How to Purchase and Return Expensive Items on Amazon in Japan

The Start of Summer Break in a Household with Kids

I got mad at my kid today.
Here’s how it happened.

People don’t really listen to CDs anymore, do they?
It might not click with younger folks, but in our CD-generation household, we still have an old CD boombox and, along with it, an equally old amplifier.
Of course, there’s a row of CDs sitting right next to them.
My kid wanted to open one of the CDs, so I popped open the case and showed it to them.
Then, they tried to spin the CD—still in its case—with their finger.
So I said,
“We don’t do that. No touching. No spinning. Got it?”

I made sure to check they understood.
They seemed satisfied with that, so I thought, “Phew, good, all clear,” and relaxed for a moment.

…And in that very moment, they were spinning the CD that was still inside the boombox with their finger.
(This is where I got mad.)

I took it out and checked.
A deep scratch went all the way around.
Just to be sure, I checked another CD—an American pressing of the Brian Jones-era classic, Out of Our Heads.
Same kind of scratch, same place.

(I opened it for them. I said no spinning. I double-checked. So why would they do that?)

I felt completely deflated.

I told my partner about it.
And they said,
“Maybe you should keep it upstairs?”

No, no—why is that the response?
If I had asked, “Should we keep the boombox upstairs or downstairs?”
Then sure, “Maybe upstairs?” would make sense.

But that’s not what I needed just now.
We’ve already had that conversation before—more than once.
But here I am, in a really low moment, and that’s what I get again.
Ugh.

Now that summer break has started, our kid’s been acting up even more these past few days.
“One ice cream a day! You already had one! Just one, okay?!”
“Waaaaah!!” (screaming)

Hearing those shouts and shrieks all day long makes me feel like I’m losing it.
It’s not so much a chain reaction of family stress—
More like the stress has nowhere to go, swirling and building up, just stuck inside the house.
That’s more what it feels like.

And yet.

Even through all this, we parents still try to give our kids good summer memories.

2025年7月26日

鉄旅ライフ編集部

過去のコラムはこちら

I bought a Canon lens on Amazon, but a completely different product was delivered.

By the way, the lens I ordered was the “Sigma 20mm f1.4 DG HSM Art for Canon” with an EF mount. I wanted something bright, and to shoot with a blurred background at wide open aperture, so as a Canon body user, there was no other option for me but this lens.

Since it was an expensive item and a one-of-a-kind used product, I thoroughly checked the seller, the fulfillment source, and the Amazon seller rating. I confirmed that 100% of the reviews were positive before placing the order. I’ve only had a package from Amazon not arrive once before, but since it’s rare, I took extra precautions and chose face-to-face delivery.

Around 8 PM, the delivery person brought the package. I opened it immediately and tried to attach the lens, but no matter what I did, it wouldn’t fit. Then I looked at the lens cap, and to my surprise, it said “SIGMA For NIKON”.

This is for Nikon, right?
I thought maybe I had made a mistake, so I checked the seller’s page again carefully.

To my shock, it turned out to be a seller that frequently ships the wrong products and has received many critical reviews.
On top of that, Amazon was deleting those reviews.

“This product is fulfilled by Amazon, and we take responsibility for its shipment.”
Of course it would show 100% positive feedback.

I immediately tried to return it.
I went to my order history, selected “The item was different from what I ordered,” and proceeded with the return process.

I issued a QR code, repackaged the item in the condition it arrived, and brought it to the nearby Yamato (delivery service).

Trying Out QR Code Returns at Yamato
The Return Is Complete, but the Refund Hasn’t Been Processed
Summary

Trying Out QR Code Returns at Yamato

As soon as you enter the Yamato shipping office, there’s a machine near the entrance (apparently it’s called “Nekopit”!). You scan the QR code there, and a printed slip comes out. Just hand that slip and your packaged box to the staff at the counter, and the return process is complete. It was simple.

The Return Is Complete, but the Refund Hasn’t Been Processed

I submitted a refund request at the same time as the return, but surprisingly, the refund still hasn’t been processed.

I contacted customer service from this screen and explained the situation via chat. They told me the reason the refund hasn’t gone through.

This time, I had used an Amazon Gift Card (Amagifu) for the payment, but my account already had a ¥300,000 gift card balance loaded.

Because of that, they said they couldn’t add any more gift card balance, and that’s why the refund process is on hold. They told me the refund would go through once my balance decreases, but who knows when that will be. Looking back, I should’ve just asked for a cash refund, even if it took longer.

Summary

So, the takeaway here is: when buying an expensive item, make sure to check who the seller is carefully, and also pay attention to your Amazon gift card balance.

After all that, I ended up ordering the lens through in-store pickup at Camera no Kitamura. This time, it clearly says SIGMA FOR CANON. I made sure the lens fit properly on my camera at the store before purchasing it.
As for the story about how I also sold my EOS 8000D at the same time—check out that article.