BASE online shop setup service – see your finished shop before you decide

Is BASE the right platform for your shop?

BASE is a Japanese online shop builder: you create an account, add products and start selling. Its basic plan has no monthly fee – you pay a payment fee and a service fee when an order comes in – which makes it easy to start when sales are still hard to predict. There is also a monthly plan with lower fee rates that becomes worth it as sales grow. Pricing changes from time to time, so check the official BASE site for current rates.

• A good fit: up to a few dozen products – goods, food, apparel, handmade items – shops that sell through Instagram, and physical stores adding online sales
• A good fit: owners without a dedicated e-commerce person who want to manage orders and stock from a phone app
• Worth a second look: hundreds of products, complex rules such as member tiers or wholesale pricing, or serious plans to sell abroad

In the last case Shopify often scales better. We compare costs and features in BASE vs Shopify. A quick test: write down how many products you sell today and how many you want to carry a year from now.

Five setup steps that make a BASE shop stand out

Opening a BASE shop is easy. The parts people rush at launch are the ones that later cost sales and trust, so get these five right before you go live.

• Design: beyond picking a theme, set the hero image, category order and a consistent photo ratio and background
• Payments: choose the BASE checkout methods your customers expect – credit card, convenience store payment, bank transfer, pay-later, mobile carrier billing and more
• Shipping: set regional rates and a free-shipping threshold, and state shipping times on product pages and in shop info
• Legal notice: fill in the disclosure required under Japan's Specified Commercial Transactions Act – seller, contact details, return terms. Individual sellers have options for how their address and phone number are shown
• Custom domain: launch on your own brand domain instead of the default BASE address

Design matters most, because many shops share the same themes – photo style and home page layout set you apart. See BASE design customization for practical ideas.

BASE Apps worth adding

BASE adds features through extensions called BASE Apps. Add only what fits how you sell – too many at once makes the shop harder to manage.

• Custom Domain App: connect a domain you own
• HTML Edit App: edit the theme's HTML and CSS for finer design control
• Instagram Sales App: tag products in posts and send followers to the shop
• Pre-order and Subscription Apps: made-to-order items or regular food deliveries
• Shipping, coupon and newsletter Apps: detailed shipping rules, first-order offers, messages to repeat customers
• Overseas Sales App: shows the shop in English with approximate prices in foreign currencies

The app lineup changes over time, so read the current description in the admin panel before installing. If unsure, settle payments, shipping and the domain first, then add apps once orders start coming in.

Custom domain and overseas sales on BASE

To use a custom domain, register one with a domain service, add it in the Custom Domain App and enter the DNS records BASE specifies. Changes can take from a few hours to a few days, so finish this before printing the URL on cards or posting it on social media. Register the domain in your own name – if you ever move platforms, your address moves with you.

Selling abroad starts with the Overseas Sales App, which switches the shop to English for international visitors. Prepare these points as well:

• Shipping methods such as international post or EMS, with rates by country and weight
• Products some countries restrict, such as food, cosmetics or items with batteries
• English product details – size, materials, care – and a plan for English inquiries
• A note that customs duties and import fees may be paid by the customer

If overseas orders are likely to become your main business, put Shopify, with its stronger multi-language and multi-currency tools, on the comparison list.

How a BASE shop launch runs and what to prepare

Typically a small shop goes live in two to four weeks once materials are ready. The steps:

• Plan: main products, price range, target customers, shipping rules
• Account and basics: shop info, legal notice, payment methods
• Design: theme, logo, hero image, category structure
• Products: photos, descriptions, stock and variations such as size and color
• Domain and tracking: custom domain, analytics and ad tags
• Test order and launch: buy something on a phone through to the confirmation email, then improve based on search and social traffic

Have ready: logo files, product photos, descriptions and prices, your shipping carrier and two or three shops you like. To get found in search after launch, see SEO for BASE shops.

How UNANOBO sets up your BASE shop: a free demo first

Before you commit, UNANOBO builds a free demo of your BASE shop design from your brand and products. You check the home page and product pages on your computer and phone, and decide whether to go ahead once you like the direction.

The process: free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally – the demo, payments, apps, domain setup, and SEO and ads after launch – so you keep one contact throughout. If you are unsure whether BASE or Shopify suits you better, we decide together at the demo stage based on your catalog and plans. Everything runs by message, in Japanese or English.