Out of print (OOP) CDs are a completely different keetle of fish

If it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

eBay

For older and sold-out releases (they do ocassionally sell out very quickly) there is of course ebay.

Following you'll find links to ebay stores run by sellers who are trusted by members of the Japanese Import CDs Yahoo group. This is in no way an endorsement of these sellers....

Advice on buying

If it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

There are apparently a large number of fakes and counterfeits on the market these days. I have not heard of them turning up as new items on the major sites or in land based shops.

Check the seller's rating and location. Fakes appear to be produced in China and Russia. You are advised to think carefully before buying from sellers who are located in Russia, Latvia, China and other Asian centres other than Japan. Generally sellers with a good feedback rating located in the United States, Western Europe, Australia etc are selling the real product but some fakes are very convincing and you may be best to ask the seller to check the imprinting on the centre of the CD. If they do not respond then it's probably best to skip that auction.

Note that fakes are not the same as mini LPs that are obviously Russian such as The Beatles Sgt.Peppers. Fakes look identical to the Japanese version including the obi etc. We have a few examples on the site including Aerosmith Pump and Jethro Tull Broadsword.

The Japanese Import CDs Yahoo group has discussions on dealers and ebay traders too.

It seems that many so called "limited releases" are not quite as limited as the original buyers (and investors) thought. If you see a glut of a particular item appearing on eBay the chances are the item (or something very much like it) is about to be re-released and the "investors" have decided to offload their premium items before the inivitable drop in prices. If in doubt, follow the links above (CDJapan or HMV) to see if it's coming back onto the market in the next few months.