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Crewtool
Directory — Est. 2025
Crewtool·Guides
GUIDE

Japanese Solo E-Commerce Stack

Stack for solo sellers to launch Japanese e-commerce on BASE/STORES/Shopify Japan.

— Market: Japan— Audience: Solo founder

Assumptions

  • Solo seller, Japan-domestic focus
  • D2C or small B2B
  • Invoice System compliance

Core

**Store**: BASE or STORES (personal) / Shopify Japan (for global too) **Payments**: Stripe Japan / PAY.JP + LINE Pay + PayPay **Marketing**: Yahoo! Ads + LINE Official + Instagram **CRM**: Channel.io (Japan) **Analytics**: GA4 **AI/design**: Claude Pro + Canva + ELYZA **Shipping**: Yamato API **Accounting**: freee or Money Forward **Invoice-System registration**: apply via NTA (tax accountant handles)

Monthly cost

  • BASE/STORES: free–paid tiers
  • Stripe/PAY.JP: fees only (3.6%)
  • Yahoo!/Instagram ads: ad spend
  • Channel.io: free–
  • freee: ¥2,000–4,000/month
  • Claude Pro $20

~¥30k fixed + ad spend.

Japanese e-commerce tips

  • LINE Official Account friend-adds drive repeat purchase
  • PayPay cashback helps new-customer acquisition
  • Deep review culture — run star + photo review campaigns
  • Automate Invoice System issuance

Pitfalls

  • BASE free → fee surge: consider Shopify Japan migration as revenue grows
  • No Invoice System registration: post-Oct 2023, B2B buyers suffer
  • Manual carrier integration: missed shipments + inquiry flood

Japanese solo sellers: BASE + freee + LINE Official. Scale up to Shopify.

Featured in this guide
FAQ

BASE vs STORES?

BASE has richer marketing tools; STORES has more design freedom and simplicity. Small sellers often start with STORES.

When to register under the Invoice System?

Required above ¥10M revenue or for corporations. Even below that, register if you have B2B customers.

Which LINE Official plan?

Up to 1,000 messages/month: free. 1,000–5,000: Light (¥5,000). 5,000+: Standard (¥15,000).