SecondSpin / Wherehouse:
Generally, the DVDs they send are in very good condition; sometimes even mint. There is the odd badly scratched disc, and sometimes the wrong case (cheap, tacky black replacement case, instead of clear/white) gets sent, but it's rarer to get unlucky than it is to get lucky. My very first order for Gankutsuou 4 pissed me off due to one side of its reverse cover being ripped -- it's lucky I gave them a second chance!
The best things about them are their packaging and customer service. If what you order is too big for a jiffy, nine times out of ten they'll send in a box, and they don't combine multiple orders to save on postage costs. As for the customer service, all I've ever needed to do is tell them a parcel has gone missing / they sent the incorrect DVD and they either refund or resend, without fuss.
The Book Depository:
Mixed feelings. I always use them because they're consistently the cheapest UK book store, and they stock imports. With the addition of their infrequent 10% off codes, that makes them irresistible. But there are a good number of negatives mixed in with the good...
For starters, they send everything packaged separately. Ordered 20 books? 20 parcels, coming your way! And their dispatch times vary greatly. Lately they've been better about sending within 48-72 working hours, but in the past they took 7+ days to send books they had claimed were in-stock - meaning their 'within 48 hours' estimates cannot be trusted.
The condition of their books can lead to much suffering, too. My first order with them - the Naruto box set - arrived with a nasty knock, and there have been numerous other instances of older stock arriving looking tatty. Over the last few months I haven't needed to complain, and I've ordered a lot, so I may just have been unlucky... but I think it's fair to say they don't store their stock particularly well going on how some newer books have arrived with page yellowing.
HMV:
The best UK anime pre-order store, by far. Even though their post-release prices tend to go high, their pre-release prices are always at least tied with rival stores. But what makes me ALWAYS go with HMV is how fast they send pre-orders - sometimes getting me my DVDs a good week before the official release dates.
Amazon.co.uk:
Unless they get confused over release dates, they always send super-fast, and I often receive my parcel(s) the day after receiving a dispatch email. They package their items well and are happy to post multiple books and whatnot together. And their customer service has always been easy to deal with.
The only downer is that their prices tend not to be lower than TBD for manga or HMV for anime - meaning they don't get too much love from me. I do place all of my manga pre-orders with them due to TBD not allowing for order cancellations and charging as soon as orders are placed, though. Amazon automatically lowering pre-order prices to match-up with their current prices is a nice pre-order incentive.
Axelmusic:
I've only ordered four sets from them, so far, but they've impressed me greatly. Not only are they extremely fast at responding to and sending orders, updates are posted on their site equally fast in order to keep customers in the loop. Their prices are a little on the expensive side due to there being no customs risk with them, but if you want quality service you need look no further.
