Below is an exposition by our head administrator Justin detailing how to begin or enrich your music and memorabilia collection and differentiating the various international releases & variations.
Collecting means different things to different people.
The goal of this website is to be useful to people on all ends of the collecting spectrum. Whether you are a casual or die-hard fan, we aim to be informative on what's available in Tori's entire discography.Some people want to collect all of Tori's songs on CD -- this could mean getting the main singles and albums, but not searching for all the various versions and promotional versions of things. Other people just have to have every version of everything that is out there. For people wanting to collect just the songs, a good place to start would be to check out the UK and US singles for each album. That would cover nearly all of Tori's non-album material. Below are some of the various places you can buy her music, whether it be rare, old, or brand new.
Buy Used
The vast majority of Tori's collectibles are either out of print or were never for sale commercially anyway. To find these items, there are some good online places to look in addition to local used record stores.
Ebay - The most useful place to find out of print Tori items is Ebay. Nearly everything Tori-related that there is to be found will pop up on Ebay periodically. From the common singles to the rarest of items, Ebay will have it if you are patient. Prices can fluctuate wildly on Ebay, so it is a good idea to know what you are bidding on and what the normal price range for that item is. It is usually a better idea to wait for the next time the item is listed than to get involved in an expensive bidding war with another determined bidder. Remember, it'll show up again sometime!
EIL (or 991) - Eil always has a wide range of Tori items for sale. They have some of the most rare items (pre-master advance CDs of albums, scarce promotional material, etc) as well as some of the more common items. The common theme there, however, is high price. Everything there is quite pricey, and their shipping rates aren't that great either. However, they are a very good company to do business with if you have the cash and you believe that it is something that wont show up on Ebay. Almost everything there WILL eventually show up on Ebay at a much lower price, but for serious completist collectors the word "almost" makes it worth checking Eil periodically to see what new things they have.
Discogs - Discogs has an active marketplace with tons of Tori items for sale. As with other sites that act as a marketplace for individuals to sell their items, it is important to buy from reputable sellers. Always check a seller's feedback and read the reviews before you purchase! Also, if you are interested in buying a specific version of an item, make sure you communicate with the seller first and verify the details. Many items are unintentionally listed under the wrong item on Discogs. Check with the seller first to make sure the item they're selling matches the description.
Network! – Networking is an important part of being a Tori collector. Sometimes the rarest items never make it to Ebay because they're sold privately from one collector to another. Get to know other Tori collectors and sellers. There are some wonderful sellers on Ebay who have been selling Tori items for years. Feel free to contact sellers and ask them about their items or collections. You may make a friend, or you may learn additional details about the history of your items which can make you appreciate them even more!
Ebay - The most useful place to find out of print Tori items is Ebay. Nearly everything Tori-related that there is to be found will pop up on Ebay periodically. From the common singles to the rarest of items, Ebay will have it if you are patient. Prices can fluctuate wildly on Ebay, so it is a good idea to know what you are bidding on and what the normal price range for that item is. It is usually a better idea to wait for the next time the item is listed than to get involved in an expensive bidding war with another determined bidder. Remember, it'll show up again sometime!
EIL (or 991) - Eil always has a wide range of Tori items for sale. They have some of the most rare items (pre-master advance CDs of albums, scarce promotional material, etc) as well as some of the more common items. The common theme there, however, is high price. Everything there is quite pricey, and their shipping rates aren't that great either. However, they are a very good company to do business with if you have the cash and you believe that it is something that wont show up on Ebay. Almost everything there WILL eventually show up on Ebay at a much lower price, but for serious completist collectors the word "almost" makes it worth checking Eil periodically to see what new things they have.
Discogs - Discogs has an active marketplace with tons of Tori items for sale. As with other sites that act as a marketplace for individuals to sell their items, it is important to buy from reputable sellers. Always check a seller's feedback and read the reviews before you purchase! Also, if you are interested in buying a specific version of an item, make sure you communicate with the seller first and verify the details. Many items are unintentionally listed under the wrong item on Discogs. Check with the seller first to make sure the item they're selling matches the description.
Network! – Networking is an important part of being a Tori collector. Sometimes the rarest items never make it to Ebay because they're sold privately from one collector to another. Get to know other Tori collectors and sellers. There are some wonderful sellers on Ebay who have been selling Tori items for years. Feel free to contact sellers and ask them about their items or collections. You may make a friend, or you may learn additional details about the history of your items which can make you appreciate them even more!
Buy New
For new items, there are many online retailers with good selections. Here are a few of my favorites from different countries:
FNAC – Fnac is good for ordering Tori's specifically French releases or for the French versions of new albums. When albums are first released, there are usually special French stickers or lyric books that are included with the CDs from Fnac. Their prices are quite high and the shipping to the US is even higher. Unfortunately, there is no way to know when you order if you'll receive a French variation or the standard UK or Euro version. You may want to buy from Fnac first before you buy from Amazon.fr or Amazon.co.uk if you're hoping for different versions. Otherwise, you may end up with several identical copies!
Yes Asia – Excellent place to find Japanese, Chinese, and Korean versions of Tori's releases. They have a dedicated English page and ship Worldwide.
Amazon.fr – For the European versions of Tori's new releases, a great place to start is Amazon.fr. Because of exchange rates, the prices tend to be cheaper on Amazon.fr than Amazon.co.uk. For buyers from the USA, shipping costs are reasonable and the price of an item will be discounted as soon as you enter your shipping address because the VAT will be removed. Amazon.fr used to be a good source of French sticker variations. These days, most items are actually shipped from a centralized facility in Germany, making French variations less likely. Regardless, this is still a convenient way to obtain Tori's European releases.
There are several other Amazon websites for different countries. Worth mentioning specifically are Amazon.ca for Canadian items and Amazon.jp for Japanese items. However, each site also sells USA items as imports, so be careful and read the item descriptions closely before purchasing.
If you know of a good online store for new releases in your country, please email us and let us know! We are always looking for reliable sources of international releases.
FNAC – Fnac is good for ordering Tori's specifically French releases or for the French versions of new albums. When albums are first released, there are usually special French stickers or lyric books that are included with the CDs from Fnac. Their prices are quite high and the shipping to the US is even higher. Unfortunately, there is no way to know when you order if you'll receive a French variation or the standard UK or Euro version. You may want to buy from Fnac first before you buy from Amazon.fr or Amazon.co.uk if you're hoping for different versions. Otherwise, you may end up with several identical copies!
Yes Asia – Excellent place to find Japanese, Chinese, and Korean versions of Tori's releases. They have a dedicated English page and ship Worldwide.
Amazon.fr – For the European versions of Tori's new releases, a great place to start is Amazon.fr. Because of exchange rates, the prices tend to be cheaper on Amazon.fr than Amazon.co.uk. For buyers from the USA, shipping costs are reasonable and the price of an item will be discounted as soon as you enter your shipping address because the VAT will be removed. Amazon.fr used to be a good source of French sticker variations. These days, most items are actually shipped from a centralized facility in Germany, making French variations less likely. Regardless, this is still a convenient way to obtain Tori's European releases.
There are several other Amazon websites for different countries. Worth mentioning specifically are Amazon.ca for Canadian items and Amazon.jp for Japanese items. However, each site also sells USA items as imports, so be careful and read the item descriptions closely before purchasing.
If you know of a good online store for new releases in your country, please email us and let us know! We are always looking for reliable sources of international releases.
Germany
Many items on this website are labelled "German", however this can often be misleading. Almost all of the German singles on this website could accurately be called "Euro" instead. This is because most of the singles are identical throughout continental Europe. If there are any differences at all they are usually external things such as "Made in Sweden" stickers that have been applied to the jewel cases. Because of this, it would be nearly impossible (and not very interesting) to catalog the CDs coming from every single country in Europe. Since most European CDs are pressed in Germany, the generic label of "German" has been applied to many of Tori's European singles. This website used the label "German" as a somewhat loose umbrella term for the non-UK European singles in the past, but we have recently changed our labeling of those to "UK & Europe", as we feel it's a more accurate term. We will be announcing this formally as soon as the changes have been completed sitewide.
United Kingdom
Distinguishing between "UK" vs "UK & Europe" releases can be one of the most difficult parts of Tori collecting. Items from these countries are usually almost identical, however there are some ways to tell them apart. The rules of thumb for distinguishing between "UK" vs "UK & Europe" singles change depending on the era. This page will be upated with that information soon.
France
France sometimes causes some confusion with Tori items. Many of the European CDs have something such as "France CA711" written on them somewhere. This is probably some kind of catalog number that goes on many CDs. Sometimes these items are mistakenly called "French" even though they are not specific French releases. There ARE items that are released specifically for France. Usually they are released by East West in conjunction with Carrere Music in France.
Most early French Tori items have the Carrere Music logo printed on them. Look for that to find unique, French releases:
Most early French Tori items have the Carrere Music logo printed on them. Look for that to find unique, French releases:
Australia
There are a few characteristics that are common of Tori's Australian releases. Most of the CD singles from Australia come in cardsleeves instead of jewel cases. In addition, the printing on Australian CDs tends to be less clear than on UK or US CDs. The small print font is usually not AS small, and the pictures are not as detailed. Also, the Digital Audio Technologies Australia (DATA) logo is printed on the disc. Look for this logo and Australian distribution info to find the early Australian releases:
Canada
Canadian Tori items are sometimes difficult to distinguish because they are usually nearly identical to either the US or UK release of the same name. They are worth pointing out, however, because there are distinct, printed differences. For Tori fans in the United States, Canadian items are good to know about because it is sometimes cheaper to purchase Tori's singles as imports from Canada instead of from the UK or Germany. For example, the recent A Sorta Fairytale single was available from Canada at a much lower cost than it was from the UK. The single is identical in content and shipping from Canada is also substantially cheaper.
When looking for the early Canadian singles, look for the fine print that reads: "Distributed by/Distribué par Warner Music Canada LTD":
When looking for the early Canadian singles, look for the fine print that reads: "Distributed by/Distribué par Warner Music Canada LTD":
South Africa
South African Tori items have been somewhat neglected in Tori collecting over the years. Although the amount of items from SA are limited, they are an interesting addition to the catalog. All of Tori's albums (through Tales Of A Librarian at this time) have been released in SA. Only two singles have so far been released there: Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big) and the 1999 Jackie's Strength remix single. During the Atlantic years, Tori's SA releases were distributed by Tusk through Boys For Pele. After 1996 Tusk became known as Gallo. Currently, Tori's South African CDs are distributed by Sony/Epic in South Africa.
When looking for the early South African items, look for the Tusk symbol and the fine print mentioning the RSA:
When looking for the early South African items, look for the Tusk symbol and the fine print mentioning the RSA:
About Variations
The word "variations" on this site refers to the slight differences that can be found within a single release. Because things are sometimes changed slightly in subsequent pressings, it's worth noting the details of the changes. On this site, variations such as these have been included on a single page rather than individual pages.Sometimes a variation is something as small as a noticeably different printed color of a disc or liner notes. Different printing batches may produce slight color variations on picture discs, for example.
Example: Silent all These Years Disc Color Variation.