Just wanted to post this to see how the following e-mail I received may be interpreted.


Dear xxxxxxxx,

The holidays are coming fast, and our $12.99 CD Sale is in its final
days! This is your last chance to save up to $4 each on thousands
of new releases and classic CDs at CDNOW. And this is also your
last chance to get Up to 30% off every DVD and VHS in the store…
Hurry it all ends December 3rd!

Plus, you'll find dozens of fantastic Stocking Stuffers, each under $9.99!



What is the consensus on what the embolden text means? I take it to mean that CDNow might(will be) be dropping their 30% off pre-orders.

Any ideas?

i take tha tto mean no ones gonna shop there anymore!

Hmm, I don't really think that is talking about preorders at all. It just sounds like a bunch of marketing hooey to me trying to get people to buy stuff. Notice how it says, "Up to 30% off every DVD and VHS in the store…
Hurry it all ends December 3rd!
" Its referring to *every* dvd and vhs in the store, not preorders specifically. And it doesnt say anything about preorder pricing just about some special sale...?

I'd agree that it seems like it's a storewide thing. Since it doesn't say pre-orders specifically, I wouldn't get too up in arms. Though you'll never know what they'll do, having a huge price hike at this point would really stunt holiday sales

True. But what internet store hasn't made "bone-head" moves? Especially CDNow. What a better way to be GRINCH.

But the thing is, pretty much the only titles currently @ 30% off are their pre-order DVDs(& maybe VHS - I never look there). Almost all other released titles are @ 10% off ONLY - the exceptions being their "Heavy Hitters" & a few recent releases.

I don't remember seeing them a few days ago, but there seems to be more 20% off pre-orders on DVDs today than there was just a few days ago(or yesterday for that matter). That may be what CDNow was hinting to in that e-mail I posted - all new pre-orders would NOT be 30% off - only 20%.

Oh where, oh where to shop now?????

I used to love CD Now. Their whole shipping policy for preorders is f-ed up now.

Their preorder prices don't seem to have changed to me. Perhpas there 'seem' to be more 20% off preorders but then again they always have some, like Shrek. If you browse through the advance orders DVD section, most everything listed is 30% off. So do you mean new preorders added to cdnow's database or what?

Yes on recent(?) additions to their DB. I suppose that a wait-and-see approach might be needed. As the DVDs hit their release date, maybe it'll become more clearer as to what CDNow is doing.

You might be right. Or, maybe they're going to go with 20% as a mainstay with a few 30%(s) thrown in. The coming weeks will tell.

CDNow has been going downhill of late in both service and pricing with some pre-orders at only 20% off list. Some items in their last sale were screwed up too by the shipping dept. YMMV

There have been several problems reported including these: here and here

hmm well I personally have found cdnow to be an excellent store, and the only place i've been placing preorders at for the last couple months (with the exception of DDD, which has good prices for preorders, *but only for certain companies (mgm, a&e)*). Their normal 15% off coupons, good service (in my experience), and especially those GCs that really make them have some nice deals are all cool.

When I never received my shipment of Rock Criterion they quickly replaced it, and shipped it 2 day shipping, so I can't complain about their response there. As long as their service stays fine to me personally I think they are a good place to shop at. And I reaaaaally hope that they don't go screwy around with that normal preorder discount. Using $200 of GC's purchased for $166.95 and a standard 15% off coupon, I got the Disney Treasures tins for 18.55 each for the four, Almost Famous for 19.59, Babylon 5 for 11.77, 8 1/2 for 22.18, among my December 4th preorders, just for examples of why I like CDNOW a lot still personally despite some of these negative responses.

Not sure why all of a sudden all these complaints about CdNow. I started ordering again from them once the 40% off prices in conjunction with a 15% off coupon. I always order 2 dvds at a time. If not two different dvds at 40% than I buy 2 or 3 of the same title. Saves on the cost of shipping and it was cheaper than anything I can usually find here locally. In the past 2 months I have brought over 40 dvds without any problems. Everything arrived in great shape and packaged well. Only once did they split up order and shipped one dvd at a time at first class mail rate. Everything else has been Priority Mail and have never been over charged. I hope they keep up the selective 40% off specials. Just ordered 2 copies of "Almost Famous Bootleg Dir. Cut" for $20.33 each. If I brought that here I would of paid about $4,63 more for each dvd.

Kahuna

That bold text refers to the storewide video sale that was/is currently underway...pre-orders have always been, and still are, 30% off.

yep, that's what i thought too