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Author Topic: purchasing question  (Read 2123 times)

Offline alextsg

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purchasing question
« on: January 20, 2007, 06:58:35 AM »
Hi.  I live in the US and I was wondering what's the cheapest way to purchase Japanese cds with shipping in mind.  YesAsia, CDJapan, or any other site?

Offline suki*

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purchasing question
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2007, 10:07:49 AM »
I'll move this thread to the HiP Joint. Think the folks there will be better able to help you out with your queries. :)

Offline thatguy

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purchasing question
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2007, 10:16:36 AM »
everyone here will have different opinions. in addition to yesasia and cdjapan, you can go to amazon.co.jp and aslo hmv.

amazon only offers two types of shipping: very cheap, but the wait is up to 4 weeks for delivery (although many people have received their stuff much earlier), or else 3500yen for 3-4day shipping.

hmv's shipping is maybe about 800yen for international, and i got my hmv order in about a week.

i have no experience with yesasia or cdjapan, but i recall a number of people complaining about yesasia in general.

Offline StreakInTheSky

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purchasing question
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2007, 10:19:21 AM »
I think CDjapan might be the best for like a couple cds. But YesAsia has free shipping if you buy enough. You should try both and see which one you prefer.

Offline Ayabie

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« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2007, 11:07:51 AM »
I've only tried YesAsia and Amazon before.

There's really no big difference except for product selection and shipping rate. Amazon has great assortment for anything Japan, but the delivery takes around 4 to 5 weeks, unless you've picked the expensive shipping mode. YesAsia isn't as varied as Amazon, but if you're just looking for mainstream stuff such as H!P, you'll have no problems finding what you want. Delivery usually takes 2 or 3 weeks.

Oh, and YesAsia's alleged "free shipping" is bullshit.

Offline momo23

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purchasing question
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2007, 04:49:56 PM »
apparently, when you select economy shipping on amazon japan, they will send it express instead.

express takes 2 to 3 days to get to you via DHL

Offline LovelyMermaid

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« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2007, 04:51:56 PM »
^ I wish I'd known that before I spent the crazy money on shipping My Asia quickly from them :cry:

Offline Blu-Cherri

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« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2007, 04:57:37 PM »
Quote from: Ayabie;287691
I've only tried YesAsia and Amazon before.

There's really no big difference except for product selection and shipping rate. Amazon has great assortment for anything Japan, but the delivery takes around 4 to 5 weeks, unless you've picked the expensive shipping mode. YesAsia isn't as varied as Amazon, but if you're just looking for mainstream stuff such as H!P, you'll have no problems finding what you want. Delivery usually takes 2 or 3 weeks.

Oh, and YesAsia's alleged "free shipping" is bullshit.


But i've gotten free shipping from them before, you have to pay a certain amount to get it.  Did u read the information about it or just assume everything was free no matter how much u spent?
It varies from country to country how much it cost.
For me, yesasia's great, its fast and not badly priced ^^ And England cost more than america i believe.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2007, 05:00:02 PM by Blu-Cherri »

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Offline Ayabie

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« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2007, 05:06:29 PM »
Oh, I'm very well aware of that. What I meant was, if comparing YesAsia's prices with other online shops, their products are more expensive for the very reason that they've added the shipping fees and whatnot in advance.

Offline thatguy

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« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2007, 05:21:05 PM »
Quote from: momo23;287866
apparently, when you select economy shipping on amazon japan, they will send it express instead.

express takes 2 to 3 days to get to you via DHL


it's not a company policy, so you won't always be that lucky. but nowadays, it's cheaper for large companies to ship economy packages together with express packages (if they're relatively small), because it's far easier and takes fewer man hours to put a small box on a plane, than to resort to a slower method which runs the risk of the package getting lost (and would also end up costing the shipping company more in replacing it than express shipping would have cost).

you will notice this practice especially around the winter holidays when people start sending out lots of gifts in the mail. ups, fedex, dhl, usps, etc have to run their cargo planes around the clock during the holidays anyway, and they don't get any benefit from storing boxes in their warehouses, so they usually will "upgrade" to express and delivery packages 1-3 days ahead of schedule.

Offline Charoite

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« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2007, 10:59:55 PM »
If you live in the US, I'd suggest Yesasia if you're only looking for Jpop CDs or DVDs. They offer free shipping everywhere in the world.
From my experience:
Yesasia - very slow at shipping but at least no custom duty charged. Sometimes you will receive a free beauty product sample from their YesStyle online store. I got a mini perfume from my last purchase.
CD Japan - excellent at packaging, sometimes you will receive extra bonuses from the things you buy! For example: a poster or a photo.
HMV -  sucks at packaging. If you want all your CDs in perfect condition, I don't recommend HMV.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2007, 11:04:26 PM by Charoite »

Offline Regal Shocker

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purchasing question
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2007, 01:51:55 AM »
I always bought from cdjapan.  I do not really buy cds from them, just posters and the occasional gravure dvd :).  I have yet to recieve a feww photo or poster from them though because I do not buy that much but I still recommend it.  Every so often they send emails with discount codes, and give you one on your birthday!  They are fast, and that is very important.

I never knew YesAsia has free shipping.  So they are like PlayAsia then.  YOu see if you buy that often from PlayAsia, they also provide free shipping.

Offline Charoite

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« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2007, 03:45:42 AM »
Is PlayAsia good? Their prices are more expensive than YesAsia and you have to buy often from them to get free shipping? That's sucks!

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