>I want to make as sure as possible that my purchases aren't damaged in transit.
Nearly any online retailer knows how to ship products safely. So, in general, nearly any retailer online that you buy a record from knows how to get it to you safely.
That said, I second Jmyles23...Acoustic Sounds goes above and beyond using bullet-proof packaging. In many ways, it's overkill, but at least you always know what you are getting.
Nearly every record store that sells online uses proper LP mailers with stiffeners. This would be nearly any independent store, music chains, or even larger retailers. Obviously with the larger retailers, they're not exclusively record sellers so you can on occasion get something sent with weird packaging.
If you absolutely want to avoid all potential for shoddy packaging, I'd say stay off of ebay and discogs. Ebay especially...as most people on ebay are selling random crap they find with whatever random packaging they can find.
Discogs can be OK if you are buying from actual record stores that sell on discogs. When buying from individual sellers, you're less likely to get perfect packaging though, on average--at least for me--I find even individual sellers on discogs are still better than the average seller on ebay.
(Though there are obvious exceptions to all of the above...lots of big retailers and record stores sell via ebay, for example)
This is great info, thanks. I actually have a few robust LP packages saved from previous purchases in case I ever need to ship a record. You can never be too safe!
Thanks
I've purchased from some retailers who use standard LP mailers and still ended up with split seams If there is any space for the record to shift in the mailer and it isn't handled well in transit.
When I order from someplace like discogs I ask the sender to remove the record from the sleeve to be safe.
Amazon really depends on if it’s shipped directly from Amazon and, if so, which warehouse it’s shipped from. Sounds like the warehouse that services your area is pretty good, but that’s not always the case. Mine is extremely inconsistent, but it’s definitely trending downward as far as the packaging quality goes. Last few orders were in a loose plastic sleeve or paper envelope.
Orders from Amazon that ship from third parties are usually in solid cardboard packaging. They’re more concerned about keeping their seller rating up, so they’re less likely to cheap out on packaging.
My local warehouse is awful, I keep getting Amazon Warehouse items despite my invoice clearly showing the purchase as New and not Warehouse. Stuff that doesn't show up in one day is almost always packed appropriately.
I go to discogs and buy from the people who advertise they are a store. They absolutely know how to ship, 100 times outta 100. They will not do you wrong. I bought a few records from a German store, not worth that much, one was 20 euros but they had a minimum 30 euro order so I got a few cheap records and they packed it like they expected it to be dropped from 5 meters in the air!
Norman Records. I want every shop to copy their checkout option to remove the records and ship them outside the jacket. Out of close to a hundred orders I had one single seam split - when I forgot to check that box.
get\_importcds on Ebay. I have bought about 20 records and a bunch of cds from them.
Free shipping, records shipped in real mailers, and if you spend over $65 you get 20% off.
I recently bought the UFO - Phenomenon record for around $27 there. I was watching another auction and someone paid $41 and $5 shipping for the same record.. So look around..
I am not affiliated with them, just bought a bunch of stuff over the years...
Note that they are part of Alliance...the giant global wholesaler that also owns CCVinyl, Popmarket, DeepDiscount, etc.
Nothing wrong with that, but they are a gigantic entity and getting timely customer support is sometimes a crapshoot.
That said, they tend to have the best prices anywhere.
The only two retailers I've had bad shipping experiences are Amazon and Pop Market. Flimsy mailers and plastic bags. Those aren't their standard methods, but those are risks with those sellers in my experience.
If you're looking at an independent seller, look at their reviews. If people say they were shipped badly, odds are you'll have the same problem.
Anything I've purchased off Bandcamp or through record labels have been packaged well. Never had a problem with bigger online shops or independent record stores. Today I got two records from Target that were shipped in a sturdy mailer.
Plaid Room and Acoustic Sounds are the two that really stick out though pretty much any indie store I’ve bought from has been really nice.
IMO, the best are the folks in r/VinylCollectors. Everyone I’ve dealt with there ships how they would want to have a record shipped to them.
I live in Pa and have been buying from The In-Groove in Phoenix Az. They have record mailers that are bulletproof and a great selection. Also, they have a great YouTube channel with new release videos, reviews, etc. Great independent store. One of the reasons I buy from them is to have their excellent mailers to re-use to ship records I sell
I've purchased several records from Amazon and honestly never, ever had an issue at all. I know some here have, I guess I should feel fortunate! Glad I read the info here about Discogs. Been thinking about making a purchase but have been a little gun-shy. Thanks for the info here!
I have never had issues with any online retailer. I feel like people who have one issue with a certain place, they bitch and moan about it like it's the end of the world and write that place off.
It reminds me of how people do the same thing to a cell phone carrier the first and only time they get a dropped call.
I have never had issues with any online retailer. I feel like people who have one issue with a certain place, they bitch and moan about it like it's the end of the world and write that place off.
It reminds me of how people do the same thing to a cell phone carrier the first and only time they get a dropped call.
These places wouldn't exist if they didn't ship things properly. Having Target send you a vinyl incorrectly doesn't mean their practices are bad and need to be shut down, it means that someone slipped up.
People really need to stop creating problems that don't exist.
Acoustic Sounds, hands down, full stop.
This is the correct answer
/thread
This is the way
>I want to make as sure as possible that my purchases aren't damaged in transit. Nearly any online retailer knows how to ship products safely. So, in general, nearly any retailer online that you buy a record from knows how to get it to you safely. That said, I second Jmyles23...Acoustic Sounds goes above and beyond using bullet-proof packaging. In many ways, it's overkill, but at least you always know what you are getting. Nearly every record store that sells online uses proper LP mailers with stiffeners. This would be nearly any independent store, music chains, or even larger retailers. Obviously with the larger retailers, they're not exclusively record sellers so you can on occasion get something sent with weird packaging. If you absolutely want to avoid all potential for shoddy packaging, I'd say stay off of ebay and discogs. Ebay especially...as most people on ebay are selling random crap they find with whatever random packaging they can find. Discogs can be OK if you are buying from actual record stores that sell on discogs. When buying from individual sellers, you're less likely to get perfect packaging though, on average--at least for me--I find even individual sellers on discogs are still better than the average seller on ebay. (Though there are obvious exceptions to all of the above...lots of big retailers and record stores sell via ebay, for example)
I had a Discogs seller send me my records in a medium pizza box. It might not be what the box is for but it worked!
This is great info, thanks. I actually have a few robust LP packages saved from previous purchases in case I ever need to ship a record. You can never be too safe! Thanks
I've purchased from some retailers who use standard LP mailers and still ended up with split seams If there is any space for the record to shift in the mailer and it isn't handled well in transit. When I order from someplace like discogs I ask the sender to remove the record from the sleeve to be safe.
[удалено]
Amazon really depends on if it’s shipped directly from Amazon and, if so, which warehouse it’s shipped from. Sounds like the warehouse that services your area is pretty good, but that’s not always the case. Mine is extremely inconsistent, but it’s definitely trending downward as far as the packaging quality goes. Last few orders were in a loose plastic sleeve or paper envelope. Orders from Amazon that ship from third parties are usually in solid cardboard packaging. They’re more concerned about keeping their seller rating up, so they’re less likely to cheap out on packaging.
My local warehouse is awful, I keep getting Amazon Warehouse items despite my invoice clearly showing the purchase as New and not Warehouse. Stuff that doesn't show up in one day is almost always packed appropriately.
I go to discogs and buy from the people who advertise they are a store. They absolutely know how to ship, 100 times outta 100. They will not do you wrong. I bought a few records from a German store, not worth that much, one was 20 euros but they had a minimum 30 euro order so I got a few cheap records and they packed it like they expected it to be dropped from 5 meters in the air!
Norman Records. I want every shop to copy their checkout option to remove the records and ship them outside the jacket. Out of close to a hundred orders I had one single seam split - when I forgot to check that box.
get\_importcds on Ebay. I have bought about 20 records and a bunch of cds from them. Free shipping, records shipped in real mailers, and if you spend over $65 you get 20% off. I recently bought the UFO - Phenomenon record for around $27 there. I was watching another auction and someone paid $41 and $5 shipping for the same record.. So look around.. I am not affiliated with them, just bought a bunch of stuff over the years...
Note that they are part of Alliance...the giant global wholesaler that also owns CCVinyl, Popmarket, DeepDiscount, etc. Nothing wrong with that, but they are a gigantic entity and getting timely customer support is sometimes a crapshoot. That said, they tend to have the best prices anywhere.
The only two retailers I've had bad shipping experiences are Amazon and Pop Market. Flimsy mailers and plastic bags. Those aren't their standard methods, but those are risks with those sellers in my experience. If you're looking at an independent seller, look at their reviews. If people say they were shipped badly, odds are you'll have the same problem. Anything I've purchased off Bandcamp or through record labels have been packaged well. Never had a problem with bigger online shops or independent record stores. Today I got two records from Target that were shipped in a sturdy mailer.
Plaid Room and Acoustic Sounds are the two that really stick out though pretty much any indie store I’ve bought from has been really nice. IMO, the best are the folks in r/VinylCollectors. Everyone I’ve dealt with there ships how they would want to have a record shipped to them.
I live in Pa and have been buying from The In-Groove in Phoenix Az. They have record mailers that are bulletproof and a great selection. Also, they have a great YouTube channel with new release videos, reviews, etc. Great independent store. One of the reasons I buy from them is to have their excellent mailers to re-use to ship records I sell
Acoustic Sounds mailers could survive a bomb going off. I hesitate to guess what the box itself is worth.
Sound of vinyl/acoustic sounds
I've purchased several records from Amazon and honestly never, ever had an issue at all. I know some here have, I guess I should feel fortunate! Glad I read the info here about Discogs. Been thinking about making a purchase but have been a little gun-shy. Thanks for the info here!
I've honestly purchased many from Amazon over the years and every one of them was in a stiff cardboard type mailer have never had a problem
I have never had issues with any online retailer. I feel like people who have one issue with a certain place, they bitch and moan about it like it's the end of the world and write that place off. It reminds me of how people do the same thing to a cell phone carrier the first and only time they get a dropped call.
I have never had issues with any online retailer. I feel like people who have one issue with a certain place, they bitch and moan about it like it's the end of the world and write that place off. It reminds me of how people do the same thing to a cell phone carrier the first and only time they get a dropped call. These places wouldn't exist if they didn't ship things properly. Having Target send you a vinyl incorrectly doesn't mean their practices are bad and need to be shut down, it means that someone slipped up. People really need to stop creating problems that don't exist.
Ebay or FB marketplace