Exclusive Passcodes Leaked: Osaka-Kansai Expo Becomes a Hotspot for Price Gouging Resellers

The Expo is a reseller’s paradise

A knit with the official character “Myakumyaku” of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, priced at ¥9,900, is being resold for over twice its original price, ¥22,000. If you search “Expo goods” on flea market apps, you will see a long list of products marked up above the retail price.

The resale of Osaka-Kansai Expo goods is on the rise. Since the opening of the Expo in April, there has been concern about the resale of entry tickets and commemorative ¥500 coins. Mr. A, who had been running a reselling business in Tokyo, commented, “In reality, the Expo is a reseller’s paradise.”

Since May, Mr. A has been staying at his family’s home in Osaka and visits the Expo venue 2–3 times a week for purchasing goods.

“There are nearly 200 types of exclusive products only available at the Expo, and most of them can be resold for more than the retail price. Especially items featuring popular characters like Sanrio collaborations often sell for more than double the price. Since they tend to be in short supply, if you find them, you should buy them immediately.”

Overall, collaboration products tend to generate high margins for resellers. For example, Disney fans may want to visit Disneyland or DisneySea to get limited edition items, but Expo fans who want Sanrio’s “Kuromi” collaboration goods may not necessarily be interested in the Expo itself. As a result, there is demand to buy these goods from resellers at above retail price rather than spending time and money to visit the Expo. The Expo venue, where about 370 companies that have license agreements with the Expo sell official goods, is a treasure trove for resellers.

Mr. A, who had previously resold Disney goods, claims that Expo reselling is easier than Disney.

“At Disney, annual passes were abolished after the pandemic, but with the Expo, if you buy a ¥30,000 annual pass (which is no longer available), you can visit and purchase items as many times as you want. Also, unlike Disney, where purchase limits are managed via a mobile app, Expo limits can be bypassed by simply standing in line again. I’ve been to the Expo about 40 times over the past four months, buying about 1,400 items to resell and making about ¥3 million in profit.”

Meanwhile, a Chinese reseller, Mr. X, is reselling Expo’s exclusive visitor items without ever visiting the site.

“A limited edition ICOCA card and related goods were sold out immediately, and when they were re-released, some of the exclusive Expo goods could be purchased from an online store for visitors. The online store allows access by entering a daily passcode made available at the venue. However, this passcode is shared daily on Chinese SNS resale communities, so you can buy certain items without visiting the venue.”

Disneyland and DisneySea also have similar online stores, but access is restricted to visitors, verified via the app. In contrast, the Osaka-Kansai Expo has seen unexpected success with its merchandise sales, leading to discussions about extending the sales period for collaboration goods in response to the rampant reselling.

Has the Expo’s administration taken action against the rampant reselling of official goods? When we sent an inquiry to the organizing body of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the “2025 Japan World Expo Association,” they responded, “We ask that customers refrain from purchasing with the intent to resell. We encourage visitors to purchase official licensed products at the Expo venue or official stores in the city for a secure shopping experience.”

In August, an arrest was made for theft with the intent to resell Expo goods. Is the Expo administration really prepared to confront resellers seriously, or will they allow this issue to persist as the event nears its closing in a month?

From the September 26, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”