I didn't know where to create or how to call this thread, but I think it might be a good idea if we shared some Stardust related offers we find along the way. I'm tight-fisted so I'm always looking for discounts to give me the push I need to purchase things and increase my collection.
In addition there's a 15% discount on pretty much every Ebichu and Syachi DVD and Blu-ray.
I hope this helps people and together we can keep track of the best deals out there.
(I'm sorry if this is supposed to be on another section or if there was already a thread about this because I couldn't find it, we have the one for goods and new releases but not for sales.)
HMV Japan's site is running so slow that I'm not going to bother searching for links, but they're also having a pretty good sale at the moment on a lot of music and DVDs. might be worth checking out as well.
CDJapan is very reliable, I used them almost exclusively for many years. Their customer service has also been top notch. Like you said though, you can sometimes find better prices. Lots of shipping options as well. -One more bonus for CDJapan is the extra stuff that comes with ltd editions or first press.
If I'm purchasing cds, dvd/bluray's or books it's usually a bit cheaper on Amazon JP. They also offer "global shipping" for these items which is extremely fast considering how much they charge for it. I've gotten stuff from them in 2 business days a few times (to the U.S.).
cdjapan is great, I've always been super pleased with their service. but yes, they're not always the cheapest option. the plus side of using them though is that they will ship anything they stock overseas; amazon will only ship cds, books, and some DVD/BD. no games, or pretty much anything else.
but assuming you're getting music or concert dvds, amazon is usually really reasonably priced, really cheap but good shipping, and it's amazon so you know if something gets screwed up they'll make it right.
I usually order from CD Japan (or Yes Asia when I'm buying K-Pop stuff). I always hear about Amazon Japan being cheaper but for me shipping costs end up being the same as the discount so I haven't bought anything from them yet. That's why I wanted a thread about this, so when people find amazing offers on Amazon they'll let us know :))
HMV also has quite high shipping costs, I wanted to order Ebichu's vinyl there because it was the only place to get it, but shipping costs were more than the vinyl and ended up being more than 30€ for two songs.
i think Amazon is great, its faster ( in my experience) than CDJapan on products that are on stock, and they stock lots of stuff you dont find in CDJapan. There are external sellers on Amazon that are willing to ship outside Japan, most of them not tough.
But CD Japan has external bonuses available if you´re fast and preorder inmediately, which i think Amazon doesnt has. And CDJapan sometimes ships CDs before the release date ( My copy of Babymetal at Budokan arrived at my house, in America, the same day it was put on sale in Japan)
I never tried Yes Asia nor HMV, but im thinking of giving them a try, mostly to see if there is hard to find/ cheap stuff in there
HMV is quite good, except that they only ship with EMS internationally, so it's sort of expensive. However, they sometimes have really good sales. I got 5th Dimension and the Battle and Romance rerelease from them, and I think it came out cheaper than CDJapan would've been, even with the pricier shipping. If you're making a big purchase, so that shipping isn't such a big fraction of the cost, they're definitely a good choice (or if you use EMS anyway).
Aside from the shipping options, they're pretty similar to CDJapan, including carrying the external bonuses. In some cases like with posters, different stores will have different bonuses, so this may be a factor too.
CDJapan has been fantastic to me. Customer service is top notch, packaging care is the best I have ever seen from a company, first edition bonuses are nice and they often ship items before the scheduled release date. I also like how easy they make it to combine orders when I add new release items to ones I have already paid for waiting to release.