Buying CDs at bookoff
 

firstly, I wasn't sure if I should have put this here or in the japan forum, so, I'm sorry if this is the wrong place.

ok, I'm really slow and just found out there are two bookoff's near me. XD

I'm going there sometime this week or sometime soon (depends when my mom takes me) I just wanted to know people's feedback that bought CDs there. I went searching the internet for reviews but only found one. Since I know quite a few people here have shopped there, I wanted to know about the selection of CDs and if the prices are fair. And your thoughts on it so I know what to expect when I go looking for CDs there. I know people's experiences will be different since of the different stores, but I'm just curious.

(darn this post was long. sorry guys!)

Well, prices are really fair unless the CDs are more recent or w/e :p

Singles are from 1 - 5 dollars... [mostly they're 3 bucks..]
Albums are like 10 - 30.. depending on time in the BOOKOFF / time since its release..
Concert DVDs / etc are from 10 - 30. I saw DOME TOUR 2001 for 15 once! :o

wow, that's so cool! I'm getting excited, lol.

I've never been to a bookoff store before. But I really want to go to the one in NYC because this one is the nearest for me. I really want to find stuff from hitomi... (So jealous of BanFan!!! XD) Hey, if you happen to stumble on some stuff from hitomi, would you mind mentionning to me? Don't search for it! Just, if you happen to see something from her, would you mind telling me?

^ sure! :) I'll PM you.

I"ve only shopped at ones in Japan, but I'm sure it's about the same. Since most everything is used, the quality differs from item to item. Sometimes you strike gold and find something that was discontinued ten years ago in its original slipcover. <---GO TO THE TOP, deja-vu, and crimson anyone? =O Newer stuff is of course more expensive. And the better the quality, the more expensive it can be too. It also tends to differ by the popularity of the artist, too. Have fun and get excited! :yes

Well, the one in New York City is the one that I go to every month and it's fairly well-stocked as far as CD's go. They are located on the main floor. truehappiness's price ranges are right on the dot. As far as specific artists, it really depends on whether or not someone sells their used CD's to the shop.

If you are looking for Ayumi CD's, they had a whole mess of A Best, Memorial Address, and A Song for XX last I was there. If you're looking for singles, there aren't that many and the prices vary. I got Moments and endless sorrow for $3 each and saw the INSPIRE CD+DVD for about $10 once. The one time I saw evolution, it was $20. Just for reference, Hello! Project CD's go for very fair prices (I bought a Pucchi Moni album new for only $3 and Goto's first album for $10) but the singles go fast. Gackt is a VERY popular artist so anything related to him is usually on the higher end as far as prices go. I've seen at least 3 groups of people specifically ask if Gackt items were in stock. The salesperson said that his items are consistently sold out once they get them in. The Laruku selection in contrast is always in stock.

Yeah.. I had a bit of trouble finding the artists though LOL~

I just looked for avex labels until I saw Ayu stuff :x ;x

Thanks Xianghua! ^^

This would be the closest bookoff for me. I can't believe my sister stayed in a hotel located on Lexington Ave. not long ago! XD Anybody knows if this is near the Chinatown?

(EDIT) I searched with Google Earth, and it's pretty far from Chinatown! XD

http://img282.imageshack.us/img282/3082/shop022ar.jpg

Thanks everyone for your help!

Asongforxx: looks like I will be going around next week, so expect a message sometime then. and yeah lol chinatown is like, all the way down. Oh! but if you go to Chinatown sometime, tell me, I know a great CD store if you would like. It sells DVDs and magazines too. (the chinese translated versions) It's all OS versions and are a few $ cheeper than yesasia.

^^ Oh, yeah! I know a place in Chinatown, near the Mahanttan bridge and Canal, that sell CDs and VCDs for $15 and they are not bootlegs. I don't think they sell albums from hitomi though. Most are only from the popular artists like BoA, Ayu, Gackt and such! But I think last year I saw the "HTM ~TIARTROP FLES~" album from hitomi. Not sure.

ooh. cool, another store XD. The one I know is on bowery street, where all the lighting stores are. Its a bit down the street. I forgot the name. x.X but when I remember I'll tell you.

The New York one is pretty good, although somewhat small. The CD collection is nice, although for the longest time recently, the only Ayu they had was 80000 copies of Memorial address CD+DVD version. I stocked up on some other stuff, too.

The one in Harajuku is mind-blowing. I cried a little when I first went.

Hehehe, Book Off...my haven here in Japan XD I suppose the prices truehappiness quoted are more accurate of how much CDs go for in the US. I guess just an FYI on the prices in Japan (if you happen to come to Japan sometime):

Singles - 105 yen
*Most* Albums - 1000 yen
Concert/music DVDs - 4000 yen...well, depending on the artist, I think.

I've recently discovered quite a few Book Off locations near my new residence, so I've been perusing through those places like crazy. I even got myself a Book Off card...hmm, maybe if I am in NYC sometime soon (when I get back to the US) I'll go look at that Book Off too :yes

Are these bookoff stores located all over the U.S.?

^I went to the site and I saw that there were 2 in NY, a couple in California, 1 in Honolulu (I think it was Honolulu), 1 in Vancouver and 1 in Paris, France.

Awww.... I was wondering if they had any in Indiana.

That's random they have a Book Off in France o_O Pretty cool, though.

In the US, it seems that the Book Off locations are mainly in places where there are large concentrations of Japanese...

^I don't think that's very smart, if they really want Japanese music to be more widely known I would at least put more stores in unknown cities too so that those people reccomend it and it spreads faster through more unknown cites, usually the more popular cites, just spread everything else on to more popular cities.

No, they probably don't care about it spreading to Westerners (But profit instead). I'm pretty sure they'd rather play it safe by putting stores in areas with Japanese populations that will want to sell and buy CDs. I mean, it is run by Japanese people, not random Americans who want to spread J-pop over the country.

Indeed.

When I went the guy at the counter wasn't even speaking any English XD Maybe some broken English, like 'one dolla!' or something. I think the same thing happened when BanFan went. There's also like a dozen or so people standing and reading the material in the store [cheapos lol j/k] who're ALL JAPANESE. I bet people stared at BanFan when he went in LOL.

They don't really want it to be widely known HENCE THE REASON OF STICKING IT IN AREAS OF HIGH JAPANESE POPULATION. Ew, caps. I mean, can you imagine some random westerner owning a ton of J-pop CDs to sell to some store? I'd bet that if a BOOK OFF were placed in some weird populated area in Texas, the most business that they would get would be from manga or something.. :/ J-pop still hasn't hit in 'oo everyone has it' sort of thing. XD It's still being 'discovered' in the U.S. in the form of Tofu Records and stuff.

hey, do you think I'll find magazines there? like cawaii and vivi and stuff?

Yes. BOOKOFF sells old magazines for cheap.

You can find ViVis.. everything XD But you probably might not find what you want.. or you probably will. Best chance is to just go and look :p

yaaaaaay! n.n

can anyone list store locations? seeing as I'm going to New York next month, I've never heard of bookoff... but reading the prices is making me go excited!

here are adresses in new york:
1) 14 East 41st Street New York, NY10017 (this one is in NYC)
map on website: http://www.bookoff.co.jp/shops/kaigai02.html

2)1-15 North Central Avenue, Heartsdale, NY10530 (this one is in a town called heartsdale, about a 40 minute drive away from the city.)
map on website: http://www.bookoff.co.jp/shops/kaigai05.html

Yeah, go to the one in NY. They have a really cute oniisan that works there. He's very tall and thin, and chatty. I always talk to him. Hahahaha <3

For visual purposes, the street that Book Off NYC is located on is across from the New York Public Library. Where 41st and 5th intersect, there is a Sean John store. Book Off is sort of in a little nook on 41st, you'll walk by a Subway Restaurant and a couple other doors on the way.

You player. XD Too bad it's usually just old guys/women at my BOOKOFF ;[