Best Online Record Stores for New Vinyl

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Vinyljunkie22, Feb 15, 2021.

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  1. Vinyljunkie22

    Vinyljunkie22 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Couldn't find a previous thread about this. I mainly buy new vinyl and factoring in everything: availability, price, shipping, returns, etc...what are the overall BEST online retailers from which to purchase brand new vinyl? There are a million shops out there but they all seem kind of mediocre; no one really hits it out of park for everything mentioned above.
     
    DK Pete likes this.
  2. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    That's a great question. Add, how the albums are packed to those factors. I used to put all my faith in Sound Stage Direct before they "left". Since then, I rely on Amazon and a local indie record store near me that actually still specializes in new, sealed albums. It would be nice to have more options that are reliable on all fronts.
     
    Vinyljunkie22 likes this.
  3. hitmanhart408

    hitmanhart408 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami, FL
    by far my goto now are Music Direct and @The 'In' Groove at theingroove.com. I think in groove's packaging might be better than even MD.
     
  4. Vinyljunkie22

    Vinyljunkie22 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Amazon is fast but their packaging is hit or miss. I've gotten records in plastic bags and then I've gotten them triple boxed. It all depends on which warehouse they ship it from.
     
    uzn007 and DK Pete like this.
  5. hitmanhart408

    hitmanhart408 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami, FL
    Amazon is only good because of their return policy but otherwise it's hit or miss on how they will package the record. Now that Amazon charges me taxes there's really not much of a savings so I'd rather spend the $1-2 extra to get it from a solid source like I mentioned above.
     
  6. Vinyljunkie22

    Vinyljunkie22 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Amazon also does have a pretty good selection of everything. I heard though if you have too many returns they ban you. That's not good considering how bad the QC of vinyl is now. I would say there is something wrong with 50% of the new records I get.
     
  7. Nephrodoc

    Nephrodoc Forum Resident

    Acoustic Sounds is my all around go to.

    I order AP titles from AS.
    I order Mofi titles directly from Mofi

    No longer support Music Direct, their packaging was weak and they pushed back when I asked to exchange a warped Mofi album.
     
  8. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
  9. Nephrodoc

    Nephrodoc Forum Resident

    Amazon sent me a few albums in padded envelopes! All 4 corners were bent.
     
  10. The 'In' Groove

    The 'In' Groove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Thank you! Wait till you see the new mailer I'm designing. I'll have it in about 3-4 weeks. Twice as heavy as the current mailer.
     
  11. Vinyljunkie22

    Vinyljunkie22 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    In my dreams there exists a magical website with every f•cking record ever made, always in stock, at cheap prices, with fast shipping, and no defects. Then I wake up.

    Reality?

    Sold Out. Expensive. Sh*tty pressings. Bad customer service. Slow shipping.
     
  12. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Your local vinyl store. Support your local business....:whistle:
     
  13. Vinyljunkie22

    Vinyljunkie22 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Sadly all the local stores suck. I actually prefer to buy in person b/c it's much more satisfying than simply clicking Buy Now on a website. The closet "good" one is an hour away from me. The last time I was there I spent $120. It's probably better for my bank account that it is far away though.
     
    Classic Car Guy likes this.
  14. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Yeah I know. Sorry I was just messing around...:hide:
     
  15. cdash99

    cdash99 Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    Isn’t there a cross ownership relationship between Mofi and Music Direct? I forget which company owns which, but I’d think that the packaging would be similar, especially if Mofi drop ships items ordered through Music Direct.
     
  16. Nephrodoc

    Nephrodoc Forum Resident

    My last order came double boxed, practically bulletproof! Can’t wait to the new mailers!
     
  17. Ultimate Sinner

    Ultimate Sinner New Member

    Location:
    GA
    Same here. Amazon prices $20 above the store price for certain LPs.

    Any idea where all the new KISS colored vinyl is arriving from directly? I grabbed a few at Walmart but it looks like the whole KISS catalog is out on colored vinyl and EBay & Amazon prices are outrageous
     
  18. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    I'd say about 75% of my new vinyl that I don't buy in local stores is coming direct from the label or band via Bandcamp. They get more of the money that way too: all of the money if you buy on Bandcamp Friday.
     
  19. ScramMan2

    ScramMan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR
    Correct. Music Direct owns Mofi.
     
  20. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I've bought a lot from Plaid Room Records, as already mentioned.

    These guys are good, too, and offer 15% off on the first Saturday of each month (sorry I'm a day late on that one): Home | Monster Music & Movies

    I've also bought from these guys successfully: Home | Main Street Vinyl

    All three are reliable and use good packaging. Overall, it seems like I've gotten more records with minor defects (e.g. slight dishing or edge warps) from Amazon than these smaller places, which could be due to the stock sitting in warehouses instead of in a climate-controlled store.
     
    GentleSenator likes this.
  21. cabkab

    cabkab Member

    Location:
    florida
    Palm Beach Vinyl
    Palm Beach Vinyl - Vintage Records, Buy Records Online, Sell Records

    Visual shopping experience with pictures of the ACTUAL albums front and back. Accurate if not a little conservative. Whiplash style oversized mailers and $4 flat shipping per order. Weekly record drops and frequent coupons included in shipments and via text.
     
  22. kings81

    kings81 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    That's what I'm worried about. I wonder if Ebay is similar?
     
  23. HarryB

    HarryB Well-Known Member

    I really like Theingroove.com
     
  24. HarryB

    HarryB Well-Known Member

    I ordered a record from Mofi, it arrived with seam splits and bent corners. I contacted them and they pretty much just said "if you want it mint, buy locally" so I don't buy from them anymore.
     
  25. Nephrodoc

    Nephrodoc Forum Resident

    Yes, Music Direct is not very helpful in my experiences if you need support. I sent back to warped record and they claimed it wasn’t warped, even after I sent them a video of it on my turntable!
    After all the $$ I spent there, this is the last email I got from:

    “As we are a mail order company, we unfortunately cannot cater to collector level expectations as the margin on LPs is small and shipping back and forth is costly. We kindly ask collectors to shop locally where they can thoroughly inspect LPs prior to purchase.”
     
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