Can you recommend any good websites that still sell vinyl records

Asks molly

A. There are loads of websites that still sell vinyl; in fact there has been a resurgence in recent years in the popularity of vinyl records, with many aficionado's preferring its warmer sound to that produced on a CD. The popularity of Nick Hornby's bestseller High Fidelity, and the great film that followed, has only helped vinyl on its way to a full-blown comeback.

�

Vinyl has always been big with DJs, but this month's What Hi Fi magazine tellingly compares four new turntables for the consumer market on its test bed as demand for this equipment is increasing rapidly. In addition, most major artists are releasing their albums on vinyl alongside their CD and DVD Audio releases, and once again it is cool to own records.

�

Some of the best sites for record collectors include the following:

�

Diverse Vinyl: has recently revamped its website which has made searching for LPs much easier and faster - and you can now choose how many results per page you wish to download which makes the information a lot easier to digest. Where possible, catalogue entries list the record label that the LP was released through, to help clarify between 2 or more pressings of the same album.

�

Diverse Vinyl is the mail order arm of the south Wales-based independent record shop, Diverse Records - and its online sales division is doing great business. This site does sell original versions of old classics, but it also sells a lot of new releases and much of its success is based on the fact that high street record stores do not stock enough records, so vinyl enthusiasts that don't want to buy the CD version of the latest Travis album for example, can find it online.

�

Diverse Vinyl's main aim is to stock music from all categories or genres, and it doesn't shy away from stocking imports either - if an album is available on LP anywhere in the world it will aim to have it in stock. Its catalogue changes every week, so it's a good site to bookmark if you want to start building up your record collection again, or indeed start a new one from scratch.

�

All online purchases are carried out on a secure site (hosted by Affordable Host) - any credit card information held for your account is stored off line. Its postal charges are also very reasonable - it costs �1.50 for your first LP, with an additional 50p per album thereafter (up to five albums). Orders for five or more albums are charged at a flat �5 postage fee - and sent by second-class post. If you can't wait to get your hands on your new purchase however, Diverse Vinyl will send it by courier at an extra charge.

�

EIL.Com: is another British company selling vinyl online, but it does not stock all the material itself, instead its catalogue is an amalgam of different sources and sellers - which makes it easy to find any rarities you might be after. It stocks 250,000+ LP titles and is a member of the Which Webtrader Code of Practice so you know that it is a bona fide company that won't rip you off when you hand over the cash for an incredibly rare album. Its site is very sophisticated and easy to navigate - and is also available in French, German and Japanese versions for overseas buyers.

�

Disque: This is another British company - it's a record store in London - that has branched out to sell records (and CDs) online. It sells old and new releases and you can have its mailing list customised to suit your preferences - just tell Disque what you're looking for and they will let you know as soon as they find out any information on it for you.

�

Gemm: If small independent record companies are not your bag, then this could be the site for you. Gemm is short for the Global Electronic Music Marketplace and boasts the largest back catalogue available online - with over 11 million items from 5,000 sellers. And yes of course, its American.

�

Netsounds: is more of a record collectors search engine or portal than a mere website, hosting lots of record shops online in one place. In 99.9% of cases this site will find you what you're looking for and then provide you with a link a site that has it in stock - it is very swish!

�

Other good record collectors' search engines include Record Collecting , Hard to Find Records and Vinyl Searcher .

�

If you have any other Internet related questions, please click here

�

By Karen Anderson