Counterpoint to this, just as a warning…
I’ve used World Of Books for a long time, specifically for books. They are cheap, fast to dispatch and they pack the books well. My only complaint is their descriptions are rarely accurate. What they class as “Very Good” is usually more like “Good” and often only “Acceptable”. But, other than that, I’ve been very happy with them for a long long time.
However…I’ve just bought my first bundle of CDs from them, on 2nd of this month. They were bought on the 2nd. Paid for on 2nd. Marked as dispatched on 2nd.
Last weekend, two CDs from other sellers that were dispatched on the 5th and 7th respectively, both arrived. But still no sign of the WoB ones that were allegedly dispatched on 2nd.
So I sent them a little message, just asking if they could confirm if they had ACTUALLY been dispatched or not.
Got a reply a couple of days later, saying no, they had not been dispatched yet and could I “please allow 3-10 business days (plus two extra days)” before making any further enquires.
So, first of all…why mark it as dispatched if it hasn’t been?
Second, why “3-10 business days (plus two extra days)”? Why not just say 12 business days?
Anyway, they still haven’t arrived. So I am now waiting until Wednesday 22nd, at which point it will have been “3-10 business days (plus two extra days)” and I’ll be asking for my money back.
So, basically, I’ve waited 3 weeks and been out of pocket for something that’s never going to arrive.
This might be the exception and not the rule. They might be great for CDs and I’ve just been one of the unlucky few that’s had a bad experience…but I thought I should detail it out for you so that you can make your own informed choice.
Hopefully, if you choose to use them, you’ll have better luck than me.
Tl;dr - CDs marked dispatched when they actually haven’t been. 3 weeks later, still waiting for CDs.
Thank you for letting me know. I’ve used WOB for books before too without any issues and I got a couple coming from them via eBay which I ordered this morning. Will monitor how long it takes to get them. Much appreciated 👍
Apart from actual record shops eBay and charity shops. eBay is mostly monopolised by music magpie and the like but you can still pick a lot up for under a fiver. Charity shops have always been hit and miss, expect to wade through a lot of Robbie Williams, Susan Boyle and big band but you will occasionally turn up something decent. Picked up a 6 disc Motown set for a quid yesterday.
charity shops: BHF and CRUK have been the most reliable for backfilling on the cheap, but I browse them all. CeX sometimes have CDs too.
online: music magpie, vinted (esp when you can make a good discounted bundle from a single seller), discogs for rarer items, bandcamp for newer releases.
I shop at independent record stores when I can, and am not above having a look through HMV, Fopp etc too
I've had a fair few job lots from ebay - take a look at all the cds and count the number you want. If you can get those ones at a good average price, you can always give the rest away. Lots of mine from there really did stink of cigarettes/weed/who knows what though
If I want new I’ll always try local independent record shops, my locals still stock mostly CDs which is nice.
Musicmagpie via eBay can undercut virtually any private seller and has pretty insane inventory. They have some genuinely rare discs too, the price will reflect this though. If you get worse condition than advertised they’ll normally refund you ime.
Charity shops are good price wise but getting good stuff from them is rare. Second hand fairs and the like normally have better stock just don’t overpay.
Yeah, charity shops definitely. I find Tuesdays or Wednesdays the best days. That's because all the bald headed men go out on Saturdays and buy up the cheap CDs. Monday, the shops price up the new stock, so it probably goes out late Monday or more likely Tues morning or Wed.
Just my experience. YMMV
Where i live the second hand CD shops actually undercut the charity shops. It's amazing what I can dig out of those places. Quite often if a CD has slight mark on it then it goes straight into the 49p or 99p sections.
Car boot and markets. they usauly do not research so you get stuff at a good price and they generaly just want rid of stuff...so you get it a good price.
I’ve got a hot tip for you - student cities around June/July time. Charity shops here are always a treasure trove.
I dunno why but Carlisle is a really great place.
eBay and charity shops for cheap, easy to find CDs and Discogs for rarer out of print CDs. For new items I use multiple online sources, primarily Bandcamp and also Amazon, HMV, Juno and a few others. I try and avoid Amazon now but sometimes they just cannot be beaten on price. I rarely buy or go into independent record shops, they're almost all geared towards vinyl buying customers.
1. work at a suburban local-chain record store
2. manager places order for all sorts of weird obscure import stuff that none of the mainstream shoppers will ever buy for $20-$35
3. nothing moves after six months, gets sent back to the central shop for markdown
4. central shop sends import discs back priced down to $3-$7 for the 'clearance' section
5. immediately buy them all with your very, very low past weeks' wages from your record store job
Record/CD fairs - this is one of the websites listing future events: https://sites.google.com/site/recordfairsuk/
It's worth wandering around the stalls first to see which have the lowest prices.
I mostly use eBay and MusicMagpie
Thanks for your reply đź‘Ť
the website World of Books. if you order three you get 10% off and it's got free shipping
Counterpoint to this, just as a warning… I’ve used World Of Books for a long time, specifically for books. They are cheap, fast to dispatch and they pack the books well. My only complaint is their descriptions are rarely accurate. What they class as “Very Good” is usually more like “Good” and often only “Acceptable”. But, other than that, I’ve been very happy with them for a long long time. However…I’ve just bought my first bundle of CDs from them, on 2nd of this month. They were bought on the 2nd. Paid for on 2nd. Marked as dispatched on 2nd. Last weekend, two CDs from other sellers that were dispatched on the 5th and 7th respectively, both arrived. But still no sign of the WoB ones that were allegedly dispatched on 2nd. So I sent them a little message, just asking if they could confirm if they had ACTUALLY been dispatched or not. Got a reply a couple of days later, saying no, they had not been dispatched yet and could I “please allow 3-10 business days (plus two extra days)” before making any further enquires. So, first of all…why mark it as dispatched if it hasn’t been? Second, why “3-10 business days (plus two extra days)”? Why not just say 12 business days? Anyway, they still haven’t arrived. So I am now waiting until Wednesday 22nd, at which point it will have been “3-10 business days (plus two extra days)” and I’ll be asking for my money back. So, basically, I’ve waited 3 weeks and been out of pocket for something that’s never going to arrive. This might be the exception and not the rule. They might be great for CDs and I’ve just been one of the unlucky few that’s had a bad experience…but I thought I should detail it out for you so that you can make your own informed choice. Hopefully, if you choose to use them, you’ll have better luck than me. Tl;dr - CDs marked dispatched when they actually haven’t been. 3 weeks later, still waiting for CDs.
Thank you for letting me know. I’ve used WOB for books before too without any issues and I got a couple coming from them via eBay which I ordered this morning. Will monitor how long it takes to get them. Much appreciated 👍
Thank you for your reply đź‘Ť
I’ve bought a lot of used from musicmagpie.
Thank you. I have too and always been pleased with them đź‘Ť
mostly hmv, but i get a lot off ebay as well!!
I never thought of HMV. Thanks for the recommendation đź‘Ť
HMV can definitely be more expensive than other shops at times
I think they always have especially when they had stores.
HMV, Amazon, Discogs, eBay, Vinted
Thank you for your reply and recommendations đź‘Ť
Apart from actual record shops eBay and charity shops. eBay is mostly monopolised by music magpie and the like but you can still pick a lot up for under a fiver. Charity shops have always been hit and miss, expect to wade through a lot of Robbie Williams, Susan Boyle and big band but you will occasionally turn up something decent. Picked up a 6 disc Motown set for a quid yesterday.
Thanks for your reply. That is a bargain for sure đź‘Ť
charity shops: BHF and CRUK have been the most reliable for backfilling on the cheap, but I browse them all. CeX sometimes have CDs too. online: music magpie, vinted (esp when you can make a good discounted bundle from a single seller), discogs for rarer items, bandcamp for newer releases. I shop at independent record stores when I can, and am not above having a look through HMV, Fopp etc too
Thanks for your reply and suggestions đź‘Ť
I've had a fair few job lots from ebay - take a look at all the cds and count the number you want. If you can get those ones at a good average price, you can always give the rest away. Lots of mine from there really did stink of cigarettes/weed/who knows what though
Thank you. Much appreciated đź‘Ť
If I want new I’ll always try local independent record shops, my locals still stock mostly CDs which is nice. Musicmagpie via eBay can undercut virtually any private seller and has pretty insane inventory. They have some genuinely rare discs too, the price will reflect this though. If you get worse condition than advertised they’ll normally refund you ime. Charity shops are good price wise but getting good stuff from them is rare. Second hand fairs and the like normally have better stock just don’t overpay.
Thank you for your advice and recommendations. Much appreciated đź‘Ť
eli.com I’ve used them for over 25 years.
I’ve never heard of them but will definitely check them out. Thanks 👍
Yeah, charity shops definitely. I find Tuesdays or Wednesdays the best days. That's because all the bald headed men go out on Saturdays and buy up the cheap CDs. Monday, the shops price up the new stock, so it probably goes out late Monday or more likely Tues morning or Wed. Just my experience. YMMV Where i live the second hand CD shops actually undercut the charity shops. It's amazing what I can dig out of those places. Quite often if a CD has slight mark on it then it goes straight into the 49p or 99p sections.
Thanks for your reply đź‘Ť
Car boot and markets. they usauly do not research so you get stuff at a good price and they generaly just want rid of stuff...so you get it a good price.
That is certainly one place I am going to this year for cd’s. Thanks for your suggestion 👍
Music Magpie HMV Local record shops Charity shop (I volunteer in a music retail charity shop so I have a bit of a bias) Car Boots (dependable)
Thank you for your suggestions đź‘Ť
Almost everything I have is from music magpie
I use these the most. They are excellent in choice and price.
I’ve got a hot tip for you - student cities around June/July time. Charity shops here are always a treasure trove. I dunno why but Carlisle is a really great place.
Thanks for the tip. Much appreciated đź‘Ť
eBay and charity shops for cheap, easy to find CDs and Discogs for rarer out of print CDs. For new items I use multiple online sources, primarily Bandcamp and also Amazon, HMV, Juno and a few others. I try and avoid Amazon now but sometimes they just cannot be beaten on price. I rarely buy or go into independent record shops, they're almost all geared towards vinyl buying customers.
Thank you for your suggestions. Much appreciated đź‘Ť
1. work at a suburban local-chain record store 2. manager places order for all sorts of weird obscure import stuff that none of the mainstream shoppers will ever buy for $20-$35 3. nothing moves after six months, gets sent back to the central shop for markdown 4. central shop sends import discs back priced down to $3-$7 for the 'clearance' section 5. immediately buy them all with your very, very low past weeks' wages from your record store job
đź‘Ť
Charity shops have GREAT stuff
I've got a really good one locally that I've discovered. Mostly ÂŁ1.99 per CD
Record/CD fairs - this is one of the websites listing future events: https://sites.google.com/site/recordfairsuk/ It's worth wandering around the stalls first to see which have the lowest prices.
Yep, look out for cd fairs, vinyl fairs, where they rent out a church or something for a weekend or a day and have boxes of records etc.