Forum - View topicLegally Acquiring Manga for a low cost.
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Anymouse
 Posts: 685 |
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I do not know of any way to legally acquire many of the better comics series available, without paying at least 5 or seven dollars per volume. I am considering simply paying the low price of the used book store, but I am wondering if there are cheaper sources.
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Probably not. I don't think any series has a cover price even close to that amount, even with discounts a store might offer.
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ZepysGirl
 Posts: 470 Location: NY, NY |
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There are ways to get cheaper manga than that, actually. As long as you don't mind used books--- and you shouldn't, unless you're looking to build one of those pristine collections that never actually gets read....
Try out GoHastings.com--- a lot of their used manga goes for $1.99. Shipping is free on books, and I'm pretty sure tax won't apply as long as your state doesn't have a physical Hastings store. To top it off, they routinely give out 30%-50% Off Used Books coupons, so even the more expensive $5 used books get brought down a notch. Sign up for their newsletter or become a fan of them on FB to get the codeword for their sales. As someone who has bought a lot of manga from Hastings, I can attest that their used books are in pretty great condition. Rarely have I been dissatisfied, and if that happens, their returns policy is one of the easiest I've ever dealt with. And if we're talking new manga from GoHastings, then they've actually got good prices on a lot of Shonen Jump/Shojo Beat stuff. I just ordered Skip Beat #25 for $6.61. With tax that'll end up being around $7 for me, but you might not have tax. Hastings also has physical locations, but I would only suggest them as a last ditch effort. The used manga there is at a standard $5, and they don't often give you in-store discounts. Amazon.com also has a lot of used books on its secondary market. I've gotten lots of books for $4, shipping included (they sell them for $0.01, then shipping on books is $3.99). I've gotten a few books for less than that, if the reseller ships through Amazon. If you're a college student, you can sign up for a free year trial of their Amazon Prime service, which is immensely helpful because it means you don't have to get to $25 each time to get free shipping. Also speaking of Amazon, I've gotten a lot of cheap new books from them. Probably nothing so good as $4, but they usually give good discounts on popular books (I just pre-ordered Toradora #4 for $7.11, which is 41% off the cover price). For a while there, all of the Black Butler books were $6.66 (someone had fun  ). They also sometimes list publisher remainder books for a heavily discounted price. The best thing about Amazon, though, is that I'm in Texas, so no tax! So when I order that $7 book, it's going to stay a $7 book.
If you're going brick-and-mortar stores, then Half Price Books is a good one to follow. It's not as free with the coupons as GoHastings, but they do give out 20%-50% off coupons during most major holidays. They're even running their annual promotion right now where if you buy a $25 gift card, they'll give you $5 back in January. That's a good deal to take if you know you'll frequent their stores. Hm, where else... Well, PaperbackSwap.com is also a good place to check for used manga, some of it barely read. You'll need a credit to buy a book, and credits will cost you around $3.45/$4.00 depending on how you get them. It's actually a book-swapping site (hence the name), but there's nothing that requires you to ship out books. I'm very happy with PBS.com, as it's gotten me lots of great used manga, sometimes even before they come out in print! ...and that's all I've got for now. 
Last edited by ZepysGirl on Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:23 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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Well, if you are willing to buy used, and buy on the Internet: I have found a lot of good deals on Half.com and Amazon Marketplace. Anime Nation sometimes has some very good prices on used manga, unfortunately they also have an extremely limited selection. |
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EireformContinent
 Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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Find a local manga lovers and strat to borrow and exchange your sources. Besides significantly lowering costs (you buy just what you "must have") you get new friends to discuss your hobby in real life and access to older or out-of-print series.
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Anymouse
Posts: 685 |
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Thank you for the suggestions! |
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EireformContinent
Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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You won't know, unless you try. Even one person could be helpful. Two is already a bunch, and then it's easier to find next ones.
Try to find here, on ANN. If not, you could try local/university forum, ask in library or antiquaries. In my city fans were gathered via MAL club. |
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geishageek
 Posts: 571 Location: Pleasant Valley, NY |
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With Amazon you need to be careful. Items sold by Amazon.com LLC, or its subsidiaries, and shipped to destinations in the states of Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, or Washington are subject to tax.
So it really isn't tax free if you live in those states. I seem to get some great deals on Ebay for used manga. You really need to dig for the deals but sometimes they are there. |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4630 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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http://www.alibris.com/ is a good source for used books as well. SOme other stores that advertise that they sell used books are actually using alibris. I think Half-Price Books' online store is just alibris with a different banner, or at least use the same network.
But like Amazon, pay attention to the seller's feedback. You may think it's great that you're getting a 99 cent book, but if it never arrives that feeling won't last long. |
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hamster428
Posts: 19 |
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New books are usually discounted from 25%-40% off. If you want anything cheaper, you'll most likely have to buy used from the secondhand market. Ebay's particularly good for buying complete sets.
I do sometimes browse Amazon's bargain books, which are new books that have some cosmetic scuffs or overstock marks. You're not going to be able to collect an entire series that way, but I've found some cheap volumes ($3-4). |
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EpicLotus
 Posts: 187 |
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Depending on where you live, check your library. In some of the bigger cities, you can get almost any manga through the inter-library loan system. I've read lots of hard-to-find/expensive/long series this way, such as Hunter x Hunter, Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix, Monster, Akira, etc. Sure, it'd be nice to own them someday, but when you're on a budget, the library can be your best friend.
If your library doesn't have manga, make friends with the librarians and see if they can put a few in their next book order. |
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