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Ridiculous bargains, CDs and MP3s thread

505K views 3K replies 187 participants last post by  Manxfeeder 
#1 · (Edited)
I'll kick off with this possibly mispriced Brilliant box of 65 Handel CDs for $20.99 (in the US anyway).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106UFMP6/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk

Not available yet, but if you have an interest you maybe should order it now. Amazon has a price guarantee that applies even in cases of mispricing.

Contents are on the Brilliant site, but not performers.

Note that the Brilliant "complete Beethoven" box of 85 CDs was initially advertised at $29.95, an error quickly corrected. But those of us who ordered at that price got it. The box is currently $120. Just sayin'.

 
#1,079 ·
Having watched the Leonard Bernstein Complete DG and Decca box on Amazon AU all of last week at a ridiculously low price, I finally ordered it last Friday for 234AUD (about 160USD). Within a few hours it shot up to 544AUD. Arrived on Tuesday in a box about 3 times too big! As of yesterday, it's currently selling at 342AUD (about 237USD), still an enormous bargain compared with other Amazon sites, and most other classical music sites. I am still thoroughly perplexed at how Amazon set their prices. The explanations I've read on line certainly don't seem to apply to at least some titles in classical music.
 
#1,081 · (Edited)
#1,085 ·
https://benefits.naxos.com/Offer/Redeem/7b36b7f9c5424badb1ffa2641ec397a475690965

This month Naxos selections

View attachment 127798 View attachment 127799 View attachment 127800

Tough choice for me as I already have a number of B9's and B Quartets and I have this exact B Trios already (I highly recommend it). I did finally settle on the Ninth as it has a few excellent reviews out there.
Glad I decided on that B 9th. It is beautifully recorded, great sound. Interpretation is for you to decide, I like it, not Fricsay good by any means but still good.
 
#1,089 ·
Drahos' cycle is very good. You can pick it up really cheaply by buying the individual discs from Amazon / Ebay.. That's how I completed that cycle. I bought 2 of the discs from a charity shop in Dunfermline for a quid then the rest as individual discs from Ebay. The whole cycle cost me no more than £6 in total for a decent set.
 
#1,096 ·
https://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Violin-Concerto-No-Shostakovich/dp/B000000SLM/

There are copies of this phenomenal CD (Maxim Vengerov plays the Prokofiev and Shostakovich first violin concerti w/ Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the LSO) going for ridiculously cheap on the Amazon used market. Please, if you don't have this disc and especially if you don't have these works in your library, I implore you to get it!
 
#1,104 · (Edited)
European ebay is certainly not cheaper than Amazon UK marketplace, even if item prices are lower (which is also not my experience) shipping for private persons across countries even within the EU is ridiculously expensive, and on ebay most sellers compute the actual regular shipping cost plus a handling fee. Amazon marketplace sellers are often companies that somehow have access to cheaper shipping options. For instance if I were to sell a CD on ebay and sell it to someone in the UK, shipping alone will cost me €7.50 (= £6.47)! Within the Netherlands shipping for me would be €3.64 for a single CD (as a CD with classical booklet and padded envelope weighs over 100g). I assume these prices will even be higher if one wants to ship something from the UK to The Netherlands via ebay.

Standard shipping within Europe for most Amazon UK marketplace single CDs, however, is only £1.82 (= €2.14)

Buying on eBay com (USA) or Amazon.com marketplace is rarely interesting for Europeans, maybe only for rare items, but then even Discogs may be less exensive when it comes to shipping cost.

This is unlikely to change when the UK leaves the EU, as this will effect the VAT and import duties which are only relevant for items over €22 and €150 respectively. Shipping will not be more expensive, as it is not the sender who pays for these additional fees, but the recipient, and then only for items over €22, which a CD rarely will be. Shipping to non-EU countries for me now (like Norway or Switzerland) is as expensive as shipping to an EU country like the UK. It may take a bit longer maybe, because of additional custom checks. It will likely become cheaper to buy from Amazon marketplace in the UK after Brexit as the Pound will continue to devaluate against the Euro after their economy crashes (Brexiteers will disagree of course)

Needless to say I buy most of my CDs on Amazon UK marketplace for item prices between £0.01 and £4
 
#1,106 · (Edited)
That limit only applies to orders from outside the EU (if one is in the EU that is). Within the EU there are no limits to orders, only slight VAT adjustments as VAT rates vary across countries. No import fees as the UK is still part of the EU.

Amazon France has higher item prices for used CDs than Amazon UK and shipping cost are higher too,
Same for Amazon Germany (for used items that is, for new items shipping is free above €29)
 
#1,111 · (Edited)
#1,112 · (Edited)
I found this box set on Amazon for $3.29. It has other works all well done but the jewel is Songs Without Words performed by Dana Protopopescu in I believe the early 90's. She/He is excellent and the sound is excellent.
View attachment 128809
https://www.amazon.com/100-Essentia...esktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ya_aw_dod_pi
I appreciate you included a link. Oooh, here are a couple more cheap Mendelssohn download sets:

99 tracks for $2.69
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O3RJ40/

35 tracks for 99 cents (including 5 tracks from sister Fanny)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075M3FS3X/
 
#1,115 ·
Another DG recording made available on Internet Archives. I have no idea why DG chooses to allow these posted as public domain when they are also available for sale. But we have been here before. Internet Archives does not allow pirated items so I accept this as free and legal to download.

Bach Goldberg Variations a 1969 recording by Kempff. An absolutely simple and beautiful rendition. Read up on it if you like. Kempff leaves out most of the orientation and flair and plays it simple and how he interprets Bach to have intended.
Organism Font Rectangle Mesh Art

https://archive.org/details/wilhelmkempff-j.s.bach_goldbergvariations201824-96
 
#1,116 ·
Another DG recording made available on Internet Archives. I have no idea why DG chooses to allow these posted as public domain when they are also available for sale. But we have been here before. Internet Archives does not allow pirated items so I accept this as free and legal to download.

Bach Goldberg Variations a 1969 recording by Kempff. An absolutely simple and beautiful rendition. Read up on it if you like. Kempff leaves out most of the orientation and flair and plays it simple and how he interprets Bach to have intended.
View attachment 128920
https://archive.org/details/wilhelmkempff-j.s.bach_goldbergvariations201824-96
Yet again, I don't buy it. I suspect Archive.org probably just doesn't know that this content is there, and nor does DG.
 
#1,121 · (Edited)
I just bought this lot from an old guy selling off two boxes of CDs he got from a charity shop (he lives near me). Cost me £10 for this lot and I'm going back tomorrow for a stack more. Kubelik's live Ma Vlast was worth it alone. Everything else is a bonus (and some great bonuses too). That Du Pre 3CD set is a cracker and pleased with the Delius too. Two discs of Beecham's terrific Haydn too. Yay!

Publication Font Room Collection Art
 
#1,122 ·
I just bought this lot from an old guy selling off two boxes of CDs he got from a charity shop (he lives near me). Cost me £10 for this lot and I'm going back tomorrow for a stack more. Kubelik's live Ma Vlast was worth it alone. Everything else is a bonus (and some great bonuses too). That Du Pre 3CD set is a cracker and pleased with the Delius too. Two discs of Beecham's terrific Haydn too. Yay!

View attachment 129040
Awesome man. I want that Kubelik Ma Vlast. Enjoy all that.
 
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