Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Asendia is garbage. My most recent packages have taken 2-3 extra weeks to show up. The old default used to be Royal UK Airmail or something like that and I would get the items in 6-7 days without fail.

Going forward, I'm going to start opting for the middle tiered shipping option, which is an Amazon Global option and that gets quoted at about $2 more per package.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Once states sued Amazon into charging sales tax on Amazon's own sales, it was only a matter of time before Amazon sided with the states in forcing every retailer to charge sales tax across state lines.

Once Amazon capitulated, they lobbied hard to break the Internet sales tax exemption across state lines. We can all thank Amazon for pushing us towards this brave new frontier.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

So is Amazon now doing as many MoD (Manufacture on Demand) for new CD releases as they can? And no notice on preorders (at least the last couple I was looking at) that they will be MoD and not the original pressing. Screw you Amazon.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Yep, I almost bought the new Slipknot and Flaming Lips CDs from amazon but noticed the MoD notice under the price. Had the local shop get them for me instead. Luckily we still have one of those around here.

In other news: not only did amazon actually deliver something on time to me today but it wasn't even damaged. Bravo!

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Amazon is shamelessly trying to kill off the last vestiges of the CD market. They know remaining CD buyers loathe CD-R copies. I think some of this is due to Amazon's millions of Prime customers - servicing their CD demands likely isn't profitable at all. The margins on new CD sales have always been razor-thin and rising shipping costs for two-day delivery of a single CD must eat up the entire profit.

The problem is that Amazon went and killed off their net competition. Few CD retailers are left outside of the Alliance/DirectToYou empire's internet fronts like ImportCDs. Target seems to be hanging in there for now.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Yup that's where I went Friday instead of ordering from Amazon. And was cheaper.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Whoa... whoa...

Are you guys saying that if I buy a new CD from Amazon -- one that I could walk into a store and buy -- they will (or may) send me a MOD CD-R copy of that album?

Seriously, what the fuck?

I can sort of understand that older albums that wouldn't otherwise be in print could be switched over to MOD CD-Rs, but newer stuff that's still in print? The record companies support this?

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Exactly WTF!

These are brand new, major label releases. Not all titles are affected but more and more every day. Plus no notification on the preorders (at least the last 3 I was looking at) that you'd get a MoD/CDR copy not an original pressing. And they aren't any cheaper.

Unfortunately the record companies seem to be going along. -rolleyes-

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

So how is the labeling done for these MoD discs? What about the cover art and back?

This is another reason to buy original pressings. Of course, that's only helpful if you're buying older music, which I tend to do.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

So after returning to Mississauga, leaving again, returning again, and finally leaving again, it actually made it to me, yesterday, almost two weeks after it left. This is with Prime 2-day shipping.

The good thing is that they refunded my purchase price, so I guess it ends up being a freebie.

The annoying thing is that another BD was part of the same order, and it still hasn't shipped, despite being in-stock when I ordered it, and still showing as in-stock. The CS rep that arranged the refund told me it was in 'advanced shipping' and would ship in 2-4 business days. Today is the 4th business day, and I'm not feeling too confident. It makes no sense, and while the other issue was likely with Canada Post, this one is most definitely with Amazon.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

It started happening within the past few weeks to select major label album releases, even on albums that have pressed CDs available at other retailers. It's one of Amazon's harebrained schemes to kill off their remaining CD customer base. Presumably the major labels signed off because Amazon just opened up their own streaming music service.

I've heard whispers the major labels themselves want to be out of CD by the end of 2020 for anything but large box sets.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

That might be OK - *IF* they'd offer high quality files. Unfortunately, everyone seems to think MP3 is the way to go. Nope... not even close. If it comes to that I'll just have to be content with my collection (currently 1400+ releases) and what I can get on the used market. I do not buy MP3s. Even when Amazon gives them to me "free" I ignore them.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Same thing people were saying when cassettes came out to rival records. Records are still a niche product but cassettes won the war purely due to convenience and cost. The transition to digital will be no different.

Also, FYI services like Spotify offer up to 320kb/s quality for both streaming or download.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Absolutely ridiculous, isn't it? Unfortunately, Amazon's attempt to drive away the casual CD buyer is quite sneaky. I saw a review on a major-label release that I ended up buying at Target and it had a handful of negative reviews with people saying the copy they ordered direct from Amazon was a "bootleg", citing low quality cover art and CD-R disc. Nowhere on the product page does it say anything about being MOD. Luckily another major-label album I had pre-ordered came in with no issue.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

This isn't about Amazon charging tax but about the taxes they charge. It seems like I get charged a higher tax rate if the item is delivered rather than mailed. Does that sound plausible? Also, I went in for one of these buy two get one free things (which also had some additional coupons applied), and it looks like they taxed me for the full amount of the discs if bought individually. Does that sound right?
I can clearly see that there's different rates being applied.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Yes; you have to be taxed even on items being marked down to $0 for a sale. The company still has to show that it collected taxes on the item even if it was given for "free". Otherwise they would pay for it out of pocket and no company will do that.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

One really underhanded thing they are doing is not labeling pre-orders as MoD but then on release day... boom MoD.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Can anyone that's received a MoD disc answer the above?

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Just poking around on Amazon, looked at about a dozen listings for recent albums, and the only MOD albums I could find were Slipkont's "We Are Not Your Kind" and Korn's "The Nothning."

They are both on Roadrunner Records.

stvn1974 mentioned The Flaming Lips, who are on Warner.

I think Roadrunner is either owned or distributed by Warner. Maybe Amazon MOD is a Warner thing?

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

The CD-R thing is not entirely pervasive yet. It seems to be happening with select new albums.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Looks like Sony Music is on it... three of the releases I was looking at (Miranda Lambert - Wildcard, Old Dominion and Luke Combs) are all MoD and Sony. At least Luke's pre-order says MoD now.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Nope. You're only supposed to pay tax on the actual amount charged - after all discounts have been applied. The vendor only remits tax on the amount for which a product sold - not the value of the product.

Coupons are the only thing where you're supposed to pay tax for the item price *before* the coupon is credited. Even then most stores don't do that right and you'll not pay tax on the coupon amount.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

That's it. I'm sure Amazon just pockets the difference quietly and sneakily. And 99.9% of its customers either don't care or can't be bothered to call Amazon out on it. Also, Amazon charges tax on the shipping amount. I don't believe this is legal, either. The post office doesn't charge you tax on postage or stamps. For a $2 book shipping from a marketplace seller, the shiipping is $4. So Amazon collects, in my state, an extra $0.38 in tax, which is underhanded and tricky. So, I've just stopped buying books on Amazon and using marketplace sellers. Especially when my local library friends' store has books for $0.50 with no shipping or tax charge.

And, the MOD CD scourge is awful. If you're going to go MOD, at least offer FLAC versions of the files to download. Then, the user, not the cheap vendor, will choose to archive those files in the most appropriate manner. Not to some cheap CMC-branded CDR which will rot in a year. And the offering of files in .MP3, a 28-year-old lossy format is ridiculous. I don't even accept MP3s for free. They're shit. Space is cheap, FLAC is the way to go. Lossy anything in 16-bit audio is self-defeating when 5 TB hard drives can be purchased for $100. It's absurd and the epitome of laziness to kowtow to accepting lossy music in any form. Shame, Amazon, once again, for shame.

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

The taxing of "shipping and handling" and delivery charges vary by state.

https://www.avalara.com/us/en/blog/2...ate-guide.html

Some states consider shipping and handling charges taxable because they're a "service" or they consider them a part of the selling price.

Some examples:

Re: The complaining about Amazon thread
 

Placed an order yesterday for delivery today. Nothing major, just a few CDs (not MOD, thankfully). They were delivered to the wrong apartment, evident by the photo on my order page. I reached out via chat and they directed me to a phone call with a robot that told me to wait until the end of the day for my package delivery ("sometimes items are marked as delivered before they actually are"), which obviously wasn't the issue at all. I was then directed to another chat where I was told I have to wait until Monday to see if my package "shows up" and that they can't do anything until the "wait time" is over. I asked to speak to somebody higher up and was told that I would be told the exact same information due to the fact that they "all use the same resources". I gave the rep a horrible review and was given the option to e-mail Amazon, though I'm sure that will yield no results.

I'm annoyed. This is only the second order I have placed since my Prime membership renewed and I only seem to ever have a problem with packages being delivered to the wrong apartment when they are delivered by Amazon. I wish there was a way to prevent certain shipping services from being used.

It's funny because right before my Prime membership was renewed I was debating even renewing it at all.