Buying Japanese music CD on s / What is SAMPLE CD?

I have recently started to buy Japanese music CDs on okay because I want to replace all my overseas version with the real "Made in Japan version", or ideally, to get the so-called "First Press" limited edition because of the beautiful/special "picture disc" design. I also buy official Korean and Taiwan versions of Japanese music CDs because sometimes they have bonus songs, DVD and/or gifts, but I rarely do that because of doubts about their authenticity. (So I only opt for the BONUS, you see. XD )With an experience of buying over 100 music CDs within just a month, I have already accumulated some knowledge about buying Japanese music CDs on okay, which I wish to share here with you so that you can spend the money on things you really want. To make things simple, here are a set of rules that I go by when I buy Japanese music CDs on okay:Rule #1. Do not buy SAMPLE CDsUsually, Japanese music gepanies give out freely a bunch of these to the media. These CDs are marked "SAMPLE-LOANED" in the inner ring of the disc (the dash is supposed to be a dot in the middle), and the barcodes on their jackets might be covered by a yellow label full of small Japanese characters. What that yellow label is telling you is that the disc is for promotional purpose only, and it is prohibited to be sold as the retail version; the CD must be returned to the source where you have borrowed it from. Though sample CDs are usually of the same stock (same in quality and even same in packaging and bonus) as the legal first press retail version, only the sale of retail version makes it to the Oricon chart (and in turn make your favorite musician famous and wealthy). The sample CDs might be purchased at some Japanese music stores if you personally ask them, but they will not be displayed on the shelves. Rumor has it that people will despise you if you bring such a sample CD to the autograph event.How to avoid these? It is best to be able to see the photo of the disc itself to make sure it does NOT have "SAMPLE-LOANED" on it. Be cautious when the okay seller uses words like "limited first press". There sure are limited edition, and there sure are the first press ones, but they could also mean Sample CDs because they really are limited in quantity and first-press! In Japanese, the word for Sample CDs is , but I doubt the seller would mention any of these to lower their profit. Sample CDs should be basically worthless unless you are selling them to an avid Sample CD collector. I would suggest those who sell a sample CD should sell it together with the legal retail version. Oh well...What should I do when I receive one? Since shipping cost is high nowadays, I simply keep them and buy from another okay seller for the real thing. You may contact the seller and ask for a refund, which they should let you, I hope.Rule #2. Avoid chances of buying a bootlegSince our topic here is about buying Japanese music CD, of course you can avoid buying bootleg if you avoid buying them from countries other than Japan. So buy "Made in Japan" version from Japan only.Hear this: I have, before, bought from some okay seller who claim to be located in Japan, but I received the parcel sent from Beijing, China!!! This is total unacceptable! I reported him to okay Trust and Safety, but he is still selling and you can see photos of a huge store selling all these Japanese CDs in all his auctions. (Worse, he is selling Sample CDs without mentioning it in the auction!)For me, since I am buying the out-of-print CDs, I don't mind them to be second hand. In that case I have the opportunity to see photos of it opened and check on the release dates. Do a bit of research on the web such as visiting Amazon.co.jp and Japanese Wikipedia will show you what the CD should look like and what version (first press / normal / Japan / overseas / limited) has what special features.As for sealed new CDs, always contact the seller and ask if it is a sample CD or really a first press to be safe. Don't judge by simply looking at the stock photo. Always ask the seller. If he doesn't reply, simply don't gamble your money with him.Rule #3. Checking if a CD is first pressBelieve this: Even when the seller says in the auction "Release date: XXXXXX", don't trust that piece of information. Always look at the photos to be sure. For Made-in-Japan CDs, the FIRST RELEASE DATE is always (regardless of first press or not) included on the jacket (and obi = the small piece of paper wrapping the jewel box) and it is often given in a box. YET! It might not be the real first press edition! If you find another date on the jacket (usually following the kanji ""), it is a republish date, so that CD is not first press edition. Many sellers did not care the importance of this to their buyers, and simply give the first release date to show about when this piece of music was made public. Think of it as for educational purpose instead of them cheating on you.Many first press CDs I bought have digipak or LP-style packaging (these do not have obi) instead of jewel case. First press CDs may gee with bonus DVD, or has the special picture disc (the design of a normal version will be plainer),Again, research to find the truth about a first press before you bid. You don't want to miss anything that is supposed to be included in the expensive first press edition!Rule #4. Condition of CDsCheck the photos. Yet also check the seller's "gepleted listings" (go to the "List" view next to the seller's okay ID from the item's auction page, and "gepleted listings" should be on the left panel for you to check it). The reason of checking his gepleted listings is so that you will know if it has already been sold to another person WITH THE SAME PHOTOS. Having said that, you should know what else to expect. Ask the seller about the real condition if necessary.All the Japanese music CDs that I have bought are pretty good so far. Some sellers even provide a scoring system to tell you the conditions of the jewel case, jacket/card, obi, and disc. Most Japanese sellers of good reputation score these quite strictly. They would even show you the scratch or bent (of the jacket/card) in the photos. For these responsible sellers, I just keep going back for more. The following is what I see Japanese sellers usually use for describing condition. Just bear in mind that Very Good may not always be that good. :)NewMintExcellentVery GoodGoodFairPoor (Hint: People buy these for the parts to do mix and match)The older 8cm CDs and their rectangular jewel cases are harder to
find these days. Sometimes some seller does not include the jewel case,
so be sure to ask, not to assume everything."Sealed": I find that the clear plastic CD covers (the thin plastic bag with resealable tape) are being sold cheaply in Asian countries. Therefore, when you look at a 12cm CD that says "unopened", check if it is an unopened bag or if it is gepletely manufacture sealed that can only be opened by pulling away an embedded thin strip. However, even the later packaging can be achieved perfectly by bootlegger these days. So I buy the more affordable second hand CDs preferably from private collectors .Rule #5. Avoid Damage and LostOnly bad sellers shipped me damaged goods. Usually, Japanese sellers are great artists in packaging. One seller even gave me a sturdy new cardboard box to hold just one CD and ship it from Japan to Canada within a week for just $6.50 USD. (And the second-hand CD was just $4 bucks!) What else can I ask for?If you live in somewhere where postal service is not that reliable, I strongly regemend you upgrade to EMS. It is more expensive but insured and fast. Don't forget the longer it takes, the easier for it to be lost. SAL shipping from Japan to North America takes 4 to 6 weeks (no insurance), Air Mail about 1 to 2 weeks, and EMS 5 to 9 days. I often buy multiple items from the same seller to lower average shipping cost AND to make the parcel larger so that it won't be slipped into some unknown dimension.These are the major points that need to pay particular attention to. Other things depend on your luck and further buying experience. Since okay sellers now cannot leave negative feedbacks to buyers, be sure to say frankly in the feedback system so that other buyers can take that as a reference. I always read what others have to say before I buy from a seller. Hope I would read your satisfactory remarks on okay in the future. Good luck!