# Alternatives to Amazon?



## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

I'm noticing that Amazon seems to be listing fewer second-hand CDs from third-party sellers (and those it does list are going up in price). 
Can anyone recommend a good alternative site for buying used classical CDs (UK-based, or at least shipping to the UK)? Thanks!


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

eBay!!!!!!!!!! Amazing bargains can be had, and in 20 years of purchasing ebay cds, I have never had to return one!


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Check out Discogs.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> Check out Discogs.


I, too, would recommend Discogs. I've purchased from the site, from a number of sellers, and have always been well satisfied with the results.

You might look to F.Y.E. (For Your Entertainment, at www.fye.com/ ) as well. Good deals are available. Just plug "Used CDs" into the search box.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

JPC Germany, no secondhand but loads of bargains.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I don't know where arkivmusic is based, but that is a great resource for classical music fans.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Amazon seem to have alienated (or purged?) their small sellers (usually selling used items) and are only left with the larger ones who often give a really lousy service and are able to sell for higher prices now because the competition has gone. I used to buy from Amazon a lot but I never go there now. My last few experiences were uniformly bad. Discogs is good, especially for unusual items, and has many good sellers. But eBay can often be simpler and cheaper: it doesn't have the range but I always check it first.


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## NLAdriaan (Feb 6, 2019)

www.prestomusic.com in the UK. Sells only new music, but in the current market new often beats used prices. The extra hurdle in buying used music (also from Amazon) one by one are the international shipping cost. As mentioned before, Discogs is a good alternative for used. Ebay only for very specific recordings, as it is quite a hurdle to search and deal.
For exotic or hard to find CD's, I sometimes go to hmv.co.jp in Japan. Great choice and prices are often better as expected.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I don't find much diminution at Amazon. Other sources I used besides those listed:

*CD and LP* similar to Discogs
*Music Stack *a place that sometimes also links buyers to sellers that will make LP-to-CD versions
*Japan CD* sells only new but can be a source for Japan-only recordings
I haven't shopped *Second Spin* in a long time but they're still around though not particularly sophisticated. I just searched Beethoven there and got some CDs and the movie about the dog.

For CD remakes of classic recordings in improved sound …

*High Definition Tape Transfers*
*Pristine Classical*
*Haydn House* though their sound isn't always as good as the other two

I used to shop *hmv.co.jp in Japan* but when I load that address now nothing happens.

I find *Presto Music* a good source and often less expensive than competitors.

*Ebay* is good but usually more expensive than Amazon.

*Arkiv Music* contracts to redo out-of-print recordings and is often very expensive

When shopping Amazon and ebay don't forget they have outlets in other countries. It used to be easy to jump from Amazon USA to Amazon UK, Germany, Italy or Japan but now you have to type in an address. Ditto for ebay. Not everyone ships internationally; you find out when you go to buy when red type comes up. You can translate that through Bing Translator or any other translation service if you don't speak the language.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

........................


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

NLAdriaan said:


> www.prestomusic.com in the UK. Sells only new music, but in the current market new often beats used prices. The extra hurdle in buying used music (also from Amazon) one by one are the international shipping cost. As mentioned before, Discogs is a good alternative for used. Ebay only for very specific recordings, as it is quite a hurdle to search and deal.


Surprising! I haven't had any difficulty with eBay. The search facility works fine (I suppose you do need to know what you are looking for - its not so great for browsing classical CDs) and dealing could hardly be easier. Mostly you choose and pay. Sometimes a seller indicates a willingness to consider offers in which case you can try to arrive at an agreement for a cheaper price through a simple message facility. Or for items that are up for auction (which is rare for classical CDs as they tend to be slow sellers) you can participate in that and sometimes get a great bargain. You can also look at a sellers whole "shop" and make offers on multiple purchases - saving a lot on the individual prices. Presto are good - I like their website - but their prices are quite high even for their special offers.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

It's worth noting that many Arkiv titles are CDRs, not CDs, so be sure to check. I have several of their CDRs of out-of-print titles, as I can obtain them no other way. They sound fine, but are CDRs.


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## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

mbhaub said:


> eBay!!!!!!!!!! Amazing bargains can be had, and in 20 years of purchasing ebay cds, I have never had to return one!


Same here........


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## Faramundo (Jul 16, 2016)

Discogs proposes me a CD Box at 25 dollars, I confirm the order; they send me a modified invoice including shipment (not mentionned at the onset) 25 + 25 = 50 bucks ! I sent a cancellation message, this is plain rip-off !!


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## Oakey (Nov 19, 2017)

Faramundo said:


> Discogs proposes me a CD Box at 25 dollars, I confirm the order; they send me a modified invoice including shipment (not mentionned at the onset) 25 + 25 = 50 bucks ! I sent a cancellation message, this is plain rip-off !!


That's not Discogs wrongdoing, but the individual seller's policy. I use both eBay and Discogs only for very specific recordings (classical and pop) as shipping cost tend to be sky high (as in 'first CD $15, every additional CD $3') for international shipping. Make sure you always check the shipping cost *before* you purchase anything on Discogs. Amazon is way less expensive for second hand CDs. It's mostly the UK, France and Germany sites that offer the best deals for me (alhough the shipping cost from Germany also tend to be high, which is interesting as I live about 4km from the German border ). US sellers often do not ship to Europe.

One also has to realize that the demand for second hand (and new!) CDs has plummeted in recent years, especially for classical titles. Second hand classical CDs are really flooding the market, everybody who tries to sell second hand CDs knows that. That's probably why less and less sellers list these on the various Amazon sites.

The nice thing about this is that OOP titles that were really expensive a few years back can be found at much lower prices now on Amazon. Yesterday bought the 3CD Deutsche Grammophon sets of Orff's Antigonae and Oedipus Der Tyrann from the 1990 20th Century Classics series for €10.50 and €16.50 including P&P (The latter from Amazon.de which had a shipping rate of €7 for this box).


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Visit the library branches in your town. Many of them sell CDs for a dollar each. I picked up quite a few good classical titles this past year.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Steve Wright said:


> I'm noticing that Amazon seems to be listing fewer second-hand CDs from third-party sellers (and those it does list are going up in price).
> Can anyone recommend a good alternative site for buying used classical CDs (UK-based, or at least shipping to the UK)? Thanks!


melomania https://www.melomania.com/en/

fnac https://www.fnac.com/musique.asp

Gibert Joseph https://www.gibert.com/musique-2-1850.html


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Here's an alternative to Amazon:

Whale of a cd sale continues...

Opera and Vocal CDs - Stuff your Stockings

:tiphat:


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Try Berkshire Record Outlet.

https://www.broinc.com/

Princeton Record Exchange.

https://www.prex.com/


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Alfacharger said:


> Try Berkshire Record Outlet.
> 
> https://www.broinc.com/
> 
> ...


They sell SACDs very cheap. I bought Skrowaczewski's Beethoven cycle there very cheap. And that's a hard one to find.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> Check out Discogs.





Faramundo said:


> Discogs proposes me a CD Box at 25 dollars, I confirm the order; they send me a modified invoice including shipment (not mentionned at the onset) 25 + 25 = 50 bucks ! I sent a cancellation message, this is plain rip-off !!





Oakey said:


> That's not Discogs wrongdoing, but the individual seller's policy. ... Make sure you always check the shipping cost *before* you purchase anything on Discogs.


I've dealt with Discogs for some years now, never with a problem. And I've added some intriguing pieces to my collection from using that source. My own collection is catalogued with Discogs and I've added well over a thousand discs as new submissions on the site.

Yes, check individual sellers' guidelines carefully prior to purchase, and always expect that there will be shipping charges. Remember that Discogs is a marketplace for individual sellers. I have not opened a selling site yet, but am considering it as I ponder my ever growing collection, my ever diminishing space, and an absolute need to start some major downsizing.

One of the best things about Discogs is that one should be able to expect an exact disc from the seller. By "exact" I mean a specific pressing. Some discs, especially the popular ones, have multiple versions or releases. Some of these are of better quality or of greater collection value than others. One of the purposes for Discogs is to delineate each of these different pressings/releases/reissues in a separate listing, so you know exactly which one you are getting when you order. Sometimes this may not be important, but other times it is. (I collect copies of Dave Brubeck's _Time Out_ album, as an example, and I've used Discogs to track down versions I wanted to add to my collection. There are a great man of that particular album.)

Discogs sellers often offer deals, as well, especially when one orders a certain number of discs. Costs may go down or shipping disappear. I've utilized these particular sellers at times, with great success.

Also, as there are con artists everywhere, I suspect there are some at Discogs. I have not run across them, and I've had dealings with quite a few of the listers/sellers there. I assume most of the folks are serious about collecting vinyl discs and CDs, and I like to think they count me in that category as well.

So, don't be discouraged if you've had a bad experience with Discogs. I trust them more than I trust ebay. The Discogs folks appreciate keeping their site on the up and up. If you have a legitimate complaint, let the Moderators know. They do send communiques to listers. Meanwhile, take another look over the Discogs listings. You may be surprised at what is all available there. I know I am.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I can't say I'm impressed with Discogs. When I typed Johann Sebastian Bach in the search engine, what came out was mostly non-Bach cd's. I don't want to deal with all their extraneous offerings.

I'll stick with ArkivMusic which is exclusively classical. Prices are on the high side, but that's not a concern for me.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

duplicate post …..


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Arkiv is competitive on a number of CDs and box sets, but they can also be 30-40 percent higher so I'm not going to waste my money. I check all the vendors before buying.


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## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

starthrower said:


> Visit the library branches in your town. Many of them sell CDs for a dollar each. I picked up quite a few good classical titles this past year.


Local library got rid of cd's about 10 years ago.


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## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

EBay has good prices. I got the Mozart edition for 110 including shipping and the Haydn edition for under 100 dollars including shipping.


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## Oakey (Nov 19, 2017)

Johnnie Burgess said:


> Local library got rid of cd's about 10 years ago.


In my library, inlays are full of stickers with a second hand look (if booklets are still complete that is) and CD surfaces scratched all over. Plenty of other places to find NM CDs for $1


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## Rmathuln (Mar 21, 2018)

Enthusiast said:


> Amazon seem to have alienated (or purged?) their small sellers (usually selling used items) and are only left with the larger ones who often give a really lousy service and are able to sell for higher prices now because the competition has gone. I used to buy from Amazon a lot but I never go there now. My last few experiences were uniformly bad. Discogs is good, especially for unusual items, and has many good sellers. But eBay can often be simpler and cheaper: it doesn't have the range but I always check it first.


Purged is the right word.
All but a handful were banned from selling music there a few years ago.
Now requires an application and a $40 per month fee.
I believe they did this because of a high incidence of fraud and high cost of complaint mitigation.


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Rmathuln said:


> Purged is the right word.
> All but a handful were banned from selling music there a few years ago.
> Now requires an application and a $40 per month fee.
> I believe they did this because of a high incidence of fraud and high cost of complaint mitigation.


I was a VERY small-volume seller until they blocked me from selling "Popular Music" which for some reason included most classical CDs on major labels. Yet the fraud problems persist with my own orders in categories such as electronics and technical books. Very clear what was happening so I just killed my seller account completely about a year ago.

As a buyer I'm noticing some new developments I don't like, just in the last month or two. Many new CDs, even on major labels, are not available directly from Amazon or with Prime service. So while small 3rd-party sellers are getting the boot, some of the big ones - like skyvo-direct - are assuming Amazon's backroom operations as a distributor. And the "auto-rip" bonus on many CDs is not available unless the item is shipped by Amazon directly.

I'd only had a vague feeling about this but when I considered getting the new Capucon / Wang CD it became more obvious. I wonder if these are temporary contractual issues with the labels or if Amazon is just devolving for the customer once again.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Alfacharger said:


> Princeton Record Exchange.
> 
> https://www.prex.com/


A wonderful store if you're in Princeton, but they don't sell online.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I have great luck with Ebay. Tons of great deals.

I also am lucky enough to live close to several brick and mortar shops that have quite large used classical sections. 

Amoeba Hollywood has a particularly large classical section, with a large avant garde section also. Lots of used CD's and vinyl at low prices. 

Fairly close to Amoeba is Counterpoint records and books. I always seem to find some gems there too.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I agree that the Princeton Record Exchange is a very good store to buy used classical CDs, although what you'll find there varies, depending on the week or month, as it all depends on what used merchandise they happen to be buying and stocking their shelves with at the time. In other words, sometimes the shelves are more depleted than at other times. What I like most about the Princeton Record Exchange is that they don't mark up rare and out of print recordings, like Amazon vendors do. So, it's an excellent place to find out of print CDs at a fair price, especially in their discount bins (if you have the patience to go through all that).

For example, the last time I was there, they had two used copies of Kyril Kondrashin's Shostakovich Symphony 1-15 box set cycle, which they were selling at prices that were no different from any of the other used sets--unlike Amazon, where Kondrashin's Shostakovich will cost you an arm and a leg. I also found a very rare used Japanese import box set of Eugen Jochum's Staatskapelle Dresden Bruckner cycle at a reasonable price (likely thanks to some Asian student or professor at the University), as they only mark up items that are new. However, as WKasimir points out, they don't sell online, so you have to make a special trip to go there.

What I like least about the Exchange if that the employees will sometimes play the most horrendously awful, far fringe heavy metal music (if you can even call it that) very loudly in the store. They did so the last time I was there (which is now many years ago), and to my surprise the Czech pianist Ivan Moravec was also there looking through the classical CDs, as he was giving a concert on campus and teaching a master class. Poor Moravec. I felt so embarrassed that he had to be subjected to that. Fortunately he didn't stay long.

However, if you're in the New York City or Philadelphia areas, a train ride (via Amtrak, Septa,+/or New Jersey Transit) to Princeton makes a pleasant day out of the city. And there are lots of things to do there other than the Princeton Record Exchange (though it will probably take you at least a couple of hours to go through all the used CDs, and if you search through the discount bins even longer), such as visiting the Princeton Art Museum, the McCarter Theater, music concerts on campus, a small movie theater on Nassau Street, and some excellent restaurants & coffee shops, and (the last time I was there) two good bookstores in town (one for used books, the other for new books).

The other place that I like for used classical CDs is Academy Records & CDs on 18th street in New York City. Again, you never know what you'll find there, but I usually don't walk away empty handed. Unlike the Princeton Record Exchange, Academy does sell online (& via Amazon), however, they mark up their prices for rare and out of print merchandise. Another negative is that the recordings that they sell online represent only a small fraction of what they actually sell in the store itself, and the online selections are usually their pricier items.

By the way, you can also sell for cash or trade in (for store credit) your used CDs or entire CD or LP collections at either store.

https://www.academy-records.com/
https://www.prex.com/

Otherwise, if you don't have access to these areas, I'd say your best bet is eBay (& Amazon), along with Presto Classical, if you're open to buying new CDs (as Presto is usually less expensive than Archiv Music & Amazon Prime--though the outside Amazon vendors are usually cheaper than Presto).


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I used to get great deals at Half.com but they were absorbed into Ebay a few years ago.


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