Ranking online record sources
- Thread starter JeffM
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Captain Bacardi
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Dave
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I've gone from regularly being a frequent buyer at GEMM, to making MusicStack my main source...
Discogs has a marketplace, of which I can at least easily post what my current wants are... And although no one has yet notified me of any "finds", I do appreciate the idea of what is a good Online source of records, displayed in showing covers, labels, sleeves, etc. as quickly as they can be submitted, to actually ordering stuff from it! (And just WHY haven't I really bothered picking up these actual discs those two decades ago, when I'd seen 'em, as opposed to now ordering them from miles away?!)
But at any rate, Discogs just needs to be something I'm as in the habit with as GEMM and Musicstack are/were...
As for eBay, although bidding wars are as good with Dollars, as a real war can be with Artillery, prices get steep, and there can be the statistical damage to a valuable item poorly packaged (I've had what I DIDN'T ORDERarrive in the expected shape, while what I did, unfortunately was used as the padding but at least arrived in the expected cond. which was "VG+" all along)...
But for what good the finds when the prices when reasonable, and me being the only one in the world who cared about what I bidded on that I actually got the item for the original proposed amount ($$$FIVE DOLLARS$$$, even when anteing up as much as $15 or $20) and let's just say the seller was a mensch as in the item arriving as though he himself hand-delivered it right to my door, I will admit that eBay has been tops, #1 as my best source for getting lot of my most recent finds, in reflecting my new-found musical interests...
I really should consider buying my next car there, too!
-- Dave
Discogs has a marketplace, of which I can at least easily post what my current wants are... And although no one has yet notified me of any "finds", I do appreciate the idea of what is a good Online source of records, displayed in showing covers, labels, sleeves, etc. as quickly as they can be submitted, to actually ordering stuff from it! (And just WHY haven't I really bothered picking up these actual discs those two decades ago, when I'd seen 'em, as opposed to now ordering them from miles away?!)
But at any rate, Discogs just needs to be something I'm as in the habit with as GEMM and Musicstack are/were...
As for eBay, although bidding wars are as good with Dollars, as a real war can be with Artillery, prices get steep, and there can be the statistical damage to a valuable item poorly packaged (I've had what I DIDN'T ORDERarrive in the expected shape, while what I did, unfortunately was used as the padding but at least arrived in the expected cond. which was "VG+" all along)...
But for what good the finds when the prices when reasonable, and me being the only one in the world who cared about what I bidded on that I actually got the item for the original proposed amount ($$$FIVE DOLLARS$$$, even when anteing up as much as $15 or $20) and let's just say the seller was a mensch as in the item arriving as though he himself hand-delivered it right to my door, I will admit that eBay has been tops, #1 as my best source for getting lot of my most recent finds, in reflecting my new-found musical interests...
I really should consider buying my next car there, too!
-- Dave
GEMM I don't use anymore since their search is nearly impossible to use. You get thousands of hits for the simplest of searches and last I looked, they had some strange method of paying (that was ages ago). Discogs is more organized and more "social", a lot more useful. I like how they separate the various releases. I'm looking for a NM or M- copy of Rush's Moving Pictures on vinyl, which is surprisingly very hard to find, and it shows me the various releases around the world and in the US and Canada, including promos and those crappy record club pressings (so I know to avoid them). That is more valuable to me than anything else.
All of these, however, are just a collective of individual sellers. So the actual transaction and shipping experience varies widely.
I personally think that many eBay sellers are clueless or just plain dishonest in their listings--I have read so many complaints about how far off the vinyl condition was from the Goldmine ratings the seller used. (And I've even heard the same for CDs, some arriving scratched with creased booklets when advertised as "like new".)
On Amazon, they are not really set up to sell vinyl properly--I use Amazon primarily to buy new vinyl, although I did locate an excellent NM copy of the Genesis We Can't Dance on vinyl! I ordered it through Amazon UK, but the "system" is the same. Having said that, over the years I have ordered many CDs and books, and I'd say the vast majority have arrived as described, shipped quickly, and I've had no complaints. I never had a serious seller issue, in fact. My only issue with Amazon in the EU is that they ship via DHL, and without fail, the DHL-handled orders take weeks if not well over a month to arrive, and often damaged.
One story I like to mention is when I ordered two 180g Beatles reissues on vinyl--these were the US-produced versions (pressed at Rainbo
), and they came with many flaws, including scratches and a skip! I mentioned it to the seller, and they said to first try Amazon's "A to Z Guarantee" and within hours, Amazon had issued me a refund. Their customer service I've found to be very helpful and accommodating, especially given the volume I used to spend there.
In another instance, I had ordered a $5 diode to repair the practically brand new microwave I had picked up via the local Freecycle list (for free). Turns out I didn't test the original diode correctly (it needed more voltage than my multimeter put out), and was going to return the new one. As I went through the return process, I was greeted with a page that essentially said, "Keep it! It's on us!" I looked online at some of the electronics wholesalers, and found the wholesale price in bulk was between 69 and 99 cents...it would cost Amazon more than that to process a return. So I can see why they'd rather have me keep it. I've tucked it into a small envelope and taped it inside the case for future use. (And the real problem? One of the three safety switches had burned out. It is the one switch where the entire current of the microwave goes through it. I bought all three safety switches locally for under $10 including tax.)
All of these, however, are just a collective of individual sellers. So the actual transaction and shipping experience varies widely.
I personally think that many eBay sellers are clueless or just plain dishonest in their listings--I have read so many complaints about how far off the vinyl condition was from the Goldmine ratings the seller used. (And I've even heard the same for CDs, some arriving scratched with creased booklets when advertised as "like new".)
On Amazon, they are not really set up to sell vinyl properly--I use Amazon primarily to buy new vinyl, although I did locate an excellent NM copy of the Genesis We Can't Dance on vinyl! I ordered it through Amazon UK, but the "system" is the same. Having said that, over the years I have ordered many CDs and books, and I'd say the vast majority have arrived as described, shipped quickly, and I've had no complaints. I never had a serious seller issue, in fact. My only issue with Amazon in the EU is that they ship via DHL, and without fail, the DHL-handled orders take weeks if not well over a month to arrive, and often damaged.
One story I like to mention is when I ordered two 180g Beatles reissues on vinyl--these were the US-produced versions (pressed at Rainbo
), and they came with many flaws, including scratches and a skip! I mentioned it to the seller, and they said to first try Amazon's "A to Z Guarantee" and within hours, Amazon had issued me a refund. Their customer service I've found to be very helpful and accommodating, especially given the volume I used to spend there. In another instance, I had ordered a $5 diode to repair the practically brand new microwave I had picked up via the local Freecycle list (for free). Turns out I didn't test the original diode correctly (it needed more voltage than my multimeter put out), and was going to return the new one. As I went through the return process, I was greeted with a page that essentially said, "Keep it! It's on us!" I looked online at some of the electronics wholesalers, and found the wholesale price in bulk was between 69 and 99 cents...it would cost Amazon more than that to process a return. So I can see why they'd rather have me keep it. I've tucked it into a small envelope and taped it inside the case for future use. (And the real problem? One of the three safety switches had burned out. It is the one switch where the entire current of the microwave goes through it. I bought all three safety switches locally for under $10 including tax.)
BTW, it wasn't mentioned specifically, but you can buy new records from a handful of reputable dealers, such as Music Direct, Acoustic Sounds, Soundstage Direct, Collectors Choice Music, and many others. They do not specifically deal in used records, although I have seen a small number trickling into Acoustic Sounds.
Just do a favor and avoid the "hot stamper guy"...
(I won't mention him or his company by name, but he's...ummm...notorious. 
)
Just do a favor and avoid the "hot stamper guy"...
(I won't mention him or his company by name, but he's...ummm...notorious. )- Status
