Ordering vinyl from Amazon???

qontheboard

Okay vinyl addicts I've got a question. Does Amazon do a good job shipping vinyl? I can't find The Black Crowes "Wiser For The Time" at any of my local record shops so I'm considering ordering it from Amazon. Anyone ever order vinyl when it was the last copy in stock? Being the last copy, is it more likely to be dinged up before they even ship it? Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

q

mfc2006

I've ordered from them quite a bit & never had a problem.

May 30th

Amazon is the best. If there is a problem, they exchange or refund your money no questions asked (well, at least Amazon Canada).

brianlux

I don't advise ordering anything from "Undercut America" (AKA Amazon) ever since there promotion a while back where they basically said, go into any store with you cell camera, take a photo pf the price tag/bar code and we will beat that retailers price. Lovely way to kill small business Amazon.

If I can't find it locally, I prefer Craig Moerer Records, Let it Be Records, Acoustic Sounds, MusicStack.com Gemm or even eBay. There are plenty of more scrupulous places to buy on line than Undercut.

jervin007

brianlux said:

I don't advise ordering anything from "Undercut America" (AKA Amazon) ever since there promotion a while back where they basically said, go into any store with you cell camera, take a photo pf the price tag/bar code and we will beat that retailers price. Lovely way to kill small business Amazon.

If I can't find it locally, I prefer Craig Moerer Records, Let it Be Records, Acoustic Sounds, MusicStack.com Gemm or even eBay. There are plenty of more scrupulous places to buy on line than Undercut.

Yeah, I also read a really negative report on how they treat their employees in these huge warehouses. I don't buy anything from them

brianlux

Google "Boycott Amazon" and you'll be amazed at how widespread the dissatisfaction with Amazon and their work ethic has become.

Colbert also lambasted Amazon which you can read about here:

http://mic.com/articles/90567/stephen-colbert-perfectly-explains-why-we-should-all-boycott-amazon

PJ_Soul

I order from the all the time, and only once had a very slightly damaged album cover and they were concerned when I complained. Theu do a pretty good job of packing it safely (they actually use too much packaging most of the time). Plus, free shipping!! That is a HUGE draw. Also a pretty good selection of new and reissued albums. And relatively low prices usually.

The only thing I will never again do through Amazon is pre-order. They fuck that up royally a lot of the time. You end up getting the album WAY later than those who just waited until after the release to buy it.
Also be careful about limited edition releases. Sometimes the post those for pre-order just in the hopes of getting the item, and then they never do.

I personally don't know about this boycott - Amazon has served me very well and their customer service has always been pretty great for me.

brianlux

PJ_Soul said:

I order from the all the time, and only once had a very slightly damaged album cover and they were concerned when I complained. Theu do a pretty good job of packing it safely (they actually use too much packaging most of the time). Plus, free shipping!! That is a HUGE draw. Also a pretty good selection of new and reissued albums. And relatively low prices usually.

The only thing I will never again do through Amazon is pre-order. They fuck that up royally a lot of the time. You end up getting the album WAY later than those who just waited until after the release to buy it.
Also be careful about limited edition releases. Sometimes the post those for pre-order just in the hopes of getting the item, and then they never do.

I personally don't know about this boycott - Amazon has served me very well and their customer service has always been pretty great for me.

In the past, I too ordered books and records from Amazon and in terms of packaging, selection etc., yes they are great. But maybe try this: do some research about how they treat their employees and how they rip off artists and writers and let me know what you think. If you do that and you truly believe they are an ethical company and wish to support them, I don't know what else I can say.

(Besides, you know I won't be too hard on you 'cause you're good people, PJ_Soul ;-) )

PJ_Soul

brianlux said:

PJ_Soul said:

I order from the all the time, and only once had a very slightly damaged album cover and they were concerned when I complained. Theu do a pretty good job of packing it safely (they actually use too much packaging most of the time). Plus, free shipping!! That is a HUGE draw. Also a pretty good selection of new and reissued albums. And relatively low prices usually.

The only thing I will never again do through Amazon is pre-order. They fuck that up royally a lot of the time. You end up getting the album WAY later than those who just waited until after the release to buy it.
Also be careful about limited edition releases. Sometimes the post those for pre-order just in the hopes of getting the item, and then they never do.

I personally don't know about this boycott - Amazon has served me very well and their customer service has always been pretty great for me.

In the past, I too ordered books and records from Amazon and in terms of packaging, selection etc., yes they are great. But maybe try this: do some research about how they treat their employees and how they rip off artists and writers and let me know what you think. If you do that and you truly believe they are an ethical company and wish to support them, I don't know what else I can say.

(Besides, you know I won't be too hard on you 'cause you're good people, PJ_Soul ;-) )

To be honest Brian, i have got too much other shit going on to worry about it right now. I can't get all principled about everything, and instead of researching in order to turn myself against a company I buy a lot of vinyl through, I'm just going to keep buying my vinyl from Amazon. I've got anti-Kinder Morgan protests happening basically right on my door step right now, so have concerns closer to home to care about, plus I work for a publisher and we are not getting anywhere by boycotting Amazon - we're gonna need them for getting our books sold whether I like it or not. This isn't going to be a battle I'm going to get into, but just for the record, I never assumed they were an ethical company in the first place. They are too huge to be ethical. Sorry. I understand why you would be against Amazon, especially since you run a bookstore.

JK_Livin

If you really wanted to, you can find something wrong or shady with just about any business. Everyone picks their own poison.

I've never had a problem with vinyl shipped from Amazon. Sometimes they even double box it.

May 30th

Amazon is really friggin cheap. I have two young boys that are expensive to take care of. Amazon for me right now.

Suziemay

qontheboard said:

Okay vinyl addicts I've got a question. Does Amazon do a good job shipping vinyl? I can't find The Black Crowes "Wiser For The Time" at any of my local record shops so I'm considering ordering it from Amazon. Anyone ever order vinyl when it was the last copy in stock? Being the last copy, is it more likely to be dinged up before they even ship it? Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

q

Yes, in fact I think they go overboard with their packaging. Initially I wasn't too pleased but they seem to have fixed it. They have the vinyl in a vinyl shipping box, and then in another bigger box.

This is for vinyl shipped by Amazon, though. If you're ordering from someone who's just using Amazon storefront, then you should check their specific reviews.

qontheboard

Thank you, to all of you for your input. I probably should not have posted what album i was going to order, and that there was only one left in stock. I went to order and of course it was gone. I bet someone from the boards has some nice vinyl on the way Oh well, I should have pulled the trigger when I had the chance.

q

Suziemay

Check PM

brianlux

gontheboard. see my PM for alternative places other than Undercut America to get that LP.

cp3iverson

Amazon is great at shipping vinyl. Soundstagedirect is the best tho.

demetrios

cp3iverson said:

Amazon is great at shipping vinyl. Soundstagedirect is the best tho.

They are both amazing. Though I've stopped buying from SoundStageDirect because of the high shipping cost to Canada. But their packaging is A++.

If you are placing pre orders, you'll be guaranteed a copy with SSD. With Amazon on the other hand, that's another story. It's a hit or miss.

DewieCox

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/89494/The_Black_Crowes-Wiser_for_the_Time-180_Gram_Vinyl_Record

I use amazon, but my go to is acousticsounds. They know how to handle vinyl and their selection is top notch. Ask for a print catalog, if you want to have your mind blown by their equipment selection.

Also, their reviews are limited, but much more dependable than what you'll get almost anywhere.

qontheboard

DewieCox said:

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/89494/The_Black_Crowes-Wiser_for_the_Time-180_Gram_Vinyl_Record

I use amazon, but my go to is acousticsounds. They know how to handle vinyl and their selection is top notch. Ask for a print catalog, if you want to have your mind blown by their equipment selection.

Also, their reviews are limited, but much more dependable than what you'll get almost anywhere.

Thanks for the heads up. I live in Canada, and try to avoid ordering from the US due to the added costs of shipping, high cc exchange rate and the dreaded duty charges. However, if my local shop can't find one for me, one must do, what one must do. I will definitely check out acousticsounds if it comes to that.

q

vant0037

Since it's not really off topic, books and records from indie stores. Ghostbuster t-shirt or Richard Lewis stand up DVD? Amazon all the way baby...

llessuR

I've had nothing but good experiences with vinyl purchases from Amazon. Their prices can't be beat (unfortunate sometimes), but it's a savior to me since I leave in a pretty rural area.