Forum - View topicAnime Online Store (sales & rentals) Reviews/Feedbacks
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Nom_Anor
 Posts: 246 |
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TRSI is my favorite as well. Although their prices are a bit high, the sales they have(both the 40% off and the 10 dvds for $50 sales) are coupled with good customer service and free shipping.
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kuchu
 Posts: 52 |
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What is TFAW? I don't recognize the acronym. I checked on Anime Castle website because you mentioned bootleg and that's something I would avoid in a heartbeat. They do have a link for import/hong kong dvd but it only leads to their homepage. They seem to have a very detailed information on each dvd they sell including region code(1 for all the ones I checked) and number of dvds in a boxset and whether it's a second hand dvd. Does anybody know how to spot import dvd on Anime Castle or whether they still sell it at all? @dargonxtc: I was doing some comparison on box sets betwen DVD Empire, Anime Nation, TSRI, and RACS. Most of the times, DVD Empire come up as the winner so that's why I'm still eager to hear more reviews and feedbacks about this website. Thanks for your contribution. Any DVD Empire anime customers out there please don't be shy at sharing your experience as I'm still greatly interested in trying this store. Especially regarding bulk shipping because most of the times I buy things in bulk to save time and shipping cost as well. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6867 Location: Kazune City |
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I really don't think DD is all that bad, though most of my experience with them was from when they were still DeepDiscountDVD. They still have great prices and very reasonable shipping prices (anything can be free shipping, or you can speed things up with a mere $5.95 flat fee). I guess one DVD out of the 8 DVDs of Tenchi in Tokyo was dislodged when I got it, but that could've been a factory issue.
Amazon: Their prices on new singles is generally close to MSRP, and a significant portion of their boxed sets in the MarketPlace are bootlegs. However, I have found Amazon very useful in getting used single discs of older series -- bootleggers won't bother to sell individual disc bootlegs (excepting movies maybe), so getting used singles is a good way to get legit product for cheap. TRSI: Best for "strategic shopping" with the Bargain Bin, Weekly Special, studio sales, and pre-orders -- I generally don't get standard-priced singles from them, but their sale prices are often the lowest around. I'm fortunate to live close to them, so free Economy Shipping gets to me pretty fast. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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TFAW is short for Things From Another World, but the site is just www.tfaw.com. They primarily deal in comics and related merchandise but they have anime and manga as well and I've ordered some from them here and there. |
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kuchu
Posts: 52 |
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Added TFAW link (thanks to Keonyn). I personally don't find their prices appealing at all but other people might want to check the link.
@Zalis116: I once found a COMPLETE BOX SET OF FMA!!! as in all 51 eps in one box set. I was ecstatic. Thankfully I checked the comment/reviews section and found out it was chinese bootlegs. !$!@%$@#% Shame on Amazon. I also reported a very inappropriate comment, twice!! and hoping they would take it down. They haven't. It's kinda giving me an idea about their CS. I buy used books on Amazon but not used/new digital media unless it's from Amazon directly. Not after my Duran Duran CD is suspiciously home made. Dang! |
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Terrestrial_Cel
 Posts: 99 Location: SF Bay Area |
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Yeah, I shop at Amazon a lot, but I never buy new/used stuff from other users. It's the same as buying stuff from a random user on ebay =/. I really like Amazon's pre-order prices. The first season box set for Kyo Kara Maoh! just came out retailing at abour $135. I pre-ordered it at Amazon for $100  Good deal.
And Amazon's shipping is excellent. I live really close to one of their warehouses (Richmond, CA) so I get stuff 1~2 days after I order it. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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If nobody minds, I'd like to pose a related question: How long does it usually take to get shipments in Canada from these sites? I'm currently waiting on a TRSI order and its coming up on 3 weeks.
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Zalis116
Moderator
Posts: 6867 Location: Kazune City |
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 So it's not quite like buying from random dudes on eBay. Sometimes yes, but the risk of bootlegs is much lower with single discs -- what self-respecting bootlegger would bother to make a bootleg of Rune Soldier Volume 4 or Girls Bravo Volume 6?
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I have purchased from Amazon user "shawnek" more than once  It threw me at first, because the DVD came in a Rightstuf box with a Rightstuf invoice ("Ebay sales" listed as the address  )
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kuchu
Posts: 52 |
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Updated 11/01/07: After exchanging some emails with a sales rep at Anime Nation, things are getting clearer. First of all, they successfully replied my emails in a timely manner and from that I can say that their CS is reliable. I paid using my Paypal which caused me my own inconvenience because as the rep explained, Paypal will send the full amount first then any deductions will have to be refunded by Anime Nation. Apparently if I pay using bank account they will charge me just the net amount at the time of shipping so I will definitely go ahead with paying with VISA next time. Their shipping and packaging are okay. Nothing to rave about but it's not destructive as well. They don't give a delivery confirmation # for free shipping but it's fine with me as long the items are delivered to my door. The only down side is just you cannot actually know whether the product they have is in stock or back ordered but my back ordered stuff keep being sent to me so I'm not really that concerned. Overall, I think I will go ahead and order from them again.
Oct 25 It doesn't seem like there are a lot of participants in this thread so I gave up waiting and decided to try Anime Nation. Cross all your fingers very hard for me people. First time ordering from them and I can see some problems already. They didn't give me my 10% passport discount but they already charged the full amount from my Paypal. sigh... I just contacted them about the issue and we'll see how fast they'll respond. Plus, most of my items are backordered so hopefull things won't come to this quote.
double sighs... Last edited by kuchu on Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:07 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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kuchu
Posts: 52 |
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Added Just Manga to the list. Anybody has any comments about the site service?
I'm a bit disappointed after finding out that ShawneK listed some new box sets on Amazon at a ridiculously cheaper price than on TRSI site. Some box sets are even marked down more than 50% discounts. I kinda feel cheated. Master Keaton DVDs are also way cheaper on Amazon than on TRSI site. I need to start checking on Amazon again then, although I find shopping from their site is more convenient. Note to self: It's TRSI not TSRI. I'm glad nobody is trying to be a drama queen about my misspelling. I'll update my review about Anime Nation after I've received all my orders. |
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Steel Angel
 Posts: 274 Location: Texas |
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I've dealt with all the major retailers to some extent or another over the past 10 years. While many of them have their pros and cons some are clearly better then others.
I'll rate mine in order for a top 3. 1> Robert's Anime Corner Store. Reason this one gets ranked as number one you ask? By far one of the larger selections and shipping is very quick. Odds are if you can even find something they have on back order, you'll still get it faster (by a large margin) then many other online sites. Secondly, great prices whether it's on sale or not. Third, and an important reason in my opinion: NO BOOTLEGS! Finally, the best customer service in the industry bar none. If you considerer yourself a collector in any part of the Anime genre, look no further then here. 2> The Right Stuff International. They have a good selection, and for those bargain hunters out there, you can often find some of the best pricing on Anime period. With their sale pricing it can be even better. Not to mention some of the bargain bundles and deals of the day. The only downside to them that I have experienced is their back orders. You could end up waiting a month or more for some items if it gets back ordered. I've had it happen several times personally. Other then that, you order it and get it quickly and with little hassle. 3> Manufacture. Reason i list the third as direct from the manufacturer is that I will not stoop to dealing/tolerating with bootleg copies, and pretty much all other sites have tried selling them to me at one point or another. For the third option, I'd say order directly from the manufacturer, if one of the two listed above is not viable for you. Most manufactures will not be cheaper then a number of the distributors unless it's during a sell, but at least you are getting "what you paid for" by going through them. ADV, and Funimation I would rank as the top two manufacturers for buying from. Just my two cents worth, as both an avid lover of Anime, and as a collector. (Edit- Just a minor footnote, this relates to shipments with in the U.S., I have no list for international orders.) |
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violented16
 Posts: 81 |
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I thought I would write up a small review of TFAW. I bought 3 comics so the package wasn't big. It was a hard cardboard envelope that had the comics inside. It was stiff enough not to be bent in the mail or anything so I guess that system works good for comics. I feel that it was safe enough for what was inside so no complaints on that.
Also I just received an order from RACS and if anyone is interested I could take some pictures of their packaging and post them. I know its a bit overkill but I know I like my stuff being safe through the mail, since we know package handlers don't care what they are throwing around. I will check back and if anyone wants them I will do it when I get a minute. |
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kuchu
Posts: 52 |
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So I have received all of my orders from Anime Nation and I will make a complete review here. The reason I tried them in the first place was because they sold some boxsets that I couldn't find on TRSI. I bought their AN passport which goes the same as GotAnime membership, 10% discount.
I had some issues about my payment and canceling Windaria order so I had to deal with their CS, and it was great. Things got explained and solved in a timely manner. The nice thing about their email support is that you can modify your priority level from Low to Critical. I set it to Medium all the time I was trying to solve the issue. Shipping and handling was okay. No delivery confirmation for free shipping and it's via UPS. They fulfill the orders pretty fast and they are not hung up on sending individual DVD. All of my DVDs came shrink wrapped. The only thing I will change in the future when I'm buying through Anime Nation is my payment method. I will definitely pay with VISA instead of Paypal. I had a mistake of paying them with Paypal last time and it was complicated. With Paypal, you sent them the gross amount and any deduction necessary will be refunded by Anime Nation. Not recommended. With VISA, they only charge the net amount at the time of shipping. Recommended. They also have a special offer page for AN Passport holders which they hide it very well. You have to ask permission for it through their admin at AN forum. Almost like GotAnime.com only better. Anime Nation is definitely a nice addition to my trusty anime online store list. Anyone wants to make a review for Justmanga.com or DVDEmpire? |
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ingram_pilot
 Posts: 66 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Although I can't comment on their DVD selection; their CD selection does include quite a bit of bootlegs. For most of the CDs, they include the publisher name on the CD's info page; and there are a lot of of bootleg CDs (Son-May, Alion, Top Circle, Miya Records, ...). And it's also quite common to see a bootleg version of a CD right next to the JVC Victor version of the same CD; which kind of makes you wonder what they're thinking.
One Marketplace seller that is pretty trustworthy is Caiman (also know as Caiman_USA and Caiman_com). I've bought quite a few CDs from them through the Amazon Marketplace. The CDs were always a lot cheaper than the Amazon price, and they were always originals from Geneon or JVC. Also, shipping times were quite reasonable. I live in Canada and Caiman is based in Florida and I always got my shipments in less than 3 weeks. That might seem like a long time, but you have to remember that Canadian Border Services (customs) can be quite slow at times. Import CD Specialists (also know as Import CDs) and DVDLegacy are two other Amazon Marketplace vendors I've done a lot of business with. I've never received a bootleg item from them, and their prices are also quite good. Last edited by ingram_pilot on Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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