Hardware Getting a Switch in Japan... Impossible!?

GothicIII

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Hello,

Im on a holiday trip through japan. I have been in Tokyo, kawaguchiko and now in Kyoto. I will move next to Wakayama on 09/23
I thought I would buy a Switch here, because in my home country it is 50% more expensive.

I realized in Tokyo it was pointless. Sold out immediatly. I havent found a electronics store in my reach in kawaguchiko except a few 2nd hand shops where of course the switch wasnt available.
Now Im in Kyoto and I have been for 3 days all around in all electronics stores I found. Best answer I got: "sold out in whole japan"

WTF Xd

The strangest thing I saw was people desperatly bashing against the window in yodobashi store where a Switch model has been shown off.

Are there any chances to get one? Oh and im not paying 45000¥ for amazon.co.jp xD

Im in japan since 09/02 and will fly back on 09/28. This is a real new experience for me because consoles are never sold out in my home country except for first day versions. Any hints gladly appreciated:)
 
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fatsquirrel

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I was actually checking out one of the less known electronic chain stores close to northern Japan and there were 4 switches there so...Im assuming theres some supply but mostly in rural areas.
 

InsaneNutter

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How much are you wanting to pay? or how much is the switch usually in Japan?

I was going to suggest Amazon Japan as they have it for ¥44,000 which is around £290.

The Switch is £280 here in the UK so I didn't think Amazon Japan was a bad price considering things in Japan are usually more expensive compared to the UK anyway.
 
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GothicIII

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The Switch is here normally around 30000 to 32000¥ Without tax. With 8% tax and 5% visa discount I would have gotten it below 30000¥ which is a very good price (269$). In my country it costs 330€ Which are nearly 400$.
 

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The Switch is here normally around 30000 to 32000¥ Without tax. With 8% tax and 5% visa discount I would have gotten it below 30000¥ which is a very good price (269$). In my country it costs 330€ Which are nearly 400$.
So that does not make it 50% more expensive. Here it is 330eu too, deal with it mate.
 
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InsaneNutter

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The rrp in Japan is ¥32,378 so ¥32,378 + 8% = ¥34968.24 or £232 / 261 EUR. So yes a good deal if you can get it.

However from what i've just read online shops over there are buying used Switch'es for ¥36,378 and selling them for ¥40,000+ so you might well struggle to find a good deal. Good luck though :)
 

The Real Jdbye

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The strangest thing I saw was people desperatly bashing against the window in yodobashi store where a Switch model has been shown off.
Haha, that's funny.
I don't suggest buying an out of region Switch though, even if they are region free.
I've read people say they will refuse to repair an out of region console, and considering how frequent manufacturing defects are with the Switch, it's rather important to have warranty.
 

GothicIII

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The rrp in Japan is ¥32,378 so ¥32,378 + 8% = ¥34968.24 or £232 / 261 EUR. So yes a good deal if you can get it.

However from what i've just read online shops over there are buying used Switch'es for ¥36,378 and selling them for ¥40,000+ so you might well struggle to find a good deal. Good luck though :)

Thats the price if you have to pay tax. As a foreigner you'll get at most shops tax-free. Joshin e.g. Gives you a 8% tax and 5% visa discount even on hardware/games, so the real price is even less. The funny thing is most shops are calculating tax and tax-free like this: 32 378¥ * 1,08 (tax) *0,92 (tax-free)=32 170¥ Which doesn't make sense...
My economy teacher would make a facepalm if he knew that xD

But thanks anyway. I'll try to find one :)
 
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The demand for Switches in Japan is insane. Most stores hold lotteries for the chance to buy one, with often thousands of people throwing their hat in the bowl for maybe a few hundred Switches. I would not expect to buy one there until well into next year. If it's bad now, the holiday rush will be absolutely insane.
 

urherenow

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Sorry I saw this too late (in my defense, I just got back home from a 4 month deployment). The trick is to not look for it in a major electronics retailer. There is a chain of movie rental places called GEO that get them in stock all the time. That's where I got mine. I always get the more in-demand Amiibo figures there as well, such as the new Metroid ones :P

GEO sells all sorts of game stuff, both new and used. They also buy/sell used tablets and phones.

Haha, that's funny.
I don't suggest buying an out of region Switch though, even if they are region free.
I've read people say they will refuse to repair an out of region console, and considering how frequent manufacturing defects are with the Switch, it's rather important to have warranty.
There is no such thing, when you talk about the switch. The ONLY differences I know of is the power cable itself, and writing on the package. Got NTSC games and want to play on a 50hz PAL TV in your hotel room in Europe or Australia? No problem. Adjust your settings (if you even need to). You can simultaneously have accounts from ALL e-shops on your system at once. Every. Single. Switch. is. Identical. (internally, anyway. Not talking about different colored joycons.)

The rrp in Japan is ¥32,378 so ¥32,378 + 8% = ¥34968.24 or £232 / 261 EUR. So yes a good deal if you can get it.

However from what i've just read online shops over there are buying used Switch'es for ¥36,378 and selling them for ¥40,000+ so you might well struggle to find a good deal. Good luck though :)
I got mine at normal retail price. At the current Yen rate when I got it, I paid less than normal U.S. retail B-)
 
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Pacheko17

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Demand is too high. Look for it in smaller shops as @urherenow suggested.
My friend bought one in Harajuku, I don't know the name of the store, but apparently there were quite a few left on the shelves.
I'm going to Japan in december and I've given up on the hopes of getting a Switch lol.
 

GothicIII

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Im back home :)

I was in Kyoto for 3 more days and traveled to Wakayama after. Honestly, I cannot read/speak Japanese good enough so the best shot I had was to go to stores which looked like they sold electronics with the help of google/openmaps. After I started this thread I visited maybe around 10 different electronics stores. Wakayama was my best shot but it was pretty hard to find even a shop which sells that stuff. I found maybe 4, but they were always sold out and Wakayama is really not a big city for japanese dimensions :P. At least I found mhxx for the switch cheap for 3800¥ (importing it would have cost more than double and 3 weeks waiting time).

A bit off-topic:
I liked Bookoff/Hardoff pretty much. They have plenty of Vitas to sell in a very good condition for under 10.000¥. If I knew that on first day I wouldn't have bought it new for 18.000¥ at BIC.
It was pretty cool to see old stuff in the shelves. You cannot easily get e.g. a gbasp for 30$ here in Germany. We don't have even stores which sells such stuff used. The best I know of is Gamestop but it is heavily overpriced. They sell everything ~12$ above amazon-price even if it is in used condition... I bought plenty of games for 500¥ each to get motivation for learning Kanji :3

The demand is so high in that country, I still can't believe it xD I will buy a switch here at a local store near my home tomorrow to get starting on mhxx (with a friend and a mhgen save - yes I know how to convert - this will be fun. I gave up the hope that mhxx will be released in western countries soon)... They have plenty of them in stock. Nobody is buying them. Ridiculous.

Thanks for the help everyone, my journey has come to an end :)

btw. travelling to Japan is very fun and a very intensive experience. If you have time and money, I cannot recommend this country enough. But please read and learn about the do's and don'ts and respect their very own and unique rules :)
 
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cearp

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Imagine Japanese people checking amazon and ebay to buy an American or European switch... I think that's pretty funny.
 

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My Walmart finally got some. About six neon ones and about 8 Splatoon bundles. But before then I hadn't seen any others out in the wild except mine and some kid playing his in the Captain D's.
 

jpx86

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There is no such thing, when you talk about the switch. The ONLY differences I know of is the power cable itself, and writing on the package. Got NTSC games and want to play on a 50hz PAL TV in your hotel room in Europe or Australia? No problem. Adjust your settings (if you even need to). You can simultaneously have accounts from ALL e-shops on your system at once. Every. Single. Switch. is. Identical. (internally, anyway. Not talking about different colored joycons.)
It is very much a thing. If you buy it in Japan and then take it back to your home country and something happens then you won't be able to get warranty service. Nintendo of <your country> is not going to service a Nintendo of Japan console. It is stupid, and I wish they would, but they won't.
 

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But they are common to find in stores

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