Hey, everyone! I am going to do my best to get the holiday shopping guide up either tonight or tomorrow--I've been really busy, so I'm sorry for not having it up earlier!
Now, onto the goods: today has kicked off not one, not two, but THREE anime sales! (okay, well one technically started on Saturday, but I only saw it today.) Today is not only the first day of the legendary Right Stuf holiday sale, but also sales from Sentai Filmworks and Funimation (who apparently have their own storefronts on their websites, who knew?)
Here's what you can expect...
The last day of Sentai's sale is the 23rd. They will be adding 40+ items each day, so you will probably have to wait until the last day to see everything that's on sale. They have some pretty massive discounts on their own titles, and the actually are beating out Right Stuf's prices on the same products! For example, a 12 (or 13) episode-long series on Blu-ray from Sentai is being sold for anywhere from $23.99 to $27.99 on Right Stuf, depending on how recently it was released. On Sentai, it's going for $20.99. So make sure to price-compare! The only annoying thing about Sentai's store is that they don't have many variations in prices; so let's say you have $70 worth of merchandise and you want to get the free shipping offer. You would need to spend $5 to reach the $75 minimum for free shipping. But the cheapest thing sold at their store is $10, so you'll be paying a bit more than you wanted.
The last day of Funimation's sale is the 28th, so there's quite a bit of time to browse through. And you're going to need that time, because A. They have over 700 items on sale, and B. Their website keeps crashing. You'll be reloading a lot. The sale discount is 50% for each item, so in some cases, their item is cheaper than Right Stuf, and in some cases, it's more expensive than Right Stuf. (I made a spreadsheet last year of all the anime I wanted to buy, and what price is was being offered for at Right Stuf; I found it very helpful in tracking my spending. I just checked the prices in this Funimation sale against the Right Stuf prices from last year, and was amazed at the differences. But your mileage may vary.) They aren't adding items to the sale, so it is what it is.
Finally, RightStuf! Their sale usually ends after Christmas. This year, they are doing so many things, it makes my head spin. First, they are adding items each day; they kicked the sale off today with over 130 items, but who knows how much they'll be adding per day. Second are daily "Mega Deals" which are often collector's editions or brand-new releases--items that usually don't go on sale or don't get huge discounts normally--for a hefty discount. That discount is only good for one day, though! Third are "Limited Time Offers." These are specials that are only good for one week. This year, these weekly specials are all volumes of manga from Viz. They are available either in bundles or singly, but at a sharp discount. And...uh...fourth are discounts on hentai and other adult-oriented products in the "Naughty List." *ahem*
Merry anime hunting, everyone! Miss Scarlett, signing out!
