Anime Corner Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are the Anime titles listed on the store uncut or censored?

   This is a very common question. The answer is that unless it states specifically otherwise in the item description, all the Anime that we carry is completely uncut and uncensored. Generally, the studios include all the content on the home video version that had to be edited out of the TV, Cable, or Streaming version.  Any edited versions of an Anime will be clearly marked 'edited' or 'TV Edit' in the item description, and when there are two versions available, we always carry only the uncut version.

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2. Do your Anime DVD's or BD's have the same English voice actors as the version that I have seen on the TV or Streaming version?

   Usually. Because we only sell the official licensed release, we carry only the DVD or BD versions produced by the same studios that dub the TV or Streaming versions.

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3. What exactly does 'dubbed' mean? What does 'Bi-Lingual' mean?

   Dubbed simply mean that the original Japanese language dialog has been redone in English language dialog by professional voice actors. Keep in mind though, that not all dubs are created equal.

   Bi-Lingual is the best of both worlds, and means that the home video release contains BOTH an English Language dub and the original Japanese Language track with at least professional English subtitles, and you get to choose to watch it in either or both languages. This is the great thing about releasing anime on home video in that you can have multiple spoken language tracks on the same release. Some releases even come with other langauge tracks or subtitles, like Spanish or French, in addition to English and Japanese, which is awesome!

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4. What do you mean when you say that an item is an 'import' vs. a 'domestic' item?

   Most of the items that we carry in the store are the licensed domestically produced (made in the USA) versions, however, to fill in the gaps of what is not available here in the US we may import some items directly from Japan. This is especially true with Anime Toys, Music, Art Books, and a few home video releases which simply are not produced here in the US.

   Some stores carry illegal bootlegs and call them 'imported' items (to make them sound more legitimate, or to confuse people into thinking they are real Japanese produced items). You won't find anything like that at the Anime Corner. When we say an item is 'imported' we mean it is the real thing brought over directly from Japan.

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5. What does region encoding mean for your DVDs or BD's? Will they work on my player?

   DVD REGIONS: Unless otherwise stated in the item description, all of our DVD's are encoded for play in at least Region 1 (sometimes 2 & 4 also), which is the North American DVD region. We may have a few clearly marked Japanese import DVD's that are encoded for Region 2, which is for Japan and Europe. Also, all of our DVD's are NTSC video format, as opposed to PAL format commonly used in Europe. If you are in the US, all of our DVD's will work just fine in your DVD player except for those few imports that are region 2. To play them, you will need a multi-region, or region free DVD player. The same applies to our customers outside of the US and Canada, who will need a multi-region or region free DVD player to play our Region 1 DVD's. Customers in Europe will also need a DVD player capable of playing the NTSC format, however, most new DVD players sold in Europe are now capable of playing both NTSC and PAL formats.

   

   BLURAY REGIONS: Simpler, with only 3 regions worldwide. All of our BLURAYS's are encoded for play in at least Region A (sometimes also B), which is the North American BD region. Unlike for DVD's, North and South America share the same BD region with Japan.

   

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6. Do you carry Japanese language Import Manga?

   No. All of our Manga and Lite Novel offerings are the US versions printed in English Language.

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7. What is the difference between a Japanese Import Music CD and a Domestic Music CD? Are the songs on a domestic CD in English? Can I play Japanese CD's in my CD player?

   Japanese Import Music CD's are produced in Japan, and we used to import them directly from Japan. Domestic music CD's are produced under license in the US, and are the US released versions of the original Japanese CD. This does not mean that the music on a domestic CD is in English, on the contrary, usually the domestic version is the exact same as the Japanese version, and contains the original Japanese music content, except with English labeling and usually a lower price due to the CD being produced locally.

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8. Some of your items have age ratings, some do not? How do I know what age an Anime is appropriate for?

   Age ratings are actually a recent phenomenon in the Anime industry.  Unfortunately, there is no standard age rating system used by the US Anime studios. Some studios use a home video version of the Motion Picture Association content rating system, and other studios have chosen to use a version of the system currently in use for video game content. Some studios do not provide age ratings at all. We are currently building in suggested age ratings on all new titles, and are working back through our catalog to provide age ratings that we feel are appropriate to our older titles. Occasionally, if we have seen that Anime, we may set the age rating a bit higher than the studio if we feel that the content is not appropriate to that particular age group. Personally, I've always felt that the MPAA, ESRB, and other organizations tasked with rating content set a minimum standard at best, so we won't always agree with them.

   If you are a parent of an Otaku, here is an excellent database maintained at Anime Cafe's site called 'A Parent's Guide to Anime'. It's worth a look if your not sure if the content of a particular anime might be suitable for your son or daughter.

   If you do have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us and we'll help you as best we can with this.

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9. What does OVA mean? What is the difference between an OVA and a TV Series?

   Many Anime series start life as an OVA, or Original Video Animation, and are released directly to the home video or streaming market. Sometimes it works the other way when a popular TV series will be followed on or continued by a shorter OVA release. An OVA may be a higher quality production since it is not produced to the rigorous time constraints that TV series are, but will usually be shorter than a TV series, usually from 2 to 6 episodes (sometimes more). This is not to be confused with the popular 10-13 episodes TV series shorts that are popular in the late night time blocks on Japanese TV.

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10. Can you recommend some Anime titles to me?

    The answer to that is much bigger than the question. If you ask 10 Anime fans this question, you'll get 11 different answers. There are so many different Anime titles, and there are so many diverse tastes that it's almost impossible to recommend titles to someone, so I usually box out of that discussion. Plenty of resources on Reddit and Discord for like minded recommendations.

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1. I heard that you allow trade ins of used DVD's, CD's, and Manga. Is that correct?

   We will happily accept your used Anime DVD's and BLURAY's, Domestic Anime CD's, Japanese CD's, or US Produced Manga (English Language) in trade for store credit. You can now also trade in regular movie or TV show DVD's and BLURAY's and regular old CD's you might have lying around for anime credits.

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2. How can I trade in my used Anime DVD's, BD's, CD's, Manga, or Video Games for store credit?

   Easy. Just click here.

   

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3. Do you offer previously owned items for sale on the RACS store site?

   We sure do, just click here to peruse our selection!

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1. How do I search for an item on the store?

   That's easy! Just click here. 

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2. How do I get coupons and special offers?

   We currently do offer some great coupons and special offers from time to time, but mainly to our Newsletter subscribers. If you'd like access to these offers, make sure to sign up here. We send it out about once a week, and it's chock full of news, new release info, reviews, and lots of other good stuff. 

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3. Do you offer Gift Certificates?

   Absolutely, they are delivered via e-mail and they make the perfect gift! <Click Here>

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4. How can I be sure an item I want to order is currently in stock?

   Just ask us and we'll check for you.

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5. What currency are your prices listed in?

   Our prices are always in US Dollars.

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6. Why can't I place more than one item in my shopping cart at a time?

   This problem with our cart is almost always caused by one of these two things on the customers side:

   • Your browser is not set to accept 3rd party cookies, or has it's cookie feature turned off.
   • Your internet firewall software is blocking 3rd party cookies.

   You may be blocking or have disabled the "Cookies" function on your browser or you have a software program (like a personal firewall program from Mcafee, Norton, Zone Alarm, etc.) that is blocking the shopping cart cookie, and you must have cookies enabled for our shopping cart to function properly. This is actually safer and more private than if our software stored your shopping cart on our side. We use Yahoo's ultra secure server side solution to host our store, and the shopping carts of all 120,000 Yahoo stores on the web work this same way. The only way we could solve this problem of cookie blocking on our end would be to implement server side session ID's, and that would be a much less secure way to track your shopping cart.

   If you don't know how to enable "Cookies" in your browser, please do the following:

   How to enable cookies:

   • For Microsoft Internet Explorer, choose "Tools," then "Internet Options," then " Security Tab," then "Internet," and finally choose "Default Level".
   • For Netscape browsers, choose "Edit," then "Preferences," then "Advanced," and finally choose "Accept All Cookies".
   • If your are using AOL's or Apple's browser, please contact their customer support to find out how to enable cookies for your particular version.
     
   If this does not resolve the issue, you might still have your browser security settings set too high. You can solve this problem without altering your security level settings by setting our store are a 'trusted' site in your browser software and/or in your firewall software so the software will allow the store to set our shopping cart cookie within your browser. Zone Alarm firewall software in particular causes a great deal of problems with our cart, because at the default settings it blocks almost every third party cookie to your browser. For those folks running firewall software, we find that disabling it during your shopping session usually solves this problem. 

   If you still need help, please feel free to contact us at <customercare@animecorner.com>.

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7. Why don't you guys show the retail price (MSRP) of the items on the store? If you did, people would better understand how good your prices are!

   We do now for most items.

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8. Do you offer discounts or free items to Anime Clubs, libraries, and other non-profit organizations?

   We try to keep our everyday prices as low as possible for everyone, however, we can offer discounts for large purchases made by libraries, non-profit organizations, and legitimate established Anime Clubs sanctioned by an accredited College or University. We sometimes can also provide promotional items to Anime Clubs in exchange for endorsement of our store to their membership. E-mail Robert with your request, information, and description of your organization to see if you qualify.

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9. Do you offer a price matching policy if I find an item selling for a lower price at another store?

   Nope. Stores that don't have anything more to offer than price usually don't have much to offer, especially in terms of good service.

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1. What shipping methods do you use, and what choices do I have?

   We offer several different shipping methods so that you can choose how quickly you want your order delivered, and how much you want to pay for shipping. Currently for US domestic orders we offer Priority Mail service as well as UPS or FedEx Ground (each have their own advantages). We also offer 2nd Day Air, and Next Day Air shipping for those of you that need your anime in a hurry. International customers can choose from economical Air Mail, faster EMS or FedEx International Priority to have your order shipped. 

   Please see our ordering and shipping page for more information on the shipping methods we offer.

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2. How do I take advantage of your Free Shipping offer?

   FREE Super Saver Shipping is available for orders over $99 to US based customers. Just select our Super Saver Shipping option and apply our FREESHIP coupon to your order. All shipments against your order that do not meet the $99 minimum will incur the regular super saver shipping fee. Remember, PRE ORDER ITEMS DO NOT count in your shippable total unless you tell us you want everything to ship toghether (Example: If your order is $120, but $60 of that is pre-orders, the order will NOT qualify for our free shipping offer and will be billed the regular super saver shipping charge for a $60 order.)

   Our FREESHIP coupon offer may not be combined with any other coupon or discount offers.

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3. I am an International Customer. How do I know how much my shipping charge will be?

   We hear often from new overseas customers inquiring as to the cost to ship to their particular country. This question seems simple, but it not easy to answer.

   Overseas shipping costs have increased significantly over the past couple of years. Our store is programmed with a set of very complex shipping matrixes that allow it to calculate overseas shipping charges during the checkout process. Once you have completed creating your order, you will be able to choose from several international shipping methods during the checkout process, and compare various shipping rates. See our shipping and ordering page for the international shipping methods available. Your final total including your freight charge will be available prior to completing your order.

   We are experts at shipping orders overseas, and have shipped tens of thousands of orders to customers in nearly every country in the world. Here is a little more information regarding overseas shipping:

   Calculating international shipping costs depends on the following factors in this order:
   

   • Destination Country or Worldwide Zone (some freight companies refer to them as 'lanes')
   • Shipping Method
   • Weight
   • Physical Size of the Parcel (known as the 'DIM' factor or dimensional Weight)
   • Value

   Weight is important in the calculation. Orders for manga will inevitably be more expensive to ship across all service classes than orders for DVD's/BD's, since manga are books and will be heavier, even though the value of a DVD/BD order might be much higher than the value of a book order. Size is also very important. Certain shipping classes have size and weight limits. For example, we can use air letter post class for Airmail up to 4lbs, however, orders over 4lbs have to ship air parcel post, which is usually more expensive per pound. Also, all carriers are now determining weight classes by the size of the parcel, so the actual freight calculation weight can be much higher than the actual ship weight. Several years ago the US Postal Service completely eliminated economy shipping (surface mail) for overseas shipments, and consolidated all other freight classes into the more expensive International Priority Mail (used to be Airmail), and the faster EMS (Express Mail) services. Rates for both mail classes are subject to dimensional weight calculation.

   For commercial services, like FedEx, shipping rates are often calculated by the volume of the parcel. There is a flat rate for shipping in one of the 4 or 5 standard sized boxed that they provide, but all other shipping carton are rated by volume (DIM), which means that if we are shipping FedEx and your order will fit in a flat FedEx box, the rate would be determined by actual weight, but if your order needs to be shipping in a larger box, the rate would be calculated by the volume of the box. A great example of this would be if you were to order 8 individual BDs, it would ship in a flat box and would ship for the 4lb rate. If you ordered 8 BD's and an art box, it would still physically weight only 4 lbs, but would have to ship in a 12 x 12 x 8 box, which would ship at the 9lb rate because of the volume of the box.
   
   Shipping rates for almost ALL orders for figures and toys will be calculated by volume and not actual weight, and because of the various fuel surcharges and volumetric calculations shipping rates for toys can be rather high no matter what the actual weight of the parcel will be. In some cases for smaller orders, the shipping cost can equal the cost of the goods being shipped, and larger orders will always ship more economically than smaller ones based on unit costs.

   As you can see by this simple example, there is a great deal more involved in calculating your international shipping rate than just determining the weight or destination of the parcel.

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4. How can I obtain a status on my order?

   The order confirmation e-mail that you received when you placed your order contains a status link that you can use to check the status of an order. Of course, you can also e-mail us directly and we will provide your current order status. Please include your full name and/or order number when e-mailing us to help us get back to you as quickly as possible.

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5. How can I track my order?

   If you have received a shipping confirmation and tracking number from us via e-mail, you can track your order at one of these sites:
   

   • Orders shipped via US Postal methods and EMS can be tracked here:
         http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm
   • Orders shipped via UPS Ground can be tracked here:
         http://www.ups.com/WebTracking/track
   • Orders shipped via FedEx Ground, Air, or International service can be tracked here:
         http://www.fedex.com/us/tracking/

   Please note that some Airmail and most APO/FPO shipments may NOT be fully trackable, and for those we cannot obtain a status updates on them once they leave our warehouse.

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6. I tried to track my order on the US Postal Service site, and it says that they only been 'notified electronically'. If the package has been sent, why hasn't the tracking been updated?

   This is actually normal. You see, USPS does not have a complete tracking system like UPS or FedEx that tells you the scan location of the package as it moves along the system. USPS only has limited tracking and 'delivery confirmation'. When we upload our tracking ID's to USPS the day the parcels are shipped out, that update is usually all the tracking will say until it is delivered a few days later. So don't worry, your parcel is on the way, even though USPS may not say that exactly on their tracking site! :-)

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7. I just placed an order, how long will it take for it to arrive?

   Delivery time will depend on what you order, how you select to have it shipped, and where you live in proximity to our warehouse. Please see our shipping and ordering page for more information.

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8. I'm in the Military stationed overseas. Do you ship to Military APO/FPO addresses?

   Yes indeed! Everyday. We pride ourselves in serving the Anime fans in all of our military services.
   
   For orders shipping to APO or FPO addresses, enter your shipping address exactly as it has been assigned to you by your overseas duty station. The shipping country you should choose is the United States, regardless of where your actual duty station is overseas or aboard ship. APO & FPO orders always ship via Priority Mail to the designated Army Post office (AP) or Foreign Post office (FP) here in the US, and then they will forward the package to you at your duty station overseas. For our part we treat these orders just like a regular orders shipping inside the US, even though the AP will be sending the parcel to you at your overseas duty station. Mail to US soldiers serving abroad, no matter where you are, is considered domestic US mail.
   
   And don't worry, we will package your order very well to ensure that it arrives safely wherever you are, even if you are deployed to a forward area or on a ship at sea. Unfortunately we can't track APO or FPO shipments once they have arrived at the Army or Foreign post office, but these orders are usually delivered in a timely manner. Depending on where you are, we usually expect APO or FPO shipments to be delivered to you within about 2 weeks. Please allow more time if you are deployed to a forward area and are moving around a lot as it can take the mail longer to catch up with you. If you've been in for awhile, you already know how 'snail-mail' is.... :-)
   
   If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail us!

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9. OK, Priority Mail shipping only costs $5.85, yet your minimum shipping charge is $6.99. What is up with that?!

   Like everything else at the Anime Corner, we try to keep our shipping and handling charges as low as possible, while still providing you the best shipping services possible.. Unlike other stores, we also try to give you many different shipping options so you can choose how and when you get your order. We think this is very important, and spend a great deal of time working to give you the best possible value for your shipping dollars.

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10. I selected Super Saver Shipping on the order form, however, when my pre-ordered item shipped later, I was charged shipping. Why is this, I thought shipping was free?

    Pre-order items have to ship separately and are considered a separate order, therefore, we have to charge additional shipping for pre-order items. Please see our Super Saver Shipping rules for complete information.

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11. I selected Super Saver Shipping, however, when my order came I found out that I was charged for shipping anyway. Why did I have to pay for shipping, I thought all orders over $99 shipped for free?

    Not all orders currently qualify for Super Saver Shipping. In order to offer you the best possible service, but not loose too much money on our free shipping offer, we had to implement a few restrictions.

    Pre-Order items do not count in the calculation for Super Saver Shipping because pre-orders are not yet available from the manufacturer and must ship separately. To illustrate this, lets say a customer places a $200 order for in-stock items, and selects free shipping. Our cost to ship that might be $8-$10. Lets say another customer places a $200 that contains eight pre-order items. Our cost to make 8 separate shipments on this one order might be $50-$60 or more. So you can see that because we already try to keep our prices a s low as possible, but still offer you the best possible service, we had to exclude pre-orders from our Super Saver Shipping offer. As a rule of thumb, pre-order items are handled on this end as separate orders. You can request that we hold your order until it can ship complete, or you can order your pre-order items on a separate order, but your shippable total for any one shipment must be over $99 for your order to qualify for free shipping, so please keep this in mind when you place an order that contains pre-order items. If you still have questions about this, please e-mail us!

    Please see our Super Saver Shipping Rules for complete information.

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12. I ordered a Wall Scroll and another item - why I was charged two separate shipping charges?

    In most cases, wall scrolls, posters, rolled Japanese calendars, and a few other type of items have to ship in a separate mailing tube due to their odd size, unless of course you request that we saw them in half prior to shipment..... -_^ When you order one of these items we will automatically recalculate shipping and add a small additional shipping fee to cover sending 2 parcels.

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13. For 2nd Day and Overnight Air shipping where the shipping charge is based partly on the number of items I order, does a 6 DVD bundle count as one item or six items?

    For shipping calculations bundles and boxed sets count as 1 item. This is a good thing. :-)

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1. If I pre-order an item, when would my credit card be charged?

   You will not be charged for the item until it actually ships out to you unless you tell us differently.

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2. I want to pre-order an item, but I do not have a credit card. What other payment methods do you accept, and when would I have to make payment?

   You can pre-pay for a pre-order item, however, we will not reserve a copy for you until your payment actually arrives. For this reason, you need to send us your payment as soon as possible after you place your order, just like you would for an in stock item. This is especially important if your ordering a special or limited edition item. If you place an order with multiple pre-order items shipping on different dates, we will e-mail you and let you know how much additional shipping we will need to cover all the separate shipments, and give you the option to perhaps batch some items together to save shipping charges. Avoid this by selecting our 'hold ship complete' option.

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3. I received my order, but one of my items was marked "Backordered". When will I get it? Will I have to pay additional shipping when it is sent?

   We do our very best to keep all the item listed on our site in stock, but with over 80 major vendors providing items to us from all over the world, it's sometimes not possible to account for manufacturer stock outs, distributor mis-shipments, or items that temporarily go out of production.

   If you have a backordered item on your order, don't worry, we'll do our best to get it out to you as soon as possible. And, of course, backorders at the Anime Corner always ship freight free so you never have to worry about additional shipping charges because an item was out of stock.

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4. I received my order, but one of my items was marked "Sold Out / No Longer Available". What does this mean, and will the item be sent later?

   If you have an item on your order marked 'Sold Out' or 'No Longer Available', it is no longer available and, unfortunately, cannot be backordered. Such are the fortunes of the Anime hobby....

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1. Can you special order a Japanese CD or DVD/BD for me that is not listed on the store?

   We no longer offer this service.

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2. I'm looking for an 'Anime' series, but I do not see it listed on the store. Do you have it or can you get it for me?

   We carry every domestically released Anime and Manga title, so if you don't see it listed on the store more than likely it's not yet released, or is out of print. Even so, please feel free to e-mail us if your looking for a particular title or have a quest and we'll be happy to check into it for you.

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1. What is your returns policy?

   We try to keep our costs down by limiting returns and we ask all of our customers to order responsibly so that they will not need to return an item. In exchange for your understanding, we immediately advance replace defective items and in most cases provide postage paid mailers for the return of the defective items (U.S. Customers Only). Return of any item to us requires an RA number be issued in advance. If you return an item without an RA number, we will not credit the return and the item will be shipped back to you at your expense. Please see our returns policy for more information.

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2. My order arrived, but one of my items is damaged (or defective). What should I do?

   E-mail us immediately and we will replace the damaged or defective item with a minimum hassle to you. It's as simple as that.

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3. I'm having trouble with a DVD. Is my problem a common problem, or is the DVD just defective?

   Most of the time problems playing a DVD indicate a defective disk that we can exchange for you. Occasionally though, DVD's will have a problem from the manufacturer that can effect some or all the DVD's in that production batch. If you are experiencing a strange problem with a DVD you purchased from us, be sure to inform us of the problem. When we receive reports of the same problem from several customers, we will pass the information along to the manufacturer so that they are aware and (hopefully) take corrective action on the issue.

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4. I'm having trouble playing a DVD on my PS2 Game Console or DVD-Rom drive. Is the disk defective?

   We get reports of this sort of problem from time to time. While your disk may indeed be defective, it may also be experiencing a compatibility problem with your Play Station game console or your computers DVD-Rom drive. Alas, many of the major Anime studios do not test DVD's on game consoles or DVD-Rom drives when they are being authored, and while they will work in those devices most of the time, there is no guarantee of compatibility. Bandai, for instance, generally will not consider a DVD defective if it fails to play on a PS2 machine, but does play OK on a normal DVD player.

   If you do experience a problem with a DVD playing on your game console or DVD-Rom drive, please test it on a normal DVD player (if possible) before you report it to us as a defective disk. If it does not play on a regular DVD player, or has the same problem, it is probably defective. If it plays OK on a regular DVD player, then the disk probably has a compatibility issue with your external device that may require you to upgrade the software or hardware on your game console or DVD-Rom drive.

   Because of the scope and breadth of DVD player hardware on the market, we cannot accept returns for DVD's that have issues playing on peripheral devices, but will always exchange DVD's that are problematic playing on regular DVD players. If you experience such a problem, please be sure to inform us so we can at least report it back to the manufacturer.

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5. If I don't like an Anime that I purchased, can I return it for credit?

   No, we cannot accept a return for this reason. Anime, like most other things in life, is something of a gamble.

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