Plarail Shopping in Japan

I'm making this thread to post some pictures of my recent Plarail shopping in Tokyo. 

This might help you see the retail price for a lot of stuff we have to buy mail order (and see how much we get ripped off on eBay). All pics in high res so you should be able to zoom right in and see the shelf price tags.

First stop - Plarail Shop in Tokyo Station. Also has a Tomica Shop next door.















And an item that made me chuckle but I couldn't bring myself to purchase:





I have no idea why they need a 'sample' on the shelf. Take a few sheets to test it out? 

[Super]

This brought a tear to my eye as I got a bit choked up..............I wish I was there with you Finno....it looks like heaven.

So how was your review using your sample piece?

This might help you see the retail price for a lot of stuff we have to buy mail order

I can hardly bear to look, I'm so jealous. But to be fair, the prices I'm seeing in your pictures are higher than those being charged by online retailers such as HobbySearch.

S-51 SL Taiju,   plarail shop = 2000, HS = 1800
KF-07 Dr Yellow 923 extra car,   plarail shop = 450, HS = 405

And I believe I'm right in thinking there's a 10% domestic sales tax on top of those store prices?  The small print on the KF-07 price tag says 495 yen (i.e. 450 + 45).

Are Plarail shops tax-free for foreign visitors? (I'm reading that "Tax free shopping is available to foreign tourists only at licensed stores when making purchases of over 5000 yen at a given store or mall on one calendar day.") You'd need to take an empty suitcase.

Just a reminder those prices (in large text) are excluding 10% tax. The actual price you pay is in the bottom left corner.

EDIT: @chrisjo, You beat me to it. You are correct in both assumptions. There is a 10% tax and the Plarail Store is not a Tax Free shop for tourists.

-plarnold

Six pounds for two rolls?  OUCH!

Yodobashi Camera

Bic Camera







Both Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera offer tax free to tourists if you spend over JPY5,000.

What would kill the deal for me is when I had to rent a 40 foot container to have my purchases shipped home! LOL

ebay sellers are not whole sellers, they need to make a cut in profit not to mention ebay takes a cut as well.

[Super]

What would kill the deal for me is when I had to rent a 40 foot container to have my purchases shipped home! LOL

To solve this just ship yourself and your family back with all your purchases inside the 40 foot container...................brilliant.................what you will save on airfare alone makes it worth it. Just a few holes drilled for air and you and the family are all set?