So you’re a new anime fan. Welcome! But as you start down the path of otaku-dom, here are some mistakes and bad habits that you should avoid.
That goes for you, too, veterans!
#1. Go on a buying frenzy.
With an ever-expanding list of “must see” series and movies, it’s easy to find yourself overloaded. While a good number of these are available to stream, it’s tempting when you find a sale to pick them up even before watching it. “After all,” you think to yourself, “it’s a classic, so it must be good!”
Well, it might be good, but is it a must-have for your collection? Some of the releases might also be slim on extras, and for many older series, there isn’t going to be a huge improvement in an SD streaming video versus Blu-ray version — let alone a DVD version. So don’t just blindly pick up a set on sale because it’s highly praised. Wait to make sure you are getting a really good deal or that you know you are going to love it and have to have it now.
#2. Buy a lot of used on eBay.
eBay is a great way to pick up some series at 50% off retail — or more! But a lot of these used prices aren’t as great as they may first appear. For instance, a lot of Sentai Filmworks series were 75% off during a recent sale, taking them below used prices on eBay.
It’s not just about listings being better than current prices. Good deals are better than any recent low price, and great deals are better than any previous low price. Make sure you didn’t just miss a sale either. Some sellers may have stocked up, watched once, and are trying to unload the set at a profit.
#3. Trusting search results.
Just because a site pops up in Google‘s search results (or a seller at eBay/Amazon), that does not make it trustworthy. That doesn’t mean every site you’ve never heard of before is a scam website, but you should always view it with suspicion. This past Christmas, I was looking up a kid’s playset, and I found it below Target’s price through a result on Google Shopping. Sure enough, it was a scam site. Again, though, this site was included in price comparisons on Google Shopping. Goodness knows how many people lost money!
Look at Better Business Bureau listings. Find out when the site was registered. Look up “is [site] trustworthy” and see what comes up. Look at the site and double-check the contact information. If you are still truly unsure, go elsewhere. A few dollars is worth it not only to make sure you get your item but to protect your personal information.
#4. Buying the cheapest listing on Amazon or eBay.
Hey, I’m always going on about getting a great deal. So why wouldn’t the lowest price be the best deal?
Buyers have to be extremely careful about bootlegs. Many years ago, it was easy to determine whether a series was a pirate copy or not. If it was a complete collection, it was almost certainly an unofficial set. Now, however, with most series being released in half- or full-season sets, it’s tougher. It’s not always that the item is vastly cheaper than the MSRP, which should always raise a red flag. A lot of prices are just slightly below other legitimate retailers, making you think that that price is within the realm of possibility.
Make sure you compare cover art to the art on major retailers or the licensor’s website, and especially be aware when you buy media from countries like China, Hong Kong, Russia, and Indonesia. Japanese media tend to be expensive, and these countries and a few others are often counterfeit heaven. Bootlegs aren’t always easy to recognize and can look surprisingly official — and in some cases, may actually include more than their official versions.
#5. Using just any payment method.
First of all, while debit cards are generally easier to get as long as you have a bank account, they’re also more susceptible to fraud. Go online and you’ll find way too many stories of someone waking up to find their savings depleted. Credit cards tend to have better fraud prevention, and some cards will also extend your warranty or provide a way to file a claim if the price drops.
But third party checkout systems like PayPal are seen as even more secure, as the store never actually obtains a card number, and thus any hackers won’t be able to rack up charges.
But PayPal is not perfect either. If you’re shopping at a foreign store (like CDJapan, or even Right Stuf for non-US shoppers), you will be slapped with an additional charge. Many credit cards themselves however have no foreign transaction fee, so you’d be saving several dollars by using your card instead of PayPal or whatever.
Finally, lots of places sell discounted gift cards. I’ve gotten as much as an additional 25% off my purchase by first buying a gift card and then using that card to buy what I want. Just understand that if you need to return an item for any reason, you’ll be getting a gift card back instead of a charge wiped off your credit card.