Unboxing: B.A.P - Excuse Me, 10+Star Magazine (YesAsia)

Unboxing: B.A.P - Excuse Me, 10+Star Magazine (YesAsia)

Posted by Kim

By now I've ordered from YesAsia so many times that I can't even keep track. I love YesAsia. They're very customer-friendly: if your package doesn't arrive and you let them know, they'll send you your order again or give you a refund for something that's out of stock. They also reply to questions quickly and, in this case, they were particularly helpful: I had already placed an order for B.A.P's Excuse Me single (type A and the limited edition) when I found out about the 10+Star magazine. So I asked them if they could add the magazine to my existing order, and they did! Some people will complain about how prices at YesAsia are higher, but this is because shipping is free. I promise you that, if you add shipping to the same order at other websites, the difference is much smaller. Sometimes shipping can take a while, but I've also had things arrive within a week, so I'm going to continue using them. Nothing has ever been stuck in customs with them.

This order included: B.A.P's Excuse Me Type A, B.A.P's Excuse Me limited edition with goods, Korean 10+Star magazine and a free Japan mini toy (if you order two or more Japanese items, you can choose a free toy; this can be a keychain, a very small figure, or something else entirely, and although you can choose the theme, it's always a surprise what you'll actually get).

Unboxing: Secret - Secret Summer (Soompi Shop)

Unboxing: Secret - Secret Summer (Soompi Shop)

Posted by Kim

To be honest, I had no idea Soompi even had a shop until I came across this CD. Basically, I was trying to look up the difference between the two CD versions and then found a link to the Soompi Shop, where you could order the CD and it would then be signed by the girls! There were only 300 sets available and since the price honestly wasn't that high, I went for it. I chose option B, not really for any particular reason, and was told it would take approximately two weeks after the end of the sales period for the CD to be shipped out (after all, they need to get them signed, shipped to them, etc). It took about three weeks between me ordering and them shipping it out (with International Registered Airmail). I was a bit nervous, because it took quite some time for them to confirm my order, but I think the confirmation simply means that they have it? I'm not sure. Anyway, the ordering processes wasn't too difficult and for the payment option I chose Paypal.

Unboxing: G.L.A.M.S - Under the Moon

Unboxing: G.L.A.M.S - Under the Moon

Posted by Kim

This wasn't sold by a shop, but via the website of the G.L.A.M.S project. This project was formed by Mikaru, former vocalist of Dio - Distraught Overlord (one of my favourite bands), Digras and Black Line. He has one of my favourite voices in Jrock, so I've kept up with him (he and Kei - one of Dio's guitarists - were my favourite members, but unfortunately Kei seems to have left the music scene entirely). When I realised I could order the CD fairly easily, I did. I simply sent an email to the website stating the information asked for, received a Paypal invoice, paid it, and my CD got shipped! With EMS, which I think is the default shipping method.

Unboxing: AJ Magazine (CDJapan)

Unboxing: AJ Magazine (CDJapan)

Posted by Kim

I used to order from CDJapan loads, but due to packages getting stuck in customs and then having to pay a lot to get them away from there, I've mostly stopped using them except for cheaper items. And this magazine was one! I was tempted to order it from YesAsia, but didn't want to add extra things for free shipping, and since I still had some points on CDJapan (you get points when you order from them, for your birthday, sometimes for events or just because, and you can use these points to lower the amount you pay), I decided to use their shop once more. For shipping, I chose SAL, because it was the cheapest option. And, honestly, it didn't take that long for this magazine to arrive! It was shipped on the eleventh, and although I can't tell you the exact date it arrived (I was away at the time), it was here by the 20th at the latest.

CDJapan sell, as the name suggest, Japanese items. However, unlike the name, this is not limited to CDs: magazines, books, clothes, figures; if it was made in Japan, chances are it's on there. They take various payment methods, but I tend to stick to Paypal and credit card. In this case I chose my credit card, since it meant the money wouldn't be taken out until after shipping. In fact, it still hasn't been, so I'm curious how long it takes them to do so.

Unboxing: Horror Block (August)

Unboxing: Horror Block (August)

Posted by Kim

I found out about Nerd Block by accident. My fiancée's roommate ordered a Loot Crate and when it arrived we all oohed and aahed and promptly went looking for more of these monthly mystery boxes online. And there, among many others, it was: Nerd Block. What we all liked is that this particular website lets you choose a theme. There's Nerd Block Classic ("Comic Con in a box"; a mixture of geeky things), Nerd Block Jr. Boys (geared at young boys, but can include things like Pokémon, Skylanders, Nintendo, etc), Nerd Block Jr. Girls (geared at young girls, but can include things like My Little Pony, Polly Pocket, Hello Kitty, etc), Horror Block (as the name says: aimed at the horror franchise), and they've now added a new one: Arcade Block (aimed at video games).

Although it seemed appealing to try them all, I decided to stick to the Horror Block, because I absolutely love horror films, books, stories; you get the picture. I subscribed immediately, with the idea that I'd only get it one month, but I've already changed my mind on that one and will keep my subscription a bit longer. XD The Nerd Blocks cost $19.99 (or $13.99 for the Jr. ones, which don't include a shirt) plus shipping. For me shipping was $12.50, but it's fast, includes tracking and, really, it's worth it. (Plus, in euros it wasn't bad at all.)

Review - Visual Shoxx

Review - Visual Shoxx

Posted by Kim

Several years ago I found out about Visual Shoxx while looking for Jrock merchandise. They sold several items on their website, from merch to jewellery and clothes, and also took pre-orders for CDs and DVDs. I bought several items from them and later on, when they started offering fanclub enrollments, I asked them to help me join Gazette's. Over the years I've ordered from them so many times that they now know who I am, although I use them differently than in the beginning.

What do they do?

As I said, they used to tell items on their website. Nowadays their website still shows some goods, but the posts are old and no longer updated. Things they do still offer are: fanclub enrollments/renewals of Japanese artists, auction services for Japanese auction websites, purchase of concert tickets, and shopping services for shops with a Japanese URL. In short: they offer personalised service concerning Japanese goods etc.