Tips for Purchasing J-pop CDs Online: HMV, CD Japan, and Yes Asia
May 20th, 2009 | Published in Guides and How-To's, Music and Entertainment | 40 Comments
Let’s face it, Manila isn’t a great place to be if you’re a J-pop fan. Unlike Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, and even Bangkok — where CD stores regularly supply J-pop CDs to local fans, collectors in Manila have no choice but to go online for their JE or HAIKARA fix.
We all have our favorite online CD stores, but my quest to fill in gaps in my collection has led me to narrow the field down to three excellent sources: HMV, CD JAPAN, and YES ASIA. In order to help you pick and purchase from the retailer that suits your needs best, I’ve selected three bases of criteria and will rank each store on their performance in each field.
Price
While all stores maintain a comparative price level (just USD 1 or 2 above or below each others prices), I think the store with the best deals for the lowly Philippine Peso is HMV. HMV quotes their prices in JPY and not in USD, giving you a slight edge over the generally nasty conversion rates credit card companies impose on the US dollar. It will also help you when you have your parcel taxed by customs, since their JPY conversion is likewise low compare to the US dollar.
Availability
Of the three stores, CD Japan has the most extensive selection of J-pop CDs and DVDs. While some might contend that YES ASIA has a bigger inventory, some of these merchandise are actually Chinese or Korean. HMV on the other hand does not have a large selection of older CDs and DVDs, so it’s not a good place to look for items that are not more recently released.
Shipping
Of the three stores, YES ASIA is the only one to offer free shipping, and this is a great deal in more ways than one. Sure, both HMV and CD JAPAN offer safe and secure EMS and courier shipping, but sometimes SAL can be good too, especially if you’re trying to save money or if you’re attempting to dodge the tax man :D I’ve never lost a parcel via free shipping, and when a friend got hers lost in the mail, YES ASIA replaced the item within four to six weeks.
Some Words on Safe Credit Card Use
All three stores accept payment via credit card. When ordering from them, never do it in a public terminal like an Internet rental shop or a free-access Wi-Fi connection. You do not know if keyloggers have been installed in the computer, or if someone is monitoring the Wi-Fi signal, in order to steal your credit card number.
If the service asks for you to scan the card front and back for confirmation, always remember to block out the security pin (which is usually three numbers located somewhere on the back of your card). This is so it cannot be used by other people in case they manage to break into your e-mail account.
Last but not least, always check if the address bar displays the correct URL and not a fake redirect, and that the payment screen is secured by HTTPS. It’s always better to be safe, than sorry. Good luck and have fun shopping online!
May 25th, 2009at 23:25(#)
Nice entry, in my own experience I mostly buy my stuffs at HMV Japan, they offer great deals not to mention better discounts for online members as well as member’s points. I also buy from Amazon Japan pricing are the same as HMV Japan but the packaging cost a bit more (FedEx), mostly I buy magazines or things that are not available at HMV Japan. For box sets I go for YesAsia since they always declare the amount of my packages “USD 5 to 15″ to avoid paying custom duties and taxes.
May 25th, 2009at 23:46(#)
hi sean — you’re right, i have to say that i likewise favor HMV above all stores i mentioned. it’s really the great currency exchange rate that clinches it for me.
let’s keep our fingers crossed that the customs office no longer taxes us for our orders, since the customs dues on books and magazines has been lifted by the office of the president :)
May 27th, 2009at 10:26(#)
Thanks for posting this! Next time I will try ordering from HMV. You and Rjene (I am not sure if you remember her) both have praises for HMV and I’d love to buy from them within the next couple of months. I’d wait for my order from Yes Asia first.
Lovely guide. I’d link to it from my blog :)
May 27th, 2009at 12:20(#)
thanks, clair — just glad to help :)
June 5th, 2009at 21:41(#)
You can get jpop and jrock songs downloaded to your computer instantly if you buy from the Japanese iTunes store. You can get a prepaid card at Jpopmp3s.com. They guarantee delivery of the card code in less than 24 hours. I actually got mine in 10 minutes once. Another time it was 6 hours. I guess it depends on what time of the day you order.
June 5th, 2009at 23:14(#)
that’s another avenue to explore, but for collectors who like to have the physical albums like myself purchasing from a store is still a better option. also, AFAIK (although i could be wrong :D ) iTUNES JAPAN blocks IP addresses from the philippines so even if we did purchase the download card, we wouldn’t be able to use it.
January 28th, 2010at 22:29(#)
hi, do you know how long does SAL usually take? I ordered from CDJapan 2 weeks ago and they shipped it on Jan 13. I’m kinda worried that it might end up in customs.
January 28th, 2010at 22:36(#)
give it another two weeks or so — SAL is very unpredictable because the speed of the shipment depends whether or not a large cargo vessel makes the journey from japan to the philippines.
January 28th, 2010at 22:41(#)
really 2 more weeks??? oh well.
How about air mail? I changed my latest order from SAL to air mail because I was getting impatient. Is there any chance that I my package will end up in customs even if I use air mail?
and thanks for the fast reply. I’m glad I discovered your site.
January 28th, 2010at 22:44(#)
unfortunately, air mail parcels have a higher risk of being taxed by the customs office than SAL packages. you may get your parcel faster, but you’ll be taking a chance with the taxman — good luck :)
January 28th, 2010at 22:53(#)
I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. My order is less than $50 so I hope I don’t get taxed; but if I do, I might have to just go back to buying from Yesasia. Thanks for all the help!
January 28th, 2010at 22:54(#)
no worries — i hope you get your parcel soon :)
February 14th, 2010at 21:22(#)
I just got a notice from the post office that I need to pick up a package. Whether my package was sent through SAL or air mail, do I always have to pick it up there?
February 14th, 2010at 23:00(#)
yes — all registered packages whether sent by air or by sea need to be picked up and signed off at your local post office.
February 15th, 2010at 07:10(#)
I didn’t know that. I guess Yesasia is actually kinda better since they deliver it to my home. Thanks!
March 2nd, 2010at 13:48(#)
This was very useful, thanks! So I was wondering, for EMS, does it get sent straight to my place? How do you know anyway if it’s going to be taxed; do they send a notice to my house?
March 2nd, 2010at 13:52(#)
if you’re lucky yes, the parcel will be sent straight to your house with just the PhP 35 releasing fee. otherwise, you will receive a postcard notice saying that you have to pick up your parcel in pasay and pay the levied taxes.
March 21st, 2010at 13:19(#)
I live in USA. I’m planning to buy some dvds and use my US currency credit card for HMV. Will the payment be automatically converted from dollars to yen? Are there any fees? If so, does it follow the current exchange rate?
Sorry I just asked a lot of questions…
Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance! :)
March 21st, 2010at 19:22(#)
yes, your card will be charged the USD equivalent of the JPY amount, based on that day’s conversion rates as followed by your issuing bank or financial institution.
March 22nd, 2010at 00:01(#)
Oh, Ok :) Maraming Salamat!
Gulong-gulo ako doon sa HMV. T^T
Maraming salamat talaga!
Wish I could go back and visit Philippines someday for J-related events. (off topic)
Pretty nice site :)
March 22nd, 2010at 00:59(#)
try mo toggle yung language settngs ng HMV — the site has both a japanese and an english version :) good luck at sana magkita tayo sa pinas balang araw :)
March 22nd, 2010at 02:06(#)
Yeah, I did that. I was just worried na baka may hidden fees pag nag-exchange ng currency.
Anyways,
Thank you soo much! :)
Haha XD Sure why not?
June 3rd, 2010at 18:22(#)
I purchased 3 CDs from YesAsia totalling $49.97 (I availed their free standard shipping). It was shipped on May 31, and it arrived just this afternoon, June 3, delivered at my doorstep by the postman. I can’t believe it took only 3 days! LOL And I also didn’t pay any tax or storage fee (because it was delivered directly to my house). Am I lucky or what?
June 4th, 2010at 15:50(#)
lol u guess the USD 0.03 saved your ass :D shipments under USD 50 are less likely to be taxed than larger parcels. congratulations!
June 25th, 2010at 19:12(#)
hey there..it’s my first time buying from HMV ^^ and i am not sure if the order i made was successful .. I mean they send a confirmation mail right? Can someone tell me how long does it take for them to send a confirmation mail ? *worried* Usually in other stored i get to see something like ‘your transaction was successful’ when i pay.. But in HMV after clicking ‘purchase’ ..i ..am not sure if it went out successfully ~
June 25th, 2010at 21:01(#)
check the inbox of the e-mail address you used to register an account with HMV. your invoice should have been sent to you within minutes of purchase. if none can be found, your transaction probably did not go through and you need to place your order all over again.
if you’re not comfortable with that option, you can e-mail HMV support to check the status of your order before you make another order — just in case to prevent double booking your purchase.
June 27th, 2010at 02:16(#)
okay thanks a lot! I will mail them and ask (._.) *nervous*
a friend told me HMV takes time to send an invoice ..even about even two days ! so that’s why i wanted to make sure…
But just saying…. unlike CD Japan , i think orders in HMV can be canceled . I’m glad they have that option ^ ^’
June 27th, 2010at 09:32(#)
i also like the fact that they charge their customers in JPY not USD — much better for credit card exchange rates :)
June 27th, 2010at 14:41(#)
well I just sent them a message through the ‘help’ section asking about the order.. I hope i get a reply.. if i don’t ..umm..i don’t know .. I’ll order again after a few days from HMV . I really need that CD so I’m worried :(
If things work out well then I will buy from HMV in future ..otherwise I’ll just stick to CD Japan..
June 29th, 2010at 15:31(#)
i contacted HMV and yes :) everything is okay now ~
June 29th, 2010at 16:23(#)
brilliant! i hope everything goes smoothly now :)
June 29th, 2010at 22:31(#)
CDJapan is offering Fedex shipping now.
It looks like it will be cheaper than their EMS if you have a lot of items in one shipping.
Any chance of escaping customs charges?
June 29th, 2010at 23:15(#)
lol 100% taxation on FEDEX items — the courier pays for your customs charges first and then asks you to reimburse them for it, otherwise they will not release your parcel.
i learned this the hard way via PLAY ASIA >.>
June 29th, 2010at 23:25(#)
it happens all the time!? no chance of customs letting it some packages pass?
but where do I pick up the parcel in case I miss the delivery?
June 29th, 2010at 23:31(#)
yes, especially if the parcel originated from an online retailer.
FEDEX will keep trying to contact you until the delivery is made.
June 29th, 2010at 23:37(#)
I was kinda hoping that it would be random like EMS.
How does DPEX do it anyway? I receive my Yesasia items through them and they don’t seem to charge any customs tax.
June 29th, 2010at 23:42(#)
YESASIA ships via SAL — by cargo ship, and usually those are not taxed as severely as parcels that cam in by air freight like EMS, unless it’s a high volume order like idk 100 units of whatever~
June 29th, 2010at 23:48(#)
I’m confused. Isn’t DPEX sort of similar to FEDEX? I get a tracking number a few days after they ship my parcel.
June 29th, 2010at 23:54(#)
DPEX is like OCS — used by some japanese online shops, which send huge boxes of stuff that hold smaller boxes of individually shipped parcels by cargo ship, and then the smaller parcels are sent via land to the recipient. so yes, it is a courier service, but no not like FEDEX which relies mainly on air cargo.
July 2nd, 2010at 11:57(#)
if i choose SAL, will it be delivered directly to my house? i’m a bit hesitant to buy online ’cause i’m not sure if it’s safe. :)