what website do mean by "Japanese Online Shopping site"?
I normally order the CD through online shops only available in Japanese language. If you can read and type Japanese, you have more choices. Those sites don?t accept order in English. Mainly their purpose is to send merchandises (CD, Books, Magazine, Medicine, Sundries and Food) to Japanese living overseas.
So the Japanese online shopping sites where you can order CD in English language are very limited.
Amazon.co.jp
Shipping fee is high. Not good for one or a couple of CD order. It?s better order as many CD as possible with combined shipping.
Their service is excellent. I ordered DVD while I was in Japan. It arrived next day. Domestic shipping is free if the total order is 1,500 Yen. There started adopting the point system for discounts.
Due to the high cost of shipping, I only use Amazon.co.jp when I order more than five Japanese books, or books and CDs.
HMV.co.jp
They used FedEx for international orders. It was extremely high shipping fee. Now they use EMS (Express Mail Service) through the postal service.
It is good shipping fee for one or two CD?s. (EMS Shipping for 1 CD is 1,200 Yen) As Dirk said, the point system is available.
I have never ordered CD at HMV. EMS Shipping fee at the Japanese site I?m using is lower than HMV, so I may not use HMV in the future.
Note that the consumption tax (5%) is exempted if you order CD through Amazon.co.jp or HMV.co.jp from foreign countries.
The other saving?
Avex Point Club: If you read and type Japanese, and have an address in Japan, you can save 5% of CD price excluding tax.
Create the account at
http://pt.avex.jp and input the merchandise no. (AVCW-XXXXX) and serial number inserted in CD.
Point can be redeemed at Mu-Mo (http://shop.mu-mo.net) as
1) $400 YEN at 500 points
or
2) $1000 YEN at 1000 points
You can redeem a multiple of 2). (For example, you can use 2000 points for 2000 Yen CD.)
Shipping is 500 Yen PER ORDER, not per CD.
Since most of CD are 2000 Yen each, you can save1000 Yen (a half price of 1 CD) per 10 CDs.