Do you buy in batches?

[JukaForever 758]

To those that actually buys the physical copies of releases, do you guys buy in batches of say 5-6+ items and have it delivered every month? Or do you do get them every other week in sort of constant small batch like less than 3 items?

 

I used to only buy releases of my fave band and nothing else since I couldn't really afford too much at that time. But I can buy most of the bands I listen to now. I may have over done it in my first big batch -.-

 

Of course I am assuming you are not from Japan else you can simply buy it upfront if you wanted. I am starting to regret doing a large batch system, the wait is killer.

[Biopanda 2675]

I generally do large batches as well. The wait is killer, but the amount that you save in shipping really makes up for it IMO.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

If I use a shopping service I almost always buy in batches. I figure if I'm already going to pay fees to buy this auction, might as well try and grab these others I had my eye on y'know.

 

As for new releases, I don't buy very many these days. So I just purchase here and there.

[CAT5 9075]

I tend to buy in bulk as well...probably at least 2-3 releases at a time. Though there have been instances where I've bought just one release out of inpatience, heh.

[Thedane 176]

I try to buy at least 3 items for a minimum, otherwise the shipping gets too much for me.

 

But big batches I have to avoid, since anything with 5 CD's or more, gets automatically picked by customs, making the total cost of getting the CD's twice or more... I hate customs ._.

[JukaForever 758]

I try to buy at least 3 items for a minimum, otherwise the shipping gets too much for me.

 

But big batches I have to avoid, since anything with 5 CD's or more, gets automatically picked by customs, making the total cost of getting the CD's twice or more... I hate customs ._.

Which country does that?

 

I am in CAN and my batch is 5 items with some having DVDs in them. This is the largest I have bought but a while back I had purchased stuff above $200 (limited lives and stuff) but not pushing above 3 items. I simply thought EMS handles it all since I have yet to pay extra custom fees.

 

If I use a shopping service I almost always buy in batches. I figure if I'm already going to pay fees to buy this auction, might as well try and grab these others I had my eye on y'know.

 

As for new releases, I don't buy very many these days. So I just purchase here and there.

Could you share what this shopping service you speak of? My only experience is in CDjapan, I am not sure if I am getting the best deal to save but their shipping is pretty fast like 3-4 days to get to my place.

[DeithX252 1266]

at least buy 3 items at once, but if the price of an album reached 3000 yen, I just buy 1 item. Yes, to prevent getting caught from custom LOL. I must purchase below 4000 yen or I have to pay tax for custom. This is very annoying though

[Thedane 176]

I live in Denmark, frozen land with customs from hell.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

Could you share what this shopping service you speak of? My only experience is in CDjapan, I am not sure if I am getting the best deal to save but their shipping is pretty fast like 3-4 days to get to my place.

In the past I was using Celga annnnnnnnd the last one I can't remember the name, Nippon something. I have a friend now that just buys things for me so I actually haven't used a shopping service in almost two years now I think. I have heard lately Celga's reliability has gone down but I never really had a problem and I got a lot of cool 'omake' (gift) items. So double check on Celga because it's been quite awhile since I last worked with them. Also I think they only work in USD. So if you're not actually in the US it may not be the best option since you're basically exchanging three times now.

[sai 868]

I don't buy from CDJapan anymore (because every package I get from there that's above the limit of 22 euros gets me 18 euros of administration fees + tax) but when I order from yesasia I usually order more stuff at the same time so I can get the free shipping option. Because of that I only order once every two-three months though. I guess since you're from Canada all importing fees from Japan are scratched due too trading agreements, while Europe doesn't have such a contract with Japan (therefore making everything above 22 euros eligible for tax and customs).

[Jigsaw9 6783]

I usually only buy 1 or 2 releases at max, so... nope. Plus, the various CDs I buy tend to be "spread out" in terms of availability (i.e. buying one from Closet Child, another one from auction, another 2 from Yesasia, etc), so buying them in bulk isn't possible.

[Gizorz 24]

I don't buy from CDJapan anymore (because every package I get from there that's above the limit of 22 euros gets me 18 euros of administration fees + tax) but when I order from yesasia I usually order more stuff at the same time so I can get the free shipping option. Because of that I only order once every two-three months though. I guess since you're from Canada all importing fees from Japan are scratched due too trading agreements, while Europe doesn't have such a contract with Japan (therefore making everything above 22 euros eligible for tax and customs).

I thought postnl mentions that you only get taxed if you go above 50 euro (item + shipping)?

 

I can only really afford my favorite artists' new releases, and lately I've been mostly getting friends who make trips to Japan to bring them for me.

[sai 868]

As far as I know it's like this:

 

22 euros and above: tax + 18 euros administration fees

150 euros and above: customs + 18 euros administration fees

 

The tax percentage is relatively low but the administration fees are a bitch if your package is only one euro above the limit. The last time I ordered from CDJapan (November 2012, I ordered a mini-album of around 2300yen) the yen was a little lower than usual so when they converted it I got lucky (21,81) but my friend who had ordered an album of 29 euros got taxed and had to pay the administration fees too. That was in September 2012. However, I used Registered Air Mail (took 4 days to arrive, shipping was around 13 euros so if they count it all together it is less than 50 euros) while my friend has 29 euros from the album + EMS. Not sure what the exact EMS fees are at CDJapan, but if she got above 50 then it might be possible that what you say is true (plus she had to wait over 2 weeks to get her package, it spent an eternity in customs).

[stylelover 1086]

Nope not really. I cant wait for CDs at all, but i dont buy CDs alone. always 2 cds minimum.

 

but i could never buy a cd from for example march , together with a cd from may. i would never do that. (i mean if they are both not released yet)

 

if i preorder stuff its either from the same week or two weeks in a row.

 

waiting > shipping costs.

[Number Girl 48]

Eh, it depends. I really should do it more often for the potential yen I could save, but I mostly do bulk buying when I'm "behind" on music such as around holidays. Normally if I have the money at the time, I just buy things as they become available for pre-order. I also get impatient and like to have things very soon after they are released. 

[fitear1590 2414]

I generally try to get 2-3 CDs at a time.  I can only remember maybe 2 times when I ordered like 5-6 CDs at once.

Speaking of which... I haven't ordered any CDs in a few months and this money (and good yen exchange rate) is burning a hole in my pocket!

[ryoustyle 0]

I am waaay too impatient for that, besides I don't buy CD's from that many artists so I rarely have that issue.

[Yadora 32]

I usually get more items because the shipping is proportionally too high to just buy one or two things. If there's only one new release I want, I usually just wait until there's more things I want. I'm a pretty patient person. ^^

[Pandabear 414]

No. The only time I buy online is when I can't get a physical release. And since I only buy albums, and only material from my favorite bands, it's never more than 1 Cd. Unless there's another release in that same time period, so at the most it's 2.

[JukaForever 758]

So Update:

 

I received my batch today and I apparently didn't have to pay extra even with 5 items. Glad I didn't have to.

[Guest mitsubana]

Depends... When my fave bands release multiple versions, I buy them haha.

[Lestat 2167]

In the past I was using Celga annnnnnnnd the last one I can't remember the name, Nippon something. I have a friend now that just buys things for me so I actually haven't used a shopping service in almost two years now I think. I have heard lately Celga's reliability has gone down but I never really had a problem and I got a lot of cool 'omake' (gift) items. So double check on Celga because it's been quite awhile since I last worked with them. Also I think they only work in USD. So if you're not actually in the US it may not be the best option since you're basically exchanging three times now.

 

I like to add my share on Celga. It's kind of off topic, but I am currently having the worst experience with them I could have ever imagined having with a shopping service, or any service in general.

 

My Celga experience so far.

If you’re ordering items other than those coming from Rakuten, I harshly advice you not to proceed in doing business with these people at all costs.

 

About three months ago, I ordered two things off the UNDER CODE webshop with them. One of the items had a special instruction. And I think that it took them time to understand what had to be done after the application for this special instruction ended on the webshop. Anyway. Two items: that shouldn’t be such a very big deal, should it? For them it is. About two months ago, I suddenly got an invoice for the CD that was due to the second of June, so I was asking myself how on earth they had gotten me this item. I emailed them of course, and they told me it was the other item I had ordered so everything seemed fine. I payed for shipment and waited.

 

Once I got this item in the mail, I was flabbergasted. This item didn’t belong to me, I had never ordered it! Turns out it was the CD my friend in France (I’m located in the Netherlands so go figure) ordered. Of course I was mad, because now I both had paid for something that wasn’t mine and my friend had to wait longer for his CD because now I had to ship it to him instead. 

 

I emailed Celga again, and surprisingly, they didn’t understand how this happened! After a few emails back and forth they ended up telling me that they weren’t able to purchase item #1 for me in the end. So, instead of this, you send me other people’s belongings? They refunded me for everything, so I thought I lost my item.

 

Until now. Item #2 was still due to release so I waited for this. After a few days after its release date I emailed Celga again to check in with them and see if they actually received it (since on their website it has been saying they had this item in stock the day I ordered it so I couldn’t possibly continue applying for shipment) and they, after several confirmations (with me adding an extra link of the item after they asked) told me that everything was fine and they should pack it up and send me an invoice for shipment. Two days later, I get this invoice by ordering via SAL. $41. Now, for a CD, this would be pretty insane, wouldn’t it? I ask them why, and they don’t answer me anything but telling me that for small packages EMS is cheaper. So naturally, I change my shipment to EMS. $46. I am set off, really. How can a CD, weighing perhaps 100 gram, be that expensive to ship? My further investigation this morning lead me to the invoice saying my items weighs 1,4 kilogram. Now there were some bells ringing. My item #1 would estimate being about such a weight. And when I click the link on the invoice of the item I ordered, I get a blank page on the UNDER CODE website (this item is out of stock by now, hence the blank page). So that could only mean one thing. After telling me they couldn’t get item #1, refunding me the costs, and me thinking this bid was lost forever, they still have it. 

 

Now, I have to wait on #2 again. I have yet to place a new shipment request, and wait another few weeks perhaps to see if they actually have it at all.

 

Now… Their customer support. It is hopeless. I think currently their American side is being ran by three persons, and if you email with them back and forth it’s never the same person coming back at you. I think it would be much more convenient if they placed one person on an individual order instead of trying to get it done by multiple. If you ask them a question, it’s about 0% that it’s actually going to be answered. I’ve asked them an endless amount of questions and the only thing they reply is: We’ll look into it, thank you for your patience.

[JukaForever 758]

I like to add my share on Celga. It's kind of off topic, but I am currently having the worst experience with them I could have ever imagined having with a shopping service, or any service in general.

 

At least they refunded you in the 1st, the second one is hilariously but sorry to hear that experience

 

 

currently have 2 orders in the future from CDJapan, the only thing I want is the option of adding new orders to finalized orders. Like when a release is suddenly announced and will be release at around the same time as my next order is to be shipped.