Kura Sushi’s Non-Sale Freebies Allegedly Hit Mercari for Resale Before Handout Even Starts

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The story

Kura Sushi’s not-for-sale promotional merchandise, given away based on how much a customer spends, was found listed on the flea-market app Mercari before distribution had even begun — sparking a stir on a 5channel livestream-commentary board. Opinion in the thread split: some suspected store staff of pocketing the freebies and reselling them on the side, while others figured customers or resellers who’d already secured the items were simply listing them early using the “no-stock listing” trick. While some flagged the Mercari terms-of-service violation itself as the real issue, others pointed out that pinning all the blame on Kura Sushi’s management would be unfair.

What people said

1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:37
Distribution of the tea cups doesn't even start until tomorrow.
So why's it already up on Mercari?
2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:37
If they just checked stock at every store today, they'd find the culprit right away.
5AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:38
"We investigated (or, well, we're just saying we did) and found no wrongdoing."
That's probably how this ends.
6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:38
Once staff start reselling this stuff, that's the end of any workplace ethics.
7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:39
Shipping's probably scheduled for tomorrow.
This kind of thing happens all the time with popular items.
31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:45
Re: #7
Re: #17
Wait, what do you mean? Like tomorrow they're gonna pig out, spam the "Bikkura-Pon" prize draws (Kura Sushi's plate-triggered capsule-toy game), complete the set, and then ship it out?
39AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:47
Re: #31
Yep, they list it before they've even got it, planning to secure it later.
Shady resellers pull this all the time.
44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:50
Re: #31
This one's not a gacha draw — spend a set amount and you're guaranteed to get it.
8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:39
Might as well flood the head office with inquiries about it.
12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:39
And it's a full "complete the set" item too?
They're bound to get caught at this rate.
14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:40
Honestly they should just make it "guaranteed once you spend ¥X" instead of a gacha format.
With bad luck you could spend forever and never pull the figure.
Though I'm sure Kura Sushi's definitely mixed up in this.
16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:40
Kind of a rush imagining customers drawing from a lottery that's already had the winning tickets pulled out.
17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:40
It's just a no-stock listing.
18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:40
Honestly there's a real chance this isn't staff at all, just a no-stock listing, so we can't say for sure.
19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:40
This is basically the same as a convenience store clerk pocketing the lottery prizes, right?
20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:41
A part-timer who can make some pocket money off it probably wouldn't care even if they got fired for it.
23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:41
Food service work is basically an exploitative "black" part-time job these days anyway, so honestly a perk like this seems fair enough.
24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:42
Well, they really did it, lol.
Not setting foot in there again.
Not that I was going there for the freebies in the first place.
29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:44
Kura Sushi's ad guy is Hamada? Say no more (a nod to the comedian's own history of controversy).
30AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:44
How desperate is this country that people go this far for five thousand yen?
35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:46
Did they finish building a time machine already?
45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:50
Re: #35
Because the goal is dragging Japan's food culture back to prewar times.
40AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:48
Is this even a problem? They just secured it in advance, that's all.
48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:51
Re: #40
It's a Mercari terms-of-service violation, so that part is the problem.
Blaming Kura Sushi for it doesn't add up.
46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:50
They say there's no smoke without fire.
Guess that explains why you can drop ¥10,000 and still not get a figure.
47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:50
Re: #44
Oh really? How much do you have to spend to complete the set?
51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:51
Re: #47
¥3,000 gets you one.
50AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:51
They're even selling the non-sale ones.

100AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:19
Re: #50
Lol, that's insane.
60AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:53
Re: #51
So that's ¥12,000 for all four types.
So the idea is: stuff yourself with ¥12,000 worth of sushi, then sell the figures for a few thousand yen and come out ahead?
74AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:01
Re: #60
Even without turning a profit, a few college students going together and stuffing themselves cheap would be plenty satisfying.
Though that's apparently not what happened here.
68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:57
Kappa Sushi is the only one you can trust anymore.
Can't trust Sushiro or Kura Sushi at this point.
72AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:00
Re: #68
You got summoned in another thread!
79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:02
Isn't this just the usual move where resellers trade among themselves first to jack the price up?
88AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:12
Re: #79
Honestly, we live in an age where playing it straight just makes you the sucker.
Cheating or not, whoever moves first comes out ahead.
105AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:22
Isn't selling something that hasn't even been released — and presumably doesn't physically exist yet — supposed to get you banned?
Though I doubt Mercari will actually do anything about it.
106AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:23
Re: #105
Honestly, they'd probably just freeze the account that reported it and call it "trolling."

Background and points of discussion

On Mercari, listing an item before actually having it in stock — then securing and shipping it only after a sale goes through — is called “no-stock listing” and violates the platform’s terms of service. Since this particular promotion guarantees the item once a customer spends a set amount, the culprit could just as easily be a customer or reseller who moved first, not necessarily a staff member skimming stock — and the thread itself never reached a consensus on “who’s actually responsible.” The thread also included replies mocking an image posted by someone claiming to be a “store manager,” but since that risked identifying a private individual, it has been left out of this article. This isn’t unique to Kura Sushi — pre-release or pre-distribution listings of limited-edition merchandise are a recurring problem, and it’s worth being careful not to conflate a company’s lax oversight with an individual’s violation of platform rules.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Kura Sushi Is Done For.”

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