I mentioned not too long ago that I’m dying to read Bloody Monday, and the only way I could do so was to purchase the manga itself. There were 2 options; Amazon Japan and Kinokuniya.
I did some calculations, and even if I get 2 to 3 people to share the cost of the standard book shipping fee, which is a flat 1900 yen, it’ll still be slightly more expensive to purchase the manga from Amazon Japan as compared to getting it directly from Kinokuniya, even with just the regular 10% member discount. It seems that Kinokuniya doesn’t adjust the prices of their stock even with the fluctuation of currency, and that’s a good thing in such times.
Also, I’m not able to check the condition of my books if I purchase them online. In my previous Amazon Japan shipment, one of my books came in a really poor condition. Purchasing directly from Kinokuniya was a much better choice, since I didn’t have to wait for my stuff to be shipped, so that’s another advantage.
Now that the Yen’s at its peak, what used to be 1000 yen to 13 odd Singapore dollars is now 15 odd Singapore dollars instead. A classmate in Japanese class spoke of an acquaintance of his who’s currently working in Japan, but his salary in his contract is in Singapore dollars. It must really suck to be that guy now.
For the next few months, I doubt I’ll be doing any online purchases that deal with the Japanese currency. The manga that I might want to purchase will probably be imported by Kinokuniya, and as for CDs, I’ll just have to wait for the Yen to weaken before I purchase my want-list in one swoop. Thankfully, besides Bloody Monday which I wanted to read only after watching the drama, there isn’t anything else that I really want to buy.
So, how are the frequent online shoppers who patronise the usual few sites that ship otaku goods globally coping with this current “crisis”? Have you held back purchases until the tide subsides? Or are you still going through the usual money-spending routine without bothering much?
I’m still gonna buy my CDs as usual but probably hold the non-limited ones till the yen goes down.
My figure purchases are at their bare minimum but I usually plan budget by converting the prices to 1000yen = S$15; I end up either saving a bit more or having an easier time coping with the annoying exchange rate.
I received 2 packages from Amazon JP last month and the shipping cost me a whooping S$75. That’s almost 40% of my total purchase. The best part was they canceled at the very last min the item that forced me to purchase from online in the first place and shipped the rest of my ini macham items.
My first and last purchase from Amazon JP.
I’ve stopped spending on Japanese imports now that both the Singapore dollar and the Japanese yen have strengthened. The Japanese yen had a more profound effect (with deeply-entrenched Western economies and the lack of a Deepavali festival, which saved Singapore from Monday run last week).
I’ve always followed the American releases of anime DVD shows (thankfully, Ani-Play has always been dependable for my purchases), and I’m quite surprised that a complete boxset of Season 1 Aria: The Animation cost me S$69.90, which is similar to the newly-released Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 price (non-Officer’s and -Premier Edition packs).
I usually get my stuff from Kinokuniya. I only get stuff which I can’t get through them(If you know me well enough, you’ll know what I’m talking about) from online shopping.
Close to bankrupt, can’t afford anything now. *cries* Let me go rob that certain bank before I get back to you about my spending.
I’ve given up on Amazon JP way way back, all because of the expensive shipping fee + customs charges crap I have to pay because of DHL’s express delivery =/ I only order from Amazon JP if I’m gonna have it delivered to friends or officemates in JP, because that’d be virtually 0 yen shipping (lucky Japanese people *grumble* )
I suggest you give HMV a try, they offer quite a good deal, really gaijin-friendly =D Items are priced at standard retail price, and the shipping fee is quite affordable. It’s through EMS too so you’ll get your stuff in 2-3 days. I haven’t had any problem with them ever since I started availing of their service. Ok this sounds like quite a marketing gig, but this is a real testimony from a loyal HMV shopper. The only problem I had with them is availability of other items, especially back-ordered ones. Other than that, it’s all good
Squee > It’s a good thing that I don’t have any LE CDs that I want now.
Soshi > Maybe you did foresee the rise of the yen, unknowing.
Stripey > Wow that really sucked. The worse thing I’ve gotten from them was a book which had the condition of worse than some of the second hand goods you can find in Japan.
TP > I’ve yet to purchase RA3. I really should.
フェイダムさん > エッチなもの？
Hirito > What the hell did you do with your money?
usagijen > I’ve only bought from HMV when I was in Japan. No online experiences yet. I might try them in the future though, since I have a member point card.
I only get the manga from Amazon if Singapore’s Kinokuniya does not have them. Kinokuniya is efficient and the staff are friendly, I even tried ordering a title that the store doesn’t have but they shipped it in especially for me! Try to time the orders and go for the 20% discount period (usually on festive season). It’ll take them approximately 10 days to ship the new product in and they’ll hold the books for approximately 1-4 weeks depending on the type & number of books that you’ve ordered.
My point? Start planning for this year’s Christmas discount period. Bwahaha. (:
I also plan to wait until december. Im holding my buyings so I can ship them in one order..