Purchasing used Fujifilm X cameras in Japan

I will be traveling around Japan this spring/summer and would like to pick up an X-E3. There's a good amount of Japanese sellers on ebay that sell their cameras at a very competitive price but I'm leaving for Japan soon so it may not get delivered in time.

It seems like some shops in Japan only have store fronts and don't sell online so how would these used camera shops price their used cameras compared to Japanese ebay sellers? Is there a good amount of shops that sell used Fujifilm X bodies? I'm assuming there might not a huge stock of X-E, X100, X-Pro models because of how high demand they are these days.

Have any of you recently visiting or based out in Tokyo or other major cities like Osaka recently had the experience of shopping for a used Fuji X camera? What can I expect? I will be traveling the entire country for 90 days.

Hi there.

I hope i can share some of my experiences. I have been to Japan multiple times and have spent a great deal of time researching this in the past.

My experiences / findings will probably be better suited in bullet points.

-There is alot of pride with camera companies as they are Japanese. I tend to be able to find better deals back at home (Australia). They don’t really negotiate much over there.

-Some cameras in Japan are only sold with Japanese menus, you won’t be able to change it. So you got to do some research / ask the shop assistance.

-It’s less about the price. But more about the opportunity to buy used equipment that’s in relatively good condition from a physical store. Especially in the context of equipment that is no longer sold new, there aren’t many places where you can go in the world and find “mint” condition with a physical store front. If you are all about the price (Yes, I am) ebay sellers from Japan are generally more competitive from my experience. But nothing beats handling the equipment and inspecting yourself prior to purchase.

-The main stores on main streets are slightly more expensive than “smaller cities”. Example: One of my favourite stores is mapcamera in tokyo. They have a comprehensive catalog online and you can do alot of research prior. Specifically take note on how they classify condition and how it impacts the price.

-Bargains (price wise) are harder to come by. But there is usually a “trash pile” where you can dive into old vintage zoom lenses and random assortment of stuff. My only “luck” was when i stumbled across a mint 200mm F4 nikkor non-ai that i used a few times before selling it for a small profit in Australia.

-Private ebay sellers from Japan. There are a number of japanese based sellers that ship goods internationally. I have purchased from them (film era lenses) on numerous occasions, and haven’t had a bad experience. But there are a few things to note

—Private sellers assessment of goods may not be as “strict” as the larger sellers. E.g. Lenses that contain a little bit of fungus could still be rated as “Exc condition A+”

—Taxes and duties may need to be paid

—Painful process if things go wrong (return process , package stolen etc)

My previous failed purchases

-Leica 35mm summilux non-aspsh in 2016 = I just found the prices over there too expensive. I passed on an opportunity to buy a heavily beaten up used. I ended up buying a mint copy in Melbourne (Australia) for a similar price.

-Sony 28mm F2 in 2018 = The retail price for this lens new is more expensive than Australia. The used prices in Japan weren’t compelling enough for me to pull the trigger … when compared to ebay used “mint + box” prices.

Personally for me it’s all got to do with the price. I did have a great time exploring the different camera stores, looking at all the different film cameras. But i’ll make the purchases at home.

Have fun.

Thanks Raymond. I've had decent amount experience shopping for 35mm film cameras in Japan and from Japanese ebay sellers as well. You're spot on about how business is done in Japan and ebay. A small minority are poor sellers like reusing the same used camera image but majority of them are top class sellers. It's usually easy to spot the good and bad sellers. And yes, returns is a hassle...

However, I don't have experience buying Fuji X cameras in Japan. I'm pretty sure Map Camera in Shinjuku is probably the first place to check but I'm wondering if Fuji X bodies are common to find in other used camera shops within Tokyo? I always see film cameras and Sony Alpha digital camersa but I can't recall if Fuji cameras were common to find.

okmarzo wrote:

Thanks Raymond. I've had decent amount experience shopping for 35mm film cameras in Japan and from Japanese ebay sellers as well. You're spot on about how business is done in Japan and ebay. A small minority are poor sellers like reusing the same used camera image but majority of them are top class sellers. It's usually easy to spot the good and bad sellers. And yes, returns is a hassle...

However, I don't have experience buying Fuji X cameras in Japan. I'm pretty sure Map Camera in Shinjuku is probably the first place to check but I'm wondering if Fuji X bodies are common to find in other used camera shops within Tokyo? I always see film cameras and Sony Alpha digital camersa but I can't recall if Fuji cameras were common to find.

Yes it is. Exception are obviously the specialty stores (e.g film, brand specific like Nikon house ginza)

It might be more difficult in non-speciality stores that are part of the “hard off” group. But you can also search their inventory and do some research on price / location.

website: https://netmall.hardoff.co.jp

okmarzo wrote:

Thanks Raymond. I've had decent amount experience shopping for 35mm film cameras in Japan and from Japanese ebay sellers as well. You're spot on about how business is done in Japan and ebay. A small minority are poor sellers like reusing the same used camera image but majority of them are top class sellers. It's usually easy to spot the good and bad sellers. And yes, returns is a hassle...

However, I don't have experience buying Fuji X cameras in Japan. I'm pretty sure Map Camera in Shinjuku is probably the first place to check but I'm wondering if Fuji X bodies are common to find in other used camera shops within Tokyo? I always see film cameras and Sony Alpha digital camersa but I can't recall if Fuji cameras were common to find.

Hi,

Mapcamera has a lot of Fuji gear but it is not cheap. As Raymond already pointed out cameras and lenses are not cheap in Japan. The only lens I bought so far was the 27/2.8 but that was in Singapore.

That said: The JPY is low now and the quality is great. The cameras and lenses that I saw on map camera looked like new. I would rather stick with second hand lenses though because I'm not sure if all cameras have menu systems in foreign languages.

Japan is the wrong destination if you are looking for digital camera bargains. Most cameras will have Japanese menus so just be careful with that.

If you already have the funds, better get your camera now and spend your time capturing shots of that amazing country with it.