Asia

As COVID-19 pandemic spurs a tidying-up frenzy, Japan's market for second-hand goods booms

Kinomos collected from private sellers are kept in boxes as they wait to be sorted at a Buysell Tec
Kinomos collected from private sellers are kept in boxes as they wait to be sorted at a Buysell Technologies warehouse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. (Photo: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon) 

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TOKYO: When Japan announced a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, people were urged to declutter their homes to pass the time, with Tokyo's governor even roping in household-organising celebrity Marie Kondo in promotional videos.

Many have taken that message to heart and the market for second-hand luxury goods is booming as a result.

READ: Japan reports 3,030 new COVID-19 cases

Mitsuko Iwama, a 71-year-old housewife, is a case in point. 

Pre-pandemic, she would have been spending a lot of time at the gym but after being stuck at home and cleaning her closets more often, she decided to part ways with kimonos that her parents bought her decades ago.

Workers of Buysell Technologies sort kimonos bought from private sellers at their warehouse in Funa
Workers of Buysell Technologies sort kimonos bought from private sellers at their warehouse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. (Photo: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon) 

"I thought it was a waste to leave the kimonos just hanging up, and if someone from a younger generation would wear them, that would make me happy," said Iwama, who sold 22 kimonos for 4,000 yen (US$38).

Buysell Technologies, the company used by Iwama which collects goods from people's homes and resells them through online stores and at old-style in-person auctions, has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of pandemic-induced tidying.

Buysell Technologies staff takes a photo of Mitsuko Iwama's kimono for assessment in Tokyo
Buysell Technologies staff takes a photo of Mitsuko Iwama's kimono for assessment at Iwama's home in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon) 

READ: Japan preparing to send military nurses to areas hit hard by COVID-19

Visits to people's homes surged 31 per cent to 20,990 in October from a year ago, the company said, adding that three-quarters of its customers are in their 50s or older, selling kimonos, luxury handbags and jewellery.

Similarly, Mercari Inc, which operates a popular flea market app, reported a 52 per cent jump in sales for its July-September quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.

Buysell Technologies worker sorts out stamps in Funabashi
Buysell Technologies worker sorts out stamps bought from private sellers at their warehouse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. (Photo: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon) 

A surge in the value of gold this year as the pandemic spurred demand for safe-haven assets has also prompted people to sell rings and necklaces that had just been sitting around, adds BuySell Chief Executive Kyohei Iwata.

Buysell Technologies worker assesses gold ring in Funabashi
Buysell Technologies worker assesses a gold ring bought from a private seller at their warehouse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. (Photo: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon) 

"There's a term in Japanese, "danshari", which means minimise your life. People's mindsets have changed that way," he said.

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Source: Reuters/ad