Topic: On-line Stores & Sellers

[Opus106]

George, Morning.  Sounds like an excellent alternative to BRO, whose search function is not one of the easier to use.

HBDirect has actually a very useful search utility which I quite like. You can narrow things down (as you search) better than most other online stores I have been to.

[George]

HBDirect has actually a very useful search utility which I quite like. You can narrow things down (as you search) better than most other online stores I have been to.

Yes, you can search by catalog number too, though haven't tried that yet.

Another cool thing is that if you order a CD and day or two later want to get more cds, you can call them and simply add to your order and just pay .50 to ship each CD. On amazon, many sellers don't give you that option. Hoever, the order listed online won't reflect the added CDs, as the don't have a way to update orders that are added to over the phone on their website.   

[Coopmv]

Yes, you can search by catalog number too, though haven't tried that yet.

Another cool thing is that if you order a CD and day or two later want to get more cds, you can call them and simply add to your order and just pay .50 to ship each CD. On amazon, many sellers don't give you that option. Hoever, the order listed online won't reflect the added CDs, as the don't have a way to update orders that are added to over the phone on their website.   

Isn't it $2.98 per item for S&H with the Amazon Market Place vendor?  But then the same vendor may not have the second item you want.  It has always been one-item per order for me with MP.  But for a box set, $2.98 is a good deal for S&H.

[Brian]

$2.99 per disc download?

No. Three weeks ago NaxosDirect had a $2.99 sale where several hundred physical CDs were being sold for three bucks.

[Coopmv]

No. Three weeks ago NaxosDirect had a $2.99 sale where several hundred physical CDs were being sold for three bucks.

Pardon me.  But I thought you were a 100% download guy ...   

[Brian]

Pardon me.  But I thought you were a 100% download guy ...    

Erm ... not really, I have eMusic (30 tracks per month downloaded) but I also have somewhere around 300-350 CDs ... not bad for a teenager?  

[Coopmv]

Erm ... not really, I have eMusic (30 tracks per month downloaded) but I also have somewhere around 300-350 CDs ... not bad for a teenager?  

You must be among the 0.00005% of the download generation that actually believe in owning physical media ...   

[Brian]

You must be among the 0.00005% of the download generation that actually believe in owning physical media ...    

I even bought a couple physical CDs from PentaTone, Ondine, and harmonia mundi, after getting the mp3 downloads.  

[Coopmv]

I even bought a couple physical CDs from PentaTone, Ondine, and harmonia mundi, after getting the mp3 downloads.  

We need many more of your generation who share your belief, i.e. owning physical media, to keep recorded classical music alive for the next 50 years ...    

[George]

We need many more of your generation who share your belief, i.e. owning physical media, to keep recorded classical music alive for the next 50 years ...    

Just not too many, I don't need any more competition in grabbing all those OOP goodies.  

[Coopmv]

Just not too many, I don't need any more competition in grabbing all those OOP goodies.  

George,  I bet you are just competing against those old farts, not against the likes of Brian ...

[Brian]

George,  I bet you are just competing against those old farts, not against the likes of Brian ...

I did once grab the last copy of an OOP Calliope CD (HIP Chopin) from a shop in Toronto because it was the only place on the Internet I could find it... 

[Coopmv]

I did once grab the last copy of an OOP Calliope CD (HIP Chopin) from a shop in Toronto because it was the only place on the Internet I could find it... 

 

Great cyber-detective work ...   

[Henk]

Is there a classical music store where you don't have to pay with creditcard close to (or better: in) the Netherlands? Really a bad thing that the Netherlands doesn't have a good online store specialised in selling classical music.

I want to pay with paypal and don't want to pay much shipping cost and taxes and don't want to wait long for a receive my cd's. No I order at Cduniverse, but sometimes I have to pay large taxes (often when the packages are big).

Henk

[Fëanor]

...

I want to pay with paypal and don't want to pay much shipping cost and taxes and don't want to wait long for a receive my cd's. No I order at Cduniverse, but sometimes I have to pay large taxes (often when the packages are big).

Henk

I feel for you, brother.  There aren't many online dealers in Canada who carry respectable stock; (Amazon.ca isn't bad and I order a lot from them).  We here in this country get dinged for taxes and tarrifs and brokerage quite meticulously by those who specialize in collecting these levies.

The most blood thursty are FedEx and UPS who always collect taxes & tarrifs (if relevant), and added a hefty brokerage charge -- the pure fact is that these outfits are in the brokeage business as much as they are in the delivery business and derive a significant portion of their profits from the former.  On the other hand, Canada Post charges a flat fee for brokerage: $5 or $8 for expedited post (although they don't really "expedite" foreign source parcels); they charge nothing on parcels under Cdn$20.

OK, now let me mention ArkivMusic that operates out the the U.S.  This comment applies to Canada, and perhaps other countries too.   When you place an order with them, they compute a delivery fee that is proportionally less for large orders (as you would expect).  However it is very likely that the order will be sent to you in multiple installments coming from different locations via U.S. Postal Service, but, N.B. they do not charge extra from the multiple actual shipments.

The resulting packages are typically small, and even when worth over C$20, still fly under Canada Post's radar for brokerage & tax collection.  Could this work for packages sent to the Netherlands??  Maybe you could give it a try.  Anyway, ArkivMusic has one of the world's best selections, including exclusive 'ArkivCD' reissues, and absolutely the best designed website; their prices are compeditive

[Coopmv]

I feel for you, brother.  There aren't many online dealers in Canada who carry respectable stock; (Amazon.ca isn't bad and I order a lot from them).  We here in this country get dinged for taxes and tarrifs and brokerage quite meticulously by those who specialize in collecting these levies.

The most blood thursty are FedEx and UPS who always collect taxes & tarrifs (if relevant), and added a hefty brokerage charge -- the pure fact is that these outfits are in the brokeage business as much as they are in the delivery business and derive a significant portion of their profits from the former.  On the other hand, Canada Post charges a flat fee for brokerage: $5 or $8 for expedited post (although they don't really "expedite" foreign source parcels); they charge nothing on parcels under Cdn$20.

OK, now let me mention ArkivMusic that operates out the the U.S.  This comment applies to Canada, and perhaps other countries too.   When you place an order with them, they compute a delivery fee that is proportionally less for large orders (as you would expect).  However it is very likely that the order will be sent to you in multiple installments coming from different locations via U.S. Postal Service, but, N.B. they do not charge extra from the multiple actual shipments.

The resulting packages are typically small, and even when worth over C$20, still fly under Canada Post's radar for brokerage & tax collection.  Could this work for packages sent to the Netherlands??  Maybe you could give it a try.  Anyway, ArkivMusic has one of the world's best selections, including exclusive 'ArkivCD' reissues, and absolutely the best designed website; their prices are compeditive

 

I have ordered a few hundred CD's from MDT in the UK since January and have not paid a cent of VAT or duty.  That was my original concern as I had no clue as to what kind of foreign taxes I could be paying when I buy from a foreign country.  I am already paying hundred of dollars in dividend income taxes to a number of European countries every year.  All governments love taxes ...

[Fëanor]

 

I have ordered a few hundred CD's from MDT in the UK since January and have not paid a cent of VAT or duty.  That was my original concern as I had no clue as to what kind of foreign taxes I could be paying when I buy from a foreign country.  I am already paying hundred of dollars in dividend income taxes to a number of European countries every year.  All governments love taxes ...

Bye the bye, I believe the US has a quite lenient policy on tarrifs and taxes.  I have sold various hifi equipment to American buyers and without exception they have paid no taxes, duties, or brokerage under US$200; (compare with the Canadian authorities $20 excemption maximum).

By the way, I have ordered from MDT a couple of times too with good results, but I still prefer ArkivMusic if for no better reason than the slickness of their website.

[Coopmv]

Bye the bye, I believe the US has a quite lenient policy on tarrifs and taxes.  I have sold various hifi equipment to American buyers and without exception they have paid no taxes, duties, or brokerage under US$200; (compare with the Canadian authorities $20 excemption maximum).

By the way, I have ordered from MDT a couple of times too with good results, but I still prefer ArkivMusic if for no better reason than the slickness of their website.

I have taken care to keep each of my MDT orders to no higher than $200 and maybe that is why I have not been required to pay any duty yet.  I stopped buying from ArkivMusic a few years back when it became clear that I was not willing to pay for both S&H and sale tax since I do not live in PA ...

[Henk]

I'll get a creditcard. Didn't know it's possible to restrict the amount of money on a credit card. That's a big advantage for me. If someone steals money from my credit card they can't steal much money.

[Lethevich]

Just confirming what a great source Hyperion's own website is for purchasing. I bought a disc discounted in their clearance bin by over 50%, and despite being under £5, it still qualified for free shipping. In addition to that they shipped it first class in a corrugated cardboard sleeve inside a bubble mailer, rendering it superbly protected. It was sealed as well. Service like this is very customer-friendly, and their frequent sales, discounts on bulk orders and free shipping make the label not as expensive as it once had the reputation for being. Good on them, and hopefully they will recieve a lot of support from customers.