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Author Topic: Buying MiC in the UK  (Read 11905 times)
Matt Bielewicz
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« on: August 16, 2013, 10:40:56 AM »

Sigh. Why is nothing simple any more?

I have a dilemma. Here I am in the UK, and I want to buy this Beach Boys box thingy from a bricks-and-mortar store, and not Amazon. I just love walking out of a shop with a box set to look at — so shoot me — and I hate being at the mercy of Amazon's crappy, vague delivery schedules, lazy couriers that don't give a damn, and postal screw-ups. But in a moment of weakness, when the Amazon price was low at 66 quid, I put in a pre-order.

So: I have an order in with Amazon, at a low price. Way cheaper than it seems to be going for in the USA, for example. Great, you say, what's my problem?

Answer: the release date.

Universal Music in the UK say the UK release date is August 26th. That's what I'd expect for something released on August 27th in the States, which it seems has always been the release date there. Stuff is officially released in the UK on Mondays, whereas it's Tuesday in the States. That's how it's been for years.

But Amazon UK's release date still says September 2nd, a week later. And it's the same at all of the other UK-based retailers I've consulted, on-line and in real stores. The only one that I've found in the UK that says it's coming out on August 26th is Universal.

Is it a mistake? And if so, who's wrong? Universal? Unlikely - they now own EMI/Capitol, who made this damn box in the first place. So then maybe it's Amazon? But they're not the only ones to have the release date down as September 2nd. Everyone else in the UK does too. And also, the original Amazon UK date was August 26th, and they changed it later — suggesting that there was a deliberate alteration in the UK release schedule at some stage.

So unless Universal do have their date down wrongly, that means that they — the manufacturers, if you will — are offering the box a week earlier than anyone else in the UK. I can't explain this discrepancy, unless some dodgy deal was done whereby Amazon was able to offer a cheap advance price for a short while to encourage pre-orders, but at the expense of delaying the release by a week, to give Universal a clear week of direct on-line sales at a higher price (their price is 75 quid on-line). It would be nice to think that the later date for general UK retail is because the UK sets have an extra disc, like the GV set back in the day, or something unique in the box — but I don't seriously believe that. And anyway, Universal *are* selling it from August 26th, so that nixes that idea.

Meanwhile, just to throw further options into the mix, Amazon Germany has the set being released on Thursday, August 23rd - *days* before either the US or the earliest UK date. Germany is in the EU, so there will be no import duty... I could order from there... but the set is pricier there and also, the cost of fast-shipping it back to the UK, to make the most of the extra time I would have over ordering it from the UK, makes it *waaay* more expensive.

Here are all the options I'm considering:

Sainsbury's On-line
Advantages: The cheapest price anywhere, bar none. £63.99 (so about 73 Euros right now, and about 98 US dollars).
Disadvantages: Doesn't ship until September 2nd, and who knows how long it will take to get to me with Sainsbury's couriers.

Amazon UK
Advantages: I have a cheap order in already: not quite as cheap as Sainsbury's, but still good at £66.10 (so about 75 Euros right now, and about 101 US dollars).
Disadvantages: Doesn't ship until September 2nd, and my delivery estimate is September 5th. That sucks royally.

FOPP/other bricks-and-mortar store*
Advantages: FOPP is a local record store; i can walk right in on the release date and buy it. I'd much rather do this (that way, I get to walk out of the shop with the box in my hands, and to hell with the post or couriers), even though according to the guys at Fopp on the phone, it's a bit more expensive (75 quid: about 86 Euros, or 115 US dollars).
Disadvantages: FOPP won't have it until September 2nd, either. Sheesh.

*There are a few other record shops near me, but they're all planning to carry it at the same price and release on the same day as Fopp, September 2nd, so I lump them all in with the, er, FOPP option. Or should that be FOPption?

Universal Music UK on-line
Disadvantages: It's the most expensive UK option, more than FOPP or any of the other bricks-and-mortar stores round here (80 quid, about 92 Euros or 123 US dollars)
Advantages: It's the one UK retailer I've found that still says it's shipping on August 26th. Unless that's an error or an old date that hasn't been updated...

Amazon Germany (with standard shipping)
Advantages: It's out on August 23rd, assuming Amazon.de haven't screwed up the dates or failed to update something.
Disadvantages: Shipping from Germany to the UK where I live, although not as involved as ordering from Amazon.com in the States, will not be an overnight affair. I can probably reckon with three or four working days for it to be delivered, if I were to choose Amazon.de's standard shipping. And it's also not as cheap as ordering in the UK. With standard shipping, it's 83.48 Euros, which will be about 73 pounds, and is roughly 112 US dollars.

Further disadvantages: due to the time delay on standard shipping, even if the guys at Amazon.de get my order out on August 23rd, I probably won't have it until after that weekend, maybe not until the Tuesday. I could have it from Universal in the UK by then, although that would be more expensive, bizarrely.

Amazon Germany (with express shipping)
Advantages: If Amazon.de are right, it's coming out on August 23rd. And with express shipping, I might just get it in the UK by Monday 26th.
Disadvantages: Amazon's Express shipping from Germany to the UK is expensive, and makes for the priciest package of all those I'm considering here. It will cost a whopping 102.56 Euros: about £90, or 139 US dollars.

Fortunately, as I rather hoped it would, typing out all of the options and presenting them here has straightened out the confusion in my mind. I'm going to order from Germany, standard delivery, and cancel my Amazon UK order. That cuts out the possibility that Universal or Amazon UK have got their dates wrong, because I won't be ordering from either of them, and although it's a little more expensive than Sainsbury's or Amazon UK, I should get my box sometime around when everyone in the States does (but not before most people in Germany).

I do miss the days when there was a simple release date for something, and it cost a certain amount — and that was it. It feels as though on-line retailers worldwide will not be happy until everything we buy has a price that is subject to constant fluctuations and change, in response to supply and demand, like an airline ticket. In the cut-glass words of George Sanders' Shere Khan, from The Jungle Book:

"Oh no, I can't be bothered with that — I've no time for that sort of nonsense."
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pixletwin
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« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2013, 11:25:14 AM »

I ordered mine from Germany and will rely on other means while I wait.  angel
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« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2013, 01:14:19 PM »

 I don't get why, after all the wait time now, getting this on the day of release( or prior to) os SO important! 

 I think I may have ordered it from Amazon( USA) but I don't even remember that. And if I didn't, I'll get it after the release date.
Is there some sense that if one doesn't hear the box on the first day, there will be a "Mission Impossible" happening and all the tracks everywhere will self destruct? 
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« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2013, 01:32:09 PM »

I don't get why, after all the wait time now, getting this on the day of release( or prior to) os SO important!  

 I think I may have ordered it from Amazon( USA) but I don't even remember that. And if I didn't, I'll get it after the release date.
Is there some sense that if one doesn't hear the box on the first day, there will be a "Mission Impossible" happening and all the tracks everywhere will self destruct?  

Exactly!

For me, it's an old fart (although I like to call it Old Guy) thing. Similar to my feelings about cars. Used to be mine had to be cool. Now, as long as I get from Point A to Point B safely and as inexpensively as possible, that's all that matters.

With MIC, I'll get there late by waiting for Amazon.uk to deliver to the states, but with the money I'll save... ah, who am I kidding? I'll still blow it on something foolish.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2013, 01:33:06 PM by SonoraDick » Logged
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« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2013, 01:35:08 PM »

I ordered mine from Germany and will rely on other means while I wait.  angel


What he said!


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BergenWhitesMoustache
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« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2013, 12:38:39 AM »

Where do you live? Isn't there a wonderful local record shop that would be glad of the custom?
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« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2013, 01:52:37 AM »

My amazon UK delivery estimate is August 28th. woo.
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« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2013, 12:22:26 PM »

Mine is two days later on the Friday 30th strangely enough.

I can wait the extra days (especially as I did get the £+/-60 price), but it will be a little odd reading through everybody's reaction to the release without having heard it myself yet.  Might even enhance the anticipation...

Don't really fancy downloading it, or even listening on Spotify before hearing it off the CD.  Just ain't the same!!
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« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2013, 03:34:58 PM »

My amazon UK delivery estimate is August 28th. woo.

Mine is Sept. 9 but thats ok. I saved a lot of money buying from the UK
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Matt Bielewicz
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« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2013, 09:18:50 PM »

Where do you live? Isn't there a wonderful local record shop that would be glad of the custom?

To answer your questions: near Cambridge, in the East of England, and no, they've *all* died. Believe me, I would *far* rather walk into a real shop and walk out again holding the box in my hands, as I said at length above, but all we now have is FOPP, and of course that's just part of the struggling HMV chain anyway.

I crossed most of England to buy the SMiLE Sessions box from an independent retailer, and would gladly do so again — their service was second to none — but the same shop has no plans to carry MiC.

My amazon UK delivery estimate is August 28th. woo.

Mine is two days later on the Friday 30th strangely enough.

Now that, I just don't understand. For months, Amazon UK has been saying the box's release date is September 2nd - and it still does! So how can they have told either of you that?

This is one of the many things I hate about Amazon. They often don't update out-of-date shipping info until it's too late. I have ordered things that still give an estimated delivery date of, say, Tuesday January 15th on Friday, January 25th...

In this case, it could be that it's the release date that's wrong and they've failed to update - but then why are they so rubbish at updating if that's the case? And why did my original order still say last week that it would be released on September 2nd and be with me on September 5th if it's actually coming out in the last week of August so that the two guys above can get their orders when Amazon say they're going to get them?

Crappy, poorly maintained databases that aren't updated regularly when things change - that's the only way inconsistent dates can be given to different customers like this.

I don't get why, after all the wait time now, getting this on the day of release (or prior to) is SO important!

Well, I'm just stoked to hear this thing. And I don't want to hang around for days after it's out, unable to hear it!

Some CDs, I can take or leave when I buy them. I just bought Paul Simon's most recent album this weekend, which came out 2 years ago now. I love everything Paul Simon has ever done and I will always buy everything he puts out — but maybe not straight away. With his stuff, I can wait.

But with the SMiLE Sessions, it literally could not arrive soon enough, and for me MiC is the same. Hey, c'mon, it's the BEACH BOYS, right?! More than that, this is previously unreleased, prime-time, voices-untarnished-by-the-passing-of-decades Beach Boys (or some of it is, at least). Why wouldn't I want to be able to hear that as soon as possible?

For me, that's like a call to arms. I gotta get it in the stereo as soon as I can. Your mileage may vary... and obviously does, but that's cool too. I bet there's plenty of Paul Simon fans reading this going 'he only bought 'So Beautiful OR So What NOOWWWW?Huh??!!!!!!' Caarazzy name, crazy guy...' It was the same for me with the 'That's Why God Made The Radio' album. I got that one a few days after it was out, by wandering into a shop and picking it up. I still wanted it, but was less bothered. But MiC cannot. COME. SOON. ENOUGH.
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Iron Horse-Apples
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« Reply #10 on: August 21, 2013, 08:53:02 AM »

You may remember Matt, people started recieving their Smile boxes before the release date. I'm hoping mine arrives on or around the 28th.
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Mark H
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« Reply #11 on: August 21, 2013, 08:59:49 AM »

You may remember Matt, people started recieving their Smile boxes before the release date. I'm hoping mine arrives on or around the 28th.

Indeed, I got my TSS from Sainsburys online and it arrived the day before release.

I'm flying to Japan on the 2nd so haven't ordered it yet for fear of it turning up when I'm gone and having to deal with the hassle of the Post Office to get it when I return.

HMV/Fopp are both saying Sept 2nd for a shop release so I'll wait til I'm back to get it unless those shops release early/same time as U.S.
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« Reply #12 on: August 21, 2013, 09:08:07 AM »

Ian and Jon's Concert book was dispatched to me on Saturday afternoon by amazon despite having a Monday street date. I'm guessing all the amazon pre orders with have the set before the weekend after next.
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Matt Bielewicz
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« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2013, 09:40:48 AM »

You may remember Matt, people started recieving their Smile boxes before the release date. I'm hoping mine arrives on or around the 28th.

Right, (Stephen), absolutely, I do remember that - but there wasn't a difference of nearly a week between the US and UK shipping dates given by Amazon for TSS.

TSS's official US street date was [sound of Wikipedia firing up and some typing]... Tuesday, November 1st, 2011, right? And in line with usual practice, the official UK release date was the day before this: Monday, October 31st. And some people got their boxes even before that.

Like I said above, that's how it usually works, for some reason I've never understood: new releases are usually out in the States on Tuesdays, and the UK usually gets theirs a day before, on the Monday, IF the release weeks are the same in both countries, obviously.

But MiC seems different. Amazon US gives the release date as Tuesday August 27th. With a US street date then, I'd usually expect it in the UK on Monday August 26th (or possibly earlier, like TSS). That sits with the German release date on Amazon.de, which is given as August 23rd (the day after tomorrow!)

But no: Amazon.co.uk has said September 2nd — the Monday of the FOLLOWING week — for some time now.

Sure, maybe stuff will ship early. But it looks to me as though the UK release is a week behind the US one for some reason (but the German one isn't, inexplicably for another country in the EU...!).
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Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll
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« Reply #14 on: August 21, 2013, 11:08:08 AM »

I have gift card cash in my Amazon.com account. I guess there is no possible way to transfer it to amazon.de?
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« Reply #15 on: August 21, 2013, 11:22:46 AM »

I have gift card cash in my Amazon.com account. I guess there is no possible way to transfer it to amazon.de?

Quote
Amazon.com Gift Cards may not be redeemed for the purchase of products at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp, Amazon.ca, Amazon.es, Amazon.it,or any other website operated by Amazon.com, its affiliates, or any other person or entity, except as indicated by these terms and conditions.

Guess not, sorry.
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« Reply #16 on: August 21, 2013, 12:17:10 PM »


But MiC seems different. Amazon US gives the release date as Tuesday August 27th. With a US street date then, I'd usually expect it in the UK on Monday August 26th (or possibly earlier, like TSS). That sits with the German release date on Amazon.de, which is given as August 23rd (the day after tomorrow!)

But no: Amazon.co.uk has said September 2nd — the Monday of the FOLLOWING week — for some time now.

Sure, maybe stuff will ship early. But it looks to me as though the UK release is a week behind the US one for some reason (but the German one isn't, inexplicably for another country in the EU...!).

Next Monday is a Bank Holiday, which might have something to do with it.
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« Reply #17 on: August 21, 2013, 10:58:46 PM »

Amazon UK can sometimes do the impossible - I got Adam's excellent Go West album two days before the US release date and before he was even aware there were copies in Europe.  Grin
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« Reply #18 on: August 28, 2013, 10:53:21 PM »

Amazon UK and Sainsburys both showing as preparing to ship since very early this morning. Those Brits who have been patient are about to have their reward. And those of us who forgot to cancel one of their orders are about to have their reward twice.



I hope disc 7 is worth it!   Wink
« Last Edit: August 28, 2013, 10:55:18 PM by John Manning » Logged

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« Reply #19 on: August 28, 2013, 11:31:16 PM »

My says "Dispatching Now"  Huzzah!

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« Reply #20 on: August 28, 2013, 11:34:39 PM »

Amazon are about to dispatch mine. Should get it tomorrow in time for a planned 3 day weekend.
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« Reply #21 on: August 29, 2013, 12:17:03 AM »

"Not yet dispatched"

I'll check again after work.
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« Reply #22 on: August 29, 2013, 12:20:12 AM »

Managed to scrap the Amazon order and stick with the cheaper Sainsburys. Thank you Amazon UK.

That means I've saved myself around £67 but my partner won't see it that way.
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« Reply #23 on: August 29, 2013, 12:21:43 AM »

Just checked amazon.co.uk - 'Dispatching now'. Huzzah!
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« Reply #24 on: August 29, 2013, 02:55:22 AM »

Here we go chaps... Happy Dance
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