通販

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 通販 is a noun read つうはん, meaning mail order or online shopping in which goods are ordered remotely.
• Basic usage: It can describe ordering a heavy bookcase online or the difficulty of judging an online product's actual size.
  • 重い本棚を通販で注文した。 says that the heavy bookcase was ordered online; 通販の商品は実物の大きさを確認しにくい。 says that it is difficult to confirm an online product's actual size.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 通販で注文する
  • で marks mail order or online shopping as the method used to place the order.
• 実物の大きさを確認しにくい
  • にくい describes the difficulty of judging the product's real size through remote shopping.
• 通販 and 店頭販売
  • 通販 sells goods through remote ordering, while 店頭販売 sells them at a physical store counter or shop.