach overseas customers.

There are two main ways to start selling internationally: list on a marketplace or build your own ecommerce store. This article focuses on how the marketplaces differ from one another.

Marketplace vs. Your Own Online Store

The biggest difference is whether you leave customer acquisition to the marketplace or handle it yourself. A marketplace already has buyers, but you pay seller fees and your customer relationships stay inside the platform. With your own store, you have to bring in traffic yourself, but you control your brand presentation and customer data.

Pros of Selling on a Marketplace

1. The marketplace brings the traffic: Its search results and ads make it easier to get your first orders.
2. No need to set up payments: Buyers pay on the marketplace.
3. Low fixed costs: Some marketplaces, such as Shopee, charge no setup or monthly fees.

Cons of Selling on a Marketplace

1. Seller fees: A fee is deducted from every sale.
2. Harder to convey your brand: Product pages follow the marketplace's format, and buyers can easily compare your price with other sellers of the same item.
3. Harder to build customer relationships: You can contact buyers and run repeat-purchase campaigns only within the marketplace's rules.

Marketplace Comparison Table (as of November 2026)

The table below compares the four marketplaces on target countries, pricing, fees, cross-border support, marketing features, and B2B support. For reference, it also includes Leap, a cross-border ecommerce tool that lets AI handle marketing too, as an own-store option. All amounts and rates were checked on each company's official pages as of November 2026.

A marketplace helps you sell to buyers who are already there; your own store helps you bring buyers to your site. They serve different purposes. Note that Leap does not come with a built-in base of shoppers like a marketplace, and it offers less design and feature customization than tools such as Shopify.

Amazon: Sell in a Wide Range of Countries Across North America, Europe, and Asia

Amazon lets you list on Amazon stores in many countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond from a single Seller Central account (the seller dashboard). As of November 2026, Amazon's official Japanese global selling page lists 26 countries outside Japan as selling destinations.

• Example markets: the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil (a unified North America and Brazil account); Europe, including the UK, Germany, and France; Asia-Pacific, including Australia, Singapore, and Taiwan; and the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia
• Pricing (Amazon.com): The Professional plan costs $39.99 per month, and the Individual plan costs $0.99 per item sold. Referral fees vary by category, and most fall between 8% and 15%
• Linked accounts in multiple countries: The monthly subscription fee is the lower of the sum of each country's fee or the equivalent of USD 39.99 per month
• Logistics: With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon handles storage and delivery
• Japanese-language environment: Seller Central can be used in Japanese, and the in-account support contact also handles Japanese

Amazon suits sellers who want to expand into many countries from a single dashboard.

eBay: A Marketplace Reaching Buyers in 190+ Markets

eBay is a marketplace used by people in more than 190 markets. For sellers in Japan, eBay Japan publishes a seller registration guide in Japanese, and there is no upfront cost to register an account.

• Insertion fees (ebay.com): Up to 250 listings per month are free, then $0.35 per listing
• Final value fees (ebay.com): For most categories, 13.6% of the total sale amount (on the portion up to $7,500 per item) plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 for orders of $10 or less)
• International fee: Sellers with a registered address in Japan pay 1.35% of the total sale amount when selling to buyers outside Japan, with discounts based on sales volume
• Currency conversion fee: Applies when the listing currency differs from your payout currency; the rate for sellers in Japan is 3.0%, and eBay has announced an increase for conversions on or after December 2, 2026
• Stores: Subscribing to a store plan (Starter from $4.95/month) increases your free listing allowance

eBay Japan describes eBay as a marketplace where people look for one-of-a-kind finds and treasured items, which makes it a good fit for sellers of unique items and collectibles who want to reach buyers worldwide.

Shopee: Sell to Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil from Japan

Shopee lets Japan-based sellers sell to seven markets: Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brazil, Malaysia, and Singapore. Shopee Japan's official site states that it does not charge fixed costs such as setup or monthly fees.

• Who can sell: Both companies and individuals
• Markets available at launch: Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, or the Philippines; Thailand requires a separate application
• After approval: List at least five products within 30 days of applying
• Shipping: Ship directly from Japan to buyers within two business days of an order (extendable up to 10 days with pre-order settings)
• Payouts: Deposited to your Payoneer account once a week
• Fees: The public seller pages do not list rates; details are provided after you apply for an account

Shopee suits sellers who want to test demand in Southeast Asia and Taiwan without fixed costs.

Qoo10: A Marketplace for Consumers in Japan

Qoo10 is a marketplace for consumers in Japan, operated by eBay Japan G.K. It is not a marketplace for Japanese businesses to sell to overseas buyers. Its fee rules also cover orders shipped from outside Japan, so it is used by overseas businesses to sell to consumers in Japan.

• Seller fees: 6–10% depending on the category, including payment fees such as buyers' card processing fees (official fee table updated October 21, 2025)
• Overseas shipping surcharge: An extra 2% of the payment amount applies to orders shipped from outside Japan
• External ad surcharge: An extra 1% of the payment amount applies to orders placed through ads outside Qoo10

In November 2024, Singapore's High Court ordered the company that operated Qoo10 in Singapore to be wound up. Older articles that recommend "selling to Southeast Asia through Qoo10" are best not treated as a current option.

Fee Estimate: What a $100 Sale Costs on Each Marketplace

Using figures from the official pricing pages, we estimated the marketplace fees on a single item with a total sale amount of $100 (as of November 2026, our own estimate).

On both Amazon and eBay, roughly 15% of the total sale amount goes to fees. You can think of these fees as including the cost of bringing buyers to you. With your own store, you have to acquire customers yourself. When comparing options, look beyond fee rates and add up the cost and effort of marketing. Also note that eBay may charge a currency conversion fee depending on your payout currency, and on every marketplace you need to budget separately for shipping, duties, and returns.

How to Choose a Cross-Border Marketplace

Narrowing your options in the following order makes the choice easier.

1. Decide which countries to sell to: For North America and Europe, consider Amazon or eBay. For Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil, consider Shopee. For consumers in Japan, Qoo10 is an option.
2. Check product fit: Seller fees vary by category, so check the rate for your product category. For unique items and collectibles, eBay, where such buyers gather, is also worth considering.
3. Compare fees and operational workload: Check fixed costs, seller fees, logistics (whether to use FBA or ship directly from Japan), and the language you will need for customer support.
4. Check the rules and restrictions: Prohibited items and import regulations differ by marketplace and country. Review each marketplace's policies and the destination country's regulations before you list.

When to Use a Marketplace vs. Your Own Store

A marketplace and your own store are not an either-or choice. In practice, it works best to give each a different role.

• A marketplace fits when you want to test overseas demand first, want buyers to find your products through marketplace search, or lack the staff to run marketing
• Your own store fits when you want to express your brand's world, build repeat customers, or deal directly with overseas business buyers

Once you see which countries and products respond well on a marketplace, you can build your own store for those countries and grow repeat customers through branded search and email newsletters. If you don't have the bandwidth to market your own store, tools such as Leap, a cross-border ecommerce tool that lets AI handle marketing too, let you run blog and email marketing just by chatting.

FAQ

Q. Can individuals sell on cross-border marketplaces?

A. It depends on the marketplace; Shopee's official site states that both companies and individuals can sell. For eBay and Amazon, check the requirements for your target country in their official Japanese-language guides (eBay Japan's seller registration guide and Amazon's global selling page).

Q. How much does it cost to start selling on a cross-border marketplace?

A. As of November 2026, Shopee charges no setup or monthly fees. On Amazon.com, the Professional plan is $39.99 per month, and the Individual plan has no monthly fee but costs $0.99 per item sold. eBay costs $0 per month without a store, and stores start at $4.95 per month. Seller fees apply separately on all of them.

Q. Does selling on a marketplace mean I don't have to ship overseas myself?

A. It depends on the marketplace. On Amazon, FBA lets Amazon handle storage and delivery. On Shopee, you ship directly from Japan to buyers and must ship within two business days of an order.

Q. Should I start with a marketplace or my own store?

A. As a rule of thumb, start with a marketplace if you want to test overseas demand first, and with your own store if you want to build your brand and connect directly with customers. You can also validate demand on a marketplace first and add your own store later.

Summary and Key Takeaway

Choosing a cross-border marketplace is less about which one is cheapest and more about where buyers in your target country shop. Amazon and eBay cover a wide range of countries including North America and Europe, Shopee covers seven markets in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil, and Qoo10 serves consumers in Japan.

The fee estimate shows that marketplace fees are a price that includes customer acquisition. Even if your own store's fees look lower, you can misjudge the comparison if you leave out the effort of marketing. Use marketplaces to find the countries and products that sell, then build customer relationships through your own store in the countries that show promise. This two-step approach is a realistic way for small and mid-sized businesses to grow international sales without overstretching.

Leap is a cross-border ecommerce tool that lets AI handle marketing too. Just chat with it to build a multilingual, multi-currency online store and run overseas marketing such as SEO and email newsletters.

References

• Amazon海外販売（越境EC） - Amazon出品サービス
• How much does it cost to sell on Amazon? - Sell on Amazon
• Global Selling - Sell on Amazon
• Amazon Business - Sell on Amazon
• Amazon Ads - Sell on Amazon
• eBayセラー登録ガイド - eBay Japan
• 料金について（Fees） - eBay Japan
• Selling fees - eBay Customer Service
• International fees for eBay global sellers - eBay Customer Service
• eBay Advertising - eBay Seller Center
• Shopee Japan
• Start Shopee - Shopee Japan
• 出店開始までの詳細手順（Step-by-step setup） - Shopee Japan
• カテゴリ別販売手数料（Seller fees by category） - Qoo10 (eBay Japan)
• Qoo10 vendors, customers in Singapore accept they will likely not get money back - Asia News Network (The Straits Times)
• Qoo10 ordered to enter liquidation over $54 million debt - Inside Retail Asia
• Pricing - Leap