Drew Capuder wrote:

>First, If an item listed in Berkshire's catalog that they mail to you is
>not listed in their Internet site, does that mean they no longer have it?

The web site is usually more up to date than the catalog.  However, some
things go out of stock and then a new shipment comes in and they suddenly
have it again.  I often reorder things that are out and am sucessful on the
reordeer perhaps a fifth of the time.

>Second, what experience have you had with shipping times?

Three to four weeks for me on the West Coast. I think about a week less on
the East coast.

>Third, if a CD is listed on their web site, is that something of an
>assurance they still have it in stock?

It is more likely than if it is in the catalog and not on the web site, but
sometimes things are listed on the web site and are unavailable.  I don't
know if that is because they do not update the website often enough, if
they make mistakes or what.  They do list the date of the last update and
you can check the latest arrivals which simply lists the labels that have
arrived recently and not the individual recordings.  I kept ordering the
Ginsburg Chopin set that the web site listed but kept getting a note that
it was out.

>I know they largely get cut-outs and overstock items from other stores, so
>quantities are potentially limited.  I'm trying to avoid the "crap shoot"
>of ordering

I order about ten to twenty discs a month and have been doing so for many
years.  I often get all of my order but sometimes one or two items are
unavailable.  I never get anything that says "limited quantity" so don't
even try.  The main trick is to phone in the order as soon as you receive
the catalog or else to check the web site frequently so you can order
before the item even hits the catalog.  I search through their web site
nearly every day, even though it is only updated weekly or so.  There are
so many different pianists and odd pieces I am looking for that I just
can't pick them out of a catalog very well.

>Fourth, have you had problems with ordering things from Berkshire and then
>they don't have it any more?

Do you mean that you order and receive the item and then reorder for
friends and they are out? It happens, although I often reorder for friends
and find they still have it.  Some items seem to stay in stock for years.
Others go immediately.  Demand is one factor, of course, but supply is
probably the biggest factor.  I suspect they get only a half dozen or dozen
of one item and hundreds of another.  I've ordered odd things I can't
imagine any one else wanting only to be told they were out.  I've also
ordered fantastic things that have been discussed and recommended on lists
and Usenet, and the stock seems to hold up.

My strategy is to order latest releases from BMG Club.  Those that are
essential but are not carried by BMG, I order from TotalE (Columbia House,
which I think is Sony) or EveryCD or Music Blvd.  Those that I'd like to
have but are not essential, I wait for one to three years until they pop
up on Berkshire.  Out of print and older releases still in print I get from
one of CD Choice or from one of the used stores in Berkeley, San Francisco
or where ever.  I sometimes get CDs from Berkshire, keep them for a few
years until I find the work or performance less than interesting and then
cash them in for trade at a used store for the same price (in trade) that
I paid originally.  You can also find records for .99 or less at Goodwill
etc and listen to them or record them and then resell them, especially
shaded dogs and collectors items.  I am more into hearing and comparing
various performances than having many duplicates, so I often sell my CD's
and records, frequently breaking even and sometimes making a profit.
Trading with friends is also a good route as is borrowing recordings from
friends and libraries to hear the performance or piece of music.  The
difficult part is to avoid collecting too many recordings.

Thomas R. Jones