Japan: Now wants its people to buy more junk!
The customer is not always… well, rarely, right in Japan, and manufacturers don’t really care about them. The second hand marker flourishes over here, and most people take good care of their equipment, so used goods are usually in a very good condition and are sold easily to be replaced by new goods. It’s easy to strike a good deal when buying these second hand goods. But that’s exactly the big problem for manufacturers, because this grey market is not generating them any profit, and they would like to get rid of this phenomenon.
So from April 1st 2006, ALL electronic products sold in Japan before 2001 will be prohibited from the 2nd hand market!
Update: Engadget confirms this is not an April Fool’s joke! They also mention that exports are exempt so the rest of the world will get a chance to buy this stuff.
Update II – Electric Boogaloo: Here’s another side of the story saying it’s not as bad as everyone is saying, but still admitting that
it will be rather more troublesome for retailers to sell used electronics, and there may be less small stores doing so.
