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Arthur said:
Lastly, the Berkshire Outlet "http://www2.broinc.com/" has lots of interesting close-outs. Type in "SACD" in the search mode and you'll find some of the Telarcs for around five dollars. And it's also usually a sign that they're disappearing soon!
Not always true with Berkshire -- they've had cheap Telarcs forever (I'd guess since 2004). I've gotten some nice RBCD Telarcs for $3 from them. They even occasionally have pretty new stuff, like the SACD of Bernstein's Mass (Nagano) on Harmonia Mundi, which was something like $14, probably not too much over a year after it came out.
-Joshua
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Post by Claude June 8, 2008 (12 of 30)
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For the past 2-3 years, I've been using Caiman and other Amazon Marketplace sellers almost exclusively, by following the Amazon.fr links on this site.
Most full price SACDs cost 18-22 Euro officially, when bought directly from Amazon (or JPC). With Caiman, DVD Legacy etc the same discs cost 9-12 Euro + 3.4 Euro shipping per disc (the uniform Amazon.fr Marketplace CD shipping rate to Luxembourg). The costs are similar on the Amazon.co.uk Marketplace.
The discs are shipped individually from the US, so it takes 2-3 weeks on average, and no customs fees are due because of the limited value of the shipment.
When using the sa-cd.net links, there is almost no risk of receiving a wrong disc (CD instead of a SACD). I've never had it happen, in 200+ orders.
Overall, Caiman & Co have made me save 30-40% on SACD prices.
Some hard to find japanese imports can also be found on the Amazon Marketplace, at very competitive prices (20-25 Euro plus shipping).
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Post by zeus June 8, 2008 (13 of 30)
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Arthur said:
I also find http://hmv.co.jp/ very helpful. I understand Zeus' allegiance to Amazon--after all, they provide excellent access in many major countries producing and buying SACDs (and out of print items through their marketplaces). But HMV is better set up for non-Japanese speakers, and I would like to encourage Zeus to consider working with them.
HMV Japan doesn't have an affiliate program ... or at least the guy from HMV Japan I spoke to didn't know about it. While I recognise that adding the links to them would be attractive to some, it would be a lot of work on an ongoing basis (no XML interface that I can see) with zero financial gain for this site. In other words, it's not going to happen unless they want it to.
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My friends and I have had several issues with Caiman. I cannot recommend them.
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Lee Scoggins said:
My friends and I have had several issues with Caiman. I cannot recommend them.
Lee,
Welcome to this site. I have seen you over at hometheaterforum and your input is most welcome.
I believe Caiman is what many European members typically use and they seem to have great experience with them. Here in the US, I use the Amazon or CDUniverse links here.
The one place I wish Zeus could add is Mdt.co.uk which I think is a great place. Another is Arkivemusic.com
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Lee Scoggins said:
My friends and I have had several issues with Caiman. I cannot recommend them.
I first started buying from them through Amazon, they weren't too reliable. That changed, though, and for the past three-four years (give or take), they've been great. A while back they merged (bought?) with Tower.com, and there's no reason to avoid them, IMO.
-Joshua
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Post by Claude June 9, 2008 (17 of 30)
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The only problem I know with Caiman is that they seem to have very few items in stock, despite what they claim on the Amazon page.
So if you order a disc that is OOP and hard to find, our order will be cancelled after several weeks, because they don't manage to get the disc. Your credit card will already have been charged the day you order, and you'll be refunded only some time after the order is cancelled.
But for in print discs, Caiman is very reliable.
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Post by Peter June 9, 2008 (18 of 30)
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Lee Scoggins said:
My friends and I have had several issues with Caiman. I cannot recommend them.
My experience with Caiman has been excellent - the very few faulty discs were replaced without question, and the one wrong delivery was rectified (and they didn't want the wrong item returned). Besides, orders through Amazon are protected. (I have no connection with Caiman - no necessity to beat the drum.)
I have to say your comments above are vague - what issues? Were they unresolved?
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Post by hok007 June 9, 2008 (19 of 30)
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I have to echo the negative reports regarding Caiman. They've been okay to deal with through Amazon's marketplace; and when everything runs smoothly, and so long as they send you what they advertised, you can get amazing deals on RBCDs and SACDs. Of course, there has to be a caveat for when things go wrong: Their communications are bad. Sure, they respond promptly to email, but it's like they're speaking a language other than English. It's not so much a matter of poor grammar as it is a matter of consistently failing to respond to the substance of my querries. Getting a straight answer to a question is like pulling hen's teeth.
Ever since they took over Tower Records, things there have been bizzare, to say the least. I ordered a rare disc at a truly amazing price, only to have them send me a battered used disc; their response to my complaint: I can return the item for a full refund, and re-order it at the "current" price (twice what I initially paid)! On another occassion, I ordered an import at a great price, and watched them hold the back-order for six months. During a random search of the Tower site, I noticed they had the exact title in stock for three times what I paid, under a new item number; of course, they refused to understand what I was talking about when I requested that they simply send the disc they had in stock (both items had the same UPC!), and after three more months of fruitless email exchanges, I finally ended up cancelling the order. Finally, Caiman (aka Tower) will charge your credit card immediately for back-orders, and then sit on the back-order until the item comes in or you request a cancellation, even if the back-order remains unfulfilled for more than a year.
I truly consider all of this behavior to be unfair and deceptive, within the meaning of the FTC Act, and would file a complaint with the FTC if it had cost me more than a few bucks and the associated frustration.
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Post by Peter June 9, 2008 (20 of 30)
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I'm sorry to hear all that. It may be teething troubles due to buying Tower (a reason, not an excuse). I've only ever ordered via Amazon, mostly UK, but occasionally the French branch when the item couldn't be found on the UK site. Must have had well over 100 transactions. Touch wood, quick!
Peter
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