This page is for all of you who asked the most important question . . .  By the way, the question was "How Can I Get These CDs?", hence the name of the page.  It's basically going to consist of questions I've been asked regarding ordering the CDs.  OK, well, the questions are made up, but the problems are real.  Plus, it will contain my smart-ass answers to these imaginary questions.  Here's a table of contents to help out . . .
 
1. Where/How/From who can I order these CDs?
• Getting the genuine article
• Saving your hard-earned money
2. How do you order from Son May Records?
3. Can you buy Son May CDs on the Internet?
4. Where can you get the North American Sailor Moon CD(s)?
5. Where can you get the German CDs?

Getting the Genuine Article . . .
    If you want to get the actual CDs, then you have four options:

1. Get them from your local Chinatown.  Watch the record brand names carefully, though (fully explained below).
2. Buy them off your friends.  <Beej laughs quietly to himself>  Of course, you've realised that this is an impossibility.  What fan would WANT to sell his/her CDs?  (umm...if you do, e-mail me at bdery@ualberta.ca  We'll talk.  It'll be good.)
3. Order them from the local music store (ie. HMV, Sam the Record Man, Music City, Music World, etc.)  If you order them from the local music store , you may find that they cannot order from Japan.  Even if they can, they may tag on some extra change to the bill for the import fee and also just because they want MORE MONEY.
4. Try your local comic store.  If they carry any anime or manga, it's a good chance they may have it.  If they don't carry any anime-related products, well . . . why the heck are you shopping there?  ^_^
5. Order from a mail-order company.  It is less scary than it sounds.  Most mail-order places on the Web have dealt in great volume and are very reliable.

The Place:http://www.the-place.com/

Very reliable and great selection, according to the Co-Curator James.  He has ordered many, many LDs and CDs from The Place and has yet to be disappointed with the end result.  It's just the waiting that gets to him.  The Place can also order in specialty items if you request them.  Be prepared for disappointment, though.  Many titles which I list on my page may no longer be available in the retail market.  You'll then have to rely on the Black Market (or in the DiC dub, the Wicked Market ^_^).  Most times they are successful and they don't charge extra fees for their finds.

"James here - Be prepared to wait a long time for some stuff.  If you do decide to order, it usually takes 8-10 weeks.  Sometimes they may be out of stock in Japan, though.  I ordered the Ami-chan no Hatsukoi LD in December of 1996 and I'm still waiting for it!!  [Update: I received it, at last, as of Sept. 17/97.]  Just make sure to watch your budget!!  The Place is in the US and I live in Canada.  Oh, the pain of the exchange rates!!!  Believe me, they add up."

Tokyo Pop was added as UCI Anime has now been closed down.  Tokyo Pop is run by the same person who was in charge of UCI Anime, so I imagine the service and prices to be the same.  If any of you happen to have any experience with Tokyo Pop, please feel free to write a review for this page.

Animenation has a fair selecton of import original Sailor Moon CDs, and they will special order CDs as well.  They also have the two domestic CDs.  Although I have not ordered any CDs from them, the other items I ordered came promptly.  Their prices are reasonable (avg= $29.95, lower than The-Place), and they take orders over the phone, internet, and mail.  Their customer service is also commendable; when I called them on the phone they were patient and quickly looked up all the information I needed.  They also have a downloadable catalog.

^_^  Of course I'd recommend Amazon.com.  If you use the "Purchase from Amazon.com" links on the individual info sheets, I get a small commission from your purchase.  Plus, Amazon.com has been dealing in e-commerce for quite some time, so I imagine they're quite reliable.

A very extensive database of many CD's, whether it be video game music, J-Pop, or anime CD's, as well as other visual fare such as DVD's, LD's and VHS tapes.  They update their page quite frequently and are almost always on top of the latest releases and announcements.  They are based in Japan, but you can order online through a secure transaction.  Delivery times are very speedy.

Saving the cash, baby, the cash . . .

Ahh, you must be a cheapskate like me.  I did the unthinkable to most Sailor Moon purists: I bought almost all my CDs from Son May Records Ltd. , a outfit in Taiwan that deals in bootlegs.  In short, bootlegs are illegal, but they are much, much cheaper.  The reason Son May can produce these bootlegs is because Taiwan did not sign the International Copyright Agreement, which made each signing country agree to worldwide copyright laws.  Because they didn't sign, they do not have to pay attention to these copyright laws.

The reason it is unthinkable to most fans is because by doing so, we do not support Sailor Moon by buying its products.  I do not want to debate this either.  The reason I buy them is because I am a starving student who is caught up in a rich man's hobby.  A stupid reason?  Perhaps, but I don't care to argue it.

BTW, the other two CDs I bought I found in my local (read: Edmonton) Chinatown, which had bootlegs of a different brand:  York Records Co, Ltd.  Sorry, no more left.  Write me if you have others I have not seen.

And one more thing - some people have said that in certain cases, it is permissable to buy Son May-issue CDs.  This is completely untrue.  It is never okay to buy Son May CDs, as they are illegal.  It does not matter what the case is; whether the original CD is out-of-print or not, the CDs are still bootlegs.  However, if you're committed to buying them, then that's your business (and perhaps mine, as you'll see below) . . .

Son May Records: http://www.123.com.tw/sonmay/  (Warning -  home page in Chinese)  Hey, I ordered my CDs from here and they arrived a week after I confirmed my order.

Son May Quick Facts:

• The CDs are exact copies of the original Japanese CDs.
• The booklets are colour photocopies of the originals (except for very early Son May releases - don't worry, no Sailor Moon CDs seemed to have been stuck with bad books - just incomplete ones)
• You can e-mail them for a free, full colour catalog at sonmay@ms2.hinet.net.  They understand English, BTW.
• CDs now cost $10.00 US apiece - plus S&H.  US CASH ONLY - no cheques, credit cards, or money orders.
• **Special Deals**:  Order 10 or more, no S&H.  Order 30 or more, $9.00 US per CD and no S&H.
• Caution: though they may advertise that they have a certain CD in their catalog, they might not have it in stock anymore.  You're either in for a long wait for more to print - or you just might be S-O-L (and that's not "Satellite Of Love"  ^_- ).
• You can tell which CDs are discontinued by checking the catalog for a symbol resembling an "X" with four dots between each space on the "X".  This symbol will appear in the "description" right underneath the cover pic.
• For best info on Son May Records (as a company) and a better explanation than mine as to why they can make bootlegs, go to SM Records Ltd. FACTS PAGE.


Why not order thru Beej himself?  I don't mark up the costs on the CDs like most resellers - you pay $10.00 US, or $9.00 US if my collective order makes it over 30 CDs (it often does).  I'm only a "distributor" so you pay the same prices as you would from Son May, but I offer numerous advantages.  Intrigued?  Surf to Beej's CD Shoppe . . .

Joy's Japanimation:  http://www.joysjapanimation.com - review courtesy of Aria1214:

Hi!  You said if we knew of good places to get anime cds to let you know, so I wanted to tell you about Joys Japanimation.  I've ordered from there a lot and I always get the CDs within five days.  They have a decent selection and the CDs cost $17 dollars apiece.  They are open 12 noon to 8 PM EST, and their phone number is (724) 837-1528 if you want to call for a catalog.

Beej's Update: The Son May CDs at Joy's cost $17.00 US apiece and there's S&H on top of that.  However, Joy's also deals in the real thing and they also have Domestic-released anime CDs.

To place an order from Son May Records, you just have to snail-mail them a list of your order with US CASH enclosed (sorry, no cheques, money orders, credit cards, or international cash accepted).  If you want, e-mail them first and ask them for prices on CDs.

Some people will tell you that it is dangerous to send cash by snail-mail. Yes.  Yes it is.  But do what I do:  register your snail-mail.  That way, there is less of a chance that someone will screw with it.  In addition, you will at least get some of your cash back if they lose it.  For the $7.00 CDN it cost me, it was worth it.  I felt a whole lot better about mailing cash.  (Update:  Apparently, Son May now accepts only registered mail for all orders and payments.)

Yes, you can, but I recommend against it - because the online companies are marking them up to make a profit.  It's usually cheaper to buy them direct from Son May.  Update: I am now offering a Son May Order page!  Now you can buy Son May's CDs, with no markups, through me as your distributor.  Check out "Beej's CD Shoppe"!

A question asked too many times on the newsgroups (I'm becoming a regular at a.f.s-m ^_^).  You can usually find them in your local music store (try ordering 'em in, if they're not there)  I ordered the first one thru HMV - it cost me $20.00 CDN - then I found an ad at Sam the Record Man offering it for $14.00 CDN!  Grrrrr....  Moral of the story: shop around, they are not selling like hotcakes.  Hey, even hotcakes aren't selling like hotcakes.

Another place the first one can be found is at CDNow.  I don't like ordering like that - you know, over the Web.  Seems too impersonal and plus, I thrive on a bit of feedback.  Especially when I can talk to the cute checkout girls behind the counter. (So, you come here often?  Huh, Monday thru Friday from 4:00 till 9:00?  Wow, you must like music and stuff.  Hey, wanna go make out behind the Yanni section?  <SLAP!>  <turns to the other girl>  How about you?  OK, great!)

About two weeks ago from now, I ordered the CD Lunarock from PlanetAnime on the Internet. It was the first time I ordered a CD from the Internet.  The CD price was US$17.98.  I could choose the shipping method. There were 5 to 6 methods I could choose from. I chose UPS Ground, which was US$6.  I paid for that by credit card. The receipt was printed by my printer. They sent me an email when they shipped the CD.  And there was one more email for me about that, but I don't remember what it said. I ordered the CD on a Sunday and I got it on Friday in the same week.  I have no idea if the price of the CD is impressive.  Your last resort would be to contact a friend who lives in Canada, get them to buy it, and ship it to you.

As some of you may know, Marco "Swiss Man" Jirasek has been offering a service (much like my Son May service) where he will buy the German CDs in Switzerland and ship them to anyone who orders.  Marco has moved his service from this page to another web page that explains the details and has some extra info on the CDs:
http://www.animeshop.cx/
http://www.mangashop.cx/
You can e-mail him for orders at admin@animeshop.cx or admin@mangashop.cx

Apparently, you can also buy the CDs through CDNow or through RTL directly, but I wouldn't recommend this.  Marco's prices are cheaper and the service is *much* more personalized.  ^_^