On-line Stores & Sellers

[Spotted Horses]

I've come to detest Amazon and won't buy anything from them unless the price is compelling. In the case of classical CDs, it's clear that they don't give a s**t about their customers: just look at the ridiculously garbled listing / review database. And it's clear that Amazon (apart from CDs) sells loads of crap pirate product, and that their rating system is corrupt and warped by shills.

I have an Amazon credit card through my bank, but use it mostly as a backup to my main card. It does have Amazon points, but NOT free shipping, since I never joined Prime. My main reason for occasionally using the card is to accumulate points for rare Amazon purchases.

I also have reservations about the extent to which amazon has come to dominate retailing. I use them when there is a price advantage. I seem to be more likely to find a used copy of some CD I am interest in on amazon marketplace than eBay, and they sometimes have good prices on big box sets. And we are Whole Foods shoppers anyway, having prime and Amazon VISA probably saves us 10% on our grocery bill, between the cash back rewards and Prime-only sales. For us Prime more than pays for itself and Amazon reward points can be used for almost anything. The key is not to assume everything is cheaper on amazon. You can find yourself paying twice the going rate for toilet paper, etc.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

We have an Amazon VISA card, which pays reward points which can be redeemed on Amazon.com. We also are Amazon Prime subscribers. The combination is cost effective for us because we generally shop at Whole Foods Market. Prime members get Prime-only sale items extra savings on other sale items at Whole Foods. The Amazon VISA card pays 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods and 2% for other purchases. And of course there is free shipping from Amazon.com, which I don't frequently use for CD or book purchases, but which saves us a lot of money for toys, electronic gadgets, household good, etc. Amazon Prime has a relatively high subscription fee, but the savings pay for it many times over.

Thanks for the info.  I don't often shop at Whole Foods.  I have contemplated joining Amazon Prime in the past; however, as I haven't been shopping on Amazon for a while, it didn't seem to make sense at the time.  I'll look into it again though if I find myself shopping on there more.  Are the points and cash back (re on Amazon's website) only good if you're purchasing directly from Amazon itself (vs. other venders)?

PD

[T. D.]

I also have reservations about the extent to which amazon has come to dominate retailing. I use them when there is a price advantage. I seem to be more likely to find a used copy of some CD I am interest in on amazon marketplace than eBay, and they sometimes have good prices on big box sets. And we are Whole Foods shoppers anyway, having prime and Amazon VISA probably saves us 10% on our grocery bill, between the cash back rewards and Prime-only sales. For us Prime more than pays for itself and Amazon reward points can be used for almost anything. The key is not to assume everything is cheaper on amazon. You can find yourself paying twice the going rate for toilet paper, etc.

I live in the sticks, no Whole Foods. Don't buy from Amazon in sufficient volume to justify Prime. Most of my used CD purchases (by far) are from discogs, though I buy more a lot more jazz than classical these days.

I will purchase items from Amazon if price is compelling. They can be good on boxed sets and hyped new releases. All things being equal, I would purchase elsewhere.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I live in the sticks, no Whole Foods. Don't buy from Amazon in sufficient volume to justify Prime. Most of my used CD purchases (by far) are from discogs, though I buy more a lot more jazz than classical these days.

I will purchase items from Amazon if price is compelling. They can be good on boxed sets and hyped new releases. All things being equal, I would purchase elsewhere.

Do you have a lot of farm stands around to avail yourself of during the warmer months?

PD

[T. D.]

Do you have a lot of farm stands around to avail yourself of during the warmer months?

PD

I've developed some strategies because my local supermarket is horrible with particularly 💩 produce.
There are some farmstands, but also shops and vendors who stock decent produce from local growers.
I take a cooler and try to combine trips to the better shops (40-55 min away) with entertainment / recreation.

[Spotted Horses]

Thanks for the info.  I don't often shop at Whole Foods.  I have contemplated joining Amazon Prime in the past; however, as I haven't been shopping on Amazon for a while, it didn't seem to make sense at the time.  I'll look into it again though if I find myself shopping on there more.  Are the points and cash back (re on Amazon's website) only good if you're purchasing directly from Amazon itself (vs. other venders)?

PD

Points are redeemable on marketplace purchases, as well as products sold by Amazon itself.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I've developed some strategies because my local supermarket is horrible with particularly 💩 produce.
There are some farmstands, but also shops and vendors who stock decent produce from local growers.
I take a cooler and try to combine trips to the better shops (40-55 min away) with entertainment / recreation.

Sounds like a good plan.  I'm spoiled in my area:  a number of fair to quite good farmers' markets not terribly far away plus lots of farm stands within a fairly short radius...though with all of the flooding???    Will be interesting to see what happens re availability and prices.  I feel for the farmers.

Points are redeemable on marketplace purchases, as well as products sold by Amazon itself.

Thanks! 

PD

[Spotted Horses]

My Amazon quagmire may be coming to an end.

To recap, I ordered the Beethoven/Ebene Quartet set on July 10



Things were a little strange from the onset, because although it was a "Prime" shipment from Amazon, not a marketplace seller, they said delivery was expected on July 17. Usually Prime free shipping is 2 days.

July 17 rolls around, the web site still says delivery on the 17th, but the item hasn't even shipped.

July 18, I try to cancel it, but I get a message that it can't be canceled because it is being prepared for shipment. July 21, it still hasn't shipped How could be be "preparing for shipment" and not shipped 4 days later. I contact Amazon customer service and a representative tells me it has been canceled and I should receive a cancelation notice shortly. Instead I receive a notice that the new ship date is July 31.

On July 31, it still has not shipped. I chat with Amazon customer service again, and again they try to cancel it but can't. During the chat I get a message that my customer service representative has had a technical problem and a new customer service comes on, then I get another message that my customer service representative has had a technical problem and a third representative comes on. I am beginning to wonder if they are actually AI chatbots rather than people. All three have names suggestive of the Indian Subcontinent, and I begin to wonder if the names have been selected to be suggestive of a call center in Bombay. Again, they can't cancel.

And on July 2, I get a tracking number it has shipped by USPS!

The weird thing is that USPS tracking says it is originating in Louisville, Kentucky. That's where importcds.com has they fulfillment center (as well as some other CD online stores). I've never seen that origin for an amazon.com shipment. Makes me wonder if Amazon is subcontracting out some of their CD fulfillment to an outside vendor.

Finally, do I need this set? I was tempted because it is so inexpensive, and I thought I already had it, but I found out it was the Belcea I had, not the Ebene. These two ensembles are cross-wired in my brain, for some reason.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

My Amazon quagmire may be coming to an end.

To recap, I ordered the Beethoven/Ebene Quartet set on July 10



Things were a little strange from the onset, because although it was a "Prime" shipment from Amazon, not a marketplace seller, they said delivery was expected on July 17. Usually Prime free shipping is 2 days.

July 17 rolls around, the web site still says delivery on the 17th, but the item hasn't even shipped.

July 18, I try to cancel it, but I get a message that it can't be canceled because it is being prepared for shipment. July 21, it still hasn't shipped How could be be "preparing for shipment" and not shipped 4 days later. I contact Amazon customer service and a representative tells me it has been canceled and I should receive a cancelation notice shortly. Instead I receive a notice that the new ship date is July 31.

On July 31, it still has not shipped. I chat with Amazon customer service again, and again they try to cancel it but can't. During the chat I get a message that my customer service representative has had a technical problem and a new customer service comes on, then I get another message that my customer service representative has had a technical problem and a third representative comes on. I am beginning to wonder if they are actually AI chatbots rather than people. All three have names suggestive of the Indian Subcontinent, and I begin to wonder if the names have been selected to be suggestive of a call center in Bombay. Again, they can't cancel.

And on July 2, I get a tracking number it has shipped by USPS!

The weird thing is that USPS tracking says it is originating in Louisville, Kentucky. That's where importcds.com has they fulfillment center (as well as some other CD online stores). I've never seen that origin for an amazon.com shipment. Makes me wonder if Amazon is subcontracting out some of their CD fulfillment to an outside vendor.

Finally, do I need this set? I was tempted because it is so inexpensive, and I thought I already had it, but I found out it was the Belcea I had, not the Ebene. These two ensembles are cross-wired in my brain, for some reason.

Sounds like you're having all sorts of fun!

Wondering if they are experiencing staffing shortages?  Or did UPS strike? https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/07/19/ups-teamsters-strike-amazon-deliveries/70427834007/

PD

[Brian]

Uh-oh. Amazon USA has lost its listing for the Blomstedt box set. If I click on this (which was saved in my Wishlist), it takes me to a 404.

[Spotted Horses]

Uh-oh. Amazon USA has lost its listing for the Blomstedt box set. If I click on this (which was saved in my Wishlist), it takes me to a 404.

It is no longer a global store release, but a US pre-order for the end of September.

B0CDHJ6D4W

The picture seems to be wrong. Another example of Amazon's sloppy curation of listings.

[DavidW]

Or did UPS strike? https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/07/19/ups-teamsters-strike-amazon-deliveries/70427834007/

PD

PD Amazon uses usps not ups to ship items (excepting large ones).

Amazon is really trash now.  Their store is now filled with cheap Chinese knockoffs from no name brands.  They're not the cheapest.  And they have this slimy habit of loading up search results with sponsored items that might not even have anything to do with what you searched for.  They are really on a race to the bottom.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

PD Amazon uses usps not ups to ship items (excepting large ones).

Amazon is really trash now.  Their store is now filled with cheap Chinese knockoffs from no name brands.  They're not the cheapest.  And they have this slimy habit of loading up search results with sponsored items that might not even have anything to do with what you searched for.  They are really on a race to the bottom.

I've noticed that too re searches--too much junk that has nothing to do with what I'm trying to find.

PD

[The new erato]

I've been off amazon for 4 years now. Don't miss it. I support presto and my local bookshops, would miss them if they disappear. Amazon and Bezoz, not so much. Best thing about Bezoz is how his ex-wife is using her divorce proceedings.

[Madiel]

There are several reasons I don't like Amazon, but when it comes to classical music specifically the biggest one is that I just don't trust many of their listings.

They show every sign of not being able to handle the importance of different performers of the same music. Sure, you'll get Beethoven's 5th symphony, but who will be playing it? The number of listings where the text and the cover don't match, or where the CD listing and the mp3 listing don't match, is just way too high.

If I want a marketplace I much prefer eBay. Of course, eBay has its share of poor listings, but it also has a lot of good ones and much more sense that the individual seller is responsible for the quality.

Because being that kind of marketplace is eBay's core business. Amazon added it to its different model, and to my mind the seams still show. eBay's own transition from auctions and bidding to having a lot more flat price items for sale feels much smoother.

[Spotted Horses]

Certainly their search function is a mess (not just for classical) but ususally I know exactly what I am looking for, so that's not a show stopper.  In the U.S. they often have the lowest prices for new release big box sets, and I typically am more likely to find a used CD, DVD or blu ray disc for a good price on Amazon Marketplace than eBay. So I find myself using them more often than not.

My current circumstances make reading physical books impossible, and early on I adopted Amazon Kindle as my provider of ebooks. I had an actual Kindle about a decade ago (still around somewhere) but I use a variety of Kindle Apps for reading (iPad, iPhone, MacOS). I don't know what the alternative would be, except for maybe Apple Books, which I don't use.

[DavidW]

Because being that kind of marketplace is eBay's core business. Amazon added it to its different model, and to my mind the seams still show. eBay's own transition from auctions and bidding to having a lot more flat price items for sale feels much smoother.

Yes I tend to go with Ebay, Presto, JPC and a few others.  I will still sometimes order from Amazon but there are many great stores that offer prices as cheap if not cheaper than Amazon and shipping that is very fast.

[Madiel]

Certainly their search function is a mess (not just for classical) but ususally I know exactly what I am looking for, so that's not a show stopper.  In the U.S. they often have the lowest prices for new release big box sets, and I typically am more likely to find a used CD, DVD or blu ray disc for a good price on Amazon Marketplace than eBay. So I find myself using them more often than not.

My current circumstances make reading physical books impossible, and early on I adopted Amazon Kindle as my provider of ebooks. I had an actual Kindle about a decade ago (still around somewhere) but I use a variety of Kindle Apps for reading (iPad, iPhone, MacOS). I don't know what the alternative would be, except for maybe Apple Books, which I don't use.

It's not the search function that worries me. I, too, usually know exactly what I want. The issue is not finding a listing, it's BELIEVING it.

If the text lists one performer and the cover image lists a different one, which album is going to be shipped to me? I frankly can't be bothered finding out.

[Spotted Horses]

I have to say Prestoclassical is no longer attractive vendor for downloads. I was looking to purchase a lossless download of a Naxos release and was surprised to see it listed for $13.00. I'm sure the price for Naxos releases was lower in the recent past. I found the qobuz download store selling the same release for $5.99.

Now Qobuz seems to be selling Naxos downloads for about the same price as Prestoclassical, about $13.

I did find the Naxos releases I was looking for (Martinu/Koukl) on Chandos.net for a better price, but their payment system kept failing when I tried to use PayPal. Oh well, I'm back to buying used copies off eBay or amazon marketplace.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Now Qobuz seems to be selling Naxos downloads for about the same price as Prestoclassical, about $13.

I did find the Naxos releases I was looking for (Martinu/Koukl) on Chandos.net for a better price, but their payment system kept failing when I tried to use PayPal. Oh well, I'm back to buying used copies off eBay or amazon marketplace.

Which format were they allowing for at that price?

PD