Rail Gallery Rokko

[disturbman]

Totally! Made me want to write a script for it 😂

Edited October 28, 2021 by disturbman

[bill937ca]

1 hour ago, cteno4 said:

As imagined!
 

Ironically it looks very similar to how the old MB Kliens store was way back when it was in downtown Baltimore. the back passage ways you felt you had to go down sideways and you definitely had to bend down sideways to look at stuff on the lower shelves. Shelves packed to the ceiling as well.

 

jeff

Oh, how I remember M. B. Klein's old store! Got some good stuff there 20+ years ago.

[Yavianice]

On the pictures, shown are 2 corridors. What is not shown is the cash register (covered with train stuff), a third corridor full of assy parts as well as buildings, a stairwell full of oversized boxes (starter sets Etc), and a second floor where all the HO stuff resides as well as the workshop. What is also not shown is the storage box full of trains.

 

😁

[JR East]

3 hours ago, Modellbahn JP said:

I visited Rail Gallery Rokko today.

The owner allowed me to share photos.

 Happy to see where my latest order comes from (sent yesterday) !

 

JM

[Yavianice]

Last updated: 24 February 2022

 

Ever since I discovered Railgallery-Rokko, I have been helping him with his store with regards of foreign clients with payments and shipment methods. Lately I have been doing some testing with him in how to offer bank transfers for overseas clients.

 

I am happy to announce that Railgallery-Rokko will start to accept Bank Transfer payments from overseas customers. In return, overseas customers can get an extra discount than if they pay with Paypal.

 

In order to pay by Bank Transfer and to get the discount, you must contact Railgallery-Rokko either by e-mail, Instagram chat or Facebook messenger. For now, purchases over the website http://rg-rokko.com is done via Paypal only and therefor not eligible for the "bank transfer" discount.

 

You can refer to this page with pre-order statuses and prices. Use Google Translate to translate the page. If you are an overseas customer, divide all the prices by 1.1 (to subtract the japanese 10% VAT).

 

You can refer to this page with the current in stock items and prices (if an item is out of stock, no price is given). Use Google Translate to translate the page. You can also search this page by typing in Google "Railgallery-R (Brand) (Item Number)". If you are an overseas customer, divide all the prices by 1.1 (to subtract the japanese 10% VAT). Even though RG-R updates these pages frequently, this page may not be up to date (e.g. if someone just bought it); always contact RG-R to see if your particular item of interest is in stock.

 

Railgallery-Rokko has a special discount policy for pre-orders that is time limited. A special reduced discount will be applied to customers that pre-order an item or purchase them within 2 weeks of the official release date (depending on brand, see below). In general, the product prices are as follows: The discounts in RED are for Bank Transfer purchases only, Paypal users do not get this discount and get the normal discount (BLACK) instead.

 

KATO

30% discount off MSRP for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved or purchased within 2 weeks of the official release date.

25% discount off MSRP if purchased more than 2 weeks after the official release date.

 

KATO Roundhouse

20% discount off MSRP for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved or purchased within 2 weeks of the official release date. 

10% discount off MSRP if purchased more than 2 weeks after the official release date.

 

KATO Limited Edition

30% discount off MSRP for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved or purchased within 2 weeks of the official release date. 

20% discount off MSRP if purchased more than 2 weeks after the official release date.

 

KATO Lemke + KATO USA depending on specific model

20% discount off MSRP for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved before the official release date, depending on model. (Note that the reservation cannot be cancelled) 

10-15% discount off MSRP in all other cases depending on model.

 

Tomix (N Scale)

30% discount off MSRP for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved or purchased within 2 weeks of the official release date. 

20% discount off MSRP if purchased more than 2 weeks after the official release date.

 

Tomix (HO Scale)

15% discount off MSRP for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved or purchased within 2 weeks of the official release date. 

10% discount off MSRP if purchased more than 2 weeks after the official release date.

 

Micro Ace and GreenMax

30% discount off MSRP if you have a reservation for a new upcoming release, at least 2 weeks in advance before official release as long as there are sufficient reservation slots (Note that the reservation cannot be cancelled)

20% discount off MSRP if you purchase it without reservation

 

Tomytec

20% discount off MSRP (no special discount)

 

Examples of special discounts in regards to the 2 weeks period and pre-order policy:

Example 1: If item that is released on February 1st, you get the Red Discount from whenever you pre-ordered the item as long as you reserved it up until January 31st (except with MA, GM, KATO USA/LEMKE) even if the 2 week period is over.

 

Example 2: If the item that is released on February 1st is reserved by you on the same day (February 1st) or later, you get the Red Discount if you pay within 2 weeks of the official release date (in this case that would be February 14th). If you decide to pay your reservation after February 14th, you are no longer eligible for the RED discount; the price will then be including the BLACK discount instead.

 

Example 3: You reserve an item that will be released in May, another that is released in June, another that is released in July. You would like the May and June items to be shipped together with the July items. In order to qualify for the RED discount, you should pay the items that were released in May and June within the 2 weeks period of their release date, as stipulated above.

 

DISCLAIMER: The information above is in no way binding and no rights can be derived from it. I am not affiliated with Railgallery-Rokko, I just help him and have permission from him to post this.

 

For more information if your particular model/item has special discount, please ask Railgallery-Rokko directly.

 

Paypal VS Bank Transfer

Why do you get more discount if you pay via Bank Transfer than via Paypal?

 

Paypal doesn't cost the BUYER (you) anything in fees (except currency exchange fees, if you let Paypal exchange it for you), but there is a high payment fee for the SELLER (RG-Rokko).

 

By paying with Bank Transfer, the BUYER (you) pays all the fees, while the SELLER (RG-Rokko) does not pay any fees. 

 

Bank Transfer also can be done on Japanese Business Days only, while Paypal is immediate (so you have to wait longer for RG-Rokko to ship)

 

Normally Bank Transfers are expensive, but if you use an Intermediate, you can save a lot on the Bank Transfer fees.

 

Examples of this are Revolut or WISE. I use WISE as an example because I have used it and confirmed that this works without issue.

 

Sending money by Bank Transfer via WISE costs approx 200-210 Yen at time of this writing regardless of "normal amount" (if paid in Yen that you already have on your WISE account). If you let WISE convert your native currency to Yen, you pay more depending on the payment method into Wise (but still a manageable amount). Setting up a WISE account is free, there are no signup or monthly fees.

 

You can use this invite link (mine, not RG-R's) for a first free transfer with WISE here https://wise.com/invite/dic/michelw27

If you have more questions about bank transfers via WISE, you can ask me, any questions regarding discounts, please ask Railgallery-Rokko.

 

Example of costs for sending from EUR to JPY via Bank Transfer

 

 

Example of costs for sending from pre-purchased JPY to JPY via Bank Transfer

I have written the instructions for RG-R to send to customers that use WISE on how to successfully receive the bank transfer. Please contact RG-R directly to receive these instructions.

 

Note that you could get this notification when wiring:

 

 

which is added due to Japanese bank regulations (to make sure you do not break sanctions). There you need to select "Payment for Product", describe the product you are purchasing (e.g. "Model Train Set"), country of origin ("Japan"), Shipping Port ("Kobe"). The last question is a bit mysterious, here I selected "Yes" (since it is assumed that you export the item from japan to your country, instead of keeping it in Japan. Selecting "No" assumes you are keeping it in Japan).

 

Edited June 21 by Yavianice
Added bank transfer notification explanation

[roadstar_na6]

That's great news, even cheaper to get stuff then 🙂

Thanks a lot!

 

Here's my referral link to Wise 😄

[Martijn Meerts]

His international store is mostly funded by this forum it feels like 😀

[Yavaris Forge]

time for an "official partnership program"

 

JNS sponsored by RG Rokko 😄

[cteno4]

1 hour ago, Yavaris Forge said:

time for an "official partnership program"

actually one of the main reasons this forum was created to not have any connections to any sellers as well as freedom to talk about sellers! Why we run on donations and not sponsorships or advertisements.
 

but yes the good shops do get great advertising here with their good service and thus good comments here by members. The way a good business model should work.

 

jeff

[Tony Galiani]

@Yavianice - Thanks for the info - which it timely for me as I am planning an order.  However, I do have a question about Wise.  I used it once previously for a purchase in Japan and it took an extended amount of time - over a week IIRC - and the fees were substantial.  The 200 Yen fee seems more reasonable but how hard is it to use Wise nowadays?  Any additional info on that would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Tony Galiani

[Yavianice]

@Tony Galiani Hi Tony,

 

As long as the contact information for Railgallery-R is entered correctly (I have instructed Railgallery-R which information to share to customers that use WISE transfers), and your money reached WISE on a timely manner, the money should arrive at Railgallery-R's account within 1 business day. Of course note the Japanese Bank Holidays, your own countries bank holidays, etc. The amount that you specify that should be wired to Railgallery-R is the equivalent to the amount that Railgallery-R actually receives (we tested this).

 

For my latest purchase at Railgallery-R I spent around 3,90 euro on transfer fees (Direct Euro to JPY transfer), but this is of course less than what I received in return in discount on the item I was purchasing.

[Tony Galiani]

Thanks for the additional info and your work on this.  I need to dig out my Wise account info and I will try it with my order.

 

Now for the really hard part - deciding what I want.

 

Ciao,

Tony Galiani

[Martijn Meerts]

1 hour ago, Tony Galiani said:

Now for the really hard part - deciding what I want.

 

That's easy ... EVERYTHING! 😄

 

[Yavianice]

RG-R requested that I add an important note to the discount post, I will repeat it here for visibility:

 

8 hours ago, Yavianice said:

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to pay by Bank Transfer and to get the discount, you must contact Railgallery-Rokko either by e-mail, Instagram chat or Facebook messenger. For now, purchases over the website http://rg-rokko.com is done via Paypal only and therefor not eligible for the "bank transfer" discount.

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Yavianice

[cteno4]

So with a wise transfer it would not matter to rg Rokko what payment method you used in wise to make the transfer with wise, correct? Just different fees for each to the buyer depending on the payment method. Think that should be the case but just wanted to verify it.

 

thanks @Yavianice for helping them sort this out and get it going. Merchant accounts, especially international can pile on the fees fast to the merchant. At leas PayPal broke the bank strangle hold on merchant account processing here in the us, I had clients with a dozen monthly charges just to maintain an open merchant account to accept cc payments. But international payments is a whole nother set of twists. It will be a nice option for foreign buyers.

 

jeff

[Madsing]

1 hour ago, cteno4 said:

So with a wise transfer it would not matter to rg Rokko what payment method you used in wise to make the transfer with wise, correct?

Correct. The vendor/seller (RG Rokko) just sees the money transferred to their account as if it were a domestic transfer. I am also starting to use Wise for transferring money to my home country (even to my own bank account) as the service has been recommended to me for being reliable, fast, easy to use, inexpensive and transparent.

Edited February 17, 2022 by Madsing
corrected typos

[JR 500系]

That's great news! An alternative payment option to one of the friendest and loved hobby stores. Thank you for sharing this @Yavianice!

 

Just a question to clarify on the 'for new, upcoming releases that have been reserved or purchased within 2 weeks of the official release date. '

 

To clarify, i'll cite an example. Does this mean that if i pre-order the upcoming KATO 683-4000 series Thunderbird, at the time of pre-ordering (like now), the pre-order price is 25% off RSP? 

 

And when it is released and payment/ order is made within 2 weeks of its release, it is 30% off RSP? 

 

Similarily, when 2 weeks have passed AFTER the release date, does the price then revert back to 25%off?

 

Just posting the question here for thinkers, and i'll probably clarify further with Masaharu san and will reply with my findings after clairifcations ~

[Yavianice]

@JR 500系

 

Here is the example from Railgallery-Rokko

 

Quote

for products released on Sunday, February 17, it is 30% until March 3!
30% of TOMIX and KATO for 2 weeks is only for bank transfer!

 

Railgallery-Rokko requests that you pay with bank transfer within these 2 weeks; otherwise the price reverts back to the usual discount (marked Black)

 

Thus, for an item that is released on February 17th, you get the Red Discount from whenever you pre-ordered the item until 2 weeks after the official release date, which in this example would be March 3rd.

 

Hope this clarifies it for you.

 

I also added TOMIX HO discount policy. RG-R confirmed to me that existing reservations will be eligible for the discount policy if you pay by bank transfer within 2 weeks of official release date.

 

I have also asked RG-R if there is a special discount policy for KATO USA and KATO-LEMKE items, will update if that is indeed the case.

Edited February 17, 2022 by Yavianice

[roadstar_na6]

Now we only need FedEx shipping and I'll be perfectly happy 🙂

[disturbman]

Who needs FedEx when you have ePacket light?

[roadstar_na6]

3 day delivery to your door and no ransom to pay 🙂

[disturbman]

You still have to pay it. I’m sure the Manhung won’t be friendly if you don’t.

[chadbag]

How does Rail Gallery Rokko do pre-orders?  I can't find anything on their website about it.   With the buyout of the company I work for finalizing this week I should get a large "windfall" as our not-yet-vested restricted stock units get accelerated and bought out.  I may be able to convince the wife to let me get an item or two in contravention of the moratorium (which lasts until the house is done, we are moved in, and any furnishings needed are acquired).  So I am trying to gather data about the stuff I am interested in before I broach the subject.

 

[JR East]

30 minutes ago, chadbag said:

How does Rail Gallery Rokko do pre-orders?  I can't find anything on their website about it.   With the buyout of the company I work for finalizing this week I should get a large "windfall" as our not-yet-vested restricted stock units get accelerated and bought out.  I may be able to convince the wife to let me get an item or two in contravention of the moratorium (which lasts until the house is done, we are moved in, and any furnishings needed are acquired).  So I am trying to gather data about the stuff I am interested in before I broach the subject.

 

 

Just drop them an email.

 

 

[disturbman]

Exactly, write them an email listing the items you are interested in pre-ordering. Tokonami-san will reply to you with a quote and from then you can confirm or leave it be.