UK buyers from import anime?

[MasterPlan]

heya, I was wondering if there are many UK buyers of anime from here... I know like 3 people from the net that are into anime, so it doesnt help me that much for when i want a good store to buy cheap anime from... so basically, I was wondering if any UK'ers buy from here, and how quick you get it, and if you pay customs charges at all... also if you know of any decent companies in the UK for HK DVD's and the like, mail me: [email protected]

Ta

-Rich

[Prophet Hero]

I'm in the UK and I know there are a couple of others here as well.

There's absolutely no problems whatsoever buying from IA - decent prices and fast, reliable and friendly service.

As for customs charges, JJ looks after his customers.

[MasterPlan]

leet, ta, what other stores do you know of? just there are a few other series that I want to get, but IA doesnt have them... is there a list or something of the releases by the AS/MAC (what ever the hell they are ;/) companies\groups\whatever so I can request.. ?

I'm a newb to buying anime, I usually just get the fansubs... but tv-out\pc is getting a tad old having to keep plugging in, dicking with settings etc :<

-Rich

[Prophet Hero]

The AS/MAC site is at http://www.animegod.com. You can buy direct from there, but you'll have to ask for info from someone else because I've never bought from there.



IA is the best place to get AS/MAC titles - you can put a request in - for UK buyers because of the lower prices and the international shipping is also low and fixed.

There are other reliable sites such as Cookiejarvideo and Animeniacs, but the shipping is not so friendly for international buyers (CookieJar's service is excellent, however, and Bella is fantastic).

You can try animediscount for other FX titles.

[MasterPlan]

sweeeet, I can see me getting friendly with this site

I've just bought off another forum, the studio glibhi box set, and initial d complete series for £120, thought that was a rather good deal... that'll keep me entertained till next payday when I'll probably be making my first order from IA

[Prophet Hero]

£120? That's over US$200. Where did you buy these sets from and what exactly did you order?

[Shinn Asuka]

Sounds more like you got ripped, man. Initial D bundle is usually like, what, $75? $70? [USD, of course.] And the Ghibli boxset is like, half that. Sounds like you need to lube yourself up bud, cause you got plowed from behind if that's all you ordered.

[MasterPlan]

these are originals, I knew I could get the HK ones for cheap.. so I was willing to pay a little extra for originals

[Vicious]

Originally posted by MasterPlan
these are originals, I knew I could get the HK ones for cheap.. so I was willing to pay a little extra for originals

What originals are you talking about??? Certainly not R1 since only 2 discs of Initial D are out so far and we don't have a Ghibli Collection available to us. Sounds to me like you got ripped off for some HK's. Get that lube ready that Suzaku was talking about earlier.

[MasterPlan]

mmm... I aint paid him yet, I think I wont... feck it, doubt theres any quality difference in them

[Schultz]

And i would say no matter what get the HK Initial D anyways.. the R1's from tokyopop has partially fubar'ed the story even in the subtitle versions..

[ouijaouija]

Hello, its nice to se a post about other fans in the UK. I happened to have bought some manga before these stupid customs charges came into use. Basically they literally open most packages to check what it is, and charge you for it. The price ranges from £7.50-£20. But thats not all. It also charges some other stupid fee, and VAT!!! So I happeed to have insured this dvd, the minimum was £100. it charged an extra 18.

You should check out ebay. absolute bargains.

I see the ghibli boxset is about 35$ is you're lucky. But beware, postge takes weeks, and u neva know what they might do...

[Vicious]

I agree with Schultz about the Initial D R1's. I had the 1st 2 discs and sold them on Ebay. They majorly screwed up.

As for Ebay, it's a good place to get deals on R1's sometimes. But for HK's, it's not any cheaper than buying them from IA and other sites like it. Let's say IA sells a set for $40 and charges $6 shipping. You're paying $46. On Ebay, you might see the same set going for like $35 with $15 shipping for a total of $50. Usually it's not such a great deal when you add in the jacked up shipping costs most HK sellers on Ebay will charge you.

[Metier9]

im in the uk here, not ordered froma hop yet but by the look of it i think IA and Animeniacs seem the best two. Also dvdfamily on ebay have sweet rpices are ya get ya parcel in 3 days

All sweet

[Prophet Hero]

Originally posted by ouijaouija
I happened to have bought some manga before these stupid customs charges came into use. Basically they literally open most packages to check what it is, and charge you for it. The price ranges from £7.50-£20. But thats not all. It also charges some other stupid fee, and VAT!!! So I happeed to have insured this dvd, the minimum was £100. it charged an extra 18.

As with many things in life it's often a case of size being important. UK customs simply cannot resist a big parcel, so be wary when buying DVDs in bulk.

However, this isn't always the case. I've ordered R1 boxsets, e.g. Ranma, YUA, online and because of the company's stock/shipping system they've got through without being touched by customs.

I ordered a single DVD from CDJapan and because they shipped it in a rather large box, I got hit. I ordered a single DVD from Amazon Jpn and because it came in a flatpack it was simply delivered through the letterbox.

Nothing I've bought from HK - ebay, Flora, DDDHouse - has ever been stopped (one plus point for jiffy bags), but then again I don't order in bulk.

I ordered Kenshin from CJV, which was stopped (small but bulky package), but because Bella made a rather 'generous' declaration I was only stung for around £8 customs.

Animeniacs states overtly that all international declarations will be honest and exact (which is fair enough), so I have not even bothered ordering from there and never will. I've never ever asked for declaration 'favours' from sellers and when I see 'discounts' on the packages I receive I return the favour by recommending the site and, when I've got the cash, buying again.