bill Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 This is possibly more of a question for people outside of the U.S. but any help/advice/opinions on the subject would be great. Has anyone ever ordered vinyl from Amazon.com? I'm kind of tempted because the shipping is so cheap to Europe but I'm holding off as I'm kind of worried they won't be well packed enough to survive a transatlantic journey and arrive in good shape. Anyone had any good or bad experiences with this? Thanks a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryq Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 I'm in the US, but Amazon seems to have significantly improved their packing of vinyl. whether it's packed well enough for a transatlantic journey, I'm not sure, but the four records I got from them last week (all shipped separately from two different distribution centers) arrived perfectly fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apirk Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 In the US as well but I buy from amazon especially since they have really good deals sometimes. the last record I received came in a regular LP shipper within a bigger box, so they are packaging them pretty well now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appendicitis Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 It's a fuckin' nightmare. At least 25% of the time I have to return the damaged vinyl. If you get it in good shape, then you pay no shipping in the US and no tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burntwolf Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 i have prime, so when something is eligible it's a pretty good deal. the few LPs i've rec'd have come perfectly fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thousandjulys Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 i live in the US and i just ordered sigur ros takk from amazon.uk and it got here in mint condition. I too was worried cause it's like a $50 record Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franco Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 i've ordered lots of records from amazon. the one thing you can count on (at least in my experience) is that the box they ship in will be waaaay too big. i've gotten stuff from them that i was shocked was not broken in half or crushed. but i have yet to have something that doesn't play or was damaged beyond a few dinged corners, etc. the price is usually right so no complaints here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh8282 Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Haven't had a bad experience yet. One of the better sites for international shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardinc Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I just received two LPs from them last week, shipped to Canada. the box was way too big. they fit in perfect width wise, length has an extra inch or so, and they were laid flat, so there was room for them to slide back n forth. that being said, they used airbag type padding (if you've ever ordered from amazon, I'm sure you've seen this) on top of the records, and i'm mystified as to how there was absolutely no damage (not even a dinged corner. Also, they shipped me the wrong records. I found the same ones on amazon.ca for a few bucks cheaper, so i re-ordered from them, thinking I would just return the 2 mistakes (basically generic presses instead of limited editions as ordered). not only did Amazon.com refund my money in full within a matter of hours, they let me keep the miss-ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 21, 2010 Author Share Posted August 21, 2010 Thanks for all the replies, may risk it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celebdeath Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Have ordered from them whilst in the UK and Australia and they have usually arrived ok. yep, they dont use mailers, but from prolly about 30 purchases over the last number of years, only 1 arrived real fucked up. they dont take the vinyl out of the sleeves, the boxes are always way too big (but they usually use shitloads of airbag packaging) but i'm always prepared to risk it due to the cheap shipping. only went bad once, so in my experience, not a bad service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijux Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 i have ordered about 20 records from there, never had any trouble apart from a bent corner once. they do pack in big packages, but they seem to survive every time the good thing with amazon, is if something is broken or anything.. they ship out a new one instantly without any questions. i ordered an oceansize record from them once, and it had some major skips, not amazons fault, just production error i guess, and they shipped out a new copy within 2 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evenscore Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Also bought from Amazon a few times and never had any issues. Those big boxes they ship in is a hassle to bring home from the post office, especially those times when I've gotten five other records in the mail as well, but the records always arrive safe. My last order was the new Dredg 2x12" which was on sale. With shipping it was still super cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasma36 Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I haven't ordered any vinyl from Amazon, but with records being eligible for free shipping and the best return policy I'd say it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
destructioneer Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 This thread has been in my interest. I've always considered ordering from Amazon, but I just don't know. I'm still relatively young in the realm of record collecting (I've only been ordering from distros/overseas for just over a year or so). Any Canadians who have ordered from amazon.ca, could you relate your experiences? Sounds like beardinc got his fine, so I'm a little less skeptical if I see something alluring in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabpower Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I ordered records once from Amazon.ca. The records had a bit of bending in the corners but overall they were ok. Like everybody here, the box was way too big and stuffed with air pads. If you get a good deal, I say go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperrealist Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Ordering vinyl from Amazon seems to be a gamble. Sometimes I get LPs double boxed, sometimes I get them crammed diagonally in a box 1/2" too small... I don't trust it, but with every record shop in the region shutting down I've been taking my chances with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan8675309 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I've only ordered one lp and it never came. I got an email three weeks later saying that it's unavailable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I bought a few off Amazon.com and they came fine... I think one was in a big box but they fixed that later. I ordered one from Amazon.co.uk for some reason... I guess it wasn't on Amazon.com and it wasn't too expensive, and it came absolutely perfect. I have no idea what record it was though, just remembering it was ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicole Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 i was about to order a couple records from them a few days ago and then i realized that they dont take paypal. seeing as how i dont have a credit card, its paypal or not at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themullet89 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Their shipping is hit or miss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryq Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 i was about to order a couple records from them a few days ago and then i realized that they dont take paypal. seeing as how i dont have a credit card, its paypal or not at all. don't they take checks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardinc Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Any Canadians who have ordered from amazon.ca, could you relate your experiences? Sounds like beardinc got his fine, so I'm a little less skeptical if I see something alluring in the future. The records I ordered were from amazon.com . I re-ordered from amazon.ca after the wrong records were shipped, and i realized it was cheaper. the order on .ca went through last week, and it says they won't ship till Friday. I've noticed most records they sell have whack shipping dates, some say they ship in 8 weeks. Don't understand it at all. Either way, I'm assuming amazon.ca packs the same as the rest of em, but i guess i'll see on monday/tuesday. When the package arrives, i'll try and remember to post details on here. Also, for anyone hesitant to order from amazon and doesn't want to risk it due to packaging. unless you think its going to sell out everywhere else before you get the package, there's really no risk. If there are any problems whatsoever, even from manufacturing process, or other-wise out of their hands, they will issue a full refund or ship out another one promptly. Their customer service is far-beyond anywhere else. I've had an issue with another company sending out the wrong items, and it was their policy I pay the return shipping. Amazon not only refunded my money in full, they let me keep the 2 wrong items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryq Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Also, for anyone hesitant to order from amazon and doesn't want to risk it due to packaging. unless you think its going to sell out everywhere else before you get the package, there's really no risk. If there are any problems whatsoever, even from manufacturing process, or other-wise out of their hands, they will issue a full refund or ship out another one promptly. Their customer service is far-beyond anywhere else. I've had an issue with another company sending out the wrong items, and it was their policy I pay the return shipping. Amazon not only refunded my money in full, they let me keep the 2 wrong items. in addition to this, I had a record that was shipped in one of those boxes that was slightly too small and the sleeve was pretty bent up. anyway, I took a picture of it, emailed customer service, and they offered to take 20% off. this was almost a year ago, and they've apparently gotten better about packaging, but if you have an issue, I'm sure they'll more than make up for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcpherson123 Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I ordered three Isis records from Amazon.com. Two of them were ordered from Amazon.com itself that and the third was ordered from an Amazon.com Marketplace seller. The records from Amazon were packed exactly as they were supposed to be in a standard record mailer. I can't remember if they used any pads to stiffen the package but there were absolutely not shipping scars on either of the LP's. The one I ordered from the Marketplace seller was shipped in a box about 4 times the size of a standard mailer and had lacerations through the plastic sleeve into the surface of the record jacket and what looked like swarms of pin-pokes in a few concentrated areas on the cover. I sent that seller a scathing lecture on LP shipping propriety. I think you're good with Amazon itself but if you order from a Marketplace seller, make sure you send them a message to ensure that they know HOW to ship records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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