5 places to buy tapes online

Key Takeaways

• Discogs is a top destination for cassette lovers because of its wide selection, advanced filters, and easy navigation.
• Tapehead City and The Cassette Place specialize in cassettes, offering new and used cassettes with filters for easy browsing.
• eBay is great for bargain hunters looking to bid on tapes, but remember to check quality and shipping costs.

Expanding your cassette collection can be as easy as going to a thrift store or record store and checking out their stock, but if you live in an area with limited options, or want to look elsewhere for specialty cassettes — well, that’s fine. the good thing is that we have internet. Whether you’re looking for a new tape by a local band or your dad’s favorite rock album from the 80s, you can find something cool at various retailers and online retailers, so you can turn off Spotify and get back to the basics.

There are dozens of places online to find tapes, new and old, in different conditions, at different prices, and with different plans. The world of online tapes is your oyster. So you can pull out that old Walkman or your new re-imagined retro technology, and get ready to enjoy a good old cassette.

1 The most tried and true of all, Discogs

Audio professionals know that Discogs is the first place to look for anything

Audiophiles love Discogs, not only for their catalog features, but also for their markets. Along with the variety of CDs and vinyls sold through Discogs, there are a ton of cassettes for sale as well. If you’re looking for a special tape from a local band you loved in the 90s, there’s a good chance you’ll find it on Discogs.

At Discogs, you can filter by a ton of different criteria, such as genre, year, currency, state, and seller location. This allows you to have a ton of flexibility when looking for tapes in general, but it can also help you narrow it down if you’re looking for tapes by a specific genre or artist and need to make sure you’re not overwhelmed by the options.

2 Take a (online) trip to Tapehead City

A site that works with tapes

Tapehead City is an online store that primarily sells tapes, operating out of Long Island, NY since 2014. So, you can find a ton of tapes on the site, from new tapes to old, hard to find ones. Sells both new and used cassettes in good condition.

On the site, you can narrow down your options with filters such as brand, label, where they are listed on the site, and also look at pre-orders and new releases. So if you’re looking to find a variety of cassettes and don’t want something too specific, you can find a lot of things in your path. It also ships worldwide, so it’s a great option for anyone, regardless of location.

3 For new tapes by current artists, check out Bandcamp

Your favorite local indie band and world famous artists alike are sold here

Many bands today still make cassettes alongside CDs and vinyl, and you can easily find cassettes for sale on Bandcamp. Whether they are very famous or in a small area, artists use Bandcamp as a way to distribute their music and sell merchandise, so you can find tapes from many bands on the site.

Bandcamp also lets you filter by genre, even down to very specific sub-genres, and look for artists from specific countries. You can check out bestsellers or new releases, or just search for the exact tape you want. Bandcamp also has an event called Bandcamp Friday, where profits from music and merch sales go entirely to the artists, Bandcamp lost their cut. That way, you can be sure to support your favorite artists as much as possible.

4 Another store that specializes in cassettes, Cassette Place

It has been in business since 1982 and has thousands of tapes to choose from

Don’t let the appearance of the website fool you — The Cassette Place is not a site that hasn’t been updated since 1998. It’s a great place to buy tapes online, selling high quality tapes in mint or near mint condition, and has a wide variety of brands, too. It gets its used tapes from specific sources and doesn’t just buy tapes from anyone, so it’s clearly dedicated to finding and selling quality tapes.

It operates in the US, offers free shipping on orders over $60, and ships worldwide — so, those outside the US can still shop there. There are tons of tapes to choose from, from rare, special edition tapes to new releases, so there’s something for every tape here.

5 Enter the bidding war for tapes on eBay

Cheaper options, although quality varies

It’s a classic throwback — eBay has every used item imaginable, and cassettes are no different. It’s very similar to Discogs in that it’s a marketplace full of individual sellers, but unlike Discogs, it’s not really a community of audiophiles, so you may not be getting a good level of specification or programming from these listings. You can always ask the sellers questions and know what you are buying in advance if you are not sure.

Being able to bid on items on eBay also means you can get great prices on tapes, which are often affordable at first. If you want to put in a little work to get the tape you love for cheap, eBay is a great way to do that. Just be aware of shipping costs, which can be more expensive than the tapes themselves.