Dolls and taxes in Japan

Just wondering if DD owners in Japan pay taxes as well when getting their DDs. For example you entered a pre-order or missed out the dolpa and just entered in an AE, they would be shipping the doll to your house right? Do you have to pay some tax or none?

I think tax is only avoidable for in-store purchase with overseas travel proof. Regardless Volks ships to you or local pick up, you will be expected to pay tax.

Under normal cirbleepstances, international purchase is NOT subject to any tax (I always get figures and CDs with non-tax prices). But Volks always includes "fee" in theirs. Not much complaining anyway since one should considered lucky to purchase directly from Volks so that they will totally forget about the small amount of tax comparing to the big mark up from after market

Just wondering if DD owners in Japan pay taxes as well when getting their DDs. For example you entered a pre-order or missed out the dolpa and just entered in an AE, they would be shipping the doll to your house right? Do you have to pay some tax or none?

 

The posted retail yen price of all goods and dolls at Volks already includes a 5% sales tax.

 

The only way that I know of to avoid this tax is to shop in person a couple of the showrooms that offer tax-free shopping - I know based on personal experience that Akihabara and Harajuku do. Shinjuku ALTA does not.

It's a long process because they have to fill out a form that gets stapled to your passport, manually listing each item that you buy. Then they calculate the total (minus the 5% tax) and you pay for your items. So you get the 5% off on the spot.

 

If you look at the price on most Volks items it has 2 numbers - like this one for example:

Even though the retail price is 7.500 yen, the price that you pay online and at the Volks store/ event would be 7.875 yen.

That's why volks has 2 prices I'm thinking about this since a friend of mine would be in Japan and I'm planning n pre-ordering Miku by the help of my friend. I would be give him the amount with the higher price from volks since it includes the 5% tax?

 

Kindly correct me if it is wrong >.<

That's why volks has 2 prices I'm thinking about this since a friend of mine would be in Japan and I'm planning n pre-ordering Miku by the help of my friend. I would be give him the amount with the higher price from volks since it includes the 5% tax?

 

Kindly correct me if it is wrong >.<

Yes, the higher price plus the shipping. Although this preorder will most likely be available on international.

i have bought from volks store before while in japan, at curtain volks store u can buy goods with the value of 10K yen+ and not pay the sales tax of %5 if u present ur passport as proof of foreign status. only the large volks store allow u to do this. the smaller stores, u have to pay the sale tax.

I'm writing this reply according to my personal experience.

 

Volks Akihabara does tax refund on site. However I don't know the process as I haven't purchased with them yet.

 

Volks Tenshi no Sato in Kyoto doesn't offer tax refund on site. As far as I can remember they also DD goods.

 

Volks International online store doesn't offer tax refund either.

 

But then, like nogo17 said, the 5% tax mark-up is a small amount when comparing with the huge re-sellers' mark-up! If I had a choice I'd rather make my purchases directly with Volks! I consider my tax payments are donations I make to Japan 311 earthquake.

 

In Japan, the "cheapest" way for us foreigners to buy dolls stuff (Volks) would be buying them at Volks Akihabara.

Hmm...I have a friend who's in Japan and would be helping me out for doll purchases from Volks. I would have my pre-order Miku ship to my friend's house in Japan, would this also be taxed?

Hmm...I have a friend who's in Japan and would be helping me out for doll purchases from Volks. I would have my pre-order Miku ship to my friend's house in Japan, would this also be taxed?

 

Your friend resides in Japan, right? In this case I'd assume, yes, this would be taxed.

 

Ordering Miku within Japan and outside Japan (via Volks International online store) would be taxed. I'm not sure what would happen if you order her via Volks Seoul or USA though, I guess this would depend on their local sales tax rates, in this case please refer to their official web sites.

Volks USA's prices appear to be based on the full retail price in yen - including the Japanese sales tax. There really is no way around it short of showing a passport in Akiba.

 

By the way, Japanese sales tax is slated to go from 5% to 8% next April, and then 10% in 2015 unless last year's law gets repealed, so be prepared.....

 

Your friend resides in Japan, right? In this case I'd assume, yes, this would be taxed.

 

Ordering Miku within Japan and outside Japan (via Volks International online store) would be taxed. I'm not sure what would happen if you order her via Volks Seoul or USA though, I guess this would depend on their local sales tax rates, in this case please refer to their official web sites.

 

Yup he's in japan. So there is no way out in tax for Volks then? >.<

 

 

By the way, Japanese sales tax is slated to go from 5% to 8% next April, and then 10% in 2015 unless last year's law gets repealed, so be prepared.....

 

Around how much does the tax usually cost in japan?

No way to escape sales taxes if you live in Japan. Because it's the same nationwide, even Amazon JP can just apply it to every order across the board.

 

Japanese tax is currently 5%. It will be 8% in April 2014, and 10% in October 2015 - assuming nothing changes between now and then.

still better then the 20 % sales tax here