Interest
Love Live Goods Seized, Auctioned by Tax Collection Agency
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Auction sites can be a treasure trove of limited edition anime merchandise as long as buyers keep their eyes peeled for fakes. What may come as a surprise is that some items are put up as collateral by the tax man.
Wakayama's local tax collection agency has a Yahoo! Auction's page where the agency attempts to recoup unpaid taxes by selling off seized property. Among the golf clubs and multitude of watches are a few otaku items.
A figure of Shōhō from Kantai Collection is on sale for just 1,000 (US$9.25). Wakayama tax officials are trying to get at least 500 yen for a 2017 calendar of One Piece's Sabo without his shirt on.
The agency's biggest haul came from a Love Liver's house, specifically a Riko Sakurauchi fan. The tax officials seized a jumbo stuffed plush of the idol with its original bag and a 1/7-scale figure by Alter. Wakayama's tax agency is asking for 15,000 yen (US$138) for the plush and 8,000 yen (US$74) for the figure.
Yahoo! Auctions has a whole section dedicated to anime goods seized by the government. The highest price item is someone's entire Space Battleship Yamato collection: 21 shirts, one jacket, three blankets, four towels, one hat, two pillow covers, and a pouch for 46,000 (US$425).
Source: Yahoo! Auctions via Yara-on!
