Buying a used iPhone tax-free in Akihabara
HOSHIMORI RINKA · 3810 PRODUCTIONI check used iPhone prices at IOSYS every single day, so here's the short version: bring your passport, buy a unit marked ○, and keep the receipt with the phone until you fly home.
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Today's lowest prices at IOSYS
¥159,800iPhone 17 Pro 256GB¥119,800iPhone 16 Pro 128GB¥104,800iPhone 16 128GB¥99,800iPhone 15 Pro 128GB¥74,800iPhone 15 128GB¥50,800iPhone 14 128GB¥21,800iPhone SE (3rd gen) 64GB¥42,800iPhone 13 128GB
Lowest IOSYS online price for any grade, tax included. All models and grades →
RULES
Tax-free: what changes on November 1, 2026
Until Oct 31, 2026
- Pay the tax-free price at the shop.
- Show your original passport with the landing stamp or sticker. If you came through an automated gate, ask immigration for a stamp.
- For foreign visitors on a temporary visitor status who entered Japan less than 6 months ago.
- At least ¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day.
From Nov 1, 2026 (refund method)
- Pay the price including tax at the shop.
- Leave Japan within 90 days. Before security, scan your passport at the tax-free kiosk. GREEN means done; RED means customs wants to see the goods.
- The shop refunds the tax afterwards: bank transfer, card, app or cash at the airport, depending on the shop.
- Still at least ¥5,000 before tax.
Keep the phone and its receipt together. Customs checks each receipt as a unit. If anything on a receipt is missing when you leave, nothing on that receipt is refunded.
Can I use it during my trip? Yes. A phone is not a "consumable", so you can set it up and use it in Japan, as long as you take it with you when you leave (National Tax Agency Q&A, Q39).
FLOW
Check three times
① Before you buy
Read the tag: SIM-free, network restriction, battery, warranty.② At the counter
See the setup screen and the parts and service history.③ Right after
Test the screen, sound, cameras and buttons while the warranty runs.SHOPS
Where to buy
| Shop | Tax-free | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IOSYS Akiba Chuo-doriイオシス アキバ中央通店📍Map | ✔ Yes | 11:00–20:00 | 3-14-9 Sotokanda. 2 min from Suehirocho. Alipay and WeChat Pay accepted |
| IOSYS Roji Omoteアキバ路地オモテ店📍Map | ✔ Yes | 11:00–19:30 (Fri–Sat to 20:00) | 1-10-2 Sotokanda. 4 min from Akihabara Station |
| IOSYS Roji Ura Junk路地裏ジャンク店📍Map | ✔ Yes | 11:00–19:30 (Fri–Sat to 20:00) | Mostly junk-grade devices. For experts |
| Janpara Akihabara main storeじゃんぱら📍Map | ✔ Yes | 11:00–19:30 | 4-4-9 Sotokanda. Tax-free page in English |
Tax-free status was checked on each shop's own page. Other shops may offer it too — ask at the counter.
CHECK
Read the tag before you buy
- SIM-free. Look for SIMフリー or SIMロック解除済. SIM locks were banned only for models released from October 2021 on, so an older model can still be locked.
- Network restriction ○. ネットワーク利用制限 ○ = paid off. ▲ = instalments still owed; it can be blocked later. × = blocked in Japan. Buy ○ only. (Our price data already excludes ▲ and × units.) Shops with a network-restriction guarantee (exchange or refund if it later turns ×) take the risk for you. Buying from an individual, ask for the IMEI (15 digits; Settings › General › About, touch and hold to copy) and check it on each carrier page: docomo, au (UQ mobile), SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile (Japanese pages).
- Battery. Check the battery health on the tag. As a rule of thumb: 90%+ is very good, 80–89% is fine, under 80% you may want a battery replacement, under 70% it drains noticeably faster, and around 50% skip it or add the cost of a new battery. Apple designs iPhone batteries to keep 80% after 500 cycles (1,000 from iPhone 15). Our price data excludes units under 80%.
- Bands. Find the model number (Settings › General › About) on apple.com/iphone/cellular and compare with your home carrier.
- Shutter sound. Japan-model iPhones are widely reported to play a camera shutter sound in Japan that can't be muted. Apple doesn't document this, so ask the shop if it matters to you.
- Warranty. IOSYS gives a 3-month warranty on used iPhones. After you go home, support is only through the WorldShopping proxy service. Check the return rules too — how many days and in what condition (unopened only, and so on) differ by shop.
STORE
Screens to see at the counter
- A “Hello” screen. If “Hello” appears in many languages, the phone has been erased. A passcode lock screen or a Home Screen means it hasn't — ask the shop to erase it.
- “iPhone Locked to Owner” means don't buy. Activation Lock is on and the phone needs the previous owner's Apple Account. Being asked for the previous owner's Apple Account during setup means the same.
- Parts and Service History. On iOS 15.2 or later, Settings › General › About shows it if the iPhone has been repaired (iPhone XR, XS, SE 2nd gen and later; Apple). No entry doesn't prove there was no repair.
- Keep the receipt. It is also your warranty card. IOSYS gives 3 months on used phones; at Janpara the period is printed on the receipt.
Can I try it first? Janpara says you can try a unit by itself inside the sales floor (new and unused items may be refused). At other shops, ask the staff.
AFTER
Test everything right after you buy
Exchanges and refunds only work during the warranty, and the shops handle them in Japan. Test everything the same day, ideally before you leave the shop, and definitely before you fly home.
- Screen. Full-screen white, black, red, green and blue: look for dots, lines, burn-in and uneven color.
- Touch. Drag across the whole screen and look for dead spots.
- Sound. Bottom speaker, earpiece, and the microphone (record and play back).
- Cameras. Every rear lens and the front camera, plus focus and flash.
- Buttons. Volume, side button, Action button or ring switch, and vibration.
- Face ID or Touch ID, charging, Wi-Fi, calls.
TROUBLE
If something is wrong
- Go back to the shop within the warranty with the receipt, the phone and everything that came with it. Store purchases at IOSYS go back to the same store.
- Network restriction turns ×. IOSYS exchanges or fully refunds it regardless of the warranty period, if you still have the warranty card and accessories (junk items excluded). Janpara also exchanges or refunds it (except items sold without a warranty).
- Apple coverage. Check what is left at checkcoverage.apple.com.
Selling instead? See Selling your iPhone in Akihabara.
Checked 2026-09-30 on: National Tax Agency (refund method Q&A), Japan Tourism Agency tax-free pages and English leaflet, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (SIM unlock rules), IOSYS and Janpara store pages, Apple. General information, not tax advice. Hours and prices change — check each shop's own page before you go.