It's end of the year, the season where merchandises overflow and wallets shrink. These are some of the vendors that I have patronaged or visited. Maybe these information might an extra bit of knowledge on online purchases. I mainly purchase my anime related merchandises from HLJ, Yesasia, Play-asia and recently Bookcafe.HobbyLink JapanLink: HLJEstablishment: 1997Location: JapanCredibility: Very HighPopularity: Very HighIdeal for: Gundam kist, figures, crafts and anime collection. Minimal selection for books, CD, fun goods and apparelsFeatures:*Economical and offer SAL shipping*User friendly navigationLimitations:*Poor at combining orders for shipping*Slow processing due to large amount of orders*Slow shipment (SAL)Personal experience: > 13 ordersYesasiaLink: GlobalEstablishment: 1998Location: HK, JP, Korea,Credibility: Very HighPopularity: HighIdeal for: CD, DVD, Book, Movies & Dramas, GamesNot ideal for: Toys, Gundams or figures, MangaFeatures:*User friendly navigation*Decent customer service*Allows order amendments*Support several languages website*Free shipping for selected itemsLimitations:*Slow in acquiring, processing and shipping*Expensive shipping cost*Inconsistent product handlingPersonal experience: 12 ordersComments: Yesasia used to offer free shipping to manga and books but dropped it last year. You cannot combine manga with other products to be eligible for free shipping as well. Thus it loses the effectiveness of the free shipping offer.Play-asiaLink: Play-asiaEstablishment: 2002Location: HKCredibility: HighPopularity: MediumIdeal for: DVD, CD, Games and minimal selection of toysFeatures:*Economical shipping*User friendly ordering system*Several choices of shipping methodLimitations:*Rather new and less appealing*Self-advertisements prone websitePersonal experience: 5 ordersBookcafeLink: Star BookstoreEstablishment: 2003 Dec.Location: TW, HKCredibility: GoodPopularity: ---Ideal for: Manga CH, Novels & Magazine CH, Minimal selection of JP ArtbooksFeatures:*Economical price for CH manga (mostly range from HK28-30)*Fast processingLimitations:*Shipping charges at 500g bracket*Order cannot be amended*Chinese language only website*Harder to navigate, less user friendly*Less payment optionPersonal experience: 2 orders (27 manga)Comments: Guess what 2 days to process my order and shipped already. Yesasia can never do that.Other Stores:Amazon Japan: Giant amazon store in JP. Offers a large variety of anime-related items. However, it only offers express shipping after March 2007 and items such as figures are not shipped outside JP. Only books, CD and DVD are permitted to be shipped internationally. Thus, becomes less ppopular due to shipping and variety. Personal experience: 1 orderHobby Search: An online store specialize in anime figures. Base in Tokyo, JP. EMS shipping only. More information. Personal experience: 1 pre-orderAngloz : A hongkong based online store dealing in a variety of goods including figures and gundam kits. More information. Personal experience: 3 ordersAnimaxis: An online store based in Tokyo, JP and incorporated in 2002. Offers many anime-related accesories and fun goods not available in other online store. EMS shipping only. More information.CDjapan A Japan based online store specializes in CD, DVD and collectibles. This is the only online store (among above) that ship any first print bonus to the customer, which is important!.Practical Examples:Case I: Yesasia Vs BookcafeProduct: MangaYesasia: US$4.49 (HK 35) + Shipping (Shipment + Unit)Bookcafe: HK 28-30 + ShippingAverage unit cost [5 units + shipping] is $8.48(Yesasia) and 7.58(Bookcafe)Average unit cost [12 units + shipping] is $9.01(Yesasia) and 6.64(Bookcafe)Case II: Yesasia Vs Play-asiaProduct: GSD Alliance VS ZAFT II Plus PS2 GameReferences: Yesasia and PlayasiaYesasia: $62.42 (Discounted) + Free shippingPlayasia: $64.90 + 3.10 shippingCase IIIa: Yesasia Vs Play-asiaProduct: Jyukai AMG OP ED SingleReferences: Yesasia and PlayasiaYesasia: $11.25 + shippingPlayasia: $9.90 + 2.60 shippingCase IIIb: Yesasia Vs Play-asiaProduct: Aria The Natural Vocal Song CollectionYesasiaPlayasiaYesasia: $27.25 + shippingPlayasia: $28.90 + 2.60 shippingCase IV: Yesasia Vs Play-asiaProduct: Suzuka DVDReferences: YesasiaPlayasiaYesasia: $53.25 + Free shippingPlayasia: $57.90 + 3.10 shippingCase Va: Yesasia Vs HLJProduct: MG Strike Freedom GundamReferences: Yesasia and HLJGundam Kit: MG Strike FreedomYesasia: $99.99 + Free shippingHLJ: $43.46 + $28.97[EMS] or $15.21[SAL]Case Vb: Yesasia Vs HLJProduct: 1/8 RAH DX Lacus Clyne FigureReferences: Yesasia and HLJYesasia: $61.99 + Free shippingHLJ: $36.22 + 20.10[EMS] or 9.78[SAL]
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Series:
Aria The Natural
Suzuka
Gundam (all)
