Guides
Where to buy records: why Amazon and Target belong next to Discogs and eBay
Ask collectors where to buy records and most will say Discogs or eBay. For a lot of records that’s the right answer. But a large share of what people want, from new releases to the classic albums that never go out of print, is also on the shelves at Amazon, Target and Walmart, often at one price, with free shipping over a threshold and a return window measured in months rather than days.
Neither kind of store is simply better. The useful question is which one suits the record in front of you, and the first step in answering it is finding out whether that record is still in print.
Start with one question: is it in print?
A record is in print when a label is still pressing and distributing it. In-print records are what the big shops stock: new releases, current reissues, and the steady sellers that labels repress year after year. If a record is in print, there is usually a new, sealed copy available somewhere at something close to its list price.
A record is out of print when no current pressing exists. Then the shops have nothing to sell, or only leftover stock and third-party listings at inflated prices. Every copy comes from someone who already owns one, which means a marketplace. Prices there are set by sellers and by demand, not by a label’s list price.
Many albums are both. A classic album might have a current reissue at the shops and dozens of older pressings on Discogs, some cheaper than the reissue and some far more expensive. These are different records with different track lists, masterings and packaging, so it pays to check which edition a listing is before comparing prices. If a record is out of print but a reissue has been announced, waiting for it is often the cheapest way to own a copy, as long as the original pressing isn’t the point.
New or used
New copies arrive sealed and unplayed. What’s inside is known: the edition on the product page, in factory condition, with no wear from a previous owner. The trade-off is that factory condition isn’t always perfect. Pressing defects, warps and jackets damaged in the warehouse all happen, and the shrinkwrap hides them until the record is opened.
Used copies are often cheaper, sometimes by half, and for out-of-print records they are the only option. In exchange, the buyer relies on the seller’s description. Marketplaces grade used records on a scale that runs from Mint down to Poor, and the grade for the record and the grade for its sleeve can differ. A Very Good Plus record should play with only minor flaws; a Very Good record will have audible surface noise. Unrip’s buying guide summarizes what each grade generally means.
CDs are more forgiving on both counts. A used CD in good shape plays exactly like a new one, and the condition questions are mostly about the case, booklet and any inserts.
What the big shops offer
Amazon, Target and Walmart sell records the way they sell everything else: one listed price, a shipping rule that applies to the whole cart, and a return policy that doesn’t depend on which employee packed the box. For an in-print record, that predictability is worth a lot.
| Shop | Free shipping | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Orders of $35 or more; no minimum with a Target Circle Card or Circle 360 membership. Smaller orders pay $5.99. | Most unopened items within 90 days. Opened music can only be exchanged for the same title. Circle Card purchases get an extra 30 days. |
| Walmart | Walmart+ members get free shipping with no order minimum on items Walmart sells or ships. Other shoppers face an order minimum shown in the cart. | Most items within 90 days. Items sold and shipped by a Marketplace seller: usually 30 days. |
| Amazon | Free with Prime, or above a stated order minimum on eligible items that Amazon fulfills. | Most items within 30 days of delivery, in original or unused condition. Third-party sellers that ship their own stock handle their own returns. |
Three things stand out. First, thresholds reward bundling: a single $28 record at Target falls below the $35 line, but two records clear it. Second, return windows are long. Ninety days at Target and Walmart is longer than many marketplace sellers’ terms. Third, opened music is treated differently. At Target, an opened record can be swapped for another copy of the same title but not refunded, so it’s worth inspecting the jacket and shrinkwrap before opening. A warped or defective record is still a defect, and all three shops have a route for items that arrive damaged.
Not everything on these sites is sold by the shop itself. Walmart names the seller next to each listing (“Sold and shipped by”), and Walmart+ free shipping may not cover items from Marketplace sellers. Amazon shows “Ships from” and “Sold by” lines on each product page. When both name another merchant, that merchant handles shipping and returns, and Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee is the backstop if the record doesn’t arrive or isn’t as described.
What Discogs and eBay offer
Marketplaces win on range. Discogs lists specific pressings, not just albums, so a buyer can choose a first pressing, a particular country’s release, or the cheapest playable copy of anything. eBay adds sellers who don’t list on Discogs, including general secondhand shops and people clearing out a collection. For out-of-print records, older pressings and anything rare, these are the places to look.
Marketplaces also carry new records. Many independent shops and distributors sell sealed copies on Discogs and eBay, sometimes below the big shops’ price and sometimes above it. And a seller with several records from a wantlist can ship them together for one shipping charge, which can beat buying each from whoever is cheapest.
The cost of that range is that every seller is different. Each one sets its own shipping charges, packing standards and return terms. On Discogs, those terms are on the seller’s profile, along with ratings and written feedback from past buyers. On eBay, the listing shows the seller’s return policy and feedback score.
Protection differs between the two: eBay’s Money Back Guarantee covers an item that doesn’t arrive or doesn’t match the listing, while on Discogs a grading dispute is settled with the seller rather than by Discogs staff. The record grading guide explains what to do on each marketplace when a record arrives worse than described.
The risks on each side
Thin mailers and loose boxes
Shops
A big warehouse packs records alongside everything else. Collector forums carry many reports of single records arriving in mailers that protect them well and of multi-record orders arriving loose in oversized boxes, alongside plenty of buyers whose orders arrived fine. Dinged corners are the usual result.
Seam splits and warps
Both
A new record ships inside its jacket, so a hard knock can split a seam. Heat in a delivery truck or on a sunny porch can warp the disc. Neither shows through the shrinkwrap, which is why it helps to inspect a new record soon after it arrives, while the return window is open.
Who is really selling
Shops
A third-party listing on Amazon or Walmart is a marketplace purchase on a shop’s website. The price may be higher than the shop’s own, the return terms are the seller’s, and the packing is up to them. The “Sold by” line answers the question before checkout.
Grading is an opinion
Marketplaces
Two honest sellers can grade the same record differently, and play grades depend on how carefully the seller listened. A seller’s feedback says more about their grading than any single listing does.
Seller feedback
Marketplaces
A high percentage is necessary but not sufficient. Recent negative and neutral comments say whether problems are about grading, packing or slow shipping, and whether the seller fixed them.
Shipping adds up
Marketplaces
A cheap record from one seller and another from a second seller means two shipping charges. Across a list of records, shipping can cost more than the difference between the cheapest copies.
A worked example: one LP, two ways to buy
Say someone wants Rumours on vinyl, an album that has stayed in print for decades. The prices below are made up to show the arithmetic, not quotes from any store.
| Option | Record | Shipping | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target, one record, no Circle Card | $27.99 | $5.99 | $33.98 |
| Target, with a Circle Card | $27.99 | Free | $27.99 |
| Discogs seller, new and sealed | $23.00 | $6.00 | $29.00 |
| Discogs seller, used, graded VG+ | $16.00 | $6.00 | $22.00 |
On its own, the used copy is cheapest, and the sealed Discogs copy beats Target unless the buyer has a Circle Card. Now say the buyer also wants Tapestry, priced at $24.99 at Target. The two records together come to $52.98, comfortably over the $35 threshold, so shipping is free for everyone. On Discogs, if Tapestry comes from a different seller, it brings its own shipping charge: two records at $23 and $21 plus two $6 charges is $56, more than Target.
The lesson isn’t that one store wins. It’s that the answer changes with what else is in the cart, and that shipping has to be counted per seller, not per record. Returns differ too. The used VG+ copy comes with the Discogs seller’s own terms, while the sealed Target copy can go back within 90 days as long as it stays unopened. That difference matters more for a $40 record than a $16 one.
A short checklist
Is the record in print?
If so, check the shops before paying a marketplace price for a new copy. If not, go straight to the marketplaces, and check whether a reissue is coming.
Is it the right edition?
Compare the catalog number, year and track list, not just the cover. A reissue and an original pressing are different purchases.
Who is actually selling it?
On Amazon and Walmart, read the “Sold by” line. A third-party seller’s shipping and return terms apply, not the shop’s.
What does it cost delivered?
Add shipping per seller, and check whether a second record would clear a shop’s free-shipping threshold.
What happens if it arrives damaged?
Know the return window before buying: 90 days for most items at Walmart and for unopened items at Target, 30 days at Amazon, and the seller’s own terms on Discogs and eBay, with eBay’s guarantee behind items that don’t match the listing.
For used copies, do the grade and the feedback agree?
Read both the record and sleeve grades, the seller’s notes, and recent feedback that mentions grading or packing.
Has it been inspected on arrival?
Check the jacket, seams and disc soon after delivery, and contact the seller or shop while the return window is still open.
Sources & further reading
- Returns — Target
- Shipping options — Target
- Walmart Standard Return Policy — Walmart
- Returns and Refunds — Amazon
- A-to-z Guarantee — Amazon
- eBay Money Back Guarantee policy — eBay
- I Don’t Agree With The Grading Of An Item I Have Received — Discogs
- Advice - Buying Vinyl - Avoid Amazon AU (Poor Packing) — StereoNET forums