Thorough Guide to Purchasing from Tmall in Japan: What is the Most Cost-Effective Payment Method?

• This article is for reference only as it is merely a translated version of the Japanese article below.
  天猫（Tmall）日本からの購入を徹底解説！お得な決済方法とは？

Tmall, China’s e-commerce site, is becoming a hot topic in Japan due to its vast product range and excellent cost-performance ratio. Many are interested in trying it out.

However, differences in language and culture, as well as apprehensions about importing from abroad, may cause some hesitance. This article explains how to purchase from Tmall from Japan, points to avoid trouble, and effective payment methods to ensure a safe and advantageous shopping experience on Tmall.

What is Tmall?

Image: Tmall.com

Tmall is a Chinese shopping site operated by the Alibaba Group.

It offers products across various categories including fashion, food, electronics, and beauty, boasting annual sales of JPY 49.567 trillion in fiscal 2019! With 500 million monthly active users, it represents half of the sales of Chinese e-commerce sites, making it the world’s largest shopping site.

What are the Characteristics and Advantages of Tmall?

The advantage of Tmall lies in the ability to shop with confidence. Only enterprises that meet certain criteria and are reliable can open stores on Tmall.

The platform also boasts excellent customer service, with return guarantees and secure payment methods designed to eliminate the uncertainties of online shopping.

• Customers have a 7-day period after receiving products to freely return or exchange them.
• Only officially recognized legitimate enterprises are allowed to set up stores.
• There is a buyer rating system for stores.
• Payments utilize an escrow system via Alipay, ensuring transactions are secure by involving a third party.

What is Derived from Taobao?

Alibaba Group operates Taobao, which is divided into Taobao, focusing on Consumer-to-Consumer (CtoC) transactions, and Tmall, which targets Business-to-Consumer (BtoC) transactions.

The CtoC platform Taobao allows anyone to list products, which has led to explosive user growth and the creation of a massive e-commerce site. However, this openness has also resulted in a proliferation of counterfeit and low-quality goods.

In recent years, as Chinese consumers have begun demanding higher-quality products, Alibaba Group has intensified efforts to strengthen Tmall around 2009.

Tmall adopts a BtoC model, requiring businesses to be formally registered. Additionally, prospective vendors must submit and pass reviews of business licenses and trademark registrations.

While trading and opening a store on Taobao is free, launching a store on Tmall involves a security deposit, annual fees, and commissions based on sales volume.

The strict store entry standards on Tmall aim to prevent the circulation of counterfeit and fraudulent goods, allowing customers to shop with confidence. Moreover, Tmall products are prioritized in search results, making them easier to find compared to those on Taobao.

What is Tmall Global?

Launched in 2013, Tmall Global is an international e-commerce platform. Normally, to open a store on Tmall, a company must establish a local entity in China. However, Tmall Global allows qualified companies to sell products to Chinese customers directly from their own countries, without establishing a local entity.

Many renowned Japanese companies such as Kao Corporation, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Calbee, Suntory, and Nintendo have opened stores on Tmall. Japanese products are extremely popular on Tmall, and during the 2019 Singles’ Day shopping event, Japan ranked first in sales among countries.

Steps for Using Tmall from Japan

Let’s try shopping on Tmall.

Tmall is a Chinese domestic e-commerce site and uses Chinese characters. However, its layout is similar to Japanese shopping sites, making navigation straightforward.

Furthermore, by using Google Chrome’s page translation feature, the site can be translated into Japanese. Although not 100% accurate, this translation provides sufficient information to facilitate shopping.

Account Creation

First, create an account through the official Tmall website.

Click on the “Free Registration” button highlighted in red.

Image: Tmall.com

Enter your mobile phone number.

1. Input your mobile phone number without the initial ‘0’.
2. Click on “获取验证码” (Get verification code) to receive the authorization code.
3. Enter the authorization code received via SMS on your mobile phone.
4. Check the box to agree to the terms.
5. Click the “注 册” button.

Follow instructions such as “Slide the arrow until three houses appear” or “Slide the arrow until two pumpkins appear.”

With this, the registration is complete! The account created on Tmall can be used as a common account across the Alibaba Group.

Product Search

Return to the Tmall homepage and enter the desired product keyword or brand name into the search bar.

Upon entering a keyword, detailed filtering options will appear, allowing you to narrow down your search.

Once you’ve decided on a product to purchase, check the shipping method and shipping cost on the product detail page.

There are options for air freight, sea freight, and consolidated shipments that combine multiple items.

The rates are set based on the size and weight of the package. Clicking on the red frame on the screen will display descriptions for each type of shipping method.

Some stores do not ship to Japan. Make sure Japan is listed in the shipping destination options.

Process of Purchasing

Once you have decided on a product, select the color, quantity, and shipping method, then click “Buy Now.”

Register the shipping address. Select the country, then enter the detailed address, recipient’s name, and telephone number.

After registering the shipping address, confirm the purchase. The payment amount displayed on this screen is in Chinese Yuan. Note that the symbol “¥” does not indicate Japanese Yen, so please be cautious.

Select the payment method. Choose a new credit/debit card and set the currency to Japanese Yen. Supported card brands include VISA, Mastercard, JCB, and UnionPay.

Enter the credit card details, address, and phone number, then click “Use this card.”

Once this screen appears, the purchase process is complete!

Image: Tmall.com

Key Points When Using Tmall for International Purchases

Many people feel anxious about the quality of products and the service of shops when shopping internationally.

To alleviate these concerns, it is helpful to check the ratings of the seller and the product on their respective pages beforehand.

How to Check Seller and Product Ratings

Seller ratings can be accessed by clicking the red frame, which opens the seller’s page where you can view their ratings. These ratings are given by customers who have made purchases within the last six months, covering aspects such as customer service and logistics, on a five-point scale.

Product reviews can be found under “Product Evaluation” on the product page. These are insights from actual buyers, which can be quite informative.

Shipping Costs and Troubleshooting

Shipping costs are displayed on the payment screen, but it’s advisable to contact the shop directly if using a consolidated shipping service to ensure peace of mind.

By clicking the red frame on the product page, you can chat directly with the seller. As the primary language is Chinese, use a translation app if you do not understand Chinese.

Image: Tmall.com

Moreover, Tmall offers a service where you can return products without a reason within 7 days of receipt.

For returns due to defective items or incorrect sizes, you can proceed through Tmall’s Help Center.

How to Save on Tmall

Tmall is known for its quality and reasonable prices, but there are ways to make shopping even more cost-effective.

What are Tmall’s Major Promotional Events?

Tmall hosts various promotional campaigns.

Many are familiar with the annual Double Eleven or “Singles’ Day” sale on November 11.

Such events occur monthly, featuring significant discounts, so shopping during these times can be particularly advantageous.

Choose Cost-Effective Payment Methods! Top 2 Recommended Debit Cards

Payments on Tmall are exclusively via credit or debit cards. Using a Japanese credit card incurs a fee of approximately 5.4% to 6.4%. This fee is comprised of a 3% Tmall fee and a currency exchange fee of 2.4% to 3.4% paid to the card company.

These fees can be surprisingly high. If you’re looking to save on shopping at Tmall, it makes sense to minimize these costs as well.

Here, let’s introduce two debit cards that make payments on Tmall more cost-effective: “Wise (Mastercard)” and “Revolut (Visa).” Let’s compare these with the fees from typical credit cards.

While typical credit cards charge a fee of 2.4% to 3.4%, Wise charges only 1.18%. With Revolut, if you settle on weekdays, the fee ranges from 0% to 0.5%.

By using Revolut on weekdays and Wise on weekends, you can keep the fees at their lowest!

それぞれのカードの特徴をご紹介します。

Wise

Source: Wise Payments Japan K.K.

Wise offers several benefits besides having no annual fee and low foreign exchange fees.

It supports electronic payments, so you can make payments with just a smartphone, a convenient feature for those who prefer not to carry a wallet or card. For iPhone users, it supports Apple Pay, and for Android users, Google Pay.

Moreover, Wise is known for its high security. It is registered as a funds transfer service provider with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau and offers bank-level security, ensuring you can open an account with confidence.

Revolut

Source: REVOLUT TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN

Revolut offers a feature called the “disposable virtual card,” which generates card information for a one-time transaction.

Once the transaction is completed, the card information expires, minimizing the risk of fraud even if the information is leaked. It also supports refunds, providing peace of mind for international shopping.

Revolut has three plans: Standard, Premium, and Metal. The top-tier Metal plan offers 1% cashback (up to JPY 5,000), making it worthwhile if you spend JPY 200,000, as it covers the monthly fee of JPY 1,980.

【Limited-Time Offer】Revolut Premium Plan Free for 3 Months

If you apply for the Revolut Premium Plan from this page, what would usually cost JPY 980 per month is now free for three months.

This is recommended for those planning to travel abroad or who want to easily hold and manage foreign currencies.

By accessing through the button below, you can get the Revolut Premium Plan free for three months.

＼ JPY 980 per month is now free for three months! ／