Published Sept 2, 2026 — NCAC alert; complaints up about 5.7× in five years
On September 2, 2026, Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center (NCAC) issued an alert about consumer trouble when selling jewelry and precious metals at shops. Behind it lies the rising international price of gold and, amid global economic uncertainty, a broad increase in the asset value of such items. More people are selling unwanted jewelry, and buyback services are used far more often than before. Complaints filed with consumer affairs centers nationwide have climbed steadily: 165 in FY2020, 240 in FY2021, 349 in FY2022, 410 in FY2023, 566 in FY2024 and 937 in FY2025. FY2026 already stands at 294 cases as of July 31, well above the 186 recorded in the same period a year earlier. Reported cases include consumers who visited a shop expecting only a free appraisal and ended up selling although they had no intention to, and consumers who asked for their items back because the offer was too low but were handed cash anyway. The NCAC points out that in some cases the consumer's own decision does not appear to have been sufficiently respected. The key legal difference is this: when a trader visits your home ("visit purchasing"), the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions applies, including an eight-day cooling-off right. But when you go to the shop yourself, that protection does not apply and a completed sale cannot be cancelled unconditionally. That is exactly why you must fully understand the terms before deciding.
For foreign residents, cashing in precious metals before leaving Japan or moving house is a familiar situation. Appraisals, however, are usually explained in Japanese, and it is not easy to judge on the spot whether the stated price basis or the way an item is weighed is reasonable. If you are unsure about communicating in Japanese, bring someone who understands it, or ask the shop to write out the item name, weight, unit price and total on paper or show it on a calculator. Travelers face extra pressure: with only a few days in Japan, it is easy to feel you must decide today, and that pressure leads to bad deals. Because there is no cooling-off right for in-store sales, the safest choice when in doubt is simply to take your items home. Note that buyback shops need a secondhand dealer licence and will ask for ID such as your residence card or passport. Avoid shops that do not display a licence number.
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Source:
National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan website (alert on consumer trouble over in-store jewelry and precious metal buybacks)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.