On-line Stores & Sellers

Started by Expresso, July 02, 2007, 09:09:12 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Expresso


Can you recommend me some on-line shops with a good collection of classical music CD's?

I'm only aware of amazon and jpc at the moment.

Bogey

I use Arkive quite a bit.  A decent resourece to see what might be in print.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/main.jsp
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

Harry

I use JPC a lot, but that you knew already huh. :)
I do not feel comfortable with Amazon, probably because I do not understand the workings of that one.

Bogey

#3
Oh, and if you cannot find a particular cd, PM Que or Daverz.....if it exists, they seem to be able to find it.  :)
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

Que

#4
Worthwhile to check to previous thread on the old forum: Places to buy classical music online.

My previous post:

I buy mostly individual items with Marketplace sellers on the various Amazon's (.com/.de/.co.uk/.fr).

Then MDT's special offers, jpc and I second Gurn's recommendation of CDconnection: low price, very fast delivery and they have a reliable indication if something is in stock (I hate back orders). One disadvantage: they have not a large stock, mostly new releases.

I do most of my bargain hunting at the (in)famous Berkshire Record Outlet aka "BRO".
They are the cheapest in town, but when are they going to use some bubble wrap instead of old papers??
Be prepared for some damaged jewel boxes...!  :o

Also worthwhile is Leslie Gerber's Parnassus Records, especially for some OOP. Also for LP's.
He works with a monthly list, so best is to scan that now and then.

Cheap, but not as cheap as BRO - but they have more mainstream items - is the German Zweitausendeins.
Also for books.

The best place for rare historical and live recordings is Norbeck, Peters & Ford. Also for 78 rpm's.

Addition:
I found some real bargains lately, many of them OOP, at Swiss discPLUS. I guess only of interest to European members of the forum.

Q

Tancata

I have to second Amazon - they can have really, really good prices on a lot of classical CDs.

Brian

www.cduniverse.com tends to undercut the competition by $3 on most but not all discs. I usually comparison-shop between CDuniverse, ArkivMusic, and Amazon. :)

Expresso


Some very nice sites there  ;) Especially that German one (Zweitausendeins), it has some very good offers.

Que

Quote from: Erevos on July 02, 2007, 10:33:53 PM
Some very nice sites there  ;) Especially that German one (Zweitausendeins), it has some very good offers.

Yes, it has. But don't overlook jpc's excellent special offers section  :).

Q

Shrunk

Amazon offers free shipping on orders over a certain amount, although you have to wait longer for delivery if you choose that option.  I've never had anything but good experiences with them.

Shrunk

Quote from: Que on July 03, 2007, 08:57:58 AM
Overseas customers do not even get a discount above a certain amount.... :-\
(I have a hunch that I'm paying for the free shipping of other customers... ;D ;D >:D)

Q

....and we appreciate it, really we do! >:D

Expresso

Amazon has good prices and the biggest collection of classical CD's, but as Que mentioned you have to be a domestic customer to have free delivery.

If you add the VAT rates and the shippings costs, the prices can get very high though.

Solitary Wanderer

I do most of my cd buying using the Amazon dealers especially Caiman. I find them to be excellent :)

Just wondering if there a high quality equivalent out there that I'm overlooking?

Somewhere with a huge catalogue, reliable shipping and maybe better prices that I could try?

Thanks :)
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

Todd

For classical music, Arkiv.  They have higher prices, but their selection is amazing, especially now with Arkiv CDs.  MDT, Fnac, Crotchet, HMV Japan, CD Japan, Stradivarius, Buywell, Presto Classical, and non-US Amazons all have much to offer, too.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

tjguitar

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on July 15, 2007, 03:19:11 PM
I do most of my cd buying using the Amazon dealers especially Caiman. I find them to be excellent :)

Just wondering if there a high quality equivalent out there that I'm overlooking?

Somewhere with a huge catalogue, reliable shipping and maybe better prices that I could try?

Thanks :)

I never use caiman. Whenever I've ordered from them, they've had it not in stock (without telling you) and you have to wait til the A-Z claim can be filed to get your money back.


They usually have the lowest price, so I go to the next one up.  Yikes.  Its good to hear that someone had success with them.

Amazon's the best, but of course overstock.com has a decent selection and I get some from deepdiscount, it just depends what your looking for.  Arkiv is good, but a bit expensive IMO.

beclemund

Quote from: tjguitar on July 15, 2007, 05:27:29 PMI never use caiman. Whenever I've ordered from them, they've had it not in stock (without telling you) and you have to wait til the A-Z claim can be filed to get your money back.


They usually have the lowest price, so I go to the next one up.  Yikes.  Its good to hear that someone had success with them.

Amazon's the best, but of course overstock.com has a decent selection and I get some from deepdiscount, it just depends what your looking for.  Arkiv is good, but a bit expensive IMO.

Out of maybe 50 orders from Caiman over the last year, only one has resulted in trouble, but yes, they do not credit you very promptly. If you contact them directly, you can seldom make sense of their response. ;) It is very easy through Amazon to get your account credited, however, so I would not exclude them as they do seem to be on top of things for the most part.

As for ordering in general, it really depends on what it is you are looking for. For most new releases, Amazon (including Amazon Marketplace sellers) tend to be the easiest and often the best prices--it is a good idea to factor in shipping costs into the cost of item though as the free shipping from Amazon for orders over 25 USD generally makes for a better deal than ordering handfuls of CDs from separate resellers with 2.98 postage. For historic recordings, Berkshire Records Outlet can provide a great bargain. They have a low minimum for US orders, and it is worth your while to order many at a time to reduce shipping costs.

eBay can sometimes provide decent deals on releases from a few years back and even some new releases can be had for much less, but shipping costs from eBay sellers tend to be pretty "out there" in terms of cost.... shipping times are not favorable either as I am still waiting on an auction won June 21st. Fortunately for the seller, I am patient. ;)

While I try to order as few things as possible internationally unless it is many items at once--due to environmental concerns--HMV, Buywell and JPC can often provide you with items you do not often see for sale stateside (I am assuming you are buying in the US of A).

For more obscure items Norbeck, Peters & Ford can sometimes be useful, but their prices tend to be on the higher side. I have also had some success finding better prices at Suncoast Movies (they sell music too ;)). And there is also CD Universe which I have only used sparingly... they can be a better priced alternative to Amazon with some items, but again, consider the additional postage costs.

"A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession." -- Albert Camus

Solitary Wanderer

Thanks for the responses :)

I've only had one order from Caiman go astray and I emailed them and got an immediate response from 'Claire' ;) ;) and a replacement was sent out promtly.

I'll browse some of the other sites you've mentioned tomorrow :)

I do find the Amazon sellers good BUT I wish they would bundle orders to save on shipping >:(
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

uffeviking

#17
You sure are lucky to get good service from Caiman. They have one of the worst reputations on the used CD and DVD market! If I decide to go used, I always buy from Newbury_Comics; reliable and super fast. I am an amazonMarketplace seller, but I can't give you my seller name, that would be called 'Spam' and Rob would fire me from my highly paid job as moderator.  :'(

For Scandinavian specialties, Ondine has been my best friend. Airmail from Helsinki, five days after ordering is in my mailbox.

Of course for the regular shopping trips I always run up GMG, go to upper right corner where different flags are displayed, pick mine, the USA, give amazon my order and they send GMG a small amount of money. Nice of them!  0:)

Solitary Wanderer

Quote from: uffeviking on July 15, 2007, 07:58:06 PM
You sure are lucky to get good service from Caiman. They have one of the worst reputations on the used CD and DVD market! If I decide to go used, I always buy from Newbury_Comics; reliable and super fast. I am an amazonMarketplace seller, but I can't give you my seller name, that would be called 'Spam' and Rob would fire me from my highly paid job as moderator.  :'(

For Scandinavian specialties, Ondine has been my best friend. Airmail from Helsinki, five days after ordering is in my mailbox.

Of course for the regular shopping trips I always run up GMG, go to upper right corner where different flags are displayed, pick mine, the USA, give amazon my order and they send GMG a small amount of money. Nice of them!  0:)

Yes, I use Newbury Comics as a first option whenever I can.

I'm aware of the bad rep Caiman has, but I must have bought over 100 cds through them with only one minor hitch :)
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

Bogey

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on July 15, 2007, 08:07:57 PM
Yes, I use Newbury Comics as a first option whenever I can.

I'm aware of the bad rep Caiman has, but I must have bought over 100 cds through them with only one minor hitch :)

Wow....that is good news.  Maybe I will try them....that is, unless Newbury has it.  ;D
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz