Buying stuff New or Used from Amazon C/D

To get the seller's Member Profile, it's www.amazon.com/seller/[seller'sname]

One thing to careful about with records: if it's a record with multiple versions (original issue, remastered version, etc.) check with the dealer to make sure your getting the version you want. Sellers will often link their stuff to the incorrect Amazon product listing. For example, if you see one of the new Cure reissues used for $4, you can bet it will the original cd version.

There are sometimes cheap CDs there too. Postage is media rate, so you don't get screwed like you do on eBay.

Golden rules
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1) Check seller ratings!
2) Check CD is correct version (from ISBN number, use discogs.com etc)
3) In case of problems - e-mail seller before leaving feedback. I've had to get refunds twice (pin-hole decay or problematic scratches) but never been refused. I can't imagine any seller _really_ wants to get negative feedback.
4) Do doublecheck by looking at the members 'storefront' just in case they are a name for some other less reliable mass-selling operator (CD-Wow, that one that ships from Jersey, are some to avoid in my experience).

I think I repeated some there... Oh well.

Awesome bargains to be had, recent ones for me (minus shipping) Aaliyah £2, Jeff Mills - Every Dog.. £2.50. It's also good to have the option, because sometimes things are available used by chance from one seller, but not in any online shops at the time. I recall picking up weiss.mix for £7 which must have been cheaper than importing it or some other method.

I put CD's I want eventually in my Amazon wish list and check the used listings every so often. I am probably a bit obsessively tight about things really, but every pound adds up in the end and it makes me feel slightly better about spending whilst unemployed :-(

I personally enjoy Amazon Used even more for it being by far simplest way to SELL mistaken or disliked purchases. Ok you take a loss sometimes (I just list things at 50p lower than the lowest price and very rarely wait long for a sale) but it's a far better deal (for me) than exchanging them. YMMV depending on how great your local record exchange is though.

I quickly go back into the red from my own foolish shop-bought purchaes though.

the eternal dilemma of Amazon Marketplace and eBay, when you buy a very cheap thing which turns out to be clearly not in the described condition; you'd feel like a petulant and naive shitheel complaining about such a cheap item, but the postage was not so cheap, b-but...

complaining about 1p items with £3 postage, classic or dud?

admittedly £3 is still pretty cheap, but still. annoying to write it off and then have to buy the same thing new for £15, but what did I expect...?

as opposed to this "Very Good" item which is written on, missing a section, and looks like it's been kicked down the street repeatedly, the other Marketplace item I bought at the same time (listed as in merely "Good" condition) is in fact pristine, so on average I'm doing OK I guess

That's only happened to me a couple times with really cheap books. I've eaten the cost, but left a nasty review.

Other things, where they'll send me a paperback when I've specifically sought out and paid for what I thought was a hardcover version, I've been able to get full refunds from the seller because I charmed them like a boss.

(Which is fine with me, because the difference between having a paperback and a hardcover is purely aesthetic for the appearance on my shelf and in the end I really dgaf if I wound up with a paperback.)

not relevant in this instance but if you are making larger purchases

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/jan/19/amazon-marketplace-purchases-not-covered-consumer-credit-act

xp yeah, the feedback route is an option. I thought I wasn't supposed to leave bad feedback without contacting the seller to "resolve the issue" but it wouldn't be worth the hassle of sending it back and eating the return postage (if I've read the small print right).

huh, I didn't know that abt larger purchases. mental note not to buy anything more than books or CDs via Marketplace; thanks nakh