Japan's 'Amazon’ Coming to America

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Mega-shopping site Rakuten, Japan’s largest online retailer, is coming to the US via Buy.com, which Rakuten bought out in 2010. The shopping giant rivals Amazon in size in Japan and is hoping to garner a share of the online shopping business in the US using the company’s unique approach to online shopping.

While searches on Amazon lead straight to product listings, from either its own offerings or others that sell products through its site, browsing through Rakuten often takes one to the virtual storefronts of its retailers.
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They own a bunch of places worldwide, like Play.com in europe. Competition is good for everyone. :D
 
Good fucking luck. Amazon is the Wal-Mart of online shopping. Its simply a beast.
 
They'll need to come up with a better name first. "Rack A Ten" sounds stupid and I don't even want to say it out loud. If only they had another name they could use. Something simple, with a premium domain name. Hrm...
 
Godmachine said:
Good fucking luck. Amazon is the Wal-Mart of online shopping. Its simply a beast.
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I have to agree. I almost always buy everything I can on amazon because of superb customer service. Ultra fast shipping and great prices. Really can't beat amazon.
 
TwiceOver said:
They'll need to come up with a better name first. "Rack A Ten" sounds stupid and I don't even want to say it out loud. If only they had another name they could use. Something simple, with a premium domain name. Hrm...
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How about Buy.com?
 
They need to copy Newegg Search and provide the same service as Amazon if they want my business,
 
Does this mean itll be easier to get imported games and swag from Japan now?
 
Atl530i said:
I hope so also. So much stuff we miss out on..
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I know right!

Soon this will be mine:
I
 
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GoldenTiger said:
Yeah, I don't get why they dumped the buy.com name. It's simple, well-known, and to the point... "Rack-you-ten" is about the opposite of that for an American market.
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I think they are going to call themselves that. Like with the play.com it's still play.com and still looks like play.com, just it has a small reference to rakuten in the top (if you go to buy.com now it redirects to rakuten.com. :D). Rakuten is memorable, and easy to say, so it probably works quite well as a name. :D
 
If you devote a slide on your webpage on how to pronounce the name of your site, you have already failed. Stick with buy.com and just improve the site/search guys.
 
CappyCobra said:
If you devote a slide on your webpage on how to pronounce the name of your site, you have already failed. Stick with buy.com and just improve the site/search guys.
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I get the Buy.com email newsletter and its now officially Rakuten.com. As long as the deals are good I don't care if they're called poop.com.:D
 
wra18th said:
I get the Buy.com email newsletter and its now officially Rakuten.com. As long as the deals are good I don't care if they're called poop.com.:D
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True. But why discard an easily recognizable brand? They should have kept the branding along with 'Rakuten shopping' beneath. Just seems silly IMO.
 
I wish them luck, as competition benefits consumers, but it will be a tough battle. Amazon has does a great job establishing themselves as low cost, great service. If they get this same day shipping thing going, they are going to be real, real, hard to beat.
 
Godmachine said:
Good fucking luck. Amazon is the Wal-Mart of online shopping. Its simply a beast.
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I use Rakuten on a weekly basis over Amazon. Price, variety and speed beats Amazon on many things.

But living on an island country, everything is fast. If I order from Rakuten or Amazon around 4am with standard delivery, the chances of me getting it the same day are around 70%. But it depends on the seller (and location). I have had better luck with Amazon on same day. No need for Prime here.

I like Amazon`s return policy (when it is Amazon as the seller). Rakuten is dealing with the sellers, most go above and beyond (letting you keep the dinged item and send you a new one in one case), but sometimes you get a dud who goes slow with the return process.
 
It'll give them a leg up if they import items you just can't find here outside of underground/convention and/or paying through the nose. Especially if they're able to import drool worthy tech gadgets available in Japan that are never released in the US.
 
Godmachine said:
Good fucking luck. Amazon is the Wal-Mart of online shopping. Its simply a beast.
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///AMG said:
I have to agree. I almost always buy everything I can on amazon because of superb customer service. Ultra fast shipping and great prices. Really can't beat amazon.
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I'm afraid you guys are victims of advertisement - something everyone in [H] seems to despise and swear off. Amazon's only a giant in your mind because it's all you know.

Rakuten is a behemoth of an online service Amazon can even hope to become. The fact that they took over buy.com without anyone being aware of it is proof of how Rakuten laughs at such puny online sales like Amazon.

Sure, Amazon's a giant with presences everywhere in the (non-taxed) US states, but Rakuten's presence is king in eastern Asia, and in the US via buy.com.
 
I personally had several bad experiences with Buy.com, and if others have had similar bad experiences I can see why they don't want to use the Buy.com name anymore.
 
Johnny_Utah said:
Thank GOD! I am in dire need here!
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I can send you mine.

Over the weekend I've had medicine ass. Nothing solid staying in me due to a cold.

If it wasn't for the undies there to soak up my drips, man, the stains on my legs would
be horrendous.

With that said, if you wanna provide that address now :eek:
 
Gonna take a lot to get me away from Amazon...

But a Newegg type search/filter sure would be a step in the right direction... oh wait.
 
Well I mostly buy computer parts and electronics, and Amazon.ca has never been the place for those. And amazon's constant shady practices of false sales on items has made me never look twice."Here is a $50 watch. We'll sell it $700 for a month then put in on a huge sale at $125" Yeah...

I've only bought there when I couldn't really find what I was looking for elsewhere, else I stay clear.
 
wra18th said:
I get the Buy.com email newsletter and its now officially Rakuten.com. As long as the deals are good I don't care if they're called poop.com.:D
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I agree, but it wouldn't be as good for marketing, you've gotta admit ;).
 
DeathPrincess said:
They own a bunch of places worldwide, like Play.com in europe. Competition is good for everyone. :D
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My sister uses play.com, kind of dodgy actually, they send you the wrong item and don't respond to assistance request emails, not the first time that has happened either. After all the trouble she has had with them I can't trust them either.
 
Azhar said:
Rakuten is a behemoth of an online service Amazon can even hope to become. The fact that they took over buy.com without anyone being aware of it is proof of how Rakuten laughs at such puny online sales like Amazon.

Sure, Amazon's a giant with presences everywhere in the (non-taxed) US states, but Rakuten's presence is king in eastern Asia, and in the US via buy.com.
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Huh? Looking through the financials, Amazon US has more sales?
 
I was told that Rakuten was initially popular in Japan, but then Amazon.co.jp took over.
 
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