YesAsia.com -store review-

I bought my first Japanese DVD back in 2005 in Japan's HMV store, I also bought some CDs in Book Off store which is so far the cheapest way to get the original albums (probably much cheaper than any ebay auction). Depending on condition of the CD and its case the price may start from 100yen which is roughly 1$. Personally I bought Koda Kumi's CD+2DVD album for 1500yen (18$) which normally would cost about 56$.

However, I'm back in Poland right now and I still want to buy some album or DVD from time to time. If you aren't scared of the original prices there are several online stores where you can buy Asian albums, concerts and merchandise.

There's Mumo store which has almost every item released but they don't send worldwide and middleman costs a lot + there's always the risk of paying twice as much for tax fee. Then there's CD Japan and many people like it but the shipping is quite pricy so I never decided to try it. I've tried Playasia once and it is good service as well but they have little items, usually only the latest products. There are few more sites I've never tried, but today I want to recommend one I've been ordering from since probably 2007 and that's Yesasia.

The products on yesasia are slightly more expensive than the actual price but not always, e.g. Japanese CD+DVD albums are usually sold for 3990yen (50$) and you can buy them on yesasia for 48$. Since free shipping starts from 39$ you can always buy an album without paying anything extra.

The free shipping is of course limited to several countries, click here to see the full list. Yesasia also has HK and Korean versions of the albums which are much cheaper so if you don't care about the region2 dvds you can get the original albums even cheaper.

How does it work

• How can I enjoy free VAT (Value Added Tax) for shipments to the United Kingdom and Germany?
• YesAsia.com will pay VAT (Value Added Tax) and custom duties on orders shipped to the United Kingdom and Germany via our Standard Shipping method. When placing an order, please choose the Standard Shipping option to enjoy VAT-free shopping.
  
  
  In the event that VAT or customs duties are incurred, you may contact our Customer Service Department to request a refund in YesAsia Credit. Please note that an official receipt from your local customs agent or post office is required to successfully claim a refund. Our customer service team will guide you through the procedure once we receive your refund request.

The rule above applies to Poland as well, maybe to several other countries too. All my packages seemed to go through France / Germany each time. Even though it's not the shortest route, it's the route that guarantees no tax fee.

However, beware of the things that cannot be sent via standard shipping (electronics, also goods from yesstyle.com like wigs, jewellry, etc). Goods with this sign (see below) are safe.

 This item is eligible for Free International Shipping

I never had to pay tax through all of my 16 orders so far, everything has been sent with standard shipping and arrived in perfect condition within 14 days, except for the last three orders came within 21 days.

It happened to me that one item has been cancelled and the price of other items went below the sum eligible for free shipping but I was still able to get the package for free. You can't delate your order but you can exchange items before they are shipped, e.g., you can chose CD version instead of CD+DVD after placing your order. Credit card isn't charged until the items are ready to be shipped.

I've never been missing any item in my order, however, once I ordered a bracelet ...and got two! 

I think that's the most important info about yesasia. Highly recommended service♥