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Originally Posted by rainbow_smile
I don't think avex would make shipping much cheaper tbh. Maybe they would exclude the domestic shipping, but that's less than $5. But considering they're still using mu-mo (just like they always have, and are Japanese fans complaining about it? Idk, I don't follow any Japanese communities since I don't speak Japanese)...
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The use of mu-mo isn't really the problem (mu-mo is avex's store, after all), it's the Tenso in between. Using Tenso doesn't ONLY add domestic shipping to the cost, but also consolidation fees if more than one item is in our box at once (i.e. a CD and a TeamAyu goods item, or two CDs from two different release dates), and Tenso's handling fees. So like my last package from Tenso had 4 items from Amazon Japan - the consolidation fee was 1100 yen, and handling was 940 yen. That's an extra $20 that I wouldn't have had to pay if those Amazon sellers shipped overseas.
If Avex used a base of operations in each of SE Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America - for example, in Hong Kong, Sydney, Paris, and Los Angeles - then they could actually use those as delivery hubs where they could send overseas-bound goods all at once from Japan, and that would drive the shipping costs down even further. However, it would require them establishing those sorts of bases, and while that would have been possible 10 years ago, I'm not sure they could do it now and not have it be a major financial risk.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rainbow_smile
Btw, I don't know how credible this is, but I've heard that avex are required to use a forwarding service by law. Can anyone confirm this?
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I sincerely doubt it. I feel like if avex were required to not ship directly to overseas customers, using a forwarding service would most likely be a loophole that they'd probably still get in trouble for.
If there's a rule saying they can't ship directly to overseas customers, it's a cost cutting measure - it negates a need for fluent english-speaking customer service employees, it puts shipping responsibility on the customer and Tenso instead of themselves, it's less of a hassle, and if any of Avex's releases get licensed for US distribution (for example, anime like Initial D and Inuyasha), there's no concern over competing with themselves in the US, so they don't have to hire extra legal help. mu-mo sells plenty of non-avex releases too, which would be harder for them to keep track of licensing for, so that would definitely be a risk factor.