Great Prices and Shipping In This Universe
CD Universe
Buying music, a video or similar commodity on the web is not a foregone conclusion as Wall Street analysts and overall traffic trends might cause you to believe. There are a number of niche shopping sites available, many of whom regularly beat the big online merchants with a combination of service and price.
Humorist Tony Kornheiser often tells the story of his now-deceased father driving miles out of his way to save a few pennies on a spice. While most rational shoppers will not take such drastic steps to save, there are opportunities to comparison shop. Face facts and recognize the hot new CD is the same everywhere.
Entertainment may be among the most crowded area for comparison shoppers (use a site like shopping.com to find the best prices). One site that does a terrific job on games, music and video is CD Universe
Entering CD Universe
This pared-down Amazon claims to carry 500,000 items. The site is organized with a directory structure, as well as a decent search engine. I was especially impressed to note that searching for a music artist also yielded links in related areas. The only area I could find slightly deficient was the results display..
I found 125 products when searching for The Beatles in the music area, but there was no way to sort those items. A more robust display would allow shoppers to search by price, release date or even by title. Instead, the results appear to be grouped alphabetically by type of media. With many popular acts still releasing new product after three or four decades, the designers should have done a better job with the display..
The site also accepts reviews and allows browsers and shoppers alike to rate product, which in turn allows for flags like "Highly Rated" to appear near certain selections. I am not naïve enough to believe that a slow-moving item can magically appear to be highly rated, but the reviews, your own tastes and the occasional music sample will certainly help you make the right choice..
I especially like CD Universe's Bargain Bin, where I consistently found prices lower than at major merchants. This is the online equivalent of the old cut-out bin used for remaindered vinyl during the 1960s and 1970s. Shoppers simply click through the selections to see what is available — no doubt for inventory reasons more than any specific market forces.
Ordering Experiences
I have placed two orders from CD Universe, both of which were fulfilled quickly. I immediately received an order confirmation that displayed all the pertinent information and provided links to check on order status. Two days later, I was emailed a shipping confirmation and had three new CDs in my hand by the end of the week..
The order status email did not provide any further links back to the site, but encouraged an email (which was linked) if there were questions. The omission was a little surprising given the relative ease with which a merchant can set up a database..
But in the end, the company communicated quickly, sold me three CDs at $9.99 each when everyone else was well over $12, and had product to me within a week for a shipping rate of $4.99. That is why I ordered from the company again, and why I was pleased to see the same good pricing and expedient service.
The Bottom Line, Clicks and All
CD Universe is now one of the stores I check before purchasing new music. I have not used them for video or games yet, but I assume the same quality control and pricing exists for those products. I certainly will not use them for every purchase and still do not like their search results display, but like Kornheiser's father, I am willing to click a few extra times to save 10% or 20%. Just don't ask me to shop for nutmeg.
Five Important Things To Remember From This Review
1. Yes, Virginia, there is another decent store handling entertainment media with good pricing and service.
2. Do not expect much hand-holding. You will receive communications from the company, but not the link-laden mail you may be familiar with.
3. Check out the Bargain Bin area for very good pricing, but be prepared to click.
4. Shipping is variable and based on the number and type of products.
5. Use a comparison site to make sure you get the best price.
