Feature Article

10 MONEY SAVING TIPS

The current high prices of animé DVDs have fans seeing red: emotionally and financially. It used to be that luck was the main factor of getting a good deal on animé but now there are ways to save money on animé, and I'm going to clue you in on them.

Tip 1: Shop Around - Yes, the 1961 hit by the Miracles applies to animé as much as it does to love. The only way to find the lowest price for a title is to check several sources. AnimeNation, BestBuy, The Right Stuf International, and Robert's Anime Corner Store are all known for having good prices as well as frequent sales. Friends and message boards are also great ways to find safe new sources for animé, so be sure to ask other animé fans where they buy their animé. It also helps to find out what places they don't recommend and why; this way you can steer clear of bootlegs and rip-offs. Ads for stores in animé magazines, such as Anime Insider and Newtype USA, clue you in to stores that do well enough to afford the ad and are more likely to be devoid of bootlegs and people trying to rip you off. Magazines have a reputation* to hold and advertising questionable stores would hurt that reputation.

* Special thanks to a Wizard Entertainment representative and Emily Olman, National Advertising Manager for Newtype USA & Anime Network, who both confirmed this statement's validity.

Tip 2: Membership discounts - Card carrying isn't only for commies; membership cards are great for capitalists as well. If you feel that you're going to be shopping at the same place over and over you should check to see if you could join a program that will earn you points or discounts.

• BestBuy "Reward Zone" - earns points on every dollar spent. After you spend $150 your points earn you a $5 certificate. Sign-up available in-store only.

• The Right Stuf International "Got Anime Club" - entitles members to 10% off purchases. Sign-up by visiting www.gotanime.com or the TRSI website.

• The "Replay" card (Shared by Sam Goody, Suncoast, and several other stores) - earns members points for every cent spent at any of the participating stores. Members earn a $5 certificate for every $100 spent. Members should also watch for special coupons or other offers that arrive in the mail as well as the frequent Triple Point Days. Sign-up either in store, at www.samgoody.com, or at www.suncoast.com.

Keep in mind that for a membership you normally have to pay an annual or biennial fee that's $10 and up; so don't apply unless you plan to get your moneys worth. A membership is also a good plan if you're into buying manga. Barnes and Noble members receive 10% off all purchases; just remember to steer clear of their over-priced DVDs.

Tip 3: Reserve it - A table for two would be nice but so would guaranteeing that there will be a copy on hand of the DVD you're looking forward to. For as little as $5 you can reserve animé titles 2-3 months in advance at Sam Goody, Suncoast, and a few other places that sell animé. Reserving your animé guarantees that you'll get your copy and can even mean getting your animé at a cheaper price. When you reserve at Sam Goody or Suncoast you will only pay the sale price listed on the reserve sheet. The listed price is normally the price the DVD will be sold for during the first week, but sometimes it's even less. How much less? When reserved, the Geneon release of Samurai Champloo volume 1 with artbox was $19.99 instead of $29.99, which is a big difference.

Falling into the same category as reserving is preordering. Preordering involves paying for a title ahead of time and can save you money as well. AnimeNation offers 25% off of preorders done more than thirty days in advance. If you have a "Replay" card, preorder during Triple Point Days at Sam Goody and Suncoast to earn extra points as well as get discounted prices.

Tip 4: Plan your purchase - As the scouts say, "Be Prepared," because it pays to plan ahead. While spontaneous purchases sometimes help you discover interesting animé, they don't save you money, especially when your spontaneity nets you a less than satisfying title. Read as many reviews as possible this way you can know what series, movie, or OVAs you're interested in seeing. It helps to read reviews by reviewers that share your animé favorites; read past reviews on animé you liked and disliked to find if a reviewer had similar opinions as you. A good strategy is to read reviews about the same animé from several different sources. Sometimes reviews have highly contrasting views, may be biased, or have a predisposition.

After deciding what animé to watch you'll need to learn what date it will be released.

Fansubs? Wondering why I haven't mentioned fansubs anywhere in these tips? The reason is simple: fansubs are illegal. While it could be argued that fansubs aren't as illegal or morally wrong as buying pirated/bootleg animé, downloading fansubs violates international copyrights. The lack of action by Japanese companies doesn't mean that fansubs go unnoticed; watching fansubs means that the companies lose money from advertising and DVD sales. The profits that are lost by Japanese and American companies due to fansubs adds to the many reasons why animé DVDs cost so much.

The Anime Insider and Newtype USA magazines both print what months animé, as well as manga, will be released. For a more detailed schedule of releases that specifies dates check the releases section of Anime News Network which lists releases of animé DVDs, manga, and animé soundtracks. Knowing release dates will give you time to reserve or preorder, take advantage of any sales, as well as put enough money aside for your animé purchases.

If a series that you've been buying, or wanting to buy, gets licensed for television broadcast by a network that you get on your current cable plan, you might want to consider watching the series on television instead. Besides not having the series to view at any time you want, the only downsides are missing out on a few extras and the subtitle track. Obviously, if you're one of the people who hates all English dubs then you'll have to buy the DVDs of all your animé: complaining about the English dubs you watch on television is pointless when you have the option to watched a subbed version on DVD.

Tip 5: Rent - More than the name of a Broadway play that doesn't have anything to do with this topic but also a great suggestion. If you can endure not owning your animé then renting could be for you. This is the way to watch a lot of animé for a small amount of money. The only drawbacks to renting are due dates, limited selection, limited quantities, scratched discs, and not getting to rent a title that was stolen before you got to see it. But there's good news: the availability of online DVD rentals now means that animé fans no longer have to be limited to their local video rental shops.

• Rent Anime- Started by online animé retailer AnimeNation, Rent Anime is currently the only online rental that deals in animé exclusively. There are currently two rental options:

• $9.95- Have one DVD out at a time.
• $19.95- Have three DVDs out at a time.

Rent Anime also offers a "Buy My Copy" option that lets you purchase a disc you have rented. They'll send you the case when you pay a $2.95 shipping and handling fee.

• Netflix- Netflix currently offers three different monthly rental plans providing over 40,000 titles.

• $9.99*- 2 DVDs out at a time with a limit of 4 per month.
• $14.99*- 2 DVDs out at a time, unlimited amount per month.
• $17.99*- 3 DVDs out at a time, unlimited amount per month.

• Blockbuster- Designed to rival Netflix, members of this service only pay $14.99* a month to have three DVDs out at a time. Pick from a growing list of 30,000+ titles and receive monthly coupons that are for free movie or game rentals that can be used at Blockbuster stores with a regular membership. Sign-up online or at any Blockbuster location.

* Plus any applicable taxes.

Tip 6: Buy Used - While it wasn't previously owned by a little old lady who only watched it on Sundays, fans now have the opportunity to buy used animé.(in fairly good condition) If you ever visit a video rental store you're bound to see shelves of pre-viewed DVDs and sometimes that includes animé titles. A definite place to find used animé is AnimeNation which sells pre-owned animé, CD's, and manga half off the regular prices. More information is found on the Pre-Owned page. Other places to find used animé titles would be Gamestop and Wherehouse. Both buy back DVDs and videogames (both at horribly low prices) and sell used DVDs and games back to customers at reduced prices.

Tip 7: Auctions - Going once, going twice, and sold to the girl with the big eyes, blue hair, and schoolgirl outfit. You can find good deals on new and used animé DVDs and other animé related merchandise on auction sites. A few of the most well known auction sites are:

Anti Bootlegs Since, by law, ebay cannot be held responsible for the Pirated/Bootleg animé DVDs listed on the ebay site I have decided to become a mercenary who combats the rash of counterfeit animé DVDs. For more info head to The I Hate Bootlegs Project page.

Ebay, Yahoo! Auctions, and Overstock.com Auctions. These auction sites provide many options for bidding on items and often have promotions that help you save more money. Be sure to find out how much the shipping and handling will cost, if the shipping and the price for the item adds up to be more than what you could pay somewhere else then don't bid.

These auction sites are some of the most popular and have even been advertised on television, but this does not mean that you are entirely safe. While these sites provide warnings as well as ways to report situations you're ultimately responsible for your security and money, so take some precautions. Be sure to check feedback about sellers left by other members. Too much negative feedback with similar complaints can mean you would be at risk purchasing from that member. Also, watch out for one of the common animé related problem found on auction sites, bootleg/pirated DVDs. So keep in mind if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Tip 8: Sell - Can you hear me now? Goo… not cellphones, sell DVD. Yes, you can earn cash off of the animé, manga, and videogames that you've already used and gotten bored with. You once had an interest in it; someone else does as well and may also be willing to purchase a used title. There are at least three different methods.

• Auction sites are not only a convenient method of buying animé they are also just as convenient for selling. Getting an item to sell lies in the balance of how much you want to make, how much someone is willing to spend, good pictures, detailed/exact description, low price, reasonable shipping cost, the item's condition, the actual value of item, and the item's popularity. Remember, listing fees, shipping & handling, and the item's value need to be considered before lisitng an item. If you wind up losing money or barely breaking even, there is no point attempting to sell in the first place. Just as it is important to check user ratings when buying be sure to check when selling so you can be sure there is no problems with the bidder. You can always refuse to accept the bid; there are also options to automatically protect yourself from other users.

• Stores like Gamestop and Wherehouse will buy used DVDs and videogames but offer very little return on your original investment. AnimeNation buys back animé DVDs but at low rates as well. Selling to these stores will only give you chump change that is often well below the value of the item and way below what they will sell it for. Unless you are unable to sell elsewhere or you are desperate for some quick cash I do not recommended this method; just skip these middlemen and go with the first option or the next.

• If you have friends that like animé, you're in luck. Friends are good targets to do business with because you can both be happy from your transactions. The familiarity of you and your friend eliminates trust issues such as quality and fraud. Selling to a friend allows for you to get more money than selling somewhere else while your friend pays less than that of other options.

Tip 9: Trade - Bad credit…No credit…No problem! Trade-ins are welcome! Not only for helping you get a new car, trading is the simple and social method of conserving your cash. It's as easy as finding one or more animé lovers such as yourself and not only do you have someone to talk with about your favorite form of entertainment but you have a prime opportunity to save money by watching even more animé.

• Permanent trade - just like it sounds, this is forever…or until one of you decides that forever is too long and you made a mistake. This option is for when you no longer care to watch a DVD or series but your friend is interested in it and has a DVD or series you're interested in seeing. Remember that this kind of trade needs to be fair and desired by both parties (you and your friend) of the trade, so don't try to force a trade or you might no longer be friends.

• Short-term trade - similar to renting, minus the fees, a short-term trade is easier mostly because it's the exact opposite of permanent. You and your friend save money on rental fees and the costs of new titles and are then able to discuss the series you have now both seen. Don't forget that you might want to set a time limit because your definition of short term may differ than that of your friend. Be sure to point out that you like your discs and cases unscratched if that bothers you. As evident when renting DVDs, people aren't all that cautious with discs even though scratches and fingerprints can cause reading errors. Treat your friends DVDs with the same caution-neither of you need Frisbees or coasters that cost more than $20 apiece.

Tip 10: Contests - Step right up folks, try your luck, everybody's a winner, or so say the barkers at fairs and carnivals. While the odds are really slim, entering a contest can get you free animé. Many people can attest that free can be really good but if you're not careful, that free might cost you. Contests run by stores, animé magazines, well known websites, and on-line stores are generally instances where you'll find safe animé contest.

What to avoid:

• Contests that ask for too much information. Generally contest entrants are asked for their name, mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, and sometimes age. Occasionally online contests only ask for an e-mail address. The negative consequences of giving out this information would be receiving more Spam, junk-mail, or sales calls. Do not give out your Social Security number, Drivers License number, Bank Account number, ATM/Debit Card Pin number, Credit Card information, or your e-mail/web access passwords. Giving out this information sets you up for identity theft. If, to enter a contest, you're asked to complete a survey it could mean that whoever is offering the contest is just looking into better serving the interests of their target audience/consumers but it could also mean that whoever is holding the contest plans to use the info to add you to mailing lists.

• Contests that require you to purchase something or pay a fee to be qualified to enter. Even instant win games offered by fast-food restaurants don't require purchase to win so why would you pay just to enter a contest that you have little chance actually winning. The only exceptions would be in the case of special promotions offered by stores and trusted on-line stores, or when a trusted website asks for donations and enters donators into a raffle. Don't purchase or donate only with the intent of entering a contest unless you're prepared to be disappointed.

• Contests contained in spam. Remember, when you respond to spam, whether by replying to the e-mail or filling out a contest form it lets the spammers know that there is a person at that e-mail address and that can mean getting more spam. Keep track of any newsletters you sign-up for to help you differentiate legitimate newsletters from spam. Also, when you fill out on-line forms you often see a checkbox asking if you want to receive "special offers" from affiliates or trusted business partners; that's just giving permission to be added to a bulk mailing list so don't check those boxes unless you want to receive more ads.

Sure sources of animé contests are the leading animé magazines Anime Insider and Newtype USA.

So there you have it, Grekomon's 10 best tips that are guaranteed to save you money on animé when used individually or in any combination.