As pandemic spurs a tidying-up frenzy, Japan's market for second-hand goods booms

Kinomos collected from private sellers are kept in boxes as they wait to be sorted at a Buysell Technologies warehouse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - When Japan announced a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, people were urged to declutter their homes to pass the time, with Tokyo's governor even roping in household-organising celebrity Marie Kondo in promotional videos.

Many have taken that message to heart and the market for second-hand luxury goods is booming as a result.