Japan is a land of very diverse culture and popular for many things. One of the things that Japan is known for is their school system. It is a very structured system and very consistent when it came to the schools’ uniformity. Though, an unusual activity springs up at the end of the school year in Japan where students are able to make a good amount of money through the internet and that is by selling their old uniforms on the online marketplaces.

Even though boy uniforms are sold online, it is the female uniforms that mark all the attention and according to RocketNews24, this is one of the best ways for a student to make some cash fast at the end of the school year.

Normally the intent of these sales are similar to used college books in the United States, where they can be used by incoming students or they are being sold to people who are looking for a cosplay concept depicting a student. Yet due to the high marked prices, there are also intentions of sales to appeal to the “joshi kosei” (high school girls) enthusiasts looking to buy the uniforms for their own intentions.

To get an idea of what the prices are like in US Dollars, if a uniform were to be sold at 320,000 Yen, that would amount to 2820.72 US Dollars. A pretty hefty price for some used clothing.

Some are sold at very high prices ranging from 150,000 yen ($1,310) to over 300,000 yen ($2,620).

On average, buyers who are interested in the uniforms are spending around 20,000 Yen (176.27 US Dollars) to fulfil their needs, but there are those who will go all out and spend big cash on the higher listed ones just because they could afford it. Different prices vary based on condition and size but what also plays into it are the schools that the uniforms belong to. That’s why the schools are listed oftenly when it comes to these sales.

Japanese school girls are being romanticized and fetishized in Japanese Pop Culture to the point that it is seen everywhere. Since the idea of a female student is so popular and anything related to them is high in demand, students are taking the opportunity to fuel the fire of the herd and sell their old clothing for a high price. The joshi kosei-related culture has been rising and created some attention when this phenomenon began to gain attention last year.

Girls began to sell their uniforms on Mercari, a Japanese app that lets people list their belongings up for sale and the media began to pick up on it immediately. Here are some reactions from the internet via Rocketnews24 showing how people reacted to the listings:

“I LOLed when I saw all the school uniforms up for auction on mercari.”
“They’re selling their uniforms on mercari?! Their parents must be in tears!”
“But people who buy from the graduated school girls on mercari will be able to get their home address, won’t they?”
“Even though they’re selling their uniforms, isn’t it common for them to include underwear with them?”
“The ones from Tokiwagi Academy are fetching a pretty high price!”
“You could start a business by buying new uniforms and putting them up as used on mercari.”

Many people see it as creepy and many see it as an opportunity to make some quick cash, but this phenomena doesn’t seem like it is going to halt any time soon.

Written by Hugh Huynh