After I became obsessed with the Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation series, I knew that I absolutely had to own the novels and manhua. I also knew that buying these books (at five and thirteen volumes respectively) would be a pricey endeavor to undertake. So, I figured my best bet would be to find some used copies.
While my plan didn’t quite work out the way I’d hoped, I did end up visiting eBay (for the first time) and buying K-Pop CDs (also for the first time). The entire experience was flawless. I couldn’t believe I’d never tried this route before.
The Browsing Process
I’m no stranger to bargain hunting for books. I frequently got my college textbooks secondhand. I learned back then that used copies often look practically new and cost a fraction of the price of a new book. With that in mind, I searched all over the internet for a good deal on used copies of the MDZS books: Amazon, Goodwill, etc. The first volumes of both series were often available for less than $10 (down from ~$20), but the rest of the volumes were just as expensive as (or higher than) a new copy.
After I had exhausted all of my usual haunts, I checked eBay. It was a last ditch effort from a desperate woman. I knew of the site, of course, but I had never used it before. I’m so not into the whole bidding/haggling/auction scene. Thankfully, the auction function has somewhat taken a backseat to the ability to buy things outright. Cool. Unfortunately, the results were the same as before: very cheap first volumes, very expensive later volumes. Clearly, it was time to set this dream aside for another time.
While I was on eBay, I decided to check the prices of some other things I’ve been wanting. Naturally, I’m talking about K-Pop albums. My biggest goal of late has been to own everything from NCT, my ult group. I’ve been steadily making progress since I discovered them by buying my favorite songs on iTunes and Amazon’s Download Store. On rare occasions, I would even pay the difference to “complete the album” later. But it’s been killing me! I have a lot of ground to cover between the full group albums, the albums from each of the group’s four units, and the group members’ solo works.
Unlike the MDZS books, eBay had plenty of listings for NCT’s albums at insanely decent prices. In many cases, I could get a full album for $10 or less. I did the math and realized that buying these used CDs would be several dollars cheaper than buying the full album digitally. Plus, I might get extras like photobooks and posters that I had never dreamed of owning before. They were the perfect answer to my prayers. I couldn’t pass them up!
Choosing A Candidate
My first task was to narrow down my lengthy wish list. I had to decide which albums to focus my dollars on for a start. It didn’t take long for me to zero in on NCT 127, my favorite NCT unit. I already own more of their songs/albums than of any other unit. It made sense to finish collecting their music first. I badly wanted their two most recent albums, but I figured I should get the older albums before they disappear.
While I was browsing, I slowly developed ideas of which albums I would go for. Here are my top criteria:
- Low price ($10 or less)
- “Like New” or “Very Good” condition
- No bootlegs
- Free shipping via USPS, nothing expedited through UPS/FedEx
- Some of the extras included (photocards, photobooks, posters, etc.)
- From a US-based seller who’s located relatively close to me
- Eligible for a discount
I seriously lucked out! I found a seller who checked all of the above boxes and had several NCT albums available for sale. Best of all, they had an awesome sale going where I would get a bigger discount based on how many albums I bought at one time.
I chose NEO ZONE: The Final Round and FAVORITE, two of 127’s older albums I’d been wanting for a long time. They were $7.99 each, but since I was buying the two albums together, they were $4.80 each, or $10.21 total (including tax). I was stoked! If I had bought the albums digitally, they would have been almost $17 each.
I placed the order on August 16, they shipped on August 18, and the estimated delivery date was between August 21 and August 27.
The Waiting Game
My next task was to stay as chill as possible until the albums arrived. That did not happen. I’m a fairly patient person, but my patience goes out the window when my anxiety comes into play. I was checking the order status page every hour to see if anything had changed. I also had a million concerns running through my head.
What end of the spectrum will the delivery date fall on?
Did I choose the right seller and albums?
What condition will the albums be in?
Will the mail carrier put the package in the right mailbox?
Despite my many worries, I only had two minor false alarms. One time, the estimated delivery date did briefly slip closer to the latest projected date before it bounced back to the earliest projected date. Whew! Another time, I misinterpreted the “Arrived At Unit” delivery status, which means the package arrived at my local post office, to mean that the package had been delivered to my apartment. I had a whole freak-out like an idiot when I checked the mailbox and there was nothing there.
Ultimately, the package showed up on August 21, almost a week after I had placed my order. I got an email and a notification from the eBay app that it was “Out For Delivery” that morning and another set that it had been “Delivered” that afternoon.
Unpacking The Items
When my dad handed me the medium-sized bubble wrap envelope, which he had retrieved for me, I was a nervous wreck. My hands were shaking and my heart was about to explode! This was the moment of truth. Time to see what I had ordered.
I cut the top off the envelope and there they were, my two albums. Both albums were in near-perfect condition. I could tell that they were used, but they still looked damn good. Both discs were pristine too.
Neo Zone: The Final Round is a boxy, plastic case. The outside had a sticker declaring the price and the store it came from. The inside had a photobook and one folded up poster. The CD itself is placed in a compartment on the front left side of the package.
FAVORITE was still covered in shrink wrap, though the side had an open slit. It contained a photobook, a photo postcard, and a bookmark. There’s technically a poster too, but it’s on the inside of the album’s dust cover. You can see it when you open the case. I couldn’t find the CD at first because it’s tucked in a space in the very back.
I couldn’t have been happier. I immediately ripped the CDs into my iTunes library and utilized my repackage album organization rules to make the tracks merge with the songs I already had from those albums. Then I spent the rest of the evening flipping through the gorgeous photobooks. I finally understand why people spend so much money on these products. The music may be my main attraction, but getting the extras really does elevate the experience.
Verdict
Overall, shopping through eBay and buying physical K-Pop CDs for the first time were both the most positive and successful events I could have hoped for. My package came quickly, and the albums were in good shape. I’m happy to be making more progress in my music collection while staying within budget.
Since I placed my first order, I’ve bought two more NCT 127 CDs (Walk and Fact Check) and one full group NCT album (Resonance Pt. 2). EBay even sent me an email congratulating me on making five purchases. However, I’m gonna have to cool it for a while because my external DVD drive has finally stopped working after 16 years of faithful service. Once I get that squared away, I plan to get a few more NCT 127 albums, then I’ll expand to NCT Dream’s ISTJ and NCT’s Golden Age, which are both expensive digitally. There are a bunch of other non-NCT K-Pop albums that I would like to scoop up as well.
EBay doesn’t make it easy to abstain, though. The app constantly sends me notifications for sales and discounts of things I’ve previously looked at. That seriously tests my resolve, man. I might have to uninstall the app to save me (and my bank account) from myself!
Photo Credit: โ16.09.2020 Russian, Novosibirsk.โ @ Reshetrikov_art via Canva.com