CDJapan

[sothis]

CDJapan

Anime Vendors List

You must read the Rules and Guidelines before making any posts in this review thread.

By reading or replying to this thread you acknowledge Anime-Planet and its staff will not be held responsible for the reviews and opinions expressed within this thread. The opinions and posts of members are solely their own and are not endorsed by Anime-Planet.

[Sakaki-]

Ok, they basicly only sell japanese stuff, DVD's rarely have subtitles but people who buy from there should expect that already.

Imho you get what you ordered fast and i never had any problems when ordering from there.

[Stekkos_Myer]

Hmm... I've ordered about 10 times there (mostly CDs), and I've 'never' had any problem. If you look for old stuff though, it might not be the best site, since they don't have their own stocks (and their suppliers have rather recent stuff). However the special order where you can ask them to search for a non-listed CD availability helps (sometimes you can have good suprises on the availability of the wanted product). If you aim at Limited Edition stuff (or you are a freak you want to get the first print), you'd better pre-order.

The only issue I've had was a CD that I never got (I didn't have to pay for it), I wonder if it got deleted from my order (I suspected it to be the reason of the 3 weeks delay though...)

If you want to order from it, I suggest you choose EMS tracking for the shipping (takes 3-6 days).

It's one of the rare english site (it belongs to neowing.com which is the japanase site), and even if it's kinda expensive, it's worth buying there.

CDJapan is the English version of neowing.co.jp, and is obviously targeted at English speaking foreigners. Their site sells and offers an extensive collection of music, anime, movies, collector’s merchandise, and special interests such as sports and Japanese Idol DVDs. Product information made available for each item is reasonable, displaying the catalogue number, number of discs, release date, the price in both yen and dollars (estimated), and its estimated weight. Most products have at least a preview image, and sometimes you can find images of the front/back covers of the DVDs you are going to buy. Additionally, the site makes good use of their clear “First Press Available” and “Limited Edition” labels. If the merchandise has gone past its “First Pressing” phase, then the label changes to “First Press: Sold Out”. These labels are very useful at quickly determining whether you can get those Limited Edition (LE) goodies, and they are usually mentioned in the description.

Although CDJapan has an extensive collection of JPOP and anime music, their music collection also offers and sells a variety of genres including western, classical, and jazz music. As for anime on DVD, CDJapan mostly offers Region 2 Japanese DVDs, but you can also find animated cartoons such as the Jetsons or Tom and Jerry. They even have a specialized section just for Ghibli films. Their ordering system is well done. They have clear indications on first press editions by having applicable items clear state Available or not available. Additionally, in the pre-order state, if pre-orders are running low, there is a statement about “Number of pre-order copies left". On most items, if first press is available, there is a clear notification while browsing and vice versa. As for collectable items, it’s best to pre-order because many times their good items are sold out in the pre-order phase – like the 1/6 Mizuho statue which got sold out rather quickly.

Navigation through their site is intuitive. You can search by person, anime/movie title, song title, catalogue number, or the whole site. Moreover, you can even browse their listings by artist or title, and it will list all merchandise related to that anime. I have been ordering merchandise through CDJapan since summer 2004, and they have never let me down. They have good customer service and respond to e-mail inquiries quickly.

Managing open orders online is easy, and you can view your ordering history. You can even ship items separately or once they all become available. As for payment options, CDJapan accepts Credit Card (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diners Club), International Postal Money Order, and Cash (Japanese Yen or US Dollars). I suggest ordering merchandise using EMS. It’s a bit expensive, but I’ve never had problems with customs using it, and my orders get to me in the US in less than a week following release.

If you want to buy Region 2 DVDs and other anime merchandise, look no further than CDJapan. Their site is totally in English, which is a big plus over Amazon Japan.

[Kenji Ikari]

Most likely the best and most professional English language site for ordering Japanese music, among other products. Extensive catalog of older items (although a lot of them may not be actually available).


Only problems I've ever had was with the price of EMS shipping (which is sort of expected, though, as it's shipping from Japan) and the availability of some items (again, expected with such an extensive catalog).

[Moon Child]

Pros: Great selection of media and easy to find. All items come with important details (region coding, sub-titles, extras, special editions) so it's easy to know what you're getting without knowing Japanese. If a new pre-order item goes out of stock they'll usually go out of their way to try to find more if possible. Shipping can be a bit pricey, but it's coming from Japan, so it's understandable.

Cons: Most of their DVDs don't carry sub-titles, but it's not their fault, it's the DVD manufacturer's fault. Although that has stopped me from buying certain DVDs from their selection. Also, their search feature doesn't always seem to get what I'm typing out even if I spell things correctly.