Personally, I've not purchased a single artbook ever. That's not to say I don't want to, I'd love to. It's just how my limited income gets allocated. It's unfortunate. I don't imagine they're too cheap either.

-Eruru

Many are very cheap, if you don't have to go to auction to get them--but not after shipping.

Where do you purchase from?

Mangaoh,Bk1 and Yahoo japan in my case. And if you want to find rare shit..you can prolly check Rakuten auctions. And looks like i'm not the only NEET one here that can't afford more then 1-2 books each month . ;_;

Not sure if you were refering to me. But I'm not a NEET :P

I have a job, it's just collecting artbooks is further down the list of things to buy. Fixing my car is at the top of the list right now, along with new tyres. A UPS for my server is possibly next etc etc... so.. not a NEET :P

And if using Japanese websites is the way to do it, I don't think I will, as I don't wanna end up clicking something like "1 Click Buy" after making an account, and accidentally buying something I don't want.

Eruru said:
Not sure if you were refering to me. But I'm not a NEET :P

I have a job, it's just collecting artbooks is further down the list of things to buy. Fixing my car is at the top of the list right now, along with new tyres. A UPS for my server is possibly next etc etc... so.. not a NEET :P

And if using Japanese websites is the way to do it, I don't think I will, as I don't wanna end up clicking something like "1 Click Buy" after making an account, and accidentally buying something I don't want.

U can always cancel ur order. And if not, refuse the delivery ^^

I actually bought artbooks after looking at some of the HQ scans here.

Though I have to add that once my temp contract ends, I'll probably revert to a strict fisical policy.

abao said:
I actually bought artbooks after looking at some of the HQ scans here.

Though I have to add that once my temp contract ends, I'll probably revert to a strict fisical policy.

Support those who you like. That's what I do.

i do as well. i buy them like no tomorrow when im back home during summer (in asia) as there is a bookshop(kinokuniya-they have a branch around the world kinokuniya.com) that has a japanese section and i only pay about 20-30% premium compared to the japanese retail price which is good.

cant do that now since i dont have a job and have other commitments....

*sigh* why importing artbooks to the europe always cost about 100% more than the japanese retail price...

mrlappy said:
i do as well. i buy them like no tomorrow when im back home during summer (in asia) as there is a bookshop(kinokuniya-they have a branch around the world kinokuniya.com) that has a japanese section and i only pay about 20-30% premium compared to the japanese retail price which is good.

cant do that now since i dont have a job and have other commitments....

*sigh* why importing artbooks to the europe always cost about 100% more than the japanese retail price...

How so? Actually..they're cheaper if you don't consider the shipping, cuz people outside japan don't pay the consumption tax on stuff. The only thing that sucks is that most shops use EMS, that's a fucking amount of fail.

syaoran-kun said:

How so? Actually..they're cheaper if you don't consider the shipping, cuz people outside japan don't pay the consumption tax on stuff. The only thing that sucks is that most shops use EMS, that's a fucking amount of fail.

Well that you don't like EMS / the service isn't good in your area/country doesn't mean it fails for everybody. Here is by _FAR_ the best service you can get (also one of the cheapest after Registered Airmail, in some weird cases EMS is cheaper).

think ill start buying artbooks when i ... earn my own money! :)

MDGeist said:
think ill start buying artbooks when i ... earn my own money! :)

Just be careful of bootleggers. Since there are boot legged artbooks/illustration books. If you're not sure you should ask some of your online friends who do have lots of artbooks to confirm if they're fake or not.

*admin2 has a bunch, ask him ^^

Examples of Fake artbooks.

Fake - Mikeou artbook - http://cgi.ebay.com/Magic-Girl-Miraroma-Love-You-by-Mikeou-Art-Works-Book_W0QQitemZ140181843326QQihZ004QQcategoryZ1345QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

The ISBN # 978-75318-7 for this "Supposeably" real book I cannot even find. If you did a google search on it, you get this
http://cgi.ebay.com.hk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130212957946&indexURL=
Which is Pop's 2nd Illustration book with the same ISBN, which I have not seen 2 items have the same ISBN so far.

This is the real Super Lolipop artbook from amazon.jp -http://www.amazon.co.jp/SUPER-LOLLIPOP-POP/dp/4861990963/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210644781&sr=1-3
# ISBN-10: 4861990963
# ISBN-13: 978-4861990960 (New ISBN adopted Jan 1, 2007 for all books, Since i just got Hiro's new Chronicles Illustration book, and it also has 13 digits)

***

This is Mikeou's new artbook called "Kira Kira Reki" from amazon.jp - http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%81%8D%E3%82%89%E3%81%8D%E3%82%89%E6%9A%A6-%E3%81%BF%E3%81%91%E3%81%8A%E3%81%86%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-%E3%81%BF%E3%81%91%E3%81%8A%E3%81%86/dp/4758010870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210644649&sr=1-1

# ISBN-10: 4758010870
# ISBN-13: 978-4758010870

Real - Actually I don't even know which artbook they're even trying to reproduce since I don't even know that cover. Mikeou has 3 artbooks total, 2 doujins and 1 retail. I don't own any of her doujin books or even her retail >.<

***

Doujin artbooks has no ISBN
(click the left button for toranoana)

Chronicle - Mikeou Art Works 2000-2005 - http://www.toranoana.jp/mailorder/article/04/0010/10/43/040010104366.html

Chronicle 2 - Mikeou Art Works 1999-2007 - This book is rather hard to find, so all I can give ya is the book cover page. (thank bunnygirls from HF for the image) - http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs119&d=07382&f=2CHRONICLE1.JPG

ps: Sorry for the long winded explanations, but I just don't want you to get ripped off. Since those bootlegger pisses me off. (yeah, I do have a few bad things from bootleggers)

syaoran-kun said:

How so? Actually..they're cheaper if you don't consider the shipping, cuz people outside japan don't pay the consumption tax on stuff. The only thing that sucks is that most shops use EMS, that's a fucking amount of fail.

well, im getting it from a brick and mortar shop when im there or if they have a limited edition book that i know i wont be able to get it when im out of the country, ill have it delivered to my relatives.

what i ment by cheaper was that lets say, RRP in japan is 1k yen and after converting it to my local currentcy id be paying an equavalent of 1.2k-1.3k yen?
this is good and 'cheap' for me since if i import it directly to the UK(which im at for most of the year) the same book would probably cost me an equivalent of say close to 2kyen after shipping and all the stupid customs crap.
and since the postal system in my country is utterly useless and will often get hol'ed up in customs, getting it in a physical shop is 'cheaper' for me and i get to browse through the book to see if i actually like it or worth the price im paying.

it might seem little to save some 500-800 yen per book, but when you are talking about my type of buying, it adds up to a lot.

and since its a reputable shop and they import their stuff from japan, so im practically guaranteed to get genuine goods.

btw, like the post above me, getting books from ebay is practically a no-no since almost all of the stuff on it are bootlegs and for people who dont have experience in this would often end up with a counterfeit or bootleg.
even getting books from a physical shop is not a guarantee that it wont be a bootleg if the retailer dont know much about it/dont care but less likely in a bigger chain.

Very true. I got just 1 bootlegged book from ebay. Since a hard cover for it doesn't exist(which is what I got, a hard cover version). It's the Nao Goto Galaxy Child Illustration book, which is still quite nice.

aoie_emesai said:
The ISBN # 978-75318-7 for this "Supposeably" real book I cannot even find.

As far as I know, all modern (eg. since most of us were born) ISBNs are 10 or 13 digits. I don't know why someone would spend the time making fake artbooks to sell and not even bother getting the ISBN right, but this is very common and something to watch out for.

If something's too cheap (even on auctions), assume it's a bootleg and look closely. Obviously, check feedback. Search for the seller's (or store's) name; if someone's selling a lot of bootlegs, there are usually people out there complaining about it. Send the seller mail. If you can't find anything suspicious in the listing, just ask if it's a bootleg--obviously, they're not likely to admit it, but you can see their reaction and use your judgement. (One told me it was for "Chinese". "China" is, of course, pretty much code for "bootleg"...)

It's hard to avoid eBay completely, but some research and caution helps.

imho the best way is still buying from japanese online shop, or japanese auctions. I know..it's more expensive..but you can be sure of the quality of the stuff. Especially in auctions..while on ebay "used" item sometimes mean destroyed (i've had a book slated as "slightly scratched,while instead it was horribily ruined", on japanese auction used means "new", seriously. And sometimes i came across stuff that was cheaper on japanese auctions than the normal US shops.

some scans actually get me out and searching for some of those hard to find artbooks. (I just wish the $ would get stronger against the Yen again so the prices come down a little)

petopeto - Checking feedback is always good. But there are those who don't know too much about artbooks and just buy them on a whim and due to the cheaper price and they still wouldn't know and usually respond in "Great transaction, great seller" "fast shippping" item as described", responses like that.

Positive feedback is meaningless. Look at negative feedback.

I buy em ...my most recent acquisitions ...

Fate/Stay Night Visual Collection
Fate/Stay Night Production Drawings
S.L.D Girls Photo Collection
Shining Wind Collection of Visual Materials
Chronicle - Hiro Suzuhira Artworks
Mahoromatic Something More Beautiful Visual Book
Studio-Ego Men At Work!4 Visual Fan Book
Chocolat Maid Cafe "Curio" Visual Guide Book
Osananajimi to amaku H sugosu houhou - Official Fan Book
Angel & Devil Cyclopedia - Visual Fan Book

What is S.L.D Girls Photo Collection?

aoie_emesai said:
What is S.L.D Girls Photo Collection?

A short book, small in size, I'll post a few scans from it. Oh btw, I did make a scan of Suzuhira Hiro's black version of the cover of Chornicle. But I'm waiting for some one to let me know they got it before I post it here.

Go ahead and post it. If it's better or worst than the next copy, we'll just parent it or delete it.