1 & Only DVD Pacific Thread - Part 12

Please post all DVD Pacific related questions and issues in this thread.

Previous Thread.

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millions-knives said:
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Pyocola said:
For me, I've found the optimal thing to do is order two discs at a time. That's small enough for them to put the order in a padded envelope so it'll be ignored in customs, and I don't even have to go to the post office to get the stuff. I tried doing one disc at a time but for some reason always ended up with broken keepcases that way.

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Two standard size discs? Oy, GITS: SAC SE for sure ain't standard size.

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Yeah, I meant two standard size keepcases. If it's a bigger SE or a box it'll either go alone or I'll order from another (customs safe) store.

[DKL]

... hmmm... this seems like the best place to ask...

SO, I've been going to DDD for a while, but now that the site is all screwy *hell, I can't get in now... I wonder what happened to my GENSHIKEN order?*

... I've been kind of thinking of going here... it also seems that it's cheaper...

But I have two questions...

-Can someone please explain the shipping policy?

It's really confusing for me for some reason... so they ship by weight? Or by number of discs?

So... if I order that upcoming TRIGUN set, that's 3 ITEMS?

-Also, what has been your track record with the thing? What have been the common problems?

... Yeah, I think that's all

Thanks in advance

Shipping is based entirely on weight, but to make it easier to calculate, the weight is counted in "items" instead of the usual units (lbs/g/etc.) I'm not sure how much it is exactly but I think it should be around 0.4 lbs = 1 item. (As 0.4 lbs is close to what a single disc in a keepcase weighs.)

So if you order 2 normal discs in keepcases, expect to pay shipping for 2 items, if it's a 7-disc boxset with the original cases (such as the first Gungrave box), expect to pay shipping for 7 items. Tins weigh a bit more so you pay more, thinpak collections weigh less so for those you also pay less.

Hope that helps.

As for problems, the major one which seems to bug people (and isn't really a problem if you know what you're doing) is that when pre-ordering, all items are counted as 1 item for shipping purposes. This is because they cannot possibly know how much an item will weigh until they actually get it in stock.

So if you pre-order say a 7-disc box, during checkout it will only list shipping for 1 item. This however does not mean you'll be charged shipping for just 1 item; the rate will go up when they get the box in stock (in this case up to the expected 7 items.)

If this is a big issue and you want to be on the safe side, don't pre-order anything and wait till they get the items in stock. That way you can see exactly how many items worth of shipping you'll be charged for during checkout. Just put the item(s) in the cart and go to checkout, and it will say how many items and how much shipping will be. Then simply cancel the items or go back to the main page if you feel it's too much or you just wanted to check (do this for the Trigun set and it should show up as 4 items.)

Also, their packaging is not the best (though certainly better than DDD) and I've had a couple of ruined artboxes. If this happens to you, just get in touch with their excellent customer service and they'll send you a replacement after you've sent in yours (you'll even get credit for your shipping expenses.)

[Rhodes]

ummm shipping is NOT based on weight alone.

you can have a standard dvd case that has dual hubs and holds 2 discs... and get charged for 2 discs not 1.

shipping is based on the # of discs the item has and also weight if it exceeds a certain limit. also additional charges for abnormal size if the item has special packaging.

[DKL]

Wow, thanks a lot... that was very helpful!

I'm gonna give it a shot next month

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Rhodes said:
shipping is based on the # of discs the item has and also weight if it exceeds a certain limit. also additional charges for abnormal size if the item has special packaging.

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It seems you are right about this (I think they may have changed their FAQ since I last read it, which I admit was a long time ago...), but in effect it doesn't change anything. You can see it as a 2-disc set, e.g. Planetes, shipping as 2 items because the extra disc and hinge makes it go over the weight limit for 1 item. Full boxsets with keepcases (such as the aforementioned Gungrave, or Paranoia Agent) still work out to the amount of discs in it.

The ones that seem somewhat arbitrarily set are the thinpaks and bricks. For example both the Chobits and Mahoromatic thinpaks are 8-disc sets and count as 4 items while the EVA thinpak, which is only a 6-disc set, counts as 6. Either way this is all mostly just a matter of chump change, and after a while you learn to guesstimate with a fairly high rate of success.

[itsuka]

I found the following ones:

Kyo Kara Maoh 7

Saiyuki Reload Gunlock 1 (with Box)

Saiyuki Reload Gunlock 1

Starship Operators 3: Truth (with box) - seems to be a misprice at the same price as the one without box.

Starship Operators 3: Truth

Gankutsuou 4: The Count of Monte Cristo

Girls Bravo 6

Melody of Oblivion 6: Final Score

Kannazuki no Miko 1: Solar Priestess (with Box)

Kannazuki no Miko 1: Solar Priestess

Kyo Kara Maoh, Starship Operators, Gankutsuou and Saiyuki for me. Whatever I'm no longer spending at ADV seems to go to Geneon these days...

[Rhodes]

Thanks

Starship Operators 3: Truth (with box) ordered... dont have 1 or 2 will wait till they are on sale. but at 46% off retail after shipping, was good enough to bite.

[shokoti]

Haven't done this in a while so thought I may as well.

Media Blasters:

Gunparade March Complete Collection

Loveless 3: Hope on the Run

Otogi Zoshi Premium Collection

And Bandai:

Cowboy Bebop Remix 6

Crest of the Stars Complete Collection (Anime Legends)

Dan Doh!! 3

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny 1

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny 1 (with Box & CD)

My HiME 1 (with Box)

My HiME 1

Planetes 6

Saber Marionette J Complete Collection (Anime Legends)

Stratos 4 Complete Collection

For me from all that, it'll be Planetes, SEED with box (just because I want the damn OST!) and My-HiME non-boxed. I also want Otogi Zoshi but I'm holding out for cheaper collections of that, Shura no Toki and Midori Days.