45s.com -- Help

If you need help with searching the database, see http://www.45s.com/help/search-help.htm for help.

The answers to Frequently Asked Questions are provided here.  You may also email questions to us: info@45s.com.

Q.   How long does it take to fill my order?

A.    Orders usually take 14 to 21 days to process. Allow another 7 days for shipping to be conservative.  Special-order records may take longer; special order item numbers are three-digit numbers beginning in 2 or 5, so 201 and 501 are, for example, special order items.  Special order records have to be ordered from the manufacturer, so delivery time usually runs at least 21 days.  While we are happy to ship by Airborne with next day or second day service, cannot be processed any faster if you choose one of these faster shipping methods.  If you need something by a specific date, just email info@45s.com and ask if it is possible; we will respond right away.

Q.   Will I receive a confirmation of my order?

A.    When you place your order online, you will receive an automatic email confirmation.  You will not hear further from us until you receive your order.  If you order records that we no longer have, we will notify you when we pull your order.

Q.    Can orders be canceled?

A.    No.

Q.   How do I place orders?

A.    Simply go to the Search form.  Search for the records that you want, and add them to your Shopping Cart.  In the search box, you may enter the name of an artist or words in a song title to find the songs and records of interest to you.  There is also a list box that you can click on to see a list of all the artists with records in our inventory; find the artist of interest; click on the name to highlight it; then click on "Go to Category" to display all of the records in our inventory by that artist.  Should you have any problems with the Shopping Cart, email info@45s.com.  For more search tips, click here.

Q.   Do you accept orders by email or mail?

A.    We do not accept orders by email as we will not process orders until payment has been received.  You may order by mail or fax.  We much prefer that you order online.  If you must send us an order by some other means, please go into our online database and prepare an order and then print it and mail it in with payment.  Simply enter the order online (but do not enter payment information), and print the order and mail or fax the order with a check or credit card information.  Our address is 7632 Pleasant View Drive, Parma, OH 44134.  Our fax number is 678-320-9075.  It takes us a tremendous amount of time to search through our huge inventory to fill orders.  The only inventory system we have is online, so we must work from that.  And we must have payment before we pull any order as most of our cost is in the labor to process the order.  Unfortunately, we have found that about 50% of those who place orders without payment never pay, so we wasted a lot of valuable time pulling those orders, and then we have to spend a duplicate amount replacing the records in inventory.

Q.    Do you carry current releases in 45's?

A.    We carry some new releases.  We also have reissues (new or relatively new) of oldies, but we specialize in original releases from 1950 to 1992.  1992 was the year when production of vinyl records ceased to be the primary method used by record companies.

Q.   Do you have a list of 45's available by different years or just artists?

A.    Go to our "Search for Records" section to see the various options.  All of our top hit 45's (original issues) are currently listed in our online database, so you may use our search engine to search your choice of any combination of these fields:  keywords, artist, or song title.  In the Keywords field, you can search for year (use /yyyy as the search) or any word that might appear in the description.  For example, if you want to search for reissues, just enter that keyword.  In Title, you may search for any word or words in a song title.  We also provide the options to view a list of every record available for each recording artist, and you can view lists of the top songs for each year.

Q.    Do you have records that did not hit the charts?

A.    Yes, but we mainly have the hit records since our mission for the last 47 years has been to complete "The Collection" of every song that hit the Billboard charts.  We undoubtedly passed over a large number of rare records in the process, but we had to focus.  That said, we have bought out the entire inventory of a record store and various collections.  We have over 75,000 45's that have not even been inventoried yet.  So, check our database often, as we will systematically add everything that we have to the online database, and we will continue buying -- now looking for the records that did not hit the charts!

Q.    Do you sell LP's?

A.    No.

Q.    How much are my records worth?

A.    It depends on many factors.  Unfortunately, we are not in the valuation business, and we cannot help with valuation.  We can advise that condition is very important; records generally do not have a very high value unless they are in excellent condition.  Year is also very important; as a general rule, records from he 50's and 60's are in demand, while there is little general demand for the 80's and 90's.  Rare records generally have a higher value.  There were huge quantities produced of most records and there are relatively few buyers today, so dealers do not pay very much for records, and many will not pay anything for records that are not in top condition. 

Q.    Where can I get dividers and labels for my collection?

A.    45s.com sells the labels for 6,000 artists and 20,000 records.  See our Record Organization information.     

Q.    How do I submit my questions to you?

A.    Just email us -- info@45s.com.

Q.    How do I submit my Record Want Lists to you?

A.    We want to give the best possible customer service, but we just don't have the time to review Want Lists.  We've found that Want Lists almost always consist of songs that we don't have.  Rather than spend our time looking at these, we spend any and all extra time adding records to our inventory and database.  Every song that we know we have is listed in the online database, so it is easy for you to enter the name of the artist or keywords from the title of the song, and you will know whether or not we have it.

Q.    Do you have a retail store?

A.    No.  We are a "virtual" company -- operating only online from our Intergalactic Headquarters in a very large basement  and several warehouses. 

Q.    What kind of cool stuff can I find with your search engine?

A.    The coolest!  Since we have detailed information for every hit song in our online database, and since you can search by a variety of fields, you can do some highly cool stuff.  Finding specific songs or songs by specific recording artists is easy.  But how about searching for every song that has a specific word in the title...or every song that appeared on the Billboard charts on a specific date (birthday or anniversary, for example)...or every song that only made it to #100?  You can do all of this and more. 

See http://www.45s.com/help/search-help.htm for answers to just about any question you may have about searching.  Note that our search page defaults to "Search for ALL Keywords."  That means the record will not show up unless all the words you enter are in the appropriate search field.  If you change that field to read "Search for ANY Keywords," the search will return all records where any of those words were included.  If you know the artist, the best way to search is by Artist.  We have records for the vast majority of the 6,000 artists that had hit songs, so if your search doesn't yield what you are looking for, try changing the spelling, do just the first or last name, or search by Song Title and  enter just a few of the keywords from the song title.  For example, rather than trying to remember the exact title to "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Ha," just enter "take me away".  Over 90% of the hit records are available, so please try more than one search to be sure you aren't missing out.

 

Q.    When do you charge my credit card?
 

A.    We charge your card when the order is placed.  Should we be out of one or more records, we issue a refund.  All credit card charges will show up on your credit card statement as "45s.com."

 

Q.    Do you buy records?
 

A.    Not at this time. 

 

Q.    What is the little plastic insert called that goes in the middle of a 45-rpm record so it will play on a turntable?
 

A.    It's called a 45-rpm adapter.  (This is the question we are asked more than any other.)  We sell these for $2.00 each.

 

Q.    What is a reissue?
 

A.    A reissue is a newly-manufactured copy of an original song by an original artist.  It is not on the original label, but it is the original song and the original artist.  These records usually have hit songs on both sides.  So, if you are looking for a 1950's song, but aren't a collector and don't want the record that was originally manufactured in the 50's, then the Reissue is a great choice for you as the records are new or near-new and the price is much lower.

 

Q.    Why do your records all appear to be gold in your online database?
 

A.    We are simply using a picture of a gold record on all of our inventory.  The records are usually black vinyl with a colored label.  It just isn't practical to scan all one million records and place photos online.

 

Q.    Do you guarantee your records?
 

A.    Absolutely!  Please check your records immediately upon receipt.  With so many records, we do not have the time to play them before we ship them.  If there are any problems, please notify us immediately, and we will replace or refund any records that are returned to us promptly.
 

Q.    Do you have any records for sale that are not in your online database?

 

A.    No.  While we have many other records (one million in total), we have no way to find any record that isn't in the database.  If you are looking for a song that isn't in the database, all we can advise is to check the database again every few months as we are continually adding.

 

Q.    Do you sell CD's, or can you put songs on CD's or provide digital downloads?

 

A.    We do sell CD's.  We cannot sell songs from our records recorded onto CD's or provide digital downloads.

 

Q.    Are you currently selling albums?

 

A.    No.

 

Q.    Can you tell me whether a specific picture sleeve is currently available?

 

A.    Sorry, not yet.  We are working on our picture sleeve database.  We have tens of thousands.  These are not yet in our inventory or online database, so we have no way of checking for any one sleeve.  We do expect to have the picture sleeve system ready and the database available online within the next few months.

 

Q.    Will you look at my Want List and let me know what you have?

 

A.    We want to give the best possible customer service, but we just don't have the time to review Want Lists.  We've found that Want Lists almost always consist of songs that we don't have.  Rather than spend our time looking at these, we spend any and all extra time adding records to our inventory and database.  Every song that we know we have is listed in the online database, so it is easy for you to enter the name of the artist or keywords from the title of the song, and you will know whether or not we have it.

 

Q.    Can we order records by just emailing, mailing, or faxing a list to you?

 

A.    We much prefer that you order online.  If you must send us an order by some other means, please go into our online database and prepare an order and then print it and mail it in with payment.  See the answer to the question just above to understand why we have problems with plain lists.  It takes us a tremendous amount of time to search through one million records to fill orders.  The only inventory system we have is online, so we must work from that.  And we must have payment before we pull any order as most of our cost is in the labor to process the order.  Unfortunately, we have found that about 50% of those who place orders without payment never pay, so we wasted a lot of valuable time pulling those orders, and then we have to spend a duplicate amount replacing the records in inventory.

 

Q.    Can you email a scan of a record?

 

A.    Sorry, we can't.  We are in the volume record business, and with one million records, we just don't have the time for anything like that.

 

Q.    Can you tell me what song is on the flipside of a record?

 

A.    Email us, and we will respond as time permits.  Most of the reissues show the songs on both sides.  When we have the songs on both sides, we enter the two song titles separated by double dashes (--).

 

Q.    How do I clean my vinyl records?

 

A.    Use a solution up to 20% isopropyl alcohol (one part isopropyl alcohol to four parts water), and gently wipe the record in a spiral motion, using a soft cloth, from the center out to the edge. Pat it dry with a clean, anti-static cloth.

 

Q.    What do you mean by "original" label?

 

A.    Original label means the record is the originally manufactured record by that recording company.  Sometimes there were more than one pressing, and the record could be from any of those batches, but it will be an original record.  The other type of record we sell is a "reissue."  Reissues are newly-manufactured copies of the original song by the original artist, but the record company label is different and the record will be newer and usually in new or near-new condition.

 

Q.    How much is shipping outside the US?

 

A.    Figure $6.00 for the first record and $1.25 for each additional record.  This seems to calculate out about right for most countries.

 

Q.    Can you let me know when you get a record back in stock?

 

A.    Sorry, we can't.  I wish we had a way.  We get literally tens of thousands of requests a year, and there just isn't any way we can check the requests every time we add records to our inventory.  Please just check the online search every few months.

 

Q.    Do you have records with songs on both sides?

 

A.    Yes, all of our records have songs on both sides.  For all original recordings, we only list the titles of the songs that hit the Billboard Charts, so if only one song is shown, the song on the other sides was not considered to be a hit.

 

Q.    Can you help me identify the name of a song if I know some of the lyrics?

 

A.    Send an email to info@45s.com, and we will respond as time permits.  If it was a hit song from 1955 to 1992 that I liked, I will probably know.  If it is something obscure, I won't have a clue. 

 

Q.    Can you ship by overnight or second day service?

 

A.    Rarely.  Email us at info@45s.com to see if we can meet your needs.  Please request this in the Additional Information section on our order form, and provide your account number with the shipper you want us to use, and we will bill it to you.  Or, we can add it to the amount we charge to your credit card if you don't have an account.

 

Q.    Do you sell 45-rpm adapters?

 

A.    Yes.  Please mail a check -- $2.00 each (includes postage).

 

Q.    Do you sell 45 rpm record players or needles?

 

A.    No, we do not.

 

Q.    Can I pay in foreign currency?

 

A.    We accept payment in only good old American dollars.

 

Q.    Do you sell promo copies?

 

A.    Yes, but we don't currently distinguish the radio station promo copies from the regular copies.  We sell all at the same price, and it isn't currently possible for us to accept orders that specify radio station promo copies.

 

Q.    Do you sell records from countries other than the US?

 

A.    No.  We are American only, and proud of it.

 

Q.    Can you tell me about children's records?

 

A.    Sorry, I know nothing about them.  Love children...just not anything we deal with.

 

Q.    Do you know where I can find records not listed in your database?

 

A.    No, I don't.  We'll never live long enough to alphabetize all the records we have much less have any idea what anyone else has.

 

Q.    Do the records come in picture sleeves?

 

A.    No, all records come in plain white sleeves.  When we offer picture sleeves, they will be priced separately.