Anyone been on the TF hunt in Shanghai?

[Bladestorm]

Has anyone ever looked for Transformers in Shanghai?

I'm heading up there in July for a few days with the family but I can't seem to find any info on whether it would be worth my while to try and look at a few places other than a massive Toys R Us.
I know it's a sprawling metropolis not unlike Sydney so I won't have a chance to visit much but I would like to spend a 1/2 day looking if it is worth my time.
Any leads?

[GoktimusPrime]

Never been to Shanghai, but my experience w/ TF shopping in China has mostly been frustrating because the country is just flooded with fakes. I recommend...
* Major stores - even then beware of counterfeits; although large chain stores tend to stock the legits and fakes separately. This includes TRU. Although the fakes that you'll find here will be obviously fake.
* Specialty collector stores. The problem here is that these stores might stock the high end counterfeits which are indistinguishable from legits. This doesn't affect me as I generally don't "back collect" (I'm always hunting for the latest toys at times when they haven't been counterfeited yet), but if you're looking for older toys, then exercise extreme caution. Also, some of these stores can be ridiculously expensive. They're like TRU AU -- pricing their toys as if online shopping doesn't exist.

Unless you happen to know where specialty stores are, I'd most likely make a bee line straight for TRUs, but don't hold your breath.

[DaptoDog]

At the time of Dark of the Moon I picked up a few movie figures from Toys R Us in Shanghai. But I couldn't find any other legit toy stores. My other advice is not to stray off the main walking paths. I was also looking for NBA gear and an English speaking Chinese guy said he could show me where to find them. I ended being led down a side alley to some KO shop and there was no NBA gear. I got the hell out of there quicksmart.

[Jetfire in the sky]

Never been to Shanghai, but my experience w/ TF shopping in China has mostly been frustrating because the country is just flooded with fakes. I recommend...
* Major stores - even then beware of counterfeits; although large chain stores tend to stock the legits and fakes separately. This includes TRU. Although the fakes that you'll find here will be obviously fake.
* Specialty collector stores. The problem here is that these stores might stock the high end counterfeits which are indistinguishable from legits. This doesn't affect me as I generally don't "back collect" (I'm always hunting for the latest toys at times when they haven't been counterfeited yet), but if you're looking for older toys, then exercise extreme caution. Also, some of these stores can be ridiculously expensive. They're like TRU AU -- pricing their toys as if online shopping doesn't exist.

Unless you happen to know where specialty stores are, I'd most likely make a bee line straight for TRUs, but don't hold your breath.

Gok when were you last there?
I've been going there regularly for the last nine years and yes it definitely was hard to find a genuine TF but over the last three or four years there has been a huge increase in legit items being sold, even in some of the smaller shops.

Bladie the best place I found was a Toys R Us, huge amount of Transformers but the prices were mental. I was there in 2014 they had all the latest collectable type figures then.

[doublespy]

It's similar to HK, specialty hobby shops are far better than big chains. But if you see something you like check their value on the internet first, as they tend to mark up stuff that's been out for a while quite a bit. And a local friend who can speak Mandarin/Shanghai dialect always helps.

There's a shopping complex west of the CBD, address below:
1118 Chang Shou Road, Putuo District.
And on level 2 (L3 there) there's a hobby shop called Choice Toy. They open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm everyday. They have a good variety and don't sell KO.

[GoktimusPrime]

Gok when were you last there?

2013. I ended up getting an MP Acid Storm from TRU that was pricier than getting it in Australia because after weeks of finding nothing but KOs and counterfeits, I was desperate to get something legit.

[Jetfire in the sky]

Here are some pics of the TRU in Shanghai, they don't really portray the huge amount of TF's they had, seeing this took me back to old the sixth floor of Myer Melbourne when I was a kid with walls of MOTU and TF's.
If only our market could support such wonderful full displays.

[Bladestorm]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

I already had Choice Toy down on my list so good to know that is a place worth going.

Looks like I'll be heading to the largest Toys R Us I can find in Shanghai and hope their Transformers displays aren't as pathetic as the ones here in HK right now.

I can't find any other hobby toy stores (in English) so I guess I'll just take my chances as we wander around areas should we get the chance.

I head up to Shenzhen once in a while so I know how bad the fake market is unfortunately. I've had shopkeepers swear black and blue their fake stuff is officially licensed when it obviously isn't.
I'm a purist and don't collect KO or fake figures so I'm a bit of a stickler for double checking before I commit to a sale. I'm wary even in HK and always try and point out to others the stores to avoid or double check because they mix real with fake to confuse people. I entirely expect the same is true in China.

[GoktimusPrime]

I head up to Shenzhen once in a while so I know how bad the fake market is unfortunately. I've had shopkeepers swear black and blue their fake stuff is officially licensed when it obviously isn't.
I'm a purist and don't collect KO or fake figures so I'm a bit of a stickler for double checking before I commit to a sale. I'm wary even in HK and always try and point out to others the stores to avoid or double check because they mix real with fake to confuse people. I entirely expect the same is true in China.

Yes! I've had exactly the same experience in China! People always trying to pass off counterfeits and KOs as legit toys, even when I show* them that I'm looking for legit figures and not fakes!

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*Because I don't speak Chinese I always carry a notepad and pen and communicate with locals by writing in Kanji, so yeah, I "show" them rather than telling them what I mean. But I can tell from their tone and body language, and the fact that they will show me a fake toy and point at the word for "legitimate" that I've written in my notepad. Yyyeeeaaahh, pull the other one... (-_-)

[Jetfire in the sky]

Please take this as satirical but if it offends feel free to let me know and I will delete/edit accordingly.

I was thinking perhaps the reason I have not had people try to rip me off in China is this, I am 194cms tall and of "Western" looking origin and generally have a very grumpy default face and when it comes to toys if someone is trying to pull a scam my ultra grumpy face comes out regardless of language barrier, while my Cantonese is poor my Mandarin is ok, especially at understanding others, my wife is not so tall but is of Cantonese origin and knows how to intimidate, oops, I mean bargain with Southern Chinese sellers, basically she takes no $h!t from anyone n Asia!
So Bladie is a very friendly approx. 152 - 156 cms tall "Western" looking person, did I mention friendly, Kiwi who can speak and understand more Cantonese than Mandarin, and her husband, who I think doesn't go on so many toy trips as my wife, is of Asian origin and can speak (possibly) both dialects proficiently.

Gok is the Lord of languages and is well loved in the Oz TF community but once in China tends to blend in with the local population and is about 156 - 164 cms (from distant memory) tall, and from what I have read tends to go on his Han Solo toy hunting in CN.

So if we take the variables out, I am one lucky guy!!