The Official Online Merchant Discussion Thread
 

I noticed this topic at JPM, and thought we really needed one here at AHS!!

Use this thread to discuss about online stores, ask questions, share experiences, what you like/dislike, etc.

So I usually buy all my cd's from local stores but I'd like to start ordering some online. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of some online places?

Thanks in advance!

I'll give some for CDJapan, HMV Japan, and YesAsia. They tend to be the most popular choices with ordering and I've used all 3.

CDJapan
Pros
- amazing customer service
- packages come in sturdy boxes, they also roll posters nicely
- they tell you if the first press bonuses are sold out or not
- purchases count towards oricon

Cons
- disgustingly overpriced shipping :weep
- things tend to sell out/go out of print really fast there. Especially first press bonuses


HMV JAPAN
Pros
- Only shipping option is EMS (this can be considered a con) but it's wayyyyy cheaper than CDJapan's EMS.
- They always have sales going on. Currently they have 2 DVD's for 23% off for example.
- They have special first press bonuses exclusive to HMV (usually post cards)
- purchases count towards oricon
Cons
- can't tell if first press is sold out or not (you can email them but it gets annoying..)
- they fold posters
- if you place a really really big order they are bad at packing things. (by big I mean like 8+ cds)

YesAsia
Pros
- FREE SHIPPING (if your order is $39+)
- Even when CdJapan and Hmv JP have all these special sales YesAsia is still usually always cheaper.
- free gachapon if you buy two+ Japan press cds.
- posters come in a sturdy mailing tube
- they have hard to find items (such as the "avex collectibles")
Cons
- they tend to sell things like first press posters separately
- shipping is the slowest out of the three
- a lot of people report getting cracked stuff from them (this personally never happened to me, but if you get a damaged item you can just send it back.)
- purchases do not count towards oricon

so like, I usually rotate between the three depending on what I order. There's also Ebay which has some good deals. Even though there are a ton of bootlegs/cheap china versions on ebay it's really easy to tell them apart from the Japan/overseas press...

^ I add to what ♥ you! mention for YesAsia's case in that whatever you buy on there counted towards the charts in Korea (yes I know it's weird) .

Also for HMV Japan's case , they only accept credit cards as payment . YesAsia & CDJapan accept a wide range of payment methods including PayPal

Other than those 3 sites that ♥ you! has mentioned , I will do so for HMV HK as I tend to buy stuff from there quite frequently

pros :
- you can buy OS & Japan presses of stuff at pretty reasonable rates
- shipping charges are decent & it usually takes about 5 working days for my stuff to come
- the way that they package the items are real good just like CDJapan , strong & sturdy

cons :
- their customer service can be quite haughty/arrogant :grumpy
- they only ship out items after the release date unlike the other 3 sites
- they only accept credit card as payment too
- no pic of the item are displayed on their site except for some items , not sure if this's a good or bad thing but you have to be careful in here in whether are you buying an OS or a Japan press . The dead giveaway's usually the price & also the catalogue no./record label too

ugh YesAsia. Such a love-hate relationship with them. Everything I've got from them that's a Chinese product has been dirty, scratched, dented. But, they have good customer service and shippings quick considering how cheap it is.

Amazon Japan
Pros:
- carries a ton of items
- sometimes they have price cuts (similar to HMV Japan)
- Very fast shipping (like, out in Japan Wednesday, receive the item Wednesday fast shipping)

Cons:
- No information about first press (I still have no idea if they give it)
- Shipping is quite expensive (but often not as bad as CDJapan)

Oh wow that was really helpful. Thanks ♥ you!, KarenPang, and paper_doll :)

I've never done online buying before, and I found the amount of info to read about policies and stuff to be quite overwhelming. :/

Maybe I'll just visit BOOK-OFF instead.