Weak yen and industry shifts drive greater demand for used smartphone handsets
Japan's secondhand smartphone market has expanded for seven consecutive years, hitting record highs of 3.6 million units and a 10% market share in fiscal 2025.
A sudden surge in used smartphone sales occurred last month following Apple's price increase for its iPhones, indicating how the weak yen and changes in industry practices are impacting Japan's consumer market for popular handsets. Online platform Nicosuma experienced a rush of purchases within hours of Apple's announcement on July 18, with orders doubling by noon compared to the same time the previous day and a week prior.
Yu Tomita, chief marketing officer at Belong, the operator of Nicosuma and a subsidiary of major trading house Itochu, noted that such a spike is rare, comparing it to a similar price hike four years ago.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
