I'm done with Amazon, what other online retailers do you use?

I order from bullmoose when I can. Feels like I'm supporting the 'little guy'.

 

Same here, especially with music. Since getting into Juliana Hatfield's music a few years ago, all the LP's of hers I have (4 so far) have come directly from American Laundromat Records. They're a great indie label and they do it right!

Acoustic Sounds, yes, they're great!

Same with Dinosaur Jr (records and t-shirts).

Otherwise I try to go with Discogs or (less and less so, eBay.

For most things, I try to shop locally (-ly added!), otherwise I'll order as direct to producer as I can or as last resort, eBay or maybe Etsy.

 

Music Direct. They have great shipping and customer service. They earned my loyalty.

However I also spend a lot (more) at my local shops.

 

My deal with pre-orders and Amazon goes back a while. The guy on my chat today confirmed he saw at least 3 prior instances where they failed to ship to me. Today, after my chat, they called me. Still no satisfaction, and I was given to a supervisor who did not comprehend the concept of "pre-order."
He tells me, "when you ordered this, the item didn't have a ship date." I remained calm throughout until he began talking over me then saying he wasn't.
EDIT: he also suggested I cancel my order and buy from someone else. That's why this thread exists.
Thanks for all the suggestions on bullmoose. I'm going to try them.

 

I may have missed this -

What particular items have you pre-ordered from Amazon, that they ended up cancelling...?
“Regular standard” CDs or Vinyl, limited edition, MSFL, One-Step, imports, or etc?

This info will help serve the rest of us, as a “pre-warning”....

 

Glad to hear it, and I can even sweeten the deal a little.
Their staff makes a genuine effort to get the highly-anticipated releases to their customers on the day they're released.
Some of us here have received our pre orders the day before, because they made sure they shipped well in advance.
They are really the best.

 

Standard CDs. That's all I buy. And not cancelled, delayed.

 

Got fed up with Amazon several years ago after being a long time steady, loyal customer. For music I buy from Bull Moose and ebay; cycling clothing from various online retailers and he same with running shoes - wherever I can get what I want at the lowest price.

 

What's going on with Amazon, anyway? Two of my last three orders have been delayed by several weeks, including one pre-order. (The one that did ship quickly was from a 3rd party.)

Are they purposely delaying "regular" orders in favor of Prime customers?

If I hadn't used my Amazon Chase Visa points to make these purchases, I would cancel them in a heartbeat.

 

The only reason I have not received a pre-ordered item from Amazon is when the item's release was canceled. If they don't get the product, it's impossible for them to ship it. Even Bezos hasn't figured out a way around that one, yet.

 

Every time I price-shop Amazon, ebay inevitably beats them mostly w/free shipping.

 

I'll take Amazon over Ebay every time.

 

I just went to Acoustic Sounds to place and order. I'm in the US and ECONOMY shipping(media mail) was $14.56 for ONE SACD!!! I tried to reload the order a couple of times but it stayed at that shipping rate. I ordered elsewhere.

I was a little cranky when I posted this and should have finished my coffee first. They obviously have a problem at least with my account today and shipping charges. I've had good service every time before and didn't want to let this early morning irritation appear to be a constant issue with them.

 

I love both Acoustic Sounds and Elusive Disc. However, I still use Amazon and feel like their customer service (in my experience) cannot be beat. For instance, I ordered the new John Coltrane deluxe 2LP set when it was announced. The price was $35.98. When it shipped, they only charged me $27.79, because the "following title decreased in price." That savings of $8.19 wasn't expected, but I'll take it!

 

That guy is a hack. He's cancelled my order more than once because he doesn't keep his stock updated.

 

That is ridiculous.

Order Processing/Shipping:

Our sophisticated warehouse utilizes the latest technological innovations to help ensure your order is out the door within 24 hours. Near-perfect accuracy is guaranteed by our computerized picking lists, handheld barcode scanners and barcode driven sorting machines. Our team of highly motivated employees watch over the entire process every step of the way.

We reserve the right to cancel any order at our sole discretion.

Help: Frequently Asked Questions on ImportCDs

 

I've purchased numerous box sets (many pre-ordered), cd's etc and never had a delay or issue. With that, I have never ordered LP's. Many issues may lie with the distribution of lower volume LP's...just a guess

 

Sorry to hear that. I've had about twenty orders without a problem.

 

Never - always better prices and service

 

Good results with Bullmoose too, here. Also, had excellent service from Euclid Records online in St. Louis once. They packed very well, item exactly as described, and quick shipping.

ImportCDs, DeepDiscount, Odd Banana are all owned by the largest US CD/LP distributor, Alliance Entertainment. I have had good results with them also, but keep in mind, if they don't have it, most likely others don't since they are often the supplier to many retailers.

 

I mostly buy factory sealed oop cd's. First I check Ebay, Amazon and then Discogs (almost always ridiculous prices at Discogs even if it's not that rare). If I don't find what I want at a reasonable price then I will use Google. Last week I found an impossibly rare Time Life cd from Hamiltonbook.com. It was listed as used but they sent me a new one - 10 bucks including shipping. I was unable to find even a used copy of this cd for 3 years, so a Google search can find some good stuff.

I no longer buy from Amazon direct. They always send cracked cases. I wait until I have enough in print stuff I want so the package will ship in a box and then I use importcds. They beat Amazon on price, ship in a box and no cracked cases.

 

That might not be Amazon's fault, could be music company,distributor, etc.

 

let me tell you about amazon UK:

new graham nash - 20 days shipping time.....20 days.......they could send it over in a bottle quicker.

 

There are two sites that I now use over Amazon as they have let me down a few times over the last 6 months or so, first place I check is What Records and then thete's Juno, both UK based and both very good in terms of delivery and packaging.

 

This happened to me as well . . . I think the resellers are Zoverstock and rarewaves, etc. However that may be, the prices are usually lower than most/all U.S. (re)sellers, and finally, the items always arrived.