In this sad world of downloading and streaming music, there are still great sites online to purchase the real thing. There is nothing like holding the CD case in your hands while listening to uncompressed beautiful-sounding audio. Taking it one step further (or perhaps one giant leap ahead)there is nothing more satisfying than sitting in your room staring out a 12-inch album cover while listening to the sounds of pure vinyl spinning under a diamond of joy.
While most record stores across the nation have long gone out of business, there are plenty of online sites that sell music CDs and vinyl albums. Many of these sites also sell DVDs and Blurays. But we are just going to focus on audio CDs and vinyl records. Here are our choices for the Best Websites To Buy CDs and Vinyl online. We are not going to rate shipping costs because the stores tend to change their shipping policies often. However, Amazon Prime is the one shipping service that has been the most consistent as far as shipping fees go, however lately that yearly Prime membership has been going up.
So have fun because there ain’t nothing like the real thing. As far as rating the stores, there are just too many variables in buying online that we think it would be unfair to any of the retailers to rate them in a particular order. However, if the store is listed here, than we have already judged them as being among the best websites to buy CDs and vinyl.
To connect to any of these stores just click on their names and you will be taken to their websites.Â
Best Websites To Buy CDs and Vinyl:
The Corporates
These are the giants, the companies that sell more than just music but have huge stock on all titles, especially in the mainstream. Return policies are usually top-notch with no hassle at all.
Tower.com
If your under twenty, chances are you have never been to a Tower Records store. Or at least if you were there when you were younger you probably hated it because your mom or dad may have spent hours inside their huge stores that stock virtually every genre of cd ever released. For music fans, Tower Records was a wonderful and yet sometimes frustrating shopping experience. The stores were so big that actually had dividers in the CD bins that not only labeled the artists but also their individual releases.
fye.com
Well speaking of last man standing, FYE Music stores are the last of a kind of the corporate mall chain music stores. It’s hard to believe that you can still go to a mall and find a store selling CDs and records, but FYE has hung in there. They also have an online presence in which you can purchase a wide range of CDs and vinyl albums. However, navigation was difficult at times and prices seemed much higher than on other sites like Amazon.com
Most Fye stores are now phasing out CDs in their mall stores. CDs are still available online, however, the days of flipping through bins of CDs in retail outlets are coming to an end everywhere.
BarnesandNoble.com
One of the oldest book retailers in the world maintains a large web presence. The site has a very deep catalog of CDs and vinyl records. And their book catalog is not too shabby either.
Walmart.com
Prices change often, and their catalog is based on best sellers and popular artists. You won’t find any rare CDs or deep catalogs at Walmart. We did the Willie Nile test on the site and they only had two of Willies albums in their catalog as opposed to the more than a dozen titles found on Amazon.com But Walmart does have some super deals and they do give Amazon a run for the money during the fun Black Friday bonanza.
Amoeba Music
This music store has both an online presence and a chain of three brick and mortar stores in California. They have a very nice selection online. They are a corporate chain that is very popular in California.
CD Universe
Great online site featuring a wide variety of CDs. The site contains many used CDs sold at very low prices.
Newbury Comics
While there are probably many people that think Newbury Comics is just a comic store based on its name, the fact is the store is a pop culture fans’ paradise. Newbury Comics offers a wide selection of vinyl along with all their other fun pop culture items and collectibles. From toys to t-shirts to just about everything pop culture related, they have it. It’s like the ultimate comic con store.
Amazon.com – Vinyl Buyer Beware
Amazon used to be my favorite place to buy CDS and Vinyl because they were so fast with their shipping. However, that has all changed for one very specific reason. Some people at the company do not know how to ship items. Recently in the Fall of 2022, multiple times I purchased vinyl albums from Amazon and the company sent them in thin plastic sleeves. I am not talking about a third-party vendor. These albums were shipped directly from Amazon in thin plastic sleeves. No box, no protection, nothing but a plastic sleeve. Of course, the albums arrived with the jackets completely destroyed with deep creases and bends. Based on multiple experiences that I have had with Amazon shipping many items in packaging that does not protect the items, I would not recommend buying vinyl from Amazon. Sadly I am an Amazon affiliate so this means I lose a lot of money in commissions by recommending people not to purchase vinyl from Amazon. But I don’t care, it’s more important to write honestly than anything else.
Best Websites To Buy CDs and Vinyl:
“The Independents”
# mrcheapocds.com Commack, New York
This great site is actually one of the last mom and pop owned record stores still open in New York. Talk about the last man standing, Mr Cheapo records has outlasted the giant chain stores in New York like Sam Goody, Record World, and of course Tower Records. The store which originally opened in the mid-1980s as a used vinyl store, eventfully became a haven for CD enthusiasts. Nonetheless, even as the CD boom exploded in the ’80s and 90’s, the site continued to sell used vinyl. Now with the recent revitalization of vinyl records, Mr Cheapos is a dream destination for fans of vinyl and CDs. If you ever get to Long Island New York, you should make the time to visit Mr Cheapos. If you can’t get there, well their online site will deliver some very rare CDs and vinyl records to your doorstep. Check them out.
Record StopÂ
Long Island New York
Long Island’s Record Stop is a physical store that has been serving New Yorkers since 1974. They specialize in rare and hard to find vinyl. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and will help you find just about anything your looking for. Highly recommended!
FeelItRecords San Diego, CA
There is nothing like supporting an independent record store that supports independent musicians. The record store’s website features a great display of some very rare record albums and 45 singles. We particularly liked the display of the Blue Note singles which are extremely rare.
Reckless Records Chicago, Illinois
Brick and mortar store in Chicago that also maintains a nice website that can be used to order a wide variety of CDs and Vinyl.
insound.com
Great online retailer located in Tennessee. Â This site specializes in hard to find vinyl and CDs.
Presto Music
If your in the UK, then you can visit there brick and mortar store. Presto music has a spectacular online site that specializes in Jazz and Classical. They also have a large selection of music books and instruments. This is an old-school store that deals with schools and teachers.
Music Millennium
Music Millennium is a great store in Portland that has been around since 1969, selling vinyl, cds, and more. It also lets you purchase music online, including even giving you the option to download MP3s for many albums.
Boomkat
A great source for independent vinyl releases. They also carry some very rare and unusual and rare vinyl pieces.
Turntable Lab
This store has a strong focus on DJs. They have an amazing selection of 12′ dance and electronic vinyl but also carry all genres of music. The online store also specializes in equipment both pro and consumer. This is a very reputable store that carries high-quality turntables.
The Best Websites To Buy CDs and Vinyl will be constantly updated so check back often as we search for new sites to add to the list that we gauge as reputable sites to buy music.
If you know of a great music store that you would like to share with the world, just leave the name and website in our comments section.
Updated October 28, 2022
Best Websites To Buy CDs and Vinyl article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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Also you forgot to make mention of “Newbury Comics”…….
Can you help me find some fats domino cdso on line
Sure, the link below will take to a fantastic 4cd collection that included 8 complete Fats Domino albums for less than 15 dollars. Pretty good deal. Thanks for the comment
Eight Classic Albums/ Bonus Tracks/ Fats Domino
Greetings, I am looking for a site that sells loose single cds, from box sets.
Thanx, Jon Willdigg
Try Mr. Cheapos
I would like to. Receive email. And messages from cheapo
We are not associated with any of those record stores. We just reviewed them. If you want to receive emails from any of the stores we recommended in the article, just go to their websites and sign up for their newsletters on their sites.
Disagreement about Amazon, yes they carry CDs and the original vinyl which is the money go round for the youth. Back to Amazon, ever wonder what songs are on that CD your interested in? Well, amazon doesn’t list the songs on their music or soundtracks. Merrily Merrily life is just a stream, the dream is monopoly.
That’s a good point about Amazon, but you may have missed the point we made about them which is their large stock speedy delivery which really matters to a lot of people. Thanks for contributing to our site.
I am glad to see this because as you know, Brian, being in Arkansas means virtually everything CD or vinyl has to be ordered. We have a couple beat up trade in music stores that specialize in the bad albums people traded in because they were no good in the first place, although I’ve found an occasional gem in various stores around my vacation travels whose staff didn’t know what a great CD they had on their hands. This will give me a few more sites to explore when I can’t get what I want on amazon, discog, or bandcamp, my usual haunts.
Where can i buy nicholis louw cds or krone cds