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[Gemini-Phoenix]

I just want to add a few comments as an addendum to my post, after reading all of your posts and spotting a few issues I forgot to mention

Amazon.co.uk / PLAY.com - Their folded card envelopes are not a patch on HMV's cardboard boxes, and offer very little in the way of protection. Light and cheap, yes, but suitable protection? Definitely not!

ShopTo.net / Zavvi.co.uk - Both seem to have recently picked up the habit of selling European imports to the UK market, something which PLAY.com and Amazon.co.uk have previously been guilty of in the past. Definitely a big no-no, especially where Nintendo games are concerned!

Zavvi.co.uk - For some strange reason they seem to be offering items which were formerly HMV exclusives. Not sure why this is, especially when the very same items are showing up as out of stock on the HMV website...

PLAY.com - Often ship larger items (consoles and CE's) in grey plastic mailing bags, rather than a suitable box! Amazon.co.uk are also guilty of this to a lesser extent

[vhal_x]

Originally Posted by Gemini-Phoenix

Zavvi.co.uk - For some strange reason they seem to be offering items which were formerly HMV exclusives. Not sure why this is, especially when the very same items are showing up as out of stock on the HMV website...

I think this is because Zavvi is online only now, whereas they used to have stores but when they went into administration and lost all their stores, HMV bought over them (at least in Glasgow anyway), so maybe they are connected in some way? Just a guess though. Could just purely be coincidence xx

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by vhal_x

I think this is because Zavvi is online only now, whereas they used to have stores but when they went into administration and lost all their stores, HMV bought over them (at least in Glasgow anyway), so maybe they are connected in some way? Just a guess though. Could just purely be coincidence xx

Not entirely true. HMV bought a handful of premises (including the Glasgow store) off of Zavvi, but not the actual business. They only purchased the property, which I believe they then transformed into HMV stores. That is their only affiliation with Zavvi as far as I am aware

The Hut Group actually bought Zavvi (the brand and business). The Hut Group and HMV have no links as far as I know