Japanese seniors turning to flea market apps to declutter

It is unusual to find hoarders in Japanese Society, especially when it comes to Technology. I recall once, whilst dropping off my usual garbage within a communal block, that I came across a Silicon Graphics Workstation !!! (The Apple Mac in design of Workstations before Design became a cosideration). In that case, the hard drive had failed, but once replaced - wohay!! . That also made me wonder... The local "recycle" shops are a scam here (and still are).

Why does Japan not have a proper Charity recycling infrastructure in place ? Or am I missing something ?

A lot of old equipment could be easily recycled into usable devices for people less fortunate, doing this, would take some funding/sponsorship and perhaps also a change in attitude. But why is it that I see no Charity Shops here ? (Well very few, and those that I do see are labelled 2nds...)

Back in the UK I donated a lot of my older (collector items) equipment to a museum that needs "spare parts" to keep their originals working. In reality the Japanese way of thinking is correct - we need to declutter ourselves from Junk, but the way that this is currently done, does not benefit anyone - which is odd, for a Country that appears to have a very keen focus upon garbage segregation.

For Seniors, Flee markets can simply become an addition.... I've seen that happen too, (sadly), it's a social event, so they buy stuff, and sell it on again (regardless whether at a profit or not), .. it's a Social event to them. This should be looked into and monitored more carefully.

Oh the Golden Days where ichiman yen bills flowed like water and the Oriental Free Market (sodai gomi) overflowed with Solomon skis, nice color TVs, excellent coffee cup sets, etc. We got some of all of this from that free market back in the 1980s, Golden Days of the ¥10,000 bill. Now, we hit up the ¥100 shops. If I were just starting out in Japan, I'd furnish my house from places like Hard Off.

DTH

Sounds like you scored one of those good 80s fenders, well done!! Does it have  a JV serial #.

Oh, yeah! I remember those days too. It was a real treasure hunt.

My first bicycle in Japan was taken from the trash. Risky, but that's what happened.

The problem with selling stuff in Japan is those buyers from hell who complain about the slightest little thing, jamming up the process, despite pages of warnings covering every possibility.

GW - I remember when I first landed here, the sodai gomi days blew my mind at the stuff people just tossed! I furnished my first place bigtime with furniture & kitchen stuff,

Oh, yeah! I remember those days too. It was a real treasure hunt. I pulled a near-new Fender Japan Stratocaster our of a pile. I’ve been playing it for nearly twenty years now and it’s still worth a lot of money.

However, these days, there are many scalpers driving around in their little trucks and taking this stuff to sell in their recycled shops. The only things left on the streets these days are true garbage.

Just get Marie Kondo and her minions to help.

GW,

I hear you.

People chucked out things that had become obsolete in Japan at that time but hadn't even been launched in other countries.I remember finding a laser disc player and a DAT player in the garbage.Both of them wouldn't go on sale for another year or two in the West.

You are so right,now the garbage collection consists of only trash and if there is anything decent someone will take it in a heartbeat.

indeed,how Japan has changed in the past two decades.

I buy pretty much everything second hand, on Yahoo Auctions mostly, but sometimes Mercari where free postage is more common. I would not be able to afford my hobbies, or would be stuck at beginner level. Most of our furniture is second hand too. Cars too, of course.

Many Yahoo Auctions have an auto extend that stops them being sniped at the very end like Ebay. The best you can do is bid with just over five minutes to go. That will not extend the auction. If you see something rare and very desirable or something ridiculously underpriced, I recommend preemptively raising the price to thin out the wishful thinkers before they get emotionally involved. You do not want a prolonged battle with many other people at the end where egos can take over. In other cases though, do not bid early, since it will attract attention to the listing. Just use your watch list instead. Many people seem to search by category and rely on the presence of other bids to judge what products in that category are good.

I remember when I first landed here, the sodai gomi days blew my mind at the stuff people just tossed! I furnished my first place bigtime with furniture & kitchen stuff, LITERALLY it got me up & running, those were the days!

NOW if there is anything remotely usable people often scavenge it, my oh my what difference a couple decades make!

It’s not just the seniors. More and more families are turning to cheaper used goods as Abenomics continues to put the economic crunch on families.

This! When will Japan stop this foolish abenomics, Japan is starting to become a 2nd world country.

Visit 2nd street twice a month.

I have been begging to mrs to start dealing with clutter...…….little success so soon I  will no longer have to ask, I will be doing it for her(as well as my clutter of course), come Chiba ken if you want to see some FIREWORKS LOL, wish me luck!

I am glad to see that more people of the upper age group, who generally are not entirely comfortable with the internet (and often far too trusting), are beginning to use the auction sites.

I use Sugamo as a transfer station on my daily commutes. I can think of many descriptors for the area but “trendy” certainly isn’t one of them.

It’s not just the seniors. More and more families are turning to cheaper used goods as Abenomics continues to put the economic crunch on families. At present, the most successful businesses in Japan are the ¥100 stores. I think that tells you everything you need to know about Abenomics.