This...is probably a pretty odd request but I'm running out of ideas.

With Christmas coming up, my husband and I are looking for the perfect gifts for the people we just couldn't do without. Our best friend (and recent best man at our wedding) is one of those people. There's one thing in particular that we know he'll go bonkers for, but unfortunately it's a pretty difficult find.

The three of us are incredibly huge dorks. There's one franchise we're especially fond of because mutual interest in it was literally how we all met. Our buddy is a collector, and there's an action figure from this franchise that he wants. It's highly collectible, not made anymore, and any that you'd find in stores or online were specially imported from Japan. So difficult stuff to find indeed!

I stayed up most of the night scouring the internet for this action figure, but so far the only options are to fork over 250-550 and another who-knows-how-much for shipping and customs on Ebay or Amazon, or .. give up. And that third choice just isn't an option as far as I'm concerned.

And now I'm at the end of my rope, trying to find "local" comic book stores within a reasonable distance from my home (Chur) that might have this thing. But since I don't speak German yet, even locating any has been a pretty difficult task (my German husband has been ridiculously busy at work, and can't focus on this like I can). Unfortunately, from what I can tell, I'm not seeing much geekculture around here.

So...

tl;dr: Does anyone know of a Swiss comic book or "geek" shop I could check/call? Regular toy stores wouldn't have something like this unless they're incredibly specialized. For the record, the figure I'm seeking is the Play Arts Kai Tali'Zorah figure from Mass Effect.

I know it's kind of a long shot, but worth a try to make my best friend's Christmas

You can try Analph in Zurich.
They also have a online store but didn't see the Tali you want.

Also in Zurich is Jeeg. They have a store and will be willing to help.

Ahh, you guys are awesome! I will definitely look into these. And even if I can't find Tali, at the very least I'll have loads of fun looking through what they do have.

By the way, I didn't get a chance to comment on it in my intro thread, but I love your avatar, Prof. My childhood wouldn't have been the same without The Tick ;p

Anyway, I'll keep you updated on the hunt!

I second Analph. They have a decent collection of comics, and a cellar full of action figures and Warhammer stuff.

They even managed to order the books in French for me. Also really friendly staff.

They have Warhammer stuff too? Ahh, perfect! I was thinking of asking about stores that might carry Games Workshop stuff. I'm a fan of the universe and my hubby is interested in looking into the hobby itself, but I wanted to focus on Tali first.

Thank you, Helm. Ugh, am I not allowed to give karma on the forums because I'm still a newbie? Or is there something I'm not seeing? I want to drown you guys with +'s

Maybe you'll find something in this shop: http://www.alcom.ch/index.php

I used to live nearby this shop, and it looks to be full of "dorky" stuff, maybe it will help too

http://www.tacticagames.ch/index.php

Tactic Games is blocked at work, so sorry if duplicating here.

There is a games workshop store in Oerlikon, pretty close to the train station, I have a feeling they stock some other geeky stuff too

Good luck with the hunt, am a huge ME fan too, it's a cool idea for a gift.

I played Warhammer for quite a few years, but I stopped when I moved to Switzerland since I a) had no more time b) had no one to play with me so I could invent time. They don't have a huge collection, and from memory they had more 40k (I play Fantasy). But I am sure if you are looking for something specific they could order it for you. Also, be aware that the stuff might be in German... (which I never managed to play because I got used to play in inches and can't, for some stupid reason, adapt to cm...)

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Fighting for Pluto's liberation from the Dwarf League since 2006 @(°.°)=@)x.X)' ' '

Morning fellas! I got a little update for you.

My husband called Analph and Jeeg. The man from Jeeg told him that unfortunately they only deal in figures from manga and anime (Tali is from a video game franchise) and recommended Analph instead.

When he called Analph, the man said he was definitely familiar with Play Arts Kai, but when he looked it up for us they didn't have Tali in the books and their supplier stopped listing her almost a year ago. So as Helm and Prof said, they were extremely helpful and friendly.

Tactica only deals in Tabletop stuff, so it won't help us with Tali, BUT as said, we'll definitely be checking them out next time we're in the area because we're very interested in Warhammer stuff. And Helm, I agree - I prefer fantasy over 40k, but that just might be because I played the Mythic MMO. Though, space marines seem pretty legit, haha. It's really a shame that you haven't found anyone to play with here in Switzerland; I know that feeling of not really having many local nerds to pal around with (yay, internet!).

My hubby didn't call Alcom yet, Aukselis (I think he overlooked it). But they do have Play Arts Kai stuff, so .. here's hoping. He'll probably call on lunch.

StirB, ahah awesome, another Shepard among us I'll have to do some Google-fu to see if I can find where you mean.

But yeah, back to Tali. I've just contacted an American seller on Ebay asking if we could work something out. So we'll see where that goes, but ugh .. shipping and customs will be a nightmare. Hopefully Alcom will have something.

Thank you again for all the help, fellas. I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised to have gotten such helpful feedback so quickly.

The hunt continues!

In case anyone was curious, I finally snagged my buddy his Tali via ebay. And I got a massively great deal on her as well. I just had to have her mailed first to a friend in the States since the seller refused to ship directly to Europe (*grumbles*).

In any case, despite not leading directly to a purchase, the advice you guys gave (in this thread and the PMs I received) was much appreciated and very helpful. Thank you again so much. I'm greatly looking forward to visiting some of these shops (which I wouldn't have known of if not for you fellas) in the future.

Thanks again, EF <3