5 places to buy cassettes online

Key findings

Due to the huge selection, advanced filters and easy navigation, Discogs is a top spot for cassette lovers.
Tapehead City and The Cassette Place specialize in cassette tapes and offer both new and used cassettes with filters for easy browsing.
eBay is ideal for bargain hunters looking to bid on cassettes, but remember to check the quality and shipping costs.

To expand your cassette tape collection, you can easily stop by a thrift store or record shop and dig through their inventory. However, if you live somewhere with limited selection or want to look elsewhere for more specific cassette tapes, it’s a good thing we have the internet. Whether you’re looking for a local band’s new cassette or your favorite ’80s dad rock album, you can definitely find something cool from various sellers and retailers online, so you can close Spotify and focus on what matters most.

There are countless places online where you can find cassette tapes, new and old, in varying conditions, at varying prices and in varying styles. The online cassette world is yours, so you can pull out your old Walkman or your new favorite retro tech and look forward to enjoying a good old cassette.

0:32

The ByronStatics cassette player on a wooden surface

This cassette player may look like a toy, but it works great

This cassette player from ByronStatics is both a great accessory and a functional cassette player and radio.

1 The most trusted of all, Discogs

Audio nerds know that Discogs is the first stop for everything you are looking for

The Discogs marketplace filtered by cassette and rock

Audiophiles love Discogs, not just for its catalog, but also for its marketplace. In addition to the wide selection of CDs and vinyl for sale on Discogs, there are also plenty of cassettes for sale. If you’re looking for a very specific cassette from a local band you loved in the ’90s, chances are you’ll find it on Discogs.

Discogs allows you to filter by a variety of different criteria, such as genre, year, currency, condition, and seller location. This gives you a lot of flexibility when searching for cassettes in general, but can also help you narrow down your search if you’re looking for cassettes by a specific genre or artist and want to make sure you’re not overwhelmed by the choice.

Two Green Day CD cases, one open and one on top of the other. Edit 3

8 reasons to play CDs instead of records

Vinyl records have become the trend in aesthetics lately, but one should not underestimate the “retro-tech” vibe of the CD.

2 Take an (online) trip to Tapehead City

A site specializing in cassettes

The online cassette store Tapehead City, filtered by Industrial/Experimental/Noise cassettes

Tapehead City is an online store that primarily sells cassette tapes and has been operating out of Long Island, NY since 2014. As such, you can find a ton of cassette tapes on the site, from newer cassettes to older, hard-to-find ones. They sell both new and used cassette tapes in good condition.

The website allows you to narrow down your choices with filters like genre, label, when it was listed on the site, and even check out pre-orders and new releases. So if you’re looking for a variety of cassettes and not something very specific, you can find plenty of things that appeal to you. Shipping is also worldwide, so it’s a great option for anyone, regardless of location.

0:28

The Gracioso cassette player is held by one hand over a wooden coffee table

I love listening to my favorite cassettes on this affordable cassette player

For $36, the Gracioso cassette player can do everything a cassette player should do.

3 New tapes from current artists can be found at Bandcamp

Your favorite local indie band and world-famous artists sell here

Bandcamp's online shop, filtered by cassettes and the folk genre

Many current bands still produce cassettes in addition to CDs and vinyl, and you can easily find cassettes for sale on Bandcamp. Whether they’re hugely popular or cover a narrow niche, artists use Bandcamp to distribute their music and sell merchandise, so you can find cassettes from numerous bands on the site.

Bandcamp also allows you to filter by genre, even down to very specific subgenres, as well as search for artists from specific countries. You can browse bestsellers or new releases, or just search for the exact cassette you want. Bandcamp also occasionally hosts an event called Bandcamp Friday, where profits from music and merch sales go entirely to the artists, with Bandcamp forgoing its cut. This way you can be sure you’re supporting your favorite artists as best as you can.

A stack of CDs and a CD player on a coffee table, with a hand holding the White Stripes album “Icky Thump”

5 places to buy CDs online

There are countless places where you can get CDs from the comfort of your own home.

4 Another store that specializes in cassettes, The Cassette Place

The company has existed since 1982 and offers thousands of tapes to choose from

Don’t let the look of the website fool you – The Cassette Place isn’t a website that hasn’t been updated since 1998. It’s a great place to buy cassette tapes online, sells quality cassette tapes in mint or near mint condition, and offers a wide range of genres to choose from. The used cassette tapes are sourced from specific sources, not just bought from anyone, so the company is clearly committed to sourcing and selling quality cassette tapes.

The company is based in the US and offers free shipping on orders over $60. They also ship worldwide, so customers outside the US can shop there too. There is a huge selection of cassettes, from rare special edition cassettes to newer popular cassettes, so there is something here for every cassette nerd.

“A Better Oblivion Community Center,” “Weather Report,” and “The 1975” vinyl on a wooden surface, with “The 1975” vinyl peeking out from its packaging.

My 6 favorite places to buy vinyl online

You don’t have to search endlessly in record stores to find the records you are looking for.

5 Join a bidding war on eBay

Cheaper options, but quality varies

It’s a classic cop-out – eBay has every second-hand item imaginable for sale, and cassette tapes are no exception. It’s very similar to Discogs in that it’s a marketplace full of individual sellers, but unlike Discogs, it’s not necessarily a community of audiophiles, so you might not get too accurate information about condition or editions from these listings. You can always ask sellers questions and find out what you’re buying up front if you’re unsure.

If you can bid on items on eBay, you may also be able to get really good prices on cassettes, which are generally affordable anyway. If you want to put in a little work to get a tape you like for a little cheaper, eBay is a great option for that. Just be careful of shipping costs, which can often be more expensive than the cassettes themselves.

Someone wipes vinyl with a microfiber cloth.

If you are new to turntables, here are 4 essentials for any beginner setup

As a vinyl enthusiast, in my opinion these are the 4 accessories you want to have in your beginner vinyl gear.