Opening day chaos at Tokyo’s new ONE PIECE BASE SHOP causes organisers to halt sales as resellers clear shelves
The grand opening of the new One Piece flagship store in Tokyo has turned into a chaotic event, resulting in the immediate suspension of merchandise sales just one day after opening.
The “ONE PIECE BASE SHOP” officially opened its doors on the 4th floor of the Shinjuku Marui Main Building on Friday, December 5, 2025.
However, following a day of severe overcrowding and operational issues, the organizers released an emergency statement at 00:30 on December 6.
Despite utilizing a lottery-based reservation system to manage entry, social media reports from visitors described a chaotic scene.
The store, which was scheduled to close at 8:00 PM, reportedly remained operational until 11:00 PM to serve the backlog of customers in the queue, forcing staff to work overtime and handle increasingly frustrated customers, many of whom had been queuing for hours to complete their purchases.
No time limits were placed on how long visitors could remain in the store, which appears to have led to overcrowding, as well as hoarding of items by those with earlier timeslots who then remained in the store throughout the day.
As more visitors were admitted entry in accordance with their pre-allocated timeslots, it became apparent to many that the items they had hoped to acquire were already sold out, despite it still only being partway through the opening day.
Many fans on X expressed frustration regarding rampant reseller activity, as even though some items had specific purchase limits, there appeared to be a lack of organisation and confusion in the store that led to customers being able to complete multiple purchases despite this being against the store’s policy.
Many of the shop’s 500 exclusive items sold out early in the day and immediately appeared on resale websites, such as Mercari, at vastly inflated prices.
The store’s management admitted to a “significant miscalculation in management and clumsiness” that caused trouble for many customers.
Consequently, they determined it would be difficult to operate satisfactorily from tomorrow onwards.
As a result, merchandise sales at the shop have been suspended “for the time being” starting Saturday, December 6.
While general shopping is halted, customers with reservations can still enter the area for photography and viewing.
Though some fans will appreciate still being able to enter the store, which boasts a wide range of unique experiences, many are deeply unhappy that they cannot, for the immediate future, purchase any of the exclusive goods that were set to be on offer during their visit.
Many One Piece fans had made specific travel plans to visit the store from across Japan, and even further afield in the case of international fans, leading to calls for travel costs to be reimbursed by the store’s organisers.
Certain experiential contents remain available, though some are subject to further lottery systems upon entry.
Here is the current status of the shop’s services, as of the 6th of December, 2025:
- General Merchandise Sales Suspended until further notice.
- ONE PIECE ORIGINAL T-SHIRT PRINT
- Available, but purchase rights are determined by a lottery at the reception desk.
- ONE PIECE BASE SHOP Kuji
- Purchase rights are determined by a lottery at the reception desk.
- ONE PIECE PLAY GROVE (Gashapon)
- Available, excluding the “Mame Gasha Book” and “DXF Miniature Collection” items.
- ONE PIECE BASE LUCKY PORT (1F)
- Available for use.
In a follow-up announcement made one hour later, the organizers outlined a compensation plan for affected fans.
An online sale of the original products will be conducted for specific customers.
Eligible participants include those who visited on December 5, and those with reservations from December 6 until full operations resume (including those who canceled after reserving).
Shipping for these online orders will be covered by the management, with a purchase limit of “up to 2 of one item” per reservation.
This announcement has helped to quell some of the anger that had began to build towards the store’s organisers, however many are still unhappy that their reservation now effectively allows them to attend the store as what will effectively be an exhibition, as opposed to an actual retail experience.
The ONE PIECE BASE SHOP was designed as a massive “experiential retail facility” featuring a deep blue interior inspired by the ocean abyss.
It launched with an inventory of approximately 800 items, over 500 of which are store exclusives, including the advance release of the “ONE PIECE x NBA MASTER STARS PIECE THE MONKEY.D.LUFFY” figures.
The shop’s management stated they are preparing to resume full operations as soon as possible, however some fans have stated that the apparent lack of planning and organisation shows a clear lack of respect towards the One Piece fan base and is not befitting of a store dedicated to one of anime’s most beloved works.
Future updates regarding the resumption of sales and reservations will be announced at a later date.
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