My Head’s in a Jumble
It’s been a while since I did a non-Magic post, but I thought that this article would be useful for those people living in Japan. If you’ve been living in Japan for a while, you probably know how much of a pain it is to get rid of your junk when you move or when you’re simply doing spring cleaning. If you’re close enough to a Recycle Shop, you can get rid of big things like your sofa, but otherwise you’re stuck footing the bill for trash pick up. The same can be said for clothes. I don’t know how many clothes I threw away when I went back to the USA in 2008. I still find myself in a dilemma when I’m doing spring cleaning and want to get rid of a huge bag of clothes. Usually people will just say to throw it all away.
But that’s a shame. In the USA, and maybe in other countries, you can donate your clothes to a good cause. Maybe it’s a place like Goodwill, a church, or a homeless shelter. If you do that, great. But in Japan? Garbage . . . or maybe not? A few of you might have seen a shop called JUMBLE STORE before while driving around town or shopping downtown and paid it no mind. Sometimes it’s next to GEO (the video store. They are owned by the same company).
So what is Jumble Store?
Simply put, it’s a recycle shop for your clothes. You can take in bags of clothes you were planning on throwing away, and as long as they don’t have stains or are damaged, the place seems to take them. My girlfriend took a lot of jackets, pants, etc. today that she didn’t want anymore and after 3 huge bags, she walked away with about 6500 yen.
You probably wonder what they do with the material afterwards. Well, the store gets first pick of the clothes sold, and then if it’s something they need they’ll turn around and sell it straight out at a higher price than what they bought it for. For the other clothes they don’t need, it gets shipped off to a warehouse which then redistributes it to other stores.
The prices you get for items ranges from 5 yen an item to . . . well it depends on how expensive your item is. If you trade in some Louis Vuitton things or nice suits, you could probably get a pretty penny for them. Here’s their website:
If you click on the “shop” button, a map of Japan should show up and then you can just click on your prefecture and get more information about. When you sell stuff, you’ll also need a government ID, a foreigner card, or your passport and you’ll have some paperwork to fill out. It’s well worth the inconvenience if you can make a few extra bucks every month. So next time you’re doing spring cleaning and find yourself with a bunch of extra clothes you don’t need, look into selling them at Jumble Store.
From one foreigner to another, this is your best bet when you’re packing up and moving and don’t want to throw away everything. It also is better for the environment and you can sometimes find really good brands for cheap there! I have picked up Diesel and Bathing Ape clothes to name a few. If you have any other questions about Jumble Store, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
If you’re looking for one in downtown Nagoya, there is one right across the street from the Parco Department store on the same road as Osu Kannon (which is right down the street. You can walk about 15 minutes straight from Kamimaezu station exit 9 to find it on your left, or you can get off at Yabacho station on the Meijo line and head to the main street and look for the store acroos the street from Parco. If you get lost or need better directions, let me know!
Thanks for reading
I’m thinking of taking some bags of clothes to Jumble Store, but my Japanese isn’t so good. Think I can get through the process with minimal hassle (for myself and the worker)? I’m assuming I just have to drop the clothes off and wait around to accept their offer, but if they ask a lot of questions I’ll never get through it!
A few other questions: How long does the process take for them to value your clothes (I have 2 garbage bags’ worth), and do you stay in the store as they do it or do they contact your a few days later? Also what kind of paperwork do you have to fill out?
Thanks for the help!
You need to fill out a form with your phone number and name I believe, and as for identification, a foreigner card or license should work. I don’t think they ask a lot of questions, but having some Japanese is a plus. Saying you want to sell some clothes (Fuku oh ooritai) is a good start, and understanding what they are asking for such as address (jyusho), phone number (denwa bango), and ID (mibunsho) is useful.
The length of process depends on the day how busy they are. Weekends are going to take upwards of a few hours, but if you go on a weekday you might be finished in 30 minutes. After they look through your stuff, they’ll give you a print out of what it’s worth then ask you to sign it off. If you’re worried, see about having a Japanese speaking friend go with you. There are also a few other jumble stores around the area (there is one in Oe on the meitetsu line I believe), so if ine doesn’t take it, you can always try another.
Thank you so much! I think I can handle the process, I just try to avoid burdening people with my lack of Japanese. Thanks again.