Where to Buy CDs Online – Best Places for New and Used CDs
We all know streaming music is king nowadays, and vinyl has made a massive comeback, but what about CDs? Well, despite what conventional wisdom says, I still think CD’s are fantastic, so if you’re looking for where to buy CDs online, I’m going to provide the fifteen best places for buying both new and used CDs on the internet (but not Amazon, since I feel that is too obvious of a choice).
Where to Buy CDs Online That You’ll Love
Let’s begin with CD Universe.
CD Universe
This is a great website if you are looking for cheap CDs. Their website is commonly running discounts, some of which can be upwards of 20% off your order. They also show you what other buyers have rated the CD, if the CD is a top seller, whether the CD qualifies for a promotion, and if the CD is a remastered version.
CD Universe has a very big variety of music categories, as well. When you find a CD you like and click on the link, they have additional information for you to look at. You can read the description for the CD, track listing, reviews, and details. The best feature of CD Universe is that they offer a 100% authentic guarantee for your CDs, with discreet packaging and billing.
eBay
Let’s not underestimate eBay as being a great resource to find CDs. The great thing about eBay, especially if you’re looking to purchase CD’s in bulk, is that there are lots of power sellers looking to unload larger collections of CDs at one time.
I’ve often found it helpful to search for a “CD lot,” which tends to be a seller selling a huge lot of CDs in one auction. At first you might think this is a bad idea—after all, why would you want to buy a big lot of 10 or 20 or even 50 CDs at once—when you’re only seeking out a few albums in particular?
Well, sometimes a seller might not know (or care) if they are selling a certain rare or hard to find CD. And so, in that case, maybe you’re only seeking out one CD (or album) in particular—but it’s quite valuable on its own when sold individually.
In that case, head over to eBay, and you might just luck up and find an auction where someone is selling a CD you covet along with a bunch of other random CDs in the same auction. The price might actually be incredibly reasonable, and any CD you don’t want to keep from that “lot” can simply be donated to Goodwill.
Goodwill
Speaking of Goodwill, it might be wise to take some time and pop into a local Goodwill in your area (and certainly online, of course) to see if they have incredibly cheap CDs that you might be interested in.
The great thing about Goodwill is that it’s always going to be a true treasure hunt. Now sometimes, you’ll find nothing but bottle caps and bubble gum wrappers (metaphorically speaking). But on those rare, special days, you’ll actually unearth a true gem. And that’s because people take things to Goodwill that they’re just dying to get rid of. They don’t care about trying to find the best value or trying to gauge an item’s true worth—they just want it out of the house.
That benefits CD collectors like you greatly, because you’re likely going to be able to have your pick of the litter at what could conceivably be loads and loads of used CDs. In fact, if you’re looking for the best places to find used cds, Goodwill could conceivably be #1 on this list.
Discogs
The number one marketplace for buying and selling music online, I highly recommend you check out Discogs if you’re looking to buy new and used CDs.
If you’ve never used Discogs before, think of it kind of like a cross between IMDB and eBay. Two very different websites, I know, but follow me.
Discogs has an incredibly well kept database when it comes to music. Any album, EP, mixtape or CD single that was ever released is very likely going to be cataloged on Discogs. This database also connects to a Discogs marketplace, where you can not only purchase CDs from individual sellers, but filter your buying interest based on what year the CD was released, whether the CD is an original or first pressing compared to a repress, what pressing plant pressed the CD, what country the CD originates from, and so much more.
The marketplace operates, in some ways, like eBay does, in that you can read reviews of individual sellers and see how pleased buyers are with their service. But what I love most about buying CDs online at a place like Discogs is that the sellers (especially when you buy from a highly rated one) are truly in the business of selling CDs. These aren’t grandmas and grandpas getting rid of the of their kids’ unused CD collections that have piled up in the basement.
In many cases, these are power sellers that understand how to properly grade a CD disc or CD cover in order for you to know with a high degree of certainty what to expect in the mail—even if you haven’t seen a photo of the item in question.
Mr. Cheapo
Mr. Cheapo is a CD and record exchange store that started in Long Island, New York. They advertise themselves as not your typical “Mom and Pop” CD and record store, by buying and selling many CDs and records.
With over 40 years of family business, they are one of the most well-known stores on Long Island that turned the music world on its head. If you are looking for hard-to-find music or music that won’t break your bank, Mr. Cheapo is the place for you.
Every item that Mr. Cheapo sells is fully guaranteed to work perfectly and fully inspected before it is listed online. Originally the store opened in the mid-1980s as a used vinyl store; now it is known as a hub for CD buffs. They have a great selection of music online and they can deliver to you some rare CDs without you ever having to leave your house.
Reckless Records
Reckless Records is a brick-and-mortar record store that originally started in London. In 1989, they opened their first of three stores in Chicago, IL. They specialize in buying and selling CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. Their website does contain the most popular CDs that are new, but they have even more CDs that are used.
I would suggest shopping with Reckless Records if you are looking for used CDs or CDs older than the early 2000s. What I like about their used CDs is that they also list the grading that they used, so you will know exactly what condition the CD is in.
The Reckless Records website looks very similar to a public library’s website with how it is set up. They list a paragraph for each CD that contains the basic information as well as their summary of the CD.
Music Millennium
This is a great store that started in Portland in 1969, specializing in underground music. At that time other local record stores and places that sold CDs did not carry underground music. So, Don MacLeod, his wife Loreen, and brother-in-law Dan Lissy opened up the Music Millennium store. This store was created by people who know and love music and want to share that with as many people as possible.
While Music Millennium does specialize in underground music, they still carry popular trending music too. From their main page, you will need to click the store button, which will take you to a screen full of album pictures with titles below the picture. You can also click the button that says “Listing,” which will give you more information about the release date, label, and price.
I love how their website showcases the album art; you get to see a much bigger album picture than other CD websites. In fact, that’s one of my big personal beefs with streaming music these days. When you click on an album cover on a streaming music service (like YouTube Music, for example), it’s completely hit or miss whether the album art will expand to a bigger image, allowing you to fully view what the art on the cover truly looks like.
Thankfully, Music Millenium doesn’t follow this trend.
Amoeba Music
Amoeba Music is a music merchandise store that is located in California. They have their main store in Hollywood, which was opened in 2001. Since then, they have opened other stores in Berkley and San Francisco, as well as their online store.
Their Hollywood store is a huge part of L.A.’s music community, which is staffed with experts in every field of music. Amoeba Music has been listed in the top 10 of the entertainment industry’s most revered holy places.
The best thing about Amoeba Music online is that they hold the same unique musical diversity that they have in-store. From their main music page, you can click the CD and vinyl button, which will take you to their huge inventory of music from multiple genres. Amoeba Music has both new and popular music and music that is timeless and classic. If new CDs are a little pricey, they also have an option for you to buy used CDs for as low as $3.
Norman Records
If you are looking for where you can buy CDs online, Norman Records is a cool store founded in 1995 in the United Kingdom. This is a great website for someone looking to save as much as possible, while not compromising a large collection of music. They have a large number of artists across multiple genres too, though they do appear to focus mainly on rock, pop, electronic, and reggae music.
When visiting Norman Records’ website, they offer a lot of information to the customer. They have discounts for new and returning customers and offer worldwide shipping. What is great about their shipping is that it is fully guaranteed to arrive in perfect condition; if it doesn’t, they will make it right. Norman Records has great service, awesome prices, and some of the best music that both America and the United Kingdom offer.
Tower Records
Tower Records was founded in 1960 by Russ Soloman, with the theme of “No Music, No Life” across all of the stores. At Tower Records’ height, they had more than 100 locations in 18 different countries. Artists such as Dave Grohl have cited that working at Tower Records played a big role in influencing him. Elton John and Bruce Springsteen were also regular visitors and contribute to how much of a movement this store was in the music community.
The online store for Tower Records features more than 335,000 CDs, spanning multiple genres. Their most popular genre is Rock and Jazz, though they have a remarkable number of genres listed on their website. The most common CD price on their website is around $15 for a new CD, which is not a bad deal at all. They have prices that range from $2 to $30; Tower Records also has discount deals that they feature quite often.
Deep Discount
Deep Discount has been around since 2001 selling CDs, DVDs, Vinyl, and more. Their website offers fast shipping that is free for orders over $25. Their distribution center is also located in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, so you will have fast and reliable shipping from within the United States. Another great feature of their website is they offer 30 days for returns. If you no longer want your items, they will give a full refund for unopened items in original packaging.
There are multiple genres that Deep Discount has online. They have their deals section, new releases, and top sellers, you can also search by genre. They have new CDs that vary from $15 to $25 with their offered discounts. This would be a great website to use to get new release CDs for a great price and have them delivered pretty quickly.
I’ve used Deep Discount over the years, and for the most part, have always had a very good experience. In fact, I remember I started using them during in the “hey day” of DVD—back before Amazon was became the go-to online juggernaut and Deep Discount was actually called “Deep Discount DVD.”
The Decluttr Store
As the name suggests, this store is great for freeing up some space in your home. They buy, refurbish, and sell CDs and much more. With every purchase, you will get free tracked shipping, with no purchase limit. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, they offer a 14-day money-back guarantee with a free 12-month limited warranty on tech items.
The Decluttr Store is one of the cheapest places online to buy CDs. They can sell CDs for cheap because they are used and refurbished items. They have thousands of artists across popular genres like RnB, dance, metal, rock, pop, and more. It’s really easy to use their website and with a guaranteed quality check, you can be sure to get a great CD for less.
Collectors’ Choice Music
This website offers trending entertainment choices at good prices. They also stock their product in their warehouse, which allows them to make sure your order is correct from online to your front door. Having their warehouse on-site also allows them to get your order packed and shipped within hours of purchase. One downside is they ship through USPS shipping, which can be somewhat pricey, with standard shipping starting at almost $10.
The layout of their website is unique, with the option tabs looking like amplifier plugs and volume slides. Like most websites, you can filter your search by top sellers, new releases, genres, and more. If you are having trouble deciding on a good CD to buy, they also will send you a free catalog to give you some more input on what’s current. When looking at CDs they include a very detailed summary with the release date and the sale price.
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble is known for their vast collection of books, but they also sell CDs, vinyl, soundtracks, and more. Barnes & Noble is one of the largest book retailers and they have an equally large web presence. Their website contains a large catalog of CDs that you can search by artist, album name, and genre. If you are looking for where to purchase CDs online, they have a great selection at low prices.
On their website, you will be able to either shop by music categories or customer favorites. My favorite option is you can search by special values or CD sales for only $4.99. Barnes & Noble online is better for some genres than others, but it is still worth a look. They have a great selection of dance, new age, blues & folk, and alternative music.
Bull Moose & Newbury Comics
Bull Moose and Newbury Comics tie for this final slot—even though they are two independent businesses. With that said, both do share some similarities.
They both can be found throughout a lot of the east coast, with Newbury Comics being mostly found in Massachusetts (amongst a few other states like Rhode Island and New York), and Bull Moose mostly located in Maine (with three additional stores in New Hampshire).
Both locations are absolute havens for physical media collectors. Those familiar with Newbury Comics will know that you can find everything from vinyl records and movies to various fun pop culture artifacts, while Bull Moose leans even further into physical media, as well as books, tabletop games and more.
Both businesses have a heavy presence of CDs—both new and used—and when you walk inside (especially in the current digital and streaming age), it almost feels like a throwback to the 1990s where stores like Sam Goody were the go-to locations to find music.
Of course, with this being an article about finding CDs online, the websites for Bull Moose and Newbury Comics are just as helpful as their physical stores. You’ll be able to very much find what you’re looking on both sites, and I’d even suggest signing up to their email newsletters so you can know when each store offers customers sales, so you can save a few bucks once you’re ready to drop a large amount of money on your next CD haul.
One thing that I particularly like about Bull Moose’s website is that whenever you visit a product page for a CD you’re interested in, they immediately show you the price it’ll cost you if you buy it brand new, as well as the price it will be if you choose to buy the item used.
This is a great way to immediately know how much money you’ll save if you buy the CD second hand (and it also informs you—quite explicitly— that if you ever want to sell your CD collection in the future, it might be wise to first consider taking it to Bull Moose or Newbury Comics before opting to throw it eBay and pay eBay’s high seller fees).
Conclusion
I completely understand the frustration of simply wanting to know where to buy CDs online and feeling like you’re overwhelmed with various options that provide little to no context. But hopefully, this article has better helped you discover the many awesome online retailers you can visit to not only find new and used CDs, but even sell a few CDs if you’re in need of whittling down your collection
Everyone has been excited for years about the vinyl resurgence for years, and now it seems like there’s massive energy and excitement behind a potential CD revival too. Now, are CDs coming back just like vinyl? And conversely, when will CDs stop being made?
I don’t have the answers, of course, but my advice is simple: if CDs are making a comeback, it would be wise to head over to a few of these aforementioned sites above and purchase some of your favorite albums while CD prices remain dirt cheap.
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