caiman or casacaiman on Amazon or half

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Here's what REALLY pisses me off -

The specific item that I have been waiting over three months for - is STILL listed on amazon from caiman, not once but twice. One is new, one used. The used one says "ship the same day" and then both say "Usually ships in 1-2 days".

See, they KNOW they don't have it. Why? Because I've emailed them asking where's the one I ordered. And still for over three months they are advertising that it is in stock, ready to go immediately.

Mike

[Ron S]

Here's what REALLY pisses me off -

The specific item that I have been waiting over three months for - is STILL listed on amazon from caiman, not once but twice. One is new, one used. The used one says "ship the same day" and then both say "Usually ships in 1-2 days".

See, they KNOW they don't have it. Why? Because I've emailed them asking where's the one I ordered. And still for over three months they are advertising that it is in stock, ready to go immediately.

Mike

And you'll probably notice that in the "used" listing it's under the subcategory of "like new," and the description says it's BRAND NEW. Fact is, my understanding is they don't sell used stuff, but they'll occasionally list a brand-new item under the "like new" subcategory of "used." There's not doubt their inventory system sucks. But they appear to be honest and won't rip you off. You just have to be prepared to deal with occasional glitches in their stock listings.

[bary01]

oops

i ordered a CD - "Sahib Sihab" - in the middle of november - they got the money 2 days after my order .

the cd is in my home since 5 days !!

More than 2 months , it's not very fast

[Ron S]

FWIW, I just ordered the Tal Farlow European Mosaic from Caiman on Friday for $50.58 including delivery, and this afternoon (Monday) their order-tracking site is showing that it shipped today. So add this one to the plus column for Caiman.

[RDK]

I ordered mine from CDQuest - same price - on Friday and it supposedly shipped on Saturday.

[etherbored]

my own experience with this seller is having ordered several (maybe 6) jazz in paris titles before i acquired the box. each title took approximately 4 - 6 weeks to arrive. after the first order i could instantly tell that they're not much more than a wholesaler or shell for product as te packages were dispatched from a third party. they didn't answer a status inquiry email, but after receiving the first title i knew the rules of the game and felt safe with subsequent orders based on their pricepoints. i did communicate with someone about discounted shipping if i ordered over 20 (again of the jazz in paris series) titles, but they simply weren't sophisticated enough to tailor an order as they're simply a conduit...

-e-

[connoisseur series500]

Cascaiman has been good to me. I've ordered many times through half.com and have never encountered any problems. Seems like the problems are coming from the Amazon site.

I like ordering multiple items from them through half.com as I can save a buck on shipping for every extra cd. The cds are packaged well and usually arrive within 10 days.

[mikeweil]

I too had no bad experiences with them. Discs arrived after an average of ten days, which is okay for shipping from Florida to Germany. One item took 2 1/2 months to ship, but it was a CD that all others listed as OOP, so i didn't complain.

[Indestructible!]

Ahhh "casacaiman"...

What can I say? I have more problems with those motherfuckers than any company I've ever dealt with. As Mike mentioned, they're full of shit when it comes to updating or being truthful with their inventory.

I've waited weeks on an order, only to finally notice that my items were "backordered". Funny, the payment went through immediately after I sent it! And, no one from this "company" even bothered to tell me the items had been backordered. So, I request a refund... I eventually got my refund only after I threatened them with a lawsuit!!! They had my money for MONTHS before I saw it back. The irony? The items I ordered were not that hard to get!!! Hell, I could've picked them up from the Tower in my neighborhood.

I'm glad to hear some of you here have had good experiences with this "company"... but I know I'll never go near them again! And, judging from the high volume of negative feedback they've recieved on half.com, I'm not alone.

Cheers,

Shane

[Dan Gould]

I'm glad to hear some of you here have had good experiences with this "company"... but I know I'll never go near them again! And, judging from the high volume of negative feedback they've recieved on half.com, I'm not alone.

Cheers,

Shane

I'd say its not "some" but the vast majority of people here have no complaints.

Clearly if you order things they have, you get a good price and reasonably quick shipping. If its not in stock, you may have a problem ...

[Indestructible!]

I'd say its not "some" but the vast majority of people here have no complaints.

Clearly if you order things they have, you get a good price and reasonably quick shipping. If its not in stock, you may have a problem ...

Hi Dan,

See, that's my main issue with this "company" (and was Mike F.'s point as well)... they say they have things in stock when the really may not! Look, I'm well aware of the fact that if something says "Special Order", the odds of it actually coming through are slim at best... so I take my chances occasionally, and if/when the order doesn't come through, I accept that gracefully.

But, when the site lists something as "In Stock", and then I have to wait weeks only to find out (on my own investigation) that the item is "Backordered"... that's when I feel I've been cheated. Charging my credit card immediately also doesn't help my mindset, nor does the fact that I had to harass these people to FINALLY get my money back.

Check out some of their feedback on half.com. Many people have experienced exactly what I experienced. Like I said, I'm glad some/many of you have had good service... you certainly won't have to worry about me scooping up the goods from "casacaiman" before you get there, because I'm never going back!

Cheers,

Shane

[Ron S]

you certainly won't have to worry about me scooping up the goods from "casacaiman" before you get there, because I'm never going back!

WHEW! That's a relief!

[connoisseur series500]

The only other thing that I'd like to see them change:

if you order more than one title - and you put them all in one checkout "basket" -

they still send CDs in individual envelopes...AND you're charged shipping

for each individual item as if you ordered them separately(?!)

rod

huh?

I didn't know they did that.

[robviti]

funny, but the reason i've never purchased anything from this seller is i thought their prices were rather high. i understand it's new product, but they seem to always want top dollar for the things i'm looking for.

[Ron S]

The only other thing that I'd like to see them change:

if you order more than one title - and you put them all in one checkout "basket" -

they still send CDs in individual envelopes...AND you're charged shipping

for each individual item as if you ordered them separately(?!)

rod

huh?

I didn't know they did that.

On Amazon, they have to ship (and charge shipping) for each item separately. This is from Amazon:

"Your shipping fees when buying items at Amazon Marketplace are fixed according to the type of product you purchase.

Rates are based on shipping a single item. Purchasing multiple items results in multiple shipping charges--there are no 'per shipment' and 'per item' charges, as there are when you buy directly from Amazon.com."

You can see the complete page of Amazon Marketplace shipping policies and rates here.

Actually, I've had some problems with other Amazon Marketplace merchants not having something in stock that they're listed as having, and not being notified it's on backorder until I inquire. Other merchants have blamed Amazon's system for this. I think at least some of the complaints about Caiman (e.g., separate shipping of multiple items, charging credit cards immediately and not at time of shipment) are more problems with Amazon's Marketplace system, and not with individual merchants.

Edited February 8, 2005 by Ron S

[Ron S]

Well, the only time that I got an answer from Claire at Caiman that wasn't a form letter . . . .

You think there really is a Claire? Every email I've ever gotten from them was from "Claire", but based on the number of Amazon reviews they have they've sold in the hundreds of thousands of CD's, so she must be a very busy woman.

[neveronfriday]

I've bought tons of stuff from Caiman.

What never seizes to amaze me is that amazon.de actually allows a seller like that on their site. Even with the postage and every item sent separately, many of the discs I bought were at least 1/3 (often more than that) cheaper than buying through amazon.de. You could say that I practically stopped buying anything through amazon.de unless it is reduced massively.

Cheers!

[clandy44]

Nothing but good fortune with this seller. I have thought in the past that all sellers in that marketplace ought to be half as good as these folks.

[jazzmessenger]

I received a wrong item from caiman. I ordered John Coltrane "Ballads" deluxue edition, but received a CD from early 90's... However, they were quick to fix this problem, and I got refund in a reasonable amount of time.

[sjarrell]

What never seizes to amaze me is that amazon.de actually allows a seller like that on their site. Even with the postage and every item sent separately, many of the discs I bought were at least 1/3 (often more than that) cheaper than buying through amazon.de. You could say that I practically stopped buying anything through amazon.de unless it is reduced massively.

Amazon, at least in the US, takes 15% of the sale price, a flat $1 per item in addition, and a portion of the postage you pay as well. When selling a CD to customers here in the US (I do this lots at work), we recieve a $1.84 postage credit, and on international sales we get $4.95.

Amazon makes lots of money off their marketplace sellers! $2.35 per $9 CD, and post $ as well. And all they have to do is provide space on their site.

[Ron S]

FWIW, here is Caiman's page from its own web site explaining how its ordering, payment, and shipping works through Amazon. Apparently, it lists items on Amazon that it both has in stock and obtains from suppliers upon customer order. That explains why most items are shipped immediately, while some items take much longer to ship. I don't think the Amazon Marketplace system--at least officially--allows the merchants to indicate for a particular item whether it's in their stock or must be ordered. It appears that Amazon says of all Marketplace items: "Usually ships in 1-2 business days." As evidenced by it's own separate web site, Caiman makes a fairly substantial effort to work efficiently within the Amazon Marketplace system, even providing online tracking of order status and easy order cancellation. That's rather unique among Amazon Marketplace merchants.

And no, this is not a Caiman ad.

Edited February 8, 2005 by Ron S

[Dan Gould]

I really think the singular complaint people have is that, because you're using Amazon, all orders are charged on submission, and its only afterward when you find out if it is available or has to be backordered. And that's an Amazon policy, not a seller's policy. If you ordered direct, they'd probably do what most internet sellers do: charge on shipping.

Now, if Amazon could or would change that policy, I think most people would find Caiman's service to be decent.

[Alexander]

About half of my transactions with this seller have been good. The other half (about two) weren't so good. In one case it took roughly eight weeks for an item to come through. In the other, it was nearly six months! I'm wary of this seller, but if it's a good price, I might take a chance...

[neveronfriday]

What never seizes to amaze me is that amazon.de actually allows a seller like that on their site. Even with the postage and every item sent separately, many of the discs I bought were at least 1/3 (often more than that) cheaper than buying through amazon.de. You could say that I practically stopped buying anything through amazon.de unless it is reduced massively.

Amazon, at least in the US, takes 15% of the sale price, a flat $1 per item in addition, and a portion of the postage you pay as well. When selling a CD to customers here in the US (I do this lots at work), we recieve a $1.84 postage credit, and on international sales we get $4.95.

Amazon makes lots of money off their marketplace sellers! $2.35 per $9 CD, and post $ as well. And all they have to do is provide space on their site.

I knew that.

But I think it's still a weird business model.

Just imagine this: A supermarket which provides some space for other supermarkets that offer many of the same items it sells, but at half the price (in my case, everything I've wanted these past months aside from limited/special editions was available from Caiman). All it gets is the rent and maybe a couple of cents here and there when the customer walks out the door.

Weird.

But fine with me.

Cheers!

[tjobbe]

mhh I often considered to buy at Caimans via Amazon.de but I always got most of the stuff cheaper if bought directly in US via I-Shops. I sometimes had the feeling that they have some linkage to the FLorida based guys from CDPACIFIC where I get most of my CD/SACDs from.

So right now they -CDPACIFIC- always got me the CD's I wanted as well as they charge my CC only when really shipping the goods as wells as having quite low shipping fares. (and I got burned by those pre-paid stuff when the Yersey SplashDVD went bankrupt, so I do not really want to do this again)

Cheers, Tjobbe