Japan - resale shops

[Pomelo]

I just came back from a short trip to Japan, dubbed my pearls and jewels trip. In this thread, I’ll focus on resale stores in Japan - hopefully you find this helpful if you travel to this wonderful country and fancy a spot of shopping!

Japan is well known for being strict on counterfeits but you should still exercise caution and do your own due diligence! There are many reputable stores that sell pre-owned luxury jewelry and watches (a list is below).

This is a long post split into sections:

1. Top tips
2. List of resale stores
3. Examples of what I bought and from where
4. Examples of items in store

If anyone else has goodies from Japanese resale stores, please do share photos and where you bought them from!

Section 1: Top tips​

My top tips are:

1. Remember to bring your passport in-store! Foreigners get 10% VAT back for purchases above JPY 5,500 bought in-store (full details of tax refund can be found here: https://wise.com/gb/blog/vat-refund-japan)
2. Go on their website or eBay page beforehand to research what they have in stock. Note that there are often discrepancies between the website vs eBay page
   • If there is something you like on eBay from a Japanese seller and they’ve sold a decent number of items before, it’s likely they have a physical presence in Japan - it’s worth asking the eBay store if you can visit them in-person
3. If there’s something you like, contact them 5-7 days beforehand
   • Some stores (like Komehyo, Watchnian Ginzo from my experience, but others may have the same policy) will reserve items for you for 7 days, and may even deliver it to the closest store to you! For example, I wanted to see a Bvlgari watch at Komehyo but it wasn’t in a city that I was visiting, so I requested to reserve it AND for it to be delivered to Komehyo’s Ginza (Tokyo) branch. There was no pressure to buy the watch
   • Be sure to contact them with enough notice as it takes time to deliver an item to your specific store. I missed out on seeing a pair of VCA Letterwood earrings because I didn’t contact them in time
   • Other, smaller stores - like Purpose Nagoya - require you to make an appointment beforehand
4. Ask to see any certs / box etc - sometimes this info isn’t clear, especially what ‘paperwork’ actually entails
5. Ask if they have any promotions - there is usually no haggling, but the store may have a promotion that isn’t widely advertised! I tried to haggle and was informed of a 10,000JPY discount if I spent over 300,000JPY
6. Ask if you need to pay in cash - one of the smaller resale stores had prices marked ‘cash only’ and card payment incurred a 5% extra charge
7. Consider shopping outside of Tokyo, especially at a smaller store, for the best price:
   • As an example: Birkin 30cm black Togo was 2.9M JPY in Komehyo Ginza (Tokyo) but I saw a similar one for 2.4M JPY in Purpose Nagoya
8. Komehyo Shinjuku and Nagoya are the flagships in Japan and are enormous - if you have a spare hour (or five), it’s worth browsing the entire store!
9. Download a translation app on your phone. Generally, the level of spoken English was poor but that’s easily solved by an app. If you speak Mandarin, a lot of stores had native Mandarin staff
10. Definitely keep your eyes open in the surrounding area: often the resale stores all cluster together - and the smaller resale/pawnshop stores don’t have much of an online presence, so it’s fun to browse!

Section 2: Resale stores
Note that this is not an exhaustive list, you can find a lot more! But it should be a good starting point (with help from ChatGPT to get it into a nice format):

1. Komehyo​

• Overview: One of Japan's largest and most trusted resale shops for luxury goods, including watches and jewelry.
• Locations: Several stores across Japan, with flagship stores in Ginza and Nagoya.
• Specialty: Pre-owned luxury watches (Rolex, Omega, etc.), fine jewelry, and designer goods.
• Website: komehyo.co.jp / https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/komehyo

2. Brandoff​

• Overview: Specializes in buying and selling pre-owned luxury items such as watches, jewelry, and handbags.
• Locations: Stores throughout Tokyo, as well as in Osaka and other cities.
• Specialty: High-end watches (Patek Philippe, Cartier, etc.) and jewelry from brands like Tiffany & Co. and Cartier.
• Website: brandoff-store.com / https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/brandoff

3. Daikokuya​

• Overview: A pawnshop chain that also sells luxury goods, including watches, jewelry, and designer items.
• Locations: Various locations across Japan, especially in Tokyo.
• Specialty: A wide range of luxury watches and fine jewelry.
• Website: daikokuya78.com / https://www.ebay.com/str/78daikokuya

4. Okura Tokyo​

• Overview: Okura Tokyo is a highly reputable store specializing in the resale of luxury goods, including jewelry, watches, and branded accessories
• Specialty: Pre-owned luxury jewelry and watches from brands like Cartier, Bulgari, and Rolex. They also deal in handbags and other luxury fashion items.
• Locations: They have a presence in Tokyo, particularly in luxury shopping districts.
• Website: https://ec.wb-ookura.com / https://www.ebay.com/str/okura

5. Purpose​

• Overview: Purpose is a popular luxury resale store, offering a wide selection of pre-owned high-end goods, with a focus on jewelry, watches, bags, and other accessories
• Specialty: They deal in a variety of luxury jewelry brands, focusing on quality and exclusivity. Purpose is known for catering to luxury shoppers looking for rare or vintage pieces.
• Locations: They operate primarily online, though they do have a few physical locations across Japan.
• Website: https://www.purpose-inc.co.jp / https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/purposejpn

6. Brandear​

• Overview: It operates primarily as an online consignment service, allowing individuals to sell their luxury items easily.
• Specialty: Brandear focuses on luxury fashion and accessories, including high-end jewelry from brands like Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Bulgari. Their online platform offers a wide range of products at competitive prices.
• Locations: Although primarily online, Brandear is based in Japan and offers nationwide services for both buyers and sellers.
• Website: https://brandear.jp / https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/brandear

7. Watchnian Ginzo​

• Overview: Watchnian Ginzo is part of the Ginzo Group, a well-established luxury resale company in Japan. As the name suggests, Watchnian specializes primarily in luxury watches, but they also offer a curated selection of fine jewelry.
• Specialty: The store deals in top luxury brands like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Cartier, and Bulgari for both watches and jewelry. Their inventory includes both contemporary and vintage pieces.
• Locations: Watchnian Ginzo has stores across Japan.
• Website: https://www.ginzo.jp/ / https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/ginzonet

Section 3: Examples of what I bought and from where

Tiffany 'continuous' DBTY with 10pt stations in platinum - Komehyo - reserved online and delivered to the Ginza branch
&
Unbranded platinum rings (baguette and rose-cut pear) - Komehyo - in-store in their flagship Nagoya store





Grand Seiko 'Golden Snowflake' watch - Purpose - needed to reserve and make an appointment with their small store in Nagoya (you can see the bags they had in stock in the background)



Section 4: Examples of items in store

Some of the larger stores probably had more stock than VCA, Cartier or Rolex stores!

The stores also varied in terms of 'niceness' of environment, but generally the service is lovely.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Thanks @Pomelo for such detailed and picture worthy posting! This can be such a helpful guide to those interested in these particular items.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Oh my, this is a treasure trove on information, thank you so much @Pomelo !

And your new pieces are divine!

A few years ago I purchased a Tiffany brooch from a Japanese eBay store called jbworks697. It was an easy transaction and I'd definitely do it again, but I have no idea if they have a b&m store or not. I would absolutely love to visit ALL the stores you mentioned!

 

[Rebel Rebel]

This is great info! I've bought handbags from a number of Japanese sellers through eBay (including two of the above) with great success, but had no idea of the vast jewelry selections they have. I'm excited to look!

Also, I've found their shipping to the US to be exceptional: Most sellers shipped via DHL and most items arrived in three days, which surprised and thrilled me!

Thanks for your guide and for sharing all your beautiful pieces!