Best MAIL ORDER firm

[Istvan]

Which is the best mail order firm for CDs? Of primary importance is the packaging: too many firms use cardboard boxes which are easily crushed between thumb and forefinger, let alone under a heap of heavy parcels.

[stefanher]

I usually use MDT in the UK. Yes they use cardboard boxes but they are very sturdy.

Having said that can somebody tell me another way to mail CD's except in cardboard boxes?

[josé echenique]

I buy regularly from Germany´s JPC.de
They package extremely well, I have never received a damaged cd, and they are a throughly reliable company with excellent service.

[Donaldopato]

MDT shipments are well packaged, never had an issue. CD Universe uses cardboard but are well protected. I do not know of anyone that does not use a cardboard CD box.

[Chalkperson]

You can't beat the packaging you get ordering discs from Japan...

[stenka razin]

Amazon packs CDs tightly with shrink wrap, then puts them in a larger box which is usually flimsy, but, overall they arrive in good condition.

B&N do a good job. There packaging is tight and concise.

Arkiv packs well.

J&R is ok.

Presto packs superbly.

Blowitoutahere and Beaches pack adequately.

[CharmNewton]

You can't beat the packaging you get ordering discs from Japan...

Agreed. From my experience, Japanese packaging is the gold standard.

John

[Tore]

I have never had any trouble with MDT. I must have received hundreds, if not thousands, of packages from them the almost 20 years I have been using them and I can't remember ever receiving a broken CD. Their customer service is good, always got a quick reply. Never got any packages lost in the mail either. Got several lost from play.com, but never MDT.

I always buy my new classical music from MDT. I have been using the marketplace on Amazon (both UK and US) for finding long lost gems that's not available new, and I have never been disappointed by them either.

Tore F Steenslid
www.steenslid.com
Sotra, Norway

[johnQpublic]

Blowitoutahere

I never heard of this one and decided to search it for a "hard-to-get" Classical CD. And not only do they list it but at a very good price. What are the odds they really have/can get it?

[stenka razin]

Blowitoutahere

I never heard of this one and decided to search it for a "hard-to-get" Classical CD. And not only do they list it but at a very good price. What are the odds they really have/can get it?

I use blowitoutahere a great deal, but only as a third party through Amazon. They have the lowest prices possible on Amazon and they always deliver quickly.

I recommend them very, very highly, m8.

Regards,
Mel

[Chalkperson]

I use blowitoutahere a lot, great prices, they are owned by Target...

[Istvan]

There are cardboard boxes and cardboard boxes... The only firm I know which uses double-thick ones is Passion Music but they only deal in European Folk. I in fact use one of the firms mentioned but their boxes crush easily - the CDs aren't damaged but cases quite often are.

[maestrob]

I try to avoid Amazon's unknown third party sellers because they can be individuals selling off a collection who package badly. Blowitoutahere and importcd (etc.) which are known quantities package in shrinkwrap bubble cardboard and have been good to me so far. Otherwise, I have been very happy with MDT: never a crushed pkg. or disc: the same with Amazon itself.

[stenka razin]

I try to avoid Amazon's unknown third party sellers because they can be individuals selling off a collection who package badly. Blowitoutahere and importcd (etc.) which are known quantities package in shrinkwrap bubble cardboard and have been good to me so far. Otherwise, I have been very happy with MDT: never a crushed pkg. or disc: the same with Amazon itself.

Do not be afraid of the following Amazon 3rd party sellers:

1-Blowitoutahere-Kentucky

2-Beaches-Buffalo, New York

3-Classical Superstore-Nashville-(Naxos!)........secret........

4-Importcds-California

Regards,
Mel

[maestrob]

Thanks for the tip, Mel!

[Guitarist]

Avatar Music in England is an excellent Amazon third party: they have great prices, good selection, they don't charge more than the standard $2.99 even to the US, and they ship right away. I've had nothing but wonderful experiences with them.

(Incidentally, my Amazon seller name is Classical CDs...I have 100% positive ratings!)

[gfweis]

I like mdt and use them frequently. They not only charge only .75 pounds per cd to ship to the U.S., but they often, maybe always, ship twofers for the same .75 pounds. My wife said just yesterday that she cannot believe that I can get a cd from the U.K. cheaper than I can from an amazon seller or other domestic vendor, but often (especially if they have a label on sale), I can. The only problem I have had with mdt is that they sometimes ship "new" cds that are not sealed. They have told me that cds they receive in the U.K./Europe area often are new but unsealed...perhaps some kind of environmental regulation. Once they did ship me a cd whose case was somewhat scratched up, and whose cd was clearly used, not new. I'm not sure they believed me when I complained, but they did, reluctantly, satisfy me.

[Istvan]

The jewel cases are the weak point with CDs, especially the central claws. The cases for SACDs are much more robust. Meanwhile, MDT could use slightly stouter cardboard boxes as CD cases occasionally arrive broken.

[rogch]

MDT is very good. Very reliable and often good prices too. Usually plenty of special offers. This is important because the big record companies with huge back catalogues often can sell their records much cheaper than smaller labels. On MDT just about every label is part of a special offer once in a while, some of them very often.

Presto classical is another good retailer. Not as many special offers as MDT, but they are very reliable and serious. The last time i shopped there i did not only get a dispatch notification, the day before i got an e-mail noticing me that the shipment would be slightly delayed. Their website is actually better than MDT's, it is easy to find what you are looking for. And from time to time they refer to French and German reviews. Not as often as i would want them to, but most English retailers don't do it al all. Usually you have to turn to the record label's own website to find about awards from foreign reviewers.