Japan Camera GradesMap Camera: What You Get, and What You Don't
The most detailed used-camera listings in Japan, a 12-month warranty — and no overseas shipping at all.
Last verified: 2026-10-29. Sources at the bottom.
Map Camera (マップカメラ) is the shop most often recommended to foreign buyers, and the one most likely to disappoint them at checkout. This page records what the shop itself publishes, so you can decide before you fall in love with a listing.
The basics
| Item | What Map Camera publishes |
|---|---|
| Location | Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo |
| Used inventory | Around 15,000 items, refreshed daily |
| Grade scale | Five levels, no letters: 新同品 / 美品 / 良品 / 並品 / 難有品・ジャンク品 |
| Used warranty | 12 months ("industry-leading", per the shop), set per item |
| Overseas shipping | Not offered |
| Licence | Secondhand dealer, Tokyo |
Compare the scale with Kitamura's AA/A/AB/B/C/D and you can see the problem immediately: Map Camera's 並品 is the fourth of five, while Kitamura's B (並品) is the fourth of six, and RE Camera's B is 美品 — the third from the top. Letters and words move between shops. See the grades comparison.
What the listings contain
This is where Map Camera earns its reputation:
- Up to 30 photographs per item, zoomable.
- A video on some items, so you can hear the shutter and controls.
- Staff comments that state faults explicitly, including fungus and haze (カビ・クモリ) in the lens.
- Every accessory itemised.
- Battery degradation noted, or the battery replaced before sale.
- A "BEST CHOICE" marker on the recommended item within the same model and grade.
For an overseas buyer who cannot handle the item, that documentation is the substitute for inspection. It is also why Map Camera listings are the easiest to price remotely.
The warranty, and its limits
The 12-month used warranty is the longest of the four shops we compared (Kitamura and Fujiya are 6 months, RE Camera covers S–E only). Two caveats from the shop's own wording:
- The warranty period is set per item, not uniformly.
- Older products for which the manufacturer no longer supports repair may carry no warranty. Reverse-imported items get the shop's own warranty instead of a manufacturer's.
A paid extension ("安心サービス") is available on top.
The catch: they will not ship to you
Map Camera's own Q&A states that it does not ship overseas, and that orders from abroad are only accepted when the delivery address is inside Japan:
> 当社では、海外への発送を承っておりません。
That means the 12-month warranty is, for most foreign buyers, unusable — a repair requires the item to go back to Tokyo. Through a proxy you become the importer, and the return leg usually costs more than the repair.
Who this suits
- Buying into Japan and reselling there: excellent. The documentation and warranty are real advantages.
- Overseas, buying one item: only through a proxy, and only when the price gap justifies losing the warranty. See the routes article.
- Overseas, buying lots: Map Camera is not the route. Look at who ships.
Three questions worth sending them
1. この商品の中古保証期間は何ヶ月ですか。
2. レンズ内のカビ・クモリ・バルサム切れの有無を、商品コメント以外にもう一度ご確認いただけますか。
3. 付属品の欠品はありますか（元箱・説明書・バッテリー）。
They answer these well — the information is already in the listing; the point is to get it restated in writing before you pay.
Sources
- Map Camera「中古商品もカメラ専門店品質」 https://www.mapcamera.com/html/mapquality/used.html (grades, 15,000 items, 30 photos, BEST CHOICE, 1-year warranty)
- Map Camera「よくあるご質問 Q&A（通信販売）」 https://www.mapcamera.com/html/qanda/ (no overseas shipping; per-item warranty)
- Map Camera「安心サービス」 https://www.mapcamera.com/html/anshin/anshin_service.html (paid extension)
Policies as published on 2026-10-29. Confirm on the listing before purchase.
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