I noticed that Hard Off seems to have some kind of 3-month return policy for used video game consoles, and I assume on other stuff as well (sorry, I don’t know the details–perhaps someone can elaborate). I was wondering if this is common when buying from other stores that sell used electronics like Book Off, Surugaya, etc. or if Hard Off has a really good thing going. My wife and I have never bought any electronics used in Japan, so any input would be appreciated.
4 comments
Usually any store will give you a week, so 3 months is nice.
Sometimes, 3 months for return is generous depending on the product.
This reminds me of a recent news piece on the growing market for used white goods… and I found it.
Here is the NHK article on it [サクサク経済](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/sakusakukeizai/20220623/499/)
[And Yamada Outlet](https://www.yamada-denki.jp/service/outletreuse/) was the featured store in that piece.
Outlet products are just long inventory new stock, but the fact Yamada is offering 1-2 repair/exchange years for reused items (with no extra charge) is pretty generous.
I tried returning something at Hard Off. Holy shit, they are kinda dicks about it. Make sure you didn’t swap it out with a different one, asking if you know how to use it properly, etc. Their warranty is a marketing gimmick. When you actually want to return something it’s a test of patience.
>Surugaya
I don’t know the exact length period, but I can confirm that Surugaya does have a warranty period and it’s kind of lengthy like Hard Off. Also it doesn’t only apply to hardware, but software as well – I’m often told I can bring games back within X period if there’s any problems. Hardware and software probably have different warranty periods but I’m too lazy to search right now.