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ROOMI

Resale + Rental Platform

Secondhand furniture & lifestyle goods platform connecting Chinese SNS with Japanese/English users. Resale + super cheap rental model optimized for movers, short-term stays, and new life.

JapanCircular EconomyPlatform
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Executive Summary

What is ROOMI?

ROOMI is a "secondhand furniture & lifestyle goods re-circulation platform" connecting Chinese SNS (Rednote, WeChat, etc.) with Japanese and English-speaking users. Key features: (1) Resale leveraging language information gap, plus (2) Super low-price rental (subscription model), optimized for moving, short-term stays, and new life needs. Operations include inventory/trading management system + search engine to scale.

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Challenges & Opportunities

Challenges

  • Furniture massively discarded during March/September moving seasons
  • Foreigners (students, expats) and youth want cheap furniture but lack information
  • Chinese community free/cheap listings invisible to Japanese/English users
  • Large furniture delivery, pickup, and return logistics are cumbersome

Opportunities

  • Rental perfect for short-term stays and new life needs
  • Circular economy/ESG tailwind
  • Differentiation via information gap (language) + operations (delivery/return)
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Service Content

A. Resale

  • Find free/low-cost furniture on Chinese SNS → source
  • Re-list on Japanese/English platforms to leverage information gap
  • Examples: Jimoty, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, expat community boards

B. Super Cheap Rent

  • Items sourced offered as monthly rental
  • Example: Refrigerator from ¥500/month
  • Target: International students, short-term renters, recent movers, singles, those avoiding furniture purchase
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Business Model

Revenue Streams

  • (1) Sales profit: Source (free/low) → clean/prep → resell. Profit = Sale price − (sourcing + delivery + cleaning + fees)
  • (2) Rental monthly: Subscription plans. Rental allows re-rental after return, profit compounds long-term
  • (3) Delivery/setup/return fees: Optimize via buyer/renter payment, flat rate, or in-house delivery (keibar)
  • (4) Premium (future): Corporate/university/real estate resident packs, B2B contracts
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Operations

Sourcing to Sale/Rental Flow

  • Step 1: Source (Chinese SNS) — Monitor Rednote for free/cheap listings. Check: condition, age, size, pickup location, removal conditions
  • Step 2: Inspection — Function check (appliances), photos, damage check. Record in system
  • Step 3: Storage (if needed) — Warehouse or direct matching to reduce inventory
  • Step 4: Re-list (Japanese/English) — Post on Jimoty/Mercari/FB. Offer both sale and rental
  • Step 5: Transaction — Sale: payment→delivery. Rental: contract→deposit→delivery→return→inspect→re-rent
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Costs (Japan Yen)

Initial Costs

ItemCost
Management System (MVP)¥300K–¥2M
Web templates / ops prep¥0–¥200K
Company setup / legal¥200K–¥800K
Initial supplies¥30K–¥150K

Monthly Costs

ItemCost
Warehouse / storage¥50K–¥300K
Labor¥0–¥500K
Ads / SNS¥20K–¥200K
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Execution Roadmap

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ROOMI Platform & SNS Playbook

Core Strategy

Source free/cheap items from Chinese platforms → Sell to English speakers OR rent cheap to Japanese users. Leverage language + platform gap.

Where to Source

  • Rednote (小红书) — Main sourcing engine. Search: 东京 二手 家具, 免费 出, 回国 转让. Best timing: Feb–Mar, Aug–Sep
  • WeChat Groups — Fast, local, cheap. Risk: spam, check daily
  • Chinese Forums — Incnjp, hiGuigui. Structured listings for large items

Where to Sell/Rent

  • English: FB Groups (Tokyo Sayonara Sale, Japan Garage Sale), Craigslist Japan, GaijinPot
  • Japanese: Jimoty (very important), Mercari, Rakuma. Hashtags: #譲ります #無料 #中古家具 #短期レンタル

Best Items to Trade

ItemReason
RefrigeratorAlways in demand
Washing machineRentable
MicrowaveEasy to move
Desk / ChairStudent demand
ShelvesLow transport cost
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7-Step Execution Guide

1

Limit categories (first 30 days)

  • Refrigerator / washer / microwave
  • Desk / chair / rack
2

Create sourcing rules (Rednote)

  • Pickup location (station, ward)
  • Removal conditions (elevator)
  • Function status (must for appliances)
  • Handover deadline
3

Set price rules

  • Sale price: align with market (Jimoty/Mercari)
  • Rental: Cover delivery+return+cleaning over months. Deposit essential
4

Fix listing platforms

  • Japanese: Jimoty, Mercari
  • English: FB groups (Tokyo expats)
  • Student: University boards if possible
5

Manage with Excel/Notion first

  • Item ID, name, category
  • Source link, cost, date
  • Location, condition (A/B/C)
  • Sale/rental price, deposit
  • Status, counterparty, payment
6

Rental operation template

  • Contract template
  • Handover checklist (photo/video)
  • Return rules (late fees, extension)
  • Deposit conditions
  • Damage handling (wear vs fault)
7

Systemize at 30–50 transactions

  • Inventory registration (photo, condition, price)
  • Location tracking
  • Sale/rental history
  • Return date alerts
  • Search (keyword/category/location/price)
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Next Steps (Do Today)

Today's 3 Tasks

  • Decide first 5 product categories
  • Create management sheet template (Excel/Notion)
  • Fix listing platforms: 2 Japanese + 1 English