£0.01 CDs on Amazon

I can't comment on your purchase but most of my CDs these days come from Amazon Used sellers. Not sure where they get their stock from but I have been very satisfied both with price and condition. I can recommend Zoverstocks.

I too can recommend ZOverstocks he has been consistently good, on product and delivery, although a departed member has had some "no shows"  deliveries, always sorted out. 

+1 on Amazon marketplace sellers in general - I've been using various ones for a year or more and had very few problems. It's been wonderful finding CDs of records/tapes I prematurely 'decluttered' years ago, and which have been out of print on CD for years.

Zoverstocks have generally been very good, apart from one occasion where the wrong back liner (and hence spine label) had found its way into a CD. When I returned it, they sent me the wrong CD a second time. I returned the second one for a refund and then bought another copy from - you guessed it - Zoverstocks. The second purchase arrived fine.

I have no idea how some of the used sellers make any money on their 1p prices. Similarly, I'm not sure how suppliers in, say, California, manage to make anything by charging the same postage as someone who lives, say, down the road from me in the UK.

+1. Buy most of my CDs from there. Always excellent service.

I do the same thing.  Once in a while I will do a new "Prime" purchase if the price is right for free shipping.  But usually used at a couple bucks is the way to go.  In the states everyone charges $4 for shipping so I guess most of the profit comes from shipping for a dollar or so and getting a few bucks there

I often buy used on Amazon. If I can get it for £0.01 I do.. Sometimes you just need to get the timing right with certain traders to get that price , and perhaps iit fair to say it is for less popular or less well reviewed compilation material.

As other have pointed out Zoverstocks is good, perhaps for more mainstream titles, but there is a host of specialist and more niche sellers.

The trader obviously recovers the P&P charge and I am sure that is higher than cost, and perhaps with how the Amazon commissions work it is a more effective way of making money from low value items.

The  feature I like is that you can put used items in your wish list on Amazon and you get updates on whether the item has reduced or increased in price.

The other thing I note, is on on more obscure material you can sometimes buy new from a trader  cheaper than the  used price... It's all about timing.

We really are in the golden age of choice and affordability with CD, especially compared to:downloads. The other note is there is an explosion of cheap new CD availability right now as more  archives of popular music are coming out of copyright. My only issue is that since I rip my CDs I find the tagging lookup services appear slow in keeping up with the all the new CD titles coming available.

Simon

I think you are just plain unlucky. It's a real shame when your first experience turns out badly, but as you can see plenty have managed to get good deals. 

Maybe a little time perusing the feedback can give huge insight into a re-sellers competence. 

I am confident that the answer is, "Yes, they make enough profit on the shipping charges."  I have purchased several used cd's from Zoverstocks, via Amazon, here in the States.  Usually $0.01 for the cd and $3.95 for the shipping, mailed by Royal Mail from the UK.  I've had good service from them too.

According to discussions on a few forums (Google gave me this one: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk...thread.php?t=1511847), Zoverstocks are the selling wing of Music Magpie. If you want a giggle, go to www.musicmagpie.co.uk, type in the barcodes of some of your beloved CDs/DVDs etc and see what they'll buy them from you for. Then see what they flog them for as Zoverstocks, and you'll solve the issue of how this outfit in particular makes its money.

They also have software which monitors Amazon marketplace prices and automatically undercuts the cheapest price by a penny. Since nearly everyone on Amazon just chooses the cheapest price regardless, it's very effective and nets them a huge amount of trade. There are some amusing forum posts out there where other seller complain about this very obvious example of free-market capitalism costing them business. Sauce for the goose etc.

Couldn't agree more with S-i-S about this being something of a golden age of CD purchasing. I've bought so much out-of-print stuff over the last couple of years, and it's cost me buttons. I try to give high-street outlets my money for in-print stuff to assuage my conscience otherwise.

Mark

I must have purchased well over a hundred pre-owed CDs in my collection by now, and it’s very evident that pre-owned pop/rock cds are often in a far worse condition than pre-owned classical.

Although i’ve had a couple of classical discs that are defective with cd rot, one disc being bronzed. But I’ve had quite a few faulty prog-rock discs that get stuck during play which is caused by pre-ownership bad handling skills that’s caused damage usually in the form of scratches. Used pop/rock cds tend to be far grubbier too, and always need a careful soap wash in the sink, and a careful dry with a soft cloth before inserting into my immaculate cd5x.

It would seem that the classical music fan is far more considerate and caring to his/her cd collection than the aveage slob prog-rocker who is far more likely to [be inebriated] neglect the care CDs need.

Debs

I realise your situation but I have bought secondhand off Amazon and Fleabay and have had great success and urge you to have another go. There are many many bargains to be had and you are definitely losing out.

I likewise have had great success from both here in the US as well as from the UK, with not one bad CD yet.  And after a while you begin to recognize the sellers and the ones you have done business with already successfully, and I gravitate towards them (but not exclusively.)

In fact, I have wondered how the UK guys can get them to me here as cheaply as they do with shipping across the ocean factored in...takes a couple to three weeks but it's always a welcome surprise when it finally makes its appearance!

But it's been all good!

I've had success with both vinyl & cd, perhaps i've been lucky?

Chris N

My issue with buying used cd's via Amazon . . .

For Amazon's "regular" listings, there is a clear distinction among versions.  Remasters, Japanese pressings, etc etc.  But when you click on the link for the "used" copies, those distinctions appear to get lost.  The used listings do not specify the precise version, and I am often worried that I won't get just what I want.

Does anyone else experience this? (I'm in the States, so it's the US version of Amazon.)

You make a valid point Bart - I guess I have been fortunate in that the used items I have bought were not in that category (more "run of the mill" recordings) but I agree that it seems they can list under any (all?) of the version.

In those cases it might be best to stick with the "real" Amazon.  I did when I bought the Beatles Mono Box Set for that very reason (as well as to help avoid counterfeits.)

I notice the 'real' Amazon are distributing used CDs now as well as their marketplace distributors, which is great as you get the benefits of Prime account free express delivery.

I have not had any issue with Amazon other than two incidents that were quickly and efficiently resolved. Once I had a scratched used disc, a replacement was instantly sent on. Another time after a 'no show' the vendor apologised, despite i suspect it being lost in post,  and promptly sent another copy. I buy on average about three or four used CDs a weeks from Amazon. Great service.

Simon

Hi Bart -

You are correct, but it is easy enough to ask the seller for version information. 

Click on the used seller name, scroll down to the bottom, look to the right, and you'll see "Contact the seller" in the "Further Information" section.  IME, these guys are usually individuals or very small stores that are desperate for repeat customers, and more than happy to provide any detail you want to know before purchasing.

Good luck!

Hook