Cleaning Update: Small Progress on Clearing Out My Apartment in Japan

Box of books ready to be given away somewhere. September 2020.

I will admit, I got distracted over the summer vacation and did not clear out as much stuff in my apartment as I would have liked to. However, with the few things I did clear out, I did make a few discoveries about selling stuff in Japan I would like to share. 

My first tip: If you are selling clothes to used stores, sell before the season when the clothes will be worn. When I tried to sell some summer shirts at the beginning of August to Off House, the store said they would take them off my hands, but only gave me 50 yen for the 6 shirts. On the other hand, when I brought fall season clothes to a different branch of Off House, they bought 3 shirts for 240 yen. Still not much, but timing does make a small difference. 

My second tip: Don’t go out of your way to sell books. Last month, I confirmed for sure that used books are worth very little in Japan. But if you are looking to get rid of the books, there are a few options. I recommend finding the ways that involve the least effort or time. 

First, I tried the online thrift store Kaitoriouji that I mentioned in my last post. The process was very easy (but only in Japanese). I just signed up, set up a day for the postman to pick up the box, and handed it off to him when he came. I carefully read their guidelines on what can be sent in case they charged shipping to send it back to me. I sent 4 CDs I bought but never listened to, 40 volumes of manga, and 8 light novels, all in Japanese. A few days later, I got an email saying they accepted my items and would give me...458 yen! Yes, a small price, but I did not have to go anywhere to dispose of the stuff I did not want. 

Since I was running other errands nearby, I also tried going to a thrift store that buys and sells books, and I gave them 35 manga, including a couple full series. For those books I got…205 yen. Slightly disappointing since I know they will sell the manga sets for far more. I suppose they have to deal with the cost of storing and the risk of no one actually buying the books. 

I also tried posting a couple series of manga on Mercari Japan, but no one was interested. The other books of the same kind on there were priced quite low, too, and the hassle of shipping it to someone and dealing with potential buyers seemed like too much trouble, so I took my posts down after one week. 

So I have decided that the best way to dispose of used books in Japan is the way that gives you the least work because you will not get much money for them anywhere. When in Japan, try getting a library card and avoiding buying books if you don’t plan to keep them with you long-term.

My third tip: Know the best marketplaces for your area. The Letgo app is clearly not used in Tohoku Japan. I wasted a bit of time posting a few dresses and shirts on it, only to get about three views on each item in the space of a whole month. No messages or buyers. I will not be trying that again. I will have to attempt some online Japanese marketplaces or take all my extra clothes to the thrift stores. 

I still have some time until I leave, but as I get closer to leaving Japan, I will be attempting to sell more of my things by different methods, so it is good to know a few ways that work. Let me know if you have any more leads on how to clear out old stuff in Japan.