--- title: "Japan Tax Refund 2026: Can Secondhand Shop Purchases Be Refunded?" description: "From November 1, 2026, a secondhand shop sale follows the general refund conditions, but the official pages do not mention used goods." lang: en canonical: https://refund-japan.com/articles/secondhand-shops published: 2026-10-22 updated: 2026-10-22 publisher: "RefundJapan" --- # Japan Tax Refund 2026: Can Secondhand Shop Purchases Be Refunded? > From November 1, 2026, a secondhand shop sale follows the general refund conditions, but the official pages do not mention used goods. Last checked: 2026-10-22 From November 1, 2026, if a secondhand shop is a tax-free shop and the item is one it can sell tax-free, the refund follows the general conditions: the buyer must be a non-resident, the same store and same day total must reach JPY 5,000 before tax, and the goods must leave Japan within 90 days of purchase. The three official sources listed at the end, checked on October 22, 2026, do not mention used or recycled goods, so this article does not say whether a secondhand item is eligible or excluded because of its category. Under the new system the counter price includes the 10% consumption tax, and the refund comes only after customs confirms the goods on the way out. Ask the shop before you pay how it will record the sale, because the shop checks buyer eligibility and creates the purchase record at the counter. ## How does a secondhand purchase move through the refund? - The shop sells the goods at the tax-included price, checks that the buyer qualifies, and creates a purchase record for each sale, as the [Japan Tax-free Shop Association](https://zenmenkyo.jp/refund/) (checked October 7, 2026) describes. - The buyer takes the goods to the airport or seaport. Tax-free treatment applies only when the buyer does this and customs confirms the goods, as the [Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00019.html) (checked October 15, 2026) states. - At the customs kiosk the passport is read. Green means the traveller passes; Red means the goods must be shown in person ([Japan Customs](https://www.customs.go.jp/) (checked August 19, 2026)). - Customs confirmation is judged one purchase record at a time. If customs cannot confirm one item in a record, none of the goods in that record are tax-free ([Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00019.html) (checked October 15, 2026)). - The shop keeps the customs confirmation information and pays back the consumption tax equivalent, either itself or through a refund operator. ## What changes from November 1, 2026? - The counter price includes the 10% consumption tax. The equivalent is refunded only after customs confirms the goods as they leave Japan. - The JPY 5,000 threshold is the total before tax at one store on one day, as the [Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00021.html) (checked August 19, 2026) sets it out. Purchases at two different stores cannot be added together. With tax included, the same line is JPY 5,500. - The buyer must carry the goods out personally. Sending goods home by mail ended on March 31, 2025, so the goods must travel with the buyer. ## What stays the same? - The consumption tax rate is 10%. The tax inside a tax-included price is one eleventh of that price, so JPY 10,000 includes JPY 909. - Only non-residents are eligible, meaning travellers who have stayed in Japan for less than six months. Residents of Japan do not qualify. ## Which situation matches yours? ### I bought one used item that comes to less than JPY 5,000 before tax One item below the line does not qualify on its own. The threshold is the total of what you buy at one store on one day, so another purchase from the same store that day counts toward it. Check the total on your receipt before you leave the counter, and remember that the same line is JPY 5,500 with tax included. For the threshold itself, see [the minimum purchase rule](https://refund-japan.com/articles/minimum-5000-tax-included). ### I shopped at two secondhand shops on the same day Each store is counted on its own. A purchase of JPY 5,000 before tax at one store and another purchase of JPY 5,000 before tax at a second store do not join into one refundable purchase, even on the same day. Each shop creates its own purchase record and keeps its own customs confirmation information. ### I want to buy an item for a friend and pay with my own card The buyer must be the person who carries the goods out of Japan. How the refund is handled when the card holder's name differs from the buyer's name is not announced as of August 19, 2026, so ask the shop before you pay. See [name mismatch](https://refund-japan.com/articles/name-mismatch) for the open question. ### I plan to send the used item home by mail before my flight Under the new system, tax-free treatment exists only when the buyer takes the goods to the airport or seaport and customs confirms them. Sending goods home by mail ended on March 31, 2025, so mailing the item is not a way to skip carrying it out. ### My trip will run past the 90-day limit The goods must leave Japan and be confirmed by customs within 90 days of the purchase date. Count from the date on your receipt and plan your departure before the 90th day. The rule is set out in the [Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00021.html) (checked August 19, 2026) page. ### I buy on the day I fly out A purchase on the day of departure still counts toward that store's total for that day. The goods must be presented at the customs kiosk at the airport, so leave time for the check. See [shopping on departure day](https://refund-japan.com/articles/shopping-on-departure-day). ### The shop cannot say whether it sells used goods tax-free The official pages do not describe a used-goods rule, so the shop is the only source you can ask before you pay. Ask whether the item is sold tax-included under the tax-free system and how the purchase record will be made. If the shop does not handle tax-free sales, the purchase does not qualify. See [when a shop is not tax-free](https://refund-japan.com/articles/shop-not-tax-free). ### I will stay in Japan for six months or more Eligibility depends on being a non-resident, which means a stay of less than six months. A longer stay changes the answer, so check your stay length before you buy. See [stay extended](https://refund-japan.com/articles/stay-extended). ### I want to give the used item to someone in Japan Tax-free treatment depends on the buyer carrying the goods out of Japan and customs confirming them. If the item leaves the buyer's hands in Japan, that buyer has not carried it out, so the condition is not met. See [gave an item away in Japan](https://refund-japan.com/articles/gave-item-away-in-japan). ### I buy a used item for a family member Each buyer's purchase is recorded under that buyer, and the buyer must carry the goods out. Customs judges each purchase record, so the records are checked one by one. See [buying for someone](https://refund-japan.com/articles/buying-for-someone). ### I want to know the refund amount for a used item The refund is the consumption tax equivalent: one eleventh of the tax-included price. JPY 10,000 includes JPY 909. Whether a handling fee is taken from the refund is not announced as of August 19, 2026. The official pages checked on October 22, 2026 do not state it, so the amount you receive may differ from that figure. See [one eleventh](https://refund-japan.com/articles/one-eleventh) and [handling fee](https://refund-japan.com/articles/handling-fee). ### The kiosk shows a Red result for my used item A Red result means you show the goods in person at the kiosk. Keep the goods and the receipt where you can reach them quickly. See [preparing for a Red result](https://refund-japan.com/articles/red-result-preparation). ## What has not been announced yet? As of August 19, 2026, the following points have not been announced. - Whether a handling fee is taken from the refund, and at what rate, is not announced as of August 19, 2026, and the official pages checked on October 22, 2026 do not state it. - Whether cash can be received at the airport or seaport is not announced as of August 19, 2026. - How many days the refund takes to arrive is not announced as of August 19, 2026. - How a card held in a different name from the buyer is handled is not announced as of August 19, 2026. The three official pages checked on October 22, 2026 do not describe used or recycled goods separately. This article leaves that point open and does not fill the gap with a guess. ## What else do buyers ask? ### Are used goods excluded from tax-free shopping after November 1, 2026? The three official pages checked on October 22, 2026 do not say that used goods are excluded, and they do not say that used goods are included. Ask the shop before you pay. ### Do I still pay the tax-free price at the counter after November 1, 2026? No. From November 1, 2026, the counter price includes the 10% consumption tax, and the refund comes after customs confirmation. ### Can I count a used item and a new item from the same shop together? The threshold is the total before tax of purchases at one store on one day. The sources do not split used and new goods into separate totals. ### Can I add purchases from two different secondhand shops to reach JPY 5,000? No. The threshold applies to one store on one day, and purchases at different stores cannot be added together. ### Does a purchase for a family member count toward my own threshold? The sources do not say that a purchase made for another person is combined with yours. Each buyer carries the goods out, and each purchase record is checked separately. ### Does the shop check whether I am a non-resident? The [Japan Tax-free Shop Association](https://zenmenkyo.jp/refund/) (checked October 7, 2026) page describes the shop checking whether the buyer is eligible. How the shop carries out that check is up to the shop. ### Does the refund carry a handling fee? Whether there is a fee, and how large it is, has not been announced as of August 19, 2026. Ask the shop or the refund operator before you buy. ### How long does the refund take to arrive? The number of days until the refund arrives has not been announced as of August 19, 2026. ### Where are the kiosks at each airport? The locations and number of kiosks at each airport have not been announced as of August 19, 2026. ### How do I register for the refund? The [Japan Tax-free Shop Association](https://zenmenkyo.jp/refund/) (checked October 7, 2026) page says travellers will need to be guided to register for the refund. The method is confirmed with the shop's approved operator or the refund operator. ### What happens if customs cannot confirm one item in a purchase record? None of the goods in that purchase record are tax-free. The check is made per record, so one unconfirmed item affects the whole record ([Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00019.html) (checked October 15, 2026)). ### What if I leave Japan after 90 days? The customs confirmation must happen within 90 days of the purchase date. A later departure does not meet that condition. ### Do I have to show the goods at the kiosk? Red means you show the goods in person. Green means you pass. The result is set by the kiosk when your passport is read ([Japan Customs](https://www.customs.go.jp/) (checked August 19, 2026)). ## Where do these rules come from? - [Japan Tourism Agency tax-free goods page](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00021.html) (checked August 19, 2026): the JPY 5,000 threshold in one store on one day, and the 90-day rule. - [Japan Tourism Agency tax-free page](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00019.html) (checked October 15, 2026): the effective date of November 1, 2026, the requirement to carry the goods out, and the per-record customs check. - [Japan Tax-free Shop Association refund page](https://zenmenkyo.jp/refund/) (checked October 7, 2026): the roles of the shop, the approved operator and the refund operator, and the refund registration guidance. - [Japan Customs](https://www.customs.go.jp/) (checked August 19, 2026): the Green and Red results at the kiosk. - Used and recycled goods: none of the three pages above mentions them, as checked on October 22, 2026. ## Sources - [Japan Tax-free Shop Association](https://zenmenkyo.jp/refund/) — checked October 7, 2026 - [Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00019.html) — checked October 15, 2026 - [Japan Customs](https://www.customs.go.jp/) — checked August 19, 2026 - [Japan Tourism Agency](https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tax-free/page01_000001_00021.html) — checked August 19, 2026