Treasure 'junk' from Japan

MANILA, Philippines - Unlike Sotheby’s auction in London where a rich array of the finest artworks are bid out by gentlemen in bespoke clothing, the auction that takes place inside the 2,000-square meter Pinakamura warehouse along Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite is attended by mostly traders and buyers out to score second-hand goods from Japan.

On a 10-meter platform,  traders and individual buyers come to the Pinakamura warehouse on Saturday afternoons to buy “junk” from Japan: pure-leather sofas, beds, chairs, electronics, wooden cabinets, glasswares, arcade machines, grass cutters, etc. The participants, who pay a P500 consumable fee to register, believe that what may be junk to the Japanese may be treasure to the Pinoys.

 “The Japanese are peculiar. Almost every year they change their furnishings. Bagong taon, bagong buhay. When their appliances conk they don’t go to repair shops but sell them to junk dealers,” says Mary Jane Yoshida, a Filipino married to a Japanese and general manager of Pinakamura warehouse.

Operating since 2007, Pinakamura’s success has spawned two braches – two in Cavite and another in Batangas. Excited about the prospects of introducing Pinakamura to Metro Manila shoppers, Yoshida’s company is participating at Park and Sell Night Market, at the Boom na Boom Grounds, CCP, Complex from December 2-23 from 4 p.m. to 12 midnight.

Organized by the Philippine Exhibits and Theme Parks Corporation (PETCO), Park and Sell hopes to gather the best among entrepreneurs who are looking for an affordable venue to showcase their products. The concept is simple: buyers park their cars and sell their goods. Sellers need not worry about possible rain during the period because the area is covered by a huge tent. 

Pinakamura hopes to mount a stage in Park and Sell to duplicate the actual bidding that takes place in their warehouse. “We are pretty sure Manila buyers are going to be shocked at how low our prices will be; moreso the kind of quality items that we are going to sell. They’re good as new. Some just need a little refurbishing or cleaning; or in the case of electronics, change in voltage power”.

Discounted seconds

“Pinakamura”, a Japanese-sounding Filipino word which means “cheapest” was founded in Binakayan in Cavite by Yoshida who used to work in the family’s travel agency and restaurant in Dampa.

“From hospitality management we ventured into retail. We used to purchase second hand TV sets for P500 apiece which we bought from a trader from Kawit and sold in a small booth. After repairs and adjustments we sold the one unit for four times its acquisition cost,” says Yoshida.

Suzuki, Yoshida’s husband, bumped into one of his friends in Japan and vouched the idea about selling “seconds” in the Philippines. The said friend eventually became the one in charge of purchasing and liaison work in Japan.

Pinakamura ships at least four containers a week. With the surge in demand this Christmas season the company hopes to bring in at least one container per day. At least P650,000 are spent on shipping which include broker’s fees, shipping lines’ charges and other costs, including the motley of merchandise that fits inside a 10-ton container. Shipping takes at least 10 days and in two days, the container arrives at the warehouse where the goods are stored and checked before they are bid and sold to the stores.

New economy

Wholesale traders and resellers are making a killing on the sale of the purchases they make from Pinakamura by selling the goods at four to five times their purchase cost, according to Yoshida. “They would already know when the shipments are coming so when the containers arrive here at the warehouse, they check out the merchandise and if we agree on the price, then they’re sold. Items are picked up but if they can’t haul them off the warehouse right away we keep them here first at no extra cost.”

Being bargain hounds it is not easy for Filipinos to fall for Pinakamura’s items. Most saleable according to Yoshida are small items, mostly glass wares - cups and saucers, plates, and vases; which are sold at the store for as low as 3 for P100. If they are lucky they can even bring home a Noritake set at less than 1,000 bucks.

“There are no Japanese “seconds” shops in Manila. What we will offer at Park and Sell is an entirely new way of shopping – unique, quality goods at very affordable prices that cannot be found in any other retail outlets. We live by our company's name,” says Yoshida.