Japan is banning the resale of vintage gear

[Nubus]

This is to the best of my scant knowledge. The government is sick of taking responsibility for people injuring themselves with old electronic devices. A short while back they initiated something similar to UL here, which manufacturers had to comply with. That wasn't good enough so they are making this new law which outlaws stores from selling anything made before 2001 that plugs into the wall. Sucks for the japanese because they have a lot of electronic devices, like smalll vacuums, rice cookers, wash machines, fans... and of course cool old synths and mixers and drum machines and what not. Alot of people think that they are doing this just to boost the sales of brand new products. Japan has the coolest and the most vintage used gear stores I have ever seen anywhere in my entire life.
here's an english link to read:
http://www.cp.org/premium/Online/Mem.../z030401A.html

[Nubus]

and another
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...072754,00.html

[lukedavo]

Man that is rediculous, there are probably thousands of people over there with vintage gear they resell for a living, this will be horrible! Not to mention, impossible for other asian regions to get those vintage fix's, from the closest most obssesive nation to them, Japan.

[johnS]

Wow. It's truly absurd the laws that get passed in the name of public safety. (It's OK to own the non-compliant stuff but not OK to sell it? Uh, OK.) Has there been an epidemic of electrocutions in Japan from using old guitars? Doubtful.

On the upside, it sounds like a good time to fly to Japan and buy a bunch of vintage synths and stuff:

With just three weeks until “judgment day” second-hand instrument shops, retro video games shops, antique lighting stores and antique gadget emporia are slashing prices by absurd margins, fearing that their stock will become worthless overnight. And because it will not be illegal to own a non-PSE product, customers are indulging in a buying frenzy.

[mikegee]

i bet when they find out how much it affects the economy, they will overturn that law... and also, wont that increase landfill use? maybe they will figure out how to circumvent the law, maybe a barter trade system? hmmm

[johnS]

Originally Posted by mikegee

i bet when they find out how much it affects the economy, they will overturn that law... and also, wont that increase landfill use? maybe they will figure out how to circumvent the law, maybe a barter trade system? hmmm

Hey Mike, you were right. It didn't take long for that law to get overturned:

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan will effectively scrap a ban on the sale of used appliances after receiving a barrage of protests from musicians and dealers of second-hand goods.

And the government gets to save face, too:

But second-hand dealers argued they would be driven out of business, and musicians claimed the law would dissuade young people from learning and would stifle creativity, as turntables and other used gadgets are important tools.

So the Trade Ministry on Monday reinterpreted the law to let used goods sellers circumvent the ban. Trade Ministry official Kazuhisa Kakui said electric appliances could be sold after April 1 by classifying the transactions as rentals rather than sales.

This according to an AP report today:

Mar 27, 12:57 PM EST
Japan to End Ban on Resale of Used Goods
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

[clineaudio]

Originally Posted by johnS

Hey Mike, you were right. It didn't take long for that law to get overturned:

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan will effectively scrap a ban on the sale of used appliances after receiving a barrage of protests from musicians and dealers of second-hand goods.

And the government gets to save face, too:

But second-hand dealers argued they would be driven out of business, and musicians claimed the law would dissuade young people from learning and would stifle creativity, as turntables and other used gadgets are important tools.

So the Trade Ministry on Monday reinterpreted the law to let used goods sellers circumvent the ban. Trade Ministry official Kazuhisa Kakui said electric appliances could be sold after April 1 by classifying the transactions as rentals rather than sales.

This according to an AP report today:

Mar 27, 12:57 PM EST
Japan to End Ban on Resale of Used Goods
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

That was fast. Good news though, I know that Japan is home to some of the most serious, obsessive, vintage heads in the world. I remember seeing some INSANE equipment lists for "all vintage" studios in japan.

[Nubus]

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/27/j...-of-used-gear/

[mikegee]

Originally Posted by johnS

Hey Mike, you were right. It didn't take long for that law to get overturned:

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan will effectively scrap a ban on the sale of used appliances after receiving a barrage of protests from musicians and dealers of second-hand goods.

And the government gets to save face, too:

But second-hand dealers argued they would be driven out of business, and musicians claimed the law would dissuade young people from learning and would stifle creativity, as turntables and other used gadgets are important tools.

So the Trade Ministry on Monday reinterpreted the law to let used goods sellers circumvent the ban. Trade Ministry official Kazuhisa Kakui said electric appliances could be sold after April 1 by classifying the transactions as rentals rather than sales.

This according to an AP report today:

Mar 27, 12:57 PM EST
Japan to End Ban on Resale of Used Goods
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

cool... "rentals rather than sales"??? weird... go figure, huh?

[GearJunkie]

Dear Japan,

Please send me all your weird, old pedals. They're all outdated and...um... useless.

Love,
Griff