Saving Money on Household Appliances

Say you need a new refrigerator, rice cooker, toilet, or air conditioner. This could be because the old one broke, because you are moving into a new house, or just because it’s time for an upgrade. There are various ways to save money without sacrificing much, and we will go into them here.

1. Buy Used or “unused” – This is something many Japanese people don’t like to do, but you can turn their reluctance into your treasure. Used products are referred to as “Chuko” in Japanese. If you don’t want to buy something used, ask yourself if there is an actual logical reason, or it’s just a “feeling”. I know someone who tried snowboarding once, decided he likes it, and them immediately went out and bought a ton of snowboarding gear. I suggested he at least buy his first set used, but he scoffed, saying he wanted that new snowboard smell. “Sekaku dakara!” was a phrase he used, which means something like “since we’ve come this far…” or “If you’re going to do it, you may as well do it right”, but in this context, it’s really just an excuse. Predictably, he got bored of it, and the stuff sits unused at his house after just a few uses. When he does sell it, he would be very lucky to get half price – and then someone like myself can pick it up very cheap. Used stuff can be bought from individuals on places like Yahoo Auctions and Merucari, but also from stores that will clean, test, and warrant the items. If you need something small buy expensive like a camera, laptop or phone, this may be a very good option. Larger appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators are usually not a good deal, as when you buy new, you can typically have the old item disposed of quickly and cheaply. When you buy used, then you normally have to deal with the old item yourself – which can be expensive and time consuming. There are even “Mishiyo” (unused) items, which are new, but re-sold. This often happens if someone gets something as a gift but doesn’t want it. They sell it to a shop, who will then resell it to you.
2. Buy “kata-ochi shouhin” – aka last year’s model. Almost all items have a new version released by the manufacturer each year. The new version often costs the same as the old one, and so stores lower the price of the old one to make sure they sell out. Sometimes they will put it on deep discount just to get it out of the store. It’s simpler to manage fewer products, after all. Let’s say you are looking to buy a rice cooker – is the 2025 model that much different than the 2024 model? Probably not. It might have a new color, or an extra feature that you will never use – but it will be 99% the same. What won’t be the same, however, is the cost. Last year’s model will often be discounted 30% or more. The longer it sticks around, the more discounted it will be. It’s still new, and still carries a warranty.
3. Buy “teijihin”, or Display Models. Often stores have display models that they change out whenever a new product arrives. When the 2026 lineup of refrigerators is released, the 2025 one becomes old and they will sell those display models. Typically these might be moved to an outlet for sale, f.e. the Bic Camera Outlet store in Ikebukuro. Again, many Japanese people don’t like the idea of buying something that a lot of people have touched, but again this is more feeling than anything concrete. There is nothing wrong with a display model refrigerator or washing machine that a bit of alcohol spray can’t fix.
4. Shop around. Stores that offer points, such as Bic and Yodobashi, often don’t have the best prices. The items that they offer fewer points on are the ones they are making less profit on, which means they are typically a better deal. Accepting various payment methods such as credit cards also means they need to pay fees to the payment processors. You can buy from a store that only accepts bank transfers, and they will almost always have the exact same product for less. You can search for almost anything at kakaku.com or Hikaku.com, or other similar sites.
5. Consider installation & disposal cost. Larger items such as refrigerators can be difficult to dispose of, and some items such as air conditioners need special installation by a professional. Disposing of an item on your own can sometimes mean waiting for weeks, whereas if they pick up the old item as part of the service when you buy a new one, it will likely be very fast and fairly cheap by comparison. A used refrigerator might be cheaper than a new one, but when you factor in the time and money needed for disposal, buying from a place like Yodobashi is probably the way to go for larger appliances if you are replacing a broken unit. Likewise if you got an air conditioner dirt cheap but it simply arrives in a box, then you need to search for someone to install it for you. If you saved 10,000 on the AC unit compared to a major retailer, but the installer charges you 20,000 to install it, then you’ve gained nothing and lost time.
6. Ask about government rebated and discounts. Local governments often will pay you to upgrade to a more energy efficient appliance. You can typically file by yourself after the fact, but stores like Bic and Yodobashi will actually do it for you and give you the discount on the spot if you provide photos of the old appliance.

Personal Experience

This last year has been an unlucky year in that a lot of things have started breaking, and also I bought an investment property that I had to renovate. Hence I have bought a lot of appliances.

• A friend had a lemon of a bike that kept breaking. Everything she fixed something, a different part would break. I told her that her dedication to that bike was admirable, but perhaps it was time to buy a new one. When we went to the store to look at new bikes, we mentioned to the sales person that we would be willing to look at last year’s model if it was cheaper, and he happily led the way. He was happy to get rid of it, and my friend was happy to save the money. (about 20% savings).
• The refrigerator I currently use was a display model from Bic Outlet (About 30% savings).
• In renovating the new property, I specified the maker and features I wanted for the air conditioner, toilets, windows, etc. I told them “It should be 2022 model or newer”, and the contractor sought out 2024 models that were available at a discount. This saved at least 20% – multiply that by 5 air conditioners 2 sinks, and 2 washlets.
• Also as part of the renovation, I needed to replace the old refrigerator. I asked Yodobashi staff, and they told me that I could get a 20,000 rebate from Tokyo for upgrading, so I saved about 33% on the new 60,000 JPY refrigerator. In addition to that, I saved a lot of money and time on the disposal of the old refrigerator, because Yodobashi picked it up the very next day for 5,000 JPY, whereas it would have cost a lot more and taken weeks with the “normal” process.
• Finally, I needed to replace all of the lights as part of the renovation project. Again there was a rebate of 4,000 yen each, for all of the incandescent and florescent lights I replaced. A helpful staff member at Bic Camera told me about this once I mentioned I was replacing old lights.
• For all of the appliances like microwaves, rice cookers, etc., I found last year’s models on sale and looked on kakaku and other sites to find the best deals.

Here’s the thing. Everything I bought was brand new, and all of it was Japanese brands, under warranty. I didn’t have to buy suspicious stuff from brands I’ve never heard of on Ali Express or Wish, I didn’t need to really lower my standards at all. Nobody renting my house is going to complain “Hey, this is a 2024 model air conditioner!”, or “I think this refrigerator might have been a display model!” Nobody, including me, will notice the difference, and yet I saved hundreds of thousands of yen (Thousands of dollars) in outfitting a small house.