Forum - View topicUK anime collecting questions...
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
unhealthyman
 Posts: 306 |
|
||
|
I live in the UK (obviously,) and have a slight habit for collecting things (DVDs, comics etc,) and I've been watching a lot of anime recently, so am planning on collecting anime from now on - (bored of comics and DVDs,) so far I only have a random collection of R2 anime films and some random early anime VHS tapes.
If I'm gonna start collecting, I want to collect the series I have watched all in the same format, so, to get to the point, is it cheaper and easier to buy imported R1 DVDs in the UK? Or can you collect much as R2 DVDs and what is the price difference? - call me a geek, but an important part of collecting is having full series lined up on your shelves or special edition boxed sets... So is buying from america the best option? I know of one physical anime shop at the city I go to uni in, but I'm at home for the summer so I can't look in that. Just wondering what any other UK collectors do? I wanna avoid bootlegs, so does that mean that ebay is a waste of time? |
|||
|
|||
UKfan
 Posts: 280 Location: Manchester UK |
|
||
|
I buy most of my anime from the US as it is soo much cheaper to buy R1 releases. Some stuff I buy R2 like movies or the odd thing the US don't have (Gits SAC box set, Innocence).
The average R2 anime DVD is about £15 so say for Full Metal Panic! that would be £105 (7 DVD's) while the R1 thinpak Collection is only about £30. Most R1 collections / box sets work out about 1/2 UK price even with customs fees added on. 
Considering that alot of series aren't even out in the UK it's easier to buy from R1. Ebay can be good aswell as long as you realise that complete series don't usually sell for £15 or less. Well a few do but not the good / popular ones. Also avoid anything that doesn't mention that it's authentic region 1 licensed as alot of bootlegs are called import or factory made to make them sound more legit. I only really use ebay for rare stuff or items that are out of stock in most stores. It's worth comparing the auction pictures against the real releases as well. For my shopping I use 3 stores mainly: DVDPacific as the shipping isn't too expensive and the prices are usually real low although customs tend to pick up most of them and they have alot of stuff. The Right Stuff International is pretty good as well, they always seem to dodge customs which makes up for the high postage and usually have cheap close outs and weekly deals that are pretty good. Archonia is also worth a shot, dearer than US stores (it's in Belgium) but it sells R1 and you don't pay import fees as VAT's already added on. |
|||
|
|||
Kidder
 Posts: 188 Location: Bat country! >.< |
|
||
|
Yeah the UK is pretty poor in terms of available legit anime DVD's. The selection is alright (on online shopping sites like Amazon.co.uk) but the prices tend to be ridiculously high and very few boxsets are available.
I've only bought anime movies so far, since they tend to be a little less pricey (ranging from around 5-15 pounds). Check places like Play.com, they generally have a decent selection of anime (although not as much as Amazon.co.uk) and they don't charge VAT or shipping so that saves you a few pounds. Be careful on Ebay. It's a haven for bootlegs and it's getting harder and harder to spot the differences. I'm currently working in Hong Kong for the summer and I've seen A LOT of very convincing bootlegs. Basically so convincing that you might not notice from a picture on Ebay. You could probably import R1 dvd's from the US which tends to have better pricing and selections. The shipping and customs may set you back abit (depending on how much you buy) and of course you can expect a long waiting time (depending on the mode of shipping you choose). Just make sure you have a multi-region DVD player  you don't want to end up buying DVD's you can't play 
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group