Hi Super,
Actually, I don't live in Japan, I live in the US (I just go to Japan often). To me, things are on discount because of the USD/Yen ratio. Amazon Japan shipping is not much for Plarail unless it's track related. So you are paying a lot less these past several months and currently than ever before. So, if you want to get Plarail from Japan (or trains in general), now is the time!
I would go with Amazon Japan because you get their discount and then the USD/Yen discount. Otherwise if you go through eBay, you will not get the USD/Yen discount. Rule of thumb, if the Japanese yen is going up past 140 especially at 145, that is a must buy from Japan. I always keep an eye on Marketwatch.
At this very moment I post this, it's currently at Y145.55 (which means AWESOME for those outside of Japan,but of course, the higher it goes up, the cheaper things are for those living outside of Japan but the worst it is for those living in Japan). There was a time when the dollar and yen were even...Y100 to $1 USD but it hasn't been like that for many months.
A Y991 ES Plarail train is now $6.82.
A Y1757 Plarail train is $12
A limited edition Plarail for Y3500 is $24
Plarail Real Class is Y5200 which usually retails for Y7700 is $35.79
The best discounts right now is the Alfa-X Shinkansen which is Y2973 ($20.46) for a set that is usually Y5000.
Unfortunately, this does not apply to Plarail sets/tracks because Amazon Japan has jacked up the shipping to over Y6000 ($41 USD). This is only good if you are buying a lot and you will be paying Y6000 anyway....
And while starting shipping is Y2620, because of the USD/Yen discount, instead of actually paying $26, you are only paying $18. Of course, the more you buy, the more shipping you pay but not too much. In addition, the more you buy from Amazon Japan, they decrease the price by Y50, also after each purchase, you get points in Yen which can be applied to your next purchase.
For those who never purchased from Amazon Japan before, you can set the language to translate English to Japanese. And ordering always goes through DHL. So make to create an account on DHL and put a note of how you want them to deliver because sometimes they require signature. If you put on DHL, that a signature is not required and they can leave it on the front door step or front desk of an apt. or hotel, they'll do just that. They also have to take a picture of the box as proof that it was delivered.
Actually, I don't live in Japan, I live in the US (I just go to Japan often). To me, things are on discount because of the USD/Yen ratio. Amazon Japan shipping is not much for Plarail unless it's track related. So you are paying a lot less these past several months and currently than ever before. So, if you want to get Plarail from Japan (or trains in general), now is the time!
I would go with Amazon Japan because you get their discount and then the USD/Yen discount. Otherwise if you go through eBay, you will not get the USD/Yen discount. Rule of thumb, if the Japanese yen is going up past 140 especially at 145, that is a must buy from Japan. I always keep an eye on Marketwatch.
At this very moment I post this, it's currently at Y145.55 (which means AWESOME for those outside of Japan,but of course, the higher it goes up, the cheaper things are for those living outside of Japan but the worst it is for those living in Japan). There was a time when the dollar and yen were even...Y100 to $1 USD but it hasn't been like that for many months.
A Y991 ES Plarail train is now $6.82.
A Y1757 Plarail train is $12
A limited edition Plarail for Y3500 is $24
Plarail Real Class is Y5200 which usually retails for Y7700 is $35.79
The best discounts right now is the Alfa-X Shinkansen which is Y2973 ($20.46) for a set that is usually Y5000.
Unfortunately, this does not apply to Plarail sets/tracks because Amazon Japan has jacked up the shipping to over Y6000 ($41 USD). This is only good if you are buying a lot and you will be paying Y6000 anyway....
And while starting shipping is Y2620, because of the USD/Yen discount, instead of actually paying $26, you are only paying $18. Of course, the more you buy, the more shipping you pay but not too much. In addition, the more you buy from Amazon Japan, they decrease the price by Y50, also after each purchase, you get points in Yen which can be applied to your next purchase.
For those who never purchased from Amazon Japan before, you can set the language to translate English to Japanese. And ordering always goes through DHL. So make to create an account on DHL and put a note of how you want them to deliver because sometimes they require signature. If you put on DHL, that a signature is not required and they can leave it on the front door step or front desk of an apt. or hotel, they'll do just that. They also have to take a picture of the box as proof that it was delivered.
--
Host of the J! Tetsudo Mokei (鉄道模型) Podcast
Main YT channel: http://kndydesu.com
Tetsudo Mokei & Tomica Podcasts are located here: http://tetsudomokei.com
(This post was last modified: 08-21-2023, 02:38 AM by KNDYNT2099.)
Host of the J! Tetsudo Mokei (鉄道模型) Podcast
Main YT channel: http://kndydesu.com
Tetsudo Mokei & Tomica Podcasts are located here: http://tetsudomokei.com
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