Why is it not possible to return a product?

12 comments

1. A case of impulse buying, I take it. Where did you buy it?

2. Most stores don’t accept, “I just don’t want it anymore” as a reason to give you back money, Japan or not. Their business is to take your money, not give you it back.

   And there’s other things to consider. If the item was used, labeled as junk (and they explain you can’t return it before you pay), box opened, no valid reason for return, etc..

3. Different stores have different policies on returns, and they will usually have a sign near the cash register and/or the staff will tell you the returns policy as they process your purchase.

   Some will allow you to return the item if it’s unopened and within a certain timeframe. Some won’t accept returns for sale items. Some won’t accept returns unless the product is damaged. For clothing, some brands will accept exchanges only if the size doesn’t fit but not a return.

   Is it normal to be this fickle with your purchases?

4. I think it just depends where you went.

   I recently went to buy an iPhone for my girlfriend’s birthday and wanted to do it at BicCamera because it’s close and the same price as the Apple Store. At checkout they said “Do you want Apple care?”, I said I’ll get it later and then they lied about being able to do it later. Then they told me they need to open the box and to make sure it’s not cracked/broken, otherwise I can’t get a refund. I told them it’s a gift, but they said “that’s the rule”.

   So I said – “That rule is stupid. If I go to the Apple Store I get a warranty so I can keep it closed as a gift, I can buy Apple Care up to 3 months after purchase, and if even your product looks good, but has a fault we don’t see here like speaker or something I can’t return it?”. They said “that’s correct”. I just walked away. Utter bollocks.

   While it just sounds like you don’t have a good reason to return it, it would be fine to return in a lot of western countries/companies, but Japan has some pretty nutty rules sometimes.

   If you can’t return, your best bet would be to sell online as new. Even stores like BookOff will open the new product to inspect it and give you a shit price.

   EDIT: Sorry, this was ranty. Bad day

5. If you want the American return policy stick to buying from Amazon japan. If you bought from a Yamada or Yodobashi yeah there is no return policy unless defective or damaged out of the box. Even if the thing breaks in a week, the store will try to get you to send it back to the manufacture and not the store.

6. I don’t think retuning for cash back is a thing here.

7. When I first moved to Japan I bought a cheap TV from Edion. Looked fine in store when I got home it looked like shit. Bad quality, light from the LED leaking through the bezel.

   Took it back to the store within 30mins and the guy looked super pissed. He just tapped the brand name on the box and said “cheap, bad.”

   But he did process the return thankfully. (This was almost 10 years ago.) saved for another month and grabbed a Sharp Aquos off Amazon and was much much happier. But yeah that was my first lesson in “don’t expect to be able to return things.”

8. Why should the store pay for your bad decisions?

   That’s an American weirdness.

9. I think we just had a similar thread this week. Some big retail stores (Uniqlo, GAP, Apple Stores) or your local homecenter/supermarket usually has a lenient return policy. I’ve returned countless items (clothes, apple devices, groceries) and they will happily refund them.

   But for electronics, you have to be more careful. I don’t know where you bought them, but Yodobashi accept refund for unopened/unused items.

   Amazon is great for refund, they don’t really care for the reason. They have a huge resources so they can do this. But for smaller mom and pop stores, don’t expect the same refund policy.

10. OP, one doesn’t just buy a PS Vita and suddenly decide they don’t want it. I know buyer’s remorse is a thing but smh.

11. Some stores do. Donqi accepted my returns without question.

    I’m curious where you got a vita in 2022 though.

12. Yep, normal. I bought a Pico 4 from Yodobashi. The screen/lenses ended up having issues (mura on the screen, and distortion from the lenses) that aren’t present on other samples of the headset.
    But unless you’re familiar with VR you’d never know. They refused the return on the groups that it worked.

    I went the day after and a different guy accepted the refund then.

    It’s painful. Should have bought from Amazon.