1.
retail arbitrage; reselling for profit
The practice of buying goods cheaply and reselling them at a higher price, originally referring to used books but now covering any product.
Originally referred specifically to the practice of buying used books at one store and reselling them at another for profit. The word comes from 背取り, meaning to judge a book by its spine (背). In modern usage, せどり has expanded to cover any form of retail arbitrage, including buying products online or in stores and reselling them on platforms like Amazon or Mercari.
Common collocations
- せどりで稼ぐ: to earn money through reselling
- 電脳せどり: online reselling (finding deals on the internet)
- 店舗せどり: in-store reselling (physically visiting shops)
- せどり転売: resale arbitrage
Similar words
- 転売: resale — a broader term that includes ticket scalping and can carry negative connotations
- 物販: product sales — a more neutral, business-oriented term for selling physical goods
Cultural note
せどり has become a popular side hustle in Japan, especially with the rise of online marketplaces. While generally legal, it can be controversial when applied to limited-edition goods or concert tickets, where it overlaps with 転売ヤー (scalper) territory.