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I NFO RMATION -R ESOURCES

Thank you for browsing through this information. Here you'll find information on how to use the Vinyl Web Stop™, and a collection of resources that I hope you'll find useful.

Information

Resources

 

The Grand Opening!

The birth of the Vinyl Web Stop™ on the Web was the 22. June 1996 and the 18. August it was officially announced. As these are my first web pages published ever, I suppose parts of them will be rewritten heavily the next months as a result of my own experience and your feedback. Don't hesitate to send me critics and/or suggestions for a better site.

What is the Vinyl Web Stop™?

First I would like to point out that the Vinyl Web Stop™ is a non commercial site, and I have no whatsoever connection with the companies / privates that are included in my links. My hope is that this site could be your place to go when you're looking for information, records, friends, whatever related to vinyl records. I bring you this service mostly because I needed a project to learn web authoring, and as I'm a collector myself, this felt like an obvious choice (hmm...., maybe it isn't such a good idea to give away all my sources... ;-) .

Which companies are linked?

The companies and private persons presented here have all a presence on the web which with a few exceptions means they display their stock (or part of it) in www pages, and naturally this is made up of vinyl records (or partly). This includes both companies selling new vinyl only and the more common collector shops with mostly used stuff. Record labels are not included unless they also are selling other labels records.

How to read the Vinyl Web Links.

First of all I would like apologize that here aren't any search-form. I hope to find a solution to this someday. It is however very easy to use your own browser's search (Edit & Find on most). Okay, let's take a look at how the Vinyl Web Links are presented.

Company Name stock
If some of the "descriptions" looks dull, then imagine how easy it is to describe over 100 companies, dealing with almost the same stuff, in a different way each time. As you can see, I failed. Anyway; hope they can be of some help. Mail: geihoy@sn.no
  • The company name is a hyperlink to the site described. Usually this is to the front page. Some companies deals with other things than vinyl records as well, so make sure you don't get astray and order CD's instead :-)
  • The next field shows the average amount of records in stock. However this doesn't mean that all records are available through theirs web site, and it doesn't tell if it is 1000 x 1 or 1 x 1000. It does however tell you a little about the ability to serve your want lists.
  • After the engaging :-) description you'll find "Mail" and a mailto hyperlink (if they have any). Don't use this to send them want lists unless you have checked at the site that they accept such!! Not all do, and if it is misused, I suppose I will be told to remove it. Always check at the site first and if you still have some questions, then try it. Keep it short!
  • The flag tells you to which country you go (if some of the USA links actually are Canadian, then please excuse and let me know)
  • Although it's a VISA card, it only shows that this site does accept credit card(s). It seems like Mastercard and Visa are the most common ones, but you have to find out for yourself. Yes; I should have had some sponsorship from Visa for doing this...
  • usually means download and here it means that you can download a zipped (mostly) catalog for off-line reading. Very useful if you want to read through thoroughly and you usually get access to more than displayed on the web site.
  • Some companies send their lists through mail , too. I'm a lazy person, so this is a service I find very useful. If you're in doubt; I don't refer to snail mail!
  • Have you checked the news today? These companies can be found at the "marketplace" newsgroup with lists every now and then. If you want to reply to an ad at a news group; don't forget to mail a personal answer instead of replying to the newsgroup! It looks silly...
  • If the web site has thousands of records, it's almost a necessity to be able to type in and search for what you are looking for. I suppose this will become more and more usual, but don't forget that you can search through a page with your browser's Edit & Find (or equivalent) as an alternative.
  • Okay, you've found a record you would like to buy. Now what. The elegant way is to make a mouseclick to put it in the shopping cart , and go looking for other goodies. The usual way is to write down a code, band, album, price etc. on paper and then type them into a mail or fax (try cut & paste instead; ctrl+ins and then shift+ins)
  • Some of the sites that accept credit card(s) also have a feature called secure pages . This means that the information given on such pages are encrypted when sent through the web. To my knowledge this is as safe as dealing with credit cards in general, but if there isn't a secure order page, always call or fax instead!! There are however other ways of solving this problem, such as First Virtual, Cybercash, Trade Safe or simply that the company register your card number (phone it once).
Some information I've been given from the companies themselves (thank you!) and some I've collected myself. I've also visited all the sites, but please remember that I'm doing this in my spear time, so I can't possibly check all sites for in detail information and errors on a regular basis. I therefor need your help (both companies and collectors)! Mail me or use the form if you find any errors (and I'm afraid you will...), if any links are dead, if you've come across a company that should have been included etc.

Trade Safe

Although most trading over the net goes smoothly, we must be aware of that some jerks are here simply to fraud you. When dealing with the wellknown companies, you are quite safe (unless they are wellknown for frauding :-) The problem surface when you're going to deal with some minor companies /private collectors. By all means; I'm sure 99 % of these are honest and gives you a better service (and lower price?) than the more unpersonal big companies. The problem is you can't tell for sure. For the same reason I can't be held responsible for the companies/privates in my Vinyl Web Links. So, what can be done?

  • If you have any bad experience with a company from the Vinyl Web Links, please report it to me. I will then discuss the matter with the other part. If things are sorted out, I'll do nothing. If I'm in doubt, I'll either remove the link or wait for another report (depends on the degree of doubtfulness). If I'm sure there was a fraud going on, I will remove the link and let you know in the Vinyl Web Forum. I believe this is a fair way of doing it for both sellers and buyers.
  • When dealing with unknown, small companies/privates, you shouldn't send cash in advance. The problem is however that most sellers don't send anything without advance payment (after all this fraud problem is even greater for them!). One solution is COD, but many companies don't accept this (the parcels are often not collected and returned from the postoffice after months of waiting). The solution could be Trade Safe. For a small fee you get exactly that; a safe trade. Take a look, and give it a try the next time you are going to spend a lot of $$$$, and please report your experience with this at the Vinyl Web Forum (don't expect to be able to use this at the big companies that accept credit cards, though)
  • Two different and secure alternatives are First Virtual and Cybercash, but in these cases the seller must support these services with pre-installed software. However I expect these services to be more interesting for the professionals than Trade Safe.

Currency exchange rates

For those of you who are going to deal with someone abroad, it could be nice to know how much this megamint copy of the ultra rare record you've been looking for all your life, actually cost in your own currency. No problem! Just hyperlink yourself to Xenon Labs (US or Sweden), type in the amount, foreign currency, your currency and voila (shit; t h a t much!). Remember though that exchange rates can change dramatically without any warning and that you always get the rate at the time of transaction.

Postage rates

After having translated foreign currency into your own (when applicable), don't forget to calculate the postage into your total (if you're going to use airmail from abroad, it might after all be cheaper to buy an expansive copy at your local store). Many sellers let you know the postage in advance, but if you need to find out yourself, then enjoy.

Please let me know of other countries postage rates on the web!

Meta searchers

Wouldn't it be nice to simply type into a searchbox what you're looking for, click on GO and watch the script search through the entire stock to every vendor on the web? Well, maybe not if you're looking for the current no. 1 single, but if you're looking for something special (as we collectors always do), this must be great. You might think that this is a distant future and you're probably right, but if you want a glimpse of it, check out these:

  • It seems like the Bargain Finder mostly search through CD databases, but give it a try. Boycott the companies that block'em out!
  • At GEMM you'll get loads of vinyl plus all kinds of related stuff like other types of collectibles and information. A great idea and it's very easy to use.

Some final links

  • Let's face it; most vinyl shops aren't on the web. Paul has done something with this and compilated an amazing worldwide list of independent CD/tape/record stores (i.e. not necessarily vinyl). Check out this one before going on your holidays! Don't forget to help him with "completing" the list. He also seems to be a competitor to my web links soon (best of luck!).
  • A serious collector should organize his/her collection in one way or another. As you are visiting me here on the web, I assume you are the proud owner of a PC/Mac or whatever. If you already has got a program for cataloging your records, then fine. Otherwise you might want to take a look at Recording Master for Windows. If you know of any better programs or some for Mac, let me know!
  • I haven't tried the Internet Music Wantlist myself, but it seems like a good idea. For the moment it is down, but keep checking.
  • I'm not sure if any of my Vinyl Web Links includes sites selling 78 rpm's, but here is the 78rpm Homepage for those into this. Maybe you're also interested in gramophones?

 

Okay, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed your stay! Feel free to visit my homepage for non-musical information and links.

The Vinyl Web Stop is Trademark

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