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Dec 10, 2009 8:31 PM
#1

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Sep 2009
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Hey all... Great Club!

I’ve always been a strong supporter of owning the actual releases of all forms of media (i.e. DVD’s, CD’s, Software, etc…) and this certainly includes anime.

In going through my Anime List… out of the 100 completed titles I’ve seen, I own the actual releases of 98% of the ones that have been released domestically. And the few that I don’t own are mostly OVA’s of original series I do own which aren’t available otherwise. For instance, I just recently finished Elfen Lied and then was a little let down that the short, single episode Elfen Lied OVA wasn’t included in the box set I had purchased. So in that instance, I felt there was no harm for me to download the OVA.

I have also downloaded or streamed a few complete short series’ that I don’t foresee in any way ever seeing a domestic DVD release. Like REC, or for instance I bought Steel Angel Kurumi Season 1, Season 2 & Encore… but for some reason they never domestically released Steel Angel Kurumi Zero .. A series I would have definitely bought if they had released it domestically (I would have been let down however as it kinda sucked ;-) .. but I would have bought it at least…

Anyhow, I started this thread in hopes to discuss where others buy anime online .. I do buy at a few places locally, (the obvious) Best Buy plus at a few semi-local more fan-specific independently owned Anime Superstore type of places .. but otherwise, there’s pretty much only 4 places I currently buy my anime online.

Amazon – The more obvious, great for currently in print titles and quite a few out of print, which are mostly sold by individual sellers through Amazon. A lot of titles you can buy from sellers for a lot cheaper than Amazon’s market-price.

eBay – great for out of print and harder to find titles. Also great for picking solo discs to help finish off series where you may be missing a few episodes, etc… just takes a little more perseverance and patience to find and/or wait until what you’re looking for shows up.

Robert's Anime Corner Store – a fantastic and not so well known online anime merchant. Prices are usually very reasonable, but only for titles that are currently in print and abundantly available, otherwise the rarer titles can skyrocket in price. One good thing to note is that when pre-ordering or looking for Brand New titles, they’ll almost always ship the moment they receive them (which is almost always like a week or so before the official release date). I’ve gotten many a title well before it was available anywhere else from Robert’s. which is always fun :-)

GEMM – stands for Global Electronic Music Marketplace and yes, I’ve bought many a great out of print CD’s and Records.. but many people aren’t aware that they also sell memorabilia, books, video, etc… a site that connects individual sellers and independent store with the general populace. it’s kinda a Craig’s List for music, video, etc.. mostly best for a lot harder to find stuff. I bought lot of old, rare, really hard to find Ranma ½ merch off of GEMM, laserdiscs, records, CD’s, etc…

So how about you guys… where are some of your favorite places to buy anime releases and merchandise online?
Jusenkyo_GuideDec 10, 2009 8:37 PM
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Dec 11, 2009 1:42 AM
#2
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Nov 2009
8
all these recommendations are from my perspective as someone in Australia...

I usually buy box sets from http://www.rightstuf.com because theyre cheap and have reasonable shippnig rates. they have great sales all the time too. the only downside is items can be on backorder for a long time.

http://www.deepdiscount.com is cheap also. books/DVDs. a lot of the items I ordered ended up being put on backorder and a couple were cancelled because they couldnt get stock. they also like to authorize peoples credit cards for like $300 for no reason, apparently. but theyre legit.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk is the first place I check for manga (second place would be rightstuf)

http://www.ebay.com is good for out of print stuff but beware of bootlegs (those region free box sets on 2 discs with weird looking packaging and chinese & english subs)

http://www.amazon.com or http://www.amazon.co.uk are generally only worthwhile for me if something is on sale. expensive shipping.

I collect records too btw. another good site for rare records is http://www.musicstack.com, I havent used GEMM but from looking at the site I think it works the same.

for anime related merchandise I use
hobby link japan: http://www.hlj.com (very reasonable shipping rates, good selection)
or
hobby search: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ (best selection including stuff I dont see on any other english site but everything good sells out FAST so you should preorder. shipping is only EMS for the moment but SAL is coming next year)

theres also Mandarake: http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/shop/en/
good for rare stuff direct from Japan
unfortunately shipping is EMS and you cant tell the total until after you order (I hate this)

another site I have used to buy stuff direct from Japan is http://www.rakuten.co.jp
just because I couldnt find the item I wanted on any english site. worked fine but the language barrier could be an issue if you run into a problem.

I have also used http://www.tenso.com as a proxy service for buying from http://www.amazon.co.jp
it isnt that expensive but it could be bad if something goes wrong so I wouldnt recommend it unless you cant find what you want anywhere else.

I guess I should also mention http://www.play-asia.com
good for region free video games but you can often find the same stuff cheaper on ebay. try and get a coupon from the net somewhere if you plan to order from here.
phifedawgDec 11, 2009 1:50 AM
Dec 11, 2009 6:08 PM
#3

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Sep 2009
488
phifedawg said:
all these recommendations are from my perspective as someone in Australia...

I usually buy box sets from http://www.rightstuf.com because theyre cheap and have reasonable shippnig rates. they have great sales all the time too. the only downside is items can be on backorder for a long time.
Fantastic post phifedawg...

I've mail-ordered a decent amount of stuff from Right Stuf via their catalog, but have never ordered from them online.. I will certainly attest to the fact that their prices are usually much cheaper than most, but as you even pointed out.. I too even through mail-order ran into a few things here and there on the dreaded back-order. but any ordered stuff did eventually come.

living in the US, a lot of the UK and JP sites never worked for me with regards to DVD's because of Region, but I have bought merch from a lot of those sites.

thanks for the links... am perusing MusicStack right now... wasn't previously aware of this site, but it's looking to become another of my regulars for vinyl ;-)

anyone else have any great links for buying anime online they'd like to share?
Jun 22, 2017 10:42 AM
#4
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Jun 2017
1
HI there. Does anyone know if it's possible to buy attack on titan season 2?? I've looked at ebay, amazon & some other anime online websites but can only find the complete season 1. Thanks guys!
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