Amazon Marketplace

[Mirror Image]

I only buy from a few select sellers:

Sellers who I buy brand new, factory sealed items from:

ImportCDs (don't use them much anymore)
blowitoutahere (I use them for Hyperion, DG, Decca, Philips, and EMI)
classicalmusicsuperstore (my go to vendor for Naxos, Chandos, Ondine, Dacapo, and Warner Classics)

Sellers I buy used, like new items from that really understand what "like new" actually means:

Orpheus Classics
mouse8 (I haven't used seller in about a year, but when I see them and their item is the cheapest, I buy immediately)
birdkeeper (only had one problem with them in the past, but remains a reliable seller for me)
SecondStoryBooks (excellent seller who I've had zero problems with, great products)
zzy49 (the few times I've used them, which has been recently has proven to be good experience)
Fred's Collection (an honest seller that I've bought some rare recordings from)
dg25472

[DavidW]

Good list MI.  For me almost everything new I order from blowitoutahere, classicalmusicsuperstore, amazon, jpc, mdt and bro.

[Mirror Image]

Good list MI.  For me almost everything new I order from blowitoutahere, classicalmusicsuperstore, amazon, jpc, mdt and bro.

Trust me, it took me several years to get this down to where it is. I've given sellers like Caiman (remember them?) and MovieMars so many chances to correct the error of their ways but they never did, so I never bought from them again. I think Caiman isn't a seller anymore or went out-of-business. I'm not sure.

[DavidW]

I remember Caiman... but not if I liked or hated them.  I have a feeling hate.  I think they listed things they didn't have and wasted peoples time, much like MovieMarz actually!

[karlhenning]

To be fair to the UK, whenever I order from mdt I have it within a week.  Zoverstocks takes several days just to mail out their orders.  Not very prompt, but they're cheap.

Aye. Chap I once worked with told me of a shop where he had been earlier, they had a great sign:

FAST
GOOD
CHEAP

Choose any two

So, no, I don't mind the wait, as I am pleased with the price.

[DavidW]

Love that, just like "Work, Sleep, Play-- pick two"

[Brahmsian]

For Amazon Canada marketplace sellers, I've used Caiman, ImportCDs.com and Rarewaves.ca

I'm sure I've used others, but these are the ones I remember.  Never a problem so far.

[Coopmv]

For Amazon Canada marketplace sellers, I've used Caiman, ImportCDs.com and Rarewaves.ca

I'm sure I've used others, but these are the ones I remember.  Never a problem so far.

Is Caiman still around?  ImportCD is notorious for its cheap packaging, 7 out 10 orders I have received from it has busted CD's cases ...

[Kontrapunctus]

I can safely recommend Avatar Music in England and Medimops in Germany. Both often are the only source for small labels...good prices and just the standard shipping fees. ImportCDs, Blowitouttahere and ClassicalMusicSuperstore are also excellent, as others have stated. I'm ClassicCDs...100% positive ratings so far!

[Coopmv]

I can safely recommend Avatar Music in England and Medimops in Germany. Both often are the only source for small labels...good prices and just the standard shipping fees. ImportCDs, Blowitouttahere and ClassicalMusicSuperstore are also excellent, as others have stated. I'm ClassicCDs...100% positive ratings so far!

Do Avatar Music and Medimops charge the same $2.98 for shipping CD to the US?

[SonicMan46]

Is Caiman still around?  ImportCD is notorious for its cheap packaging, 7 out 10 orders I have received from it has busted CD's cases ...

Caiman disappeared months if not a year or more ago (not sure if they changed to a different name?) - I've ordered a lot of MP CDs from Europe (mainly England) and the $3 'service charge' is the same, so not an issue for me.  I've ordered from many different MP providers and generally if one if lesser known to me I rely on the ratings, i.e. if there are multiple reviews and the satisfaction is in the upper 90% range, then I've been comfortable purchasing from them.  Dave

[Coopmv]

Caiman disappeared months if not a year or more ago (not sure if they changed to a different name?) - I've ordered a lot of MP CDs from Europe (mainly England) and the $3 'service charge' is the same, so not an issue for me.  I've ordered from many different MP providers and generally if one if lesser known to me I rely on the ratings, i.e. if there are multiple reviews and the satisfaction is in the upper 90% range, then I've been comfortable purchasing from them.  Dave

I have only ordered from Europe-based MP vendors by accident and have generally steered clear of them, i.e. Fabulous CD turns out to be a European vendor but I did not know that.

[Cato]

Caiman disappeared months if not a year or more ago (not sure if they changed to a different name?) - I've ordered a lot of MP CDs from Europe (mainly England) and the $3 'service charge' is the same, so not an issue for me.  I've ordered from many different MP providers and generally if one if lesser known to me I rely on the ratings, i.e. if there are multiple reviews and the satisfaction is in the upper 90% range, then I've been comfortable purchasing from them.  Dave

Somebody on Amazon commented that Caiman seemed to have undergone a management change 2 or 3 years ago, then went downhill quickly in a year or two.

[kishnevi]

I have only ordered from Europe-based MP vendors by accident and have generally steered clear of them, i.e. Fabulous CD turns out to be a European vendor but I did not know that.

Fabulous CD is apparently the same as Abeille.  I've ordered from them twice, and received everything promptly and with no problems.  I have ordered from Medimops, encountered a problem (CD was in not as good a condition as stated), bickered, received an adjustment of a few dollars.  A little while ago I ordered another CD because they were the only ones to have it in stock, listed as new--this time there were no problems.  Beyond Zoverstocks being slow to ship, I have no problems with European vendors.  Last week I placed an order with a AmazonUK vendor who is based in England and Germany named Nagiry; that is currently in transit with me.

Stateside, I've ordered several times from ImportCDs, and have encountered no problems.  In fact, I have a CD in transit from them now (Shostakovich 11--Petrenko) which will probably arrive in the next couple of days.  I've ordered twice from classical music superstore--one time, it took them a week to ship the item; the second time was this week--ordered Tuesday, email saying it had been shipped was in my mailbox last night, and I received it today (Shostakovich 5 and 9--Petrenko and Vivaldi--Atenaide--Naive Edition).  The Amazon confimration of shipment email says that classical music superstore is actually Naxos of America doing business under that name;  and the physical address they use in Franklin TN is also one of the addresses used by Arkivmusic. (and I've had the same relatively situation of receiving the shipment almost immediately after the email announcing the shipment from Arkivmusic itself more than once).

Beyond the problem with Medimops and the couple of slow-to-ships I mentioned, I don't recall any problems with an Marketplace vendor in the US or Europe.  In fact, shipments from Amazon vendors are almost always quicker to get to me than those ordered directly from Amazon itself.

[Kontrapunctus]

Do Avatar Music and Medimops charge the same $2.98 for shipping CD to the US?

Correct--that's what I meant by the standard shipping fee.