Everything we have written, free to read
Long-form guides on tariffs, pricing, the American market, English listings and the legal pages your shop needs. All bilingual, all free.
Reading guide
Not sure where to start?
The articles fall into four paths. Pick the one closest to your current problem and read it top to bottom — each builds on the one before it.
Start here
Is the U.S. even worth it?
Read these two first. They answer the questions that stop most makers before they begin.
Path 1
Money, tariffs and compliance
Price it right, then make sure the paperwork and duties don't eat the margin. Read in this order.
Path 2
Words your American customer understands
Listings, replies and product names. Start with the glossary, then the sentence patterns.
Path 3
Wholesale and the U.S. calendar
When you're ready for shops and seasons — minimums first, then the biggest selling season we have.
Not sure which path is yours? The 13-question diagnostic builds a reading order around where your brand actually is.
15 articles
Money, tariffs and pricing
- Money, tariffs and pricing
Trump tariffs and Japanese stationery exports
Who actually pays, which products are hit, and how to adjust pricing and shipping.
Read - Money, tariffs and pricing
Money and compliance for Japanese sellers
Export tax, shipping cost, U.S. duties and the notices you owe buyers.
Read - Money, tariffs and pricing
The weak yen and overseas selling
How to price when the exchange rate keeps moving under you.
Read - Money, tariffs and pricing
What stationery actually costs in the U.S.
Real American price bands, the free-shipping wall, and charm pricing.
Read - Money, tariffs and pricing
Why MOQs are vital for overseas wholesale
Set a minimum that protects your margin instead of eating it.
Read
The American market
- The American market
How to sell Japanese stationery in the USA
The complete guide: pricing, shipping, customs, listings, wholesale, calendar.
Read - The American market
American aesthetic styles explained (with pictures)
Cottagecore, whimsigoth, grandmillennial — and where your work fits.
Read - The American market
Hobonichi Techo and the U.S. market
What American planner users buy around the techo, and when.
Read - The American market
Subscription boxes and influencer PR
How to get featured by U.S. stationery boxes and creators.
Read - The American market
Etsy, Shopify or marketplaces — which platform
The three stages of selling abroad and the platform each one needs.
Read
English and product language
- English and product language
English example sentences that sound American
Copy-ready lines for listings, replies, and shipping notes.
Read - English and product language
Can you sell overseas without English?
What you truly need to write yourself, and what can be supported.
Read - English and product language
Japanese stationery terms in English
The words Americans search for — and the ones that kill your listing.
Read - English and product language
Common stationery sizes, JP to US
A4 vs Letter, mm vs inches, and how to describe them on a listing.
Read
The Commons membership
Reading the articles is one thing. Actually selling is another.
These articles are the free foundation, meant to be worked through alone. The Commons is the version where you are not alone: each month centres on one American buying event, with the steps, lessons and mid-month office hours that get you ready before it arrives — plus English wording and translation help when you need it.
- One American buying event each month
- Practical steps that unlock weekly
- Mid-month office hours, recorded
- English wording and translation help