Maybe there's a quick deal here or there under $350 shipped (maybe with something broken in the box) over eBay, but I certainly haven't seen any seller consistently offering them for around $300, so saying "if you can get it for..." is like saying "don't get it", at least currently.
It's possible the Tama may become like the Medi 3PO was (pre-Tama release,) where it was obtainable for over 25% below original retail and even 50%. So maybe the Tama 3PO consistently under $300 in a month or two I can maybe see. I'm not in the camp that believes this fig is going to be a $600-800 fig eventually. It's just 3PO...
And no, I don't have any loose joints either except that the ankles could be tighter simply due to the weight of the figure (but they aren't really "loose" if you move them on their own.)
I have the Hasbro and the Taito clock one and while the Taito is def the right size
clap) and I really like it, I do prefer the look of the Hasbro overall - it just looks more like R2. The Taito has slightly off colors- drab dark blue, bright white, pale silver - and very, very obvious mold lines on the dome (bad place to have them.) The Hasbro has a more "R2 blue" and just feels more R2.
As a placeholder until the Tama R2, and if the Taito isn't available, maybe the Hasbro can be displayed with its feet hidden so a 1" riser can be put in. The Hasbro is also not wide enough, but it's really only the height that you notice.
Re: Taito, when I was looking for it, I came across a lot of R2's that looked like it but WEREN'T it. There are a few by Wesco (I think UK) and even some others by Taito that were not as good as that specific Taito clock R2. Some also had speaker holes in the body, didn't have third leg, missing the feet wires, etc.
The link by Jedijim is the actual one, and boardie PJB did buy it from them and received it okay.