Import CDs is just a storefront for Alliance Entertainment (?) which also runs Deep Discount, Movie Mars, and many others. Its all 1 company that makes it look like many
New sale is up on ImportCDs site. Promo code is TENOFF to save 10% - no minimum purchase - expires at 5 PM Central time Nov 12.
It's my understanding that Movie Mars isn't owned by the Alliance conglomerate. Which is why they are constantly trying to undercut the Alliance outlets in pricing. Alliance bought up most of its competition so they could control media pricing across the net.
I don't think they are owned by them as it takes at least 2x the amount of time to get something in the mail from Movie Mars. It almost seems like they ship from over seas. Every order I place with them takes days just for them to actually ship it out. Their handling time is among the longest of any major seller.
Movie Mars definitely feels like its own entity, but it's a pretty strange operation. FWIW, whenever they list something on ebay or Amazon Marketplace for sale, chances are you can go directly to their website and get it for even less (with shipping included). The catch is that their website has a ton of problems. It's barebones and it doesn't run properly. I get items added to my cart when I'm trying to click to another search, and sometimes I get warnings that it's not safe to load the page. So it feels like a very buggy site that may or may note be prone to hacking. Payments are done via PayPal though so at least you get a layer of protection from that as a back-up.
I have problems with the ImportCDs site too. For this sale just because an item in my cart says in-stock doesn't mean it is. I have to go to the item, remove it from my cart, then add it back in again. It might show in-stock, out of stock, or disappear from my cart entirely.
The best way to double check if it is in stock is to go to their ebay page and look there. For some reason their ebay item listing is more accurate for what is in stock than their webpage. I do that every time before placing an order because I've had plenty of items from their site that looked to be in stock that weren't. This applies to CD's and vinyl only, as their ebay store doesn't sell DVDs or Bluray.
I called ImportCDs and talked to Andrea. She said no, "the cart doesn't update itself", as if that's normal.
Watch out for these guys, they fly under several different names. A little digging turned this up on the BBB. DirectToU, Inc. | Complaints | Better Business Bureau® Profile
Their customer service is not the best. A few years ago I ordered a bunch of LPs from ImportCDs during on of their big sales and they stiffed me on an album. The packing slip said that they shipped 6 records and only 5 were in the package. I complained and never got a response. About 6 months later I ordered some LPs during another sale. They sent me two shipments of the same order and I was never charged for the second order. I felt that we were even. :—)
I have bought a lot from import cds and I've only had one problem. I ordered a package of 6 lps one time and they sent me 7. Hey, maybe they sent me yours
When trying to place an order (at 10pm PST on Nov.11) the site says the TENOFF code has expired, even though it’s supposed to be valid until 5pm EST on Nov.12
Yeah. That's weird. The banner is still there on the ImportCDs homepage, with the correct info (exp. 11/12/20 @ 5:00 PM EST). A glitch? or somebody at ImportCDs invalidated it prematurely? I'd give it another try further on during the day. Either that or call a rep at ImportCDs to find out what's going on. - Somebody, here, must have their phone number. EDIT : From Google - phone number is 949-225-1170 . (This goes to Alliance Entertainment) supposedly 24 / 7 but I wouldn't guarantee it.
yes , noticed that . In a way waiting so long has made my choices easier. At least half of the stuff on my list is now Back Ordered, narrowing the field. Electric, what’s been your experience with taxes/fees coming over the border? I got whacked for $15 on my last shipment worth about $110USD. Wondering if there is a size, weight, value threshold to be wary of
Customs fees vary depending on how they ship. My last order all came individually through Canada Post. So no issues. I believe that if a shipment is under $20 (?) it's not stopped by Customs. Time before that was DHL and I was able to clear the shipment myself as the Customs office is near me. Time before that was through RR Donnelly who are just horrible. Took forever to arrive and they added their own fee on top of Customs fees - a real mess which I complained about and got ImportCDs to refund. I just tried to place my order and it wouldn't go through. Site said call my CC who said the problem was with ImportCDs. Called them and did an order over the phone. BTW, the site is so clunky. I found before you try to place an order you have to select each item in your cart, go to the item and remove it and add it back in again to find out if it's really in-stock or not.
That last shipment was RRD, wish I’d thought to complain for a refund. It was two Be Bop Deluxe box sets plus a half dozen single discs, in an unnecessarily large carton. I assume that triggered it being shipped by RRD. A forum friend from here in Delta orders all the time, never been whacked yet but his orders usually small enough to come by mail. I miss having my shipments sent to Point Roberts
So what's the deal w that overarching corporation - where the sites have different content and price points? They benefit by getting a bit more here than there?
