eBay to Partner with Japanese Postal Service To Help Sellers Ship

Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun citing unnamed sources reports that eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) and Japan Post are entering into an agreement that will assist Japanese customers sell items on the popular online auction site.

The service, expected to be announced sometime today, is reportedly launching in spring of next year, and for Japan Post’s JP Service company it would represent an effort to “breathe new life into its increasingly unprofitable postal business.”

eBay visitors worldwide, nearly 12% from Asia

The postal company is said to also be considering dropping the prices on eBay-related international international postal charges by between 20 and 30 percent, the report added. According to figures earlier this year from comScore, nearly 12 percent of eBay’s visitors are from the Asia Pacific region.

Traversing the Japanese-English language gap in e-commerce often been a difficult task, as a number of services have sprung up over the years catering to international users who wish to buy products from Japan. Rinkya, a service that helps English speakers buy from auctions on Yahoo Japan, comes to mind.

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