I've been shopping here for years because they always have a good selection, new records come in frequently, and they often have 30% off sales. I do not go to ANY record store to ask if they have such-and-such in stock. I look for it myself. That's exactly why I drove there: to dig thru some records! You wanna treat a record store employee like a personal shopper and you get attitude in return? You earned that brother. You can search a vendor's inventory online with key-words. Go get your "vinyls" like that. This is a real record store. Dig a little. read more

Love this place. Good selection of used albums but i came here the other day for a record that was released that day. They had 3 different special edition versions of the album on vinyl which i was happy to see. They were also giving out promo posters and as a total over excited fan of this band, i was really happy to get a poster. Happy i don't have to drive to Hollywood to go to Amoeba. Will be back! read more

Definitely the best used record store in the valley. Yes, if you go there looking for something in particular there is a good chance you wont find it. So don't go there with something in mind, just peruse the selection they do have and you are guaranteed to find something you didn't even know you wanted. I appreciate their punch card system, already got two free cd's out of it. DVD selection is also decent and they seem to keep it meticulously alphabetized. Always a plus when clerks know their abc's. Only sucky thing is they close early for a record store (by my standards). It should be a state mandate that all record stores be open until at least 10pm. These guys are normally closed by 8pm or earlier. read more

It does in fact have a pretty good CD selection nad it is possible to find really good deals, but they have no idea on how to price anything, which can either be good or bad. Sometimes they way overprice or underprice, depending on the type of music that they like. The staff was OK, not really caring about costumer service, but also not total jerks. I would give this place an OK rating. read more

Really good CD and Vinyl collection and you can also order any cd you'd like not too expensive and a little problematic location read more

This place only stays in business because it's a good way to kill time when you're waiting for an hour to eat at CiCi's next door. I've purchased dozens of used BluRay's here in the past, and even follow this place on Facebook, but I'm over it now thanks to the rude jerk with a ponytail who works here. I was shopping there again today for the same reason stated above, and finished drinking my latte from Pete's coffee. Since I had some DVD's in my other hand, I was just hoping to throw my empty cup away so I could continue looking at their selection of movies comfortably. I asked if I could use their trash can, and the employee says "I'd prefer that you didn't." So I put my BluRays back on the shelf, and pulled 2 of my friends out with me who were also about to buy some CD's. One of my friends said the same guy was also rude to him when we walked in. Seriously, this moron cost your business more than he probably gets paid for a days work today. He has a terrible attitude, which shines through his body language & comments. If I were the owner, I'd let him go. If he is the owner by chance, I promise your store will fail once CiCi's is smart enough to move into a larger facility. Shame... I was a good customer, but I refuse to give my business to people that don't appreciate it. read more

this place was cool when it was smaller- you could stand that those who worked there had attitude. now it's bigger- and let's not forget- you're in the valley people and work at a cd store. Yes, someone is going to come in and ask you a question. sorry to bother you at your work. read more

I love independent record stores. I try to always shop and support local business especially record stores. But the biggest problem I see them having, is a staff of elitists. Every time I go in here, they have no interest in helping me cause, on the outside, I look to have no real musical knowledge. I in fact have a record collection of over a thousand records. I'm a huge music fan. But I do not put up with arrogance. You're a business. If the store is empty, and I ask if you have something in stock, make a little eye contact and do not tell me to just, "look in the Rock section." I'm asking if you know off hand. And if you don't, that's fine. Just show a bit of courtesy. You should try to bring in repeat business. After about five times of this happening, I'm done. I'll just drive to amoeba where they actually take time to help you. read more

Was disappointed when I went there to sell a large group of dvd's. I was dismissed rather rudely by one of the guy's behind the counter. He barely started looking through the group and stated that he was not interested and walked away. Don't waste your time going there to sell anything, wasted my morning. read more

This place was recommended to me because I recently started getting into vinyl, and it's really the only game in town in the west Valley. After a few less than stellar experiences though, I'll be driving out of my way to do my record shopping from now on. First off let me point out, this is a record store. Yes, the name's "CD" Trader, yes they sell CD's and cassettes(really?) and DVD's and Blu-Rays, but when you have more than a bookshelf of vinyl to sell, these days that makes you a record store. Being a record store, that also makes you a specialty shop, because now you are catering to a specific customer base. Maybe I just got too excited at the prospect of collecting vinyl, and finding a shop that caters to that because the owners/employees are "in the know" and are "hip" to this cool and wonderful thing that's not terribly popular... but no. The staff comes off completely indifferent that anyone's even in there. Not a smile between them. Long gone are the days when a record store employee, armed only with the knowledge of their inventory, would approach you and help you find something you're looking for or maybe even something you didn't even know you wanted but totally fits in your tastes. I don't think I've seen them leave from behind the counter. On a policy level, this place also sucks. I bought a used LP reissue of Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante. The store was also having a Black Friday weekend sale and this record was 30% off (down to $10.50) I was very excited. When I get home, turns out it's a completely crap pressing of this album (sidenote: avoid ANYTHING reissued by PLAIN Records. Read any reviews online, you'll see what I mean), so I returned the following day and talked to who I believe was the manager. I told him the issue, and that I had just purchased the record from them the day before, and it was still looking shiny and new. I thought as a consumer I was being kind by offering to take store credit, but the manager simply pointed to a sign that said "NO REFUNDS ON VINYL", at which point he told me he'd have to "buy it back from me as a used record" and offered me $6. I told him I could get my money back through Ebay (which I did) and left. Speaking of Ebay, until I move out of the west Valley and closer to some maybe more reputable record stores, I'll be doing my record shopping online. In the last few months I've probably purchased a couple dozen records online, and only had one bad experience through Ebay where the seller didn't package things properly and the record got scratched slightly. I recently just got a full refund for that too. Otherwise, sellers online have been more than willing to work with me to have a satisfied customer. I've been given partial refunds when sleeves aren't 100% as described, at one point a seller missed a scratch on a vinyl he had listed as near mint, and completely refunded my order (including shipping) and told me to keep the record. He didn't even want proof. WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS, why are people across the country that you never even talk to on the phone easier to do business with and more willing to keep customers satisfied than a locally owned record store? It's really too bad that vinyl dropped in popularity enough to get a lot of the specialty shops to shut their doors forever, because those places probably had staff that gave a crap, an inventory that was somewhat organized beyond the first letter of the artist, somewhat competitive prices, and probably TRIED to get people to come back. All the things this place is lacking. Although, I have found ONE reason to shop there: they sell plastic outer sleeves for $0.25 or 25 for $5. I guess I'll drop in for those IF I'm in the area, but otherwise, I'm done browsing. read more

The owner is an absolute prick! I have spent hundreds of dollars there and they know me, but when I tried to return a CD that I bought the previous day (It was a 2 CD demo that had two CD 1's in it) and tried to get something else, he dissed me and completely ignored me as I stood there befuddled. Loser Star Wars dork........ read more

This store's reviews were pretty right on from all the previous reviews... I went in there and started going through their huge selection of vinyls, then I went through some of their dvd's. its a damn shame they didn't have what I was looking for in the dvd section but oh well the movie , "Freeway" is pretty hard to find! I bought about four vinyl's and If you are into music and movies this is a must since they offer a stamp card and for each item you purchase they will stamp it that many times, instead of other places where its a single stamp per transaction. Which sucks!!! Some gripes of mine are the parking sucks, it sucks even more if you have a full sized truck, the spots are small and very limited but hey its the valley right?. Some of the prices are high on vinyl but I was willing to fork it over, but come on people! Its Nirvana unplugged!!! Probably one of the best albumns of the 90's and now I have it in vinyl!!! Anyways go and take a look for yourself. And relive your youth through their collection of music from when you were younger and even further back ! Enjoy! read more

This place is awesome . The staff is super friendly and helpful. Even better they have GREAT prices for DVDs and DVD sets. They also have a great selection of movies and TV shows( which i honestly wasn't expecting when i first walked in). I won't shop at any retail store now for DVDs because they also have new releases for a better price then Target. I highly recommended this store. read more

Very solid used/new store: great used selection with pretty reasonable prices (they get some pretty esoteric stuff in, and the used stuff never ceases to surprise me), though I think the new and collectible vinyl is a bit on the pricey side. The DVD selection is very good (several wall-shelves worth on the store's perimeter) and prices are generally reasonable. If you get the frequent-buyer stamp-card, odds are good you can fill it up in 2 or 3 casual trips, which gets you like $7 or $8 off a purchase. They also carry books, box sets, other memorabilia, etc. so there's plenty to look at. read more

Parking lot in front was ok. The store has a good selection of music ( & they also sell some cool t-shirts ). The staff is low energy & lacking customer service skills ( you almost feel like you are bothering them, just walking into the place ). Plus, they'll low ball you when buying your DVDs & CDs ( they didn't accept most of mine ), but if you're a music lover or you're looking for some classic rock t-shirts, the selection is worth checking out. read more

I haven't been there in like 7 years, but it was a great place to BUY music and video content as well as other things like T-shirts etc. However if you're SELLING ITEMS to them, they are CHEAP, and sometimes rude. I even had an old friend who was addicted to drugs (now clean), so she would steal Blu-rays and DVDs from Blockbuster (when it was still around), and sell them brand new every day for roughly 3 months. The employees obviously knew that the items were stolen because nobody comes in with 15 to 30 Blu-rays & DVDs (still in their shrink wrapping) every day without them getting suspicious. Still knowing all of this, they happily bought up the items daily. They were unethical and enabling my friend to use drugs by taking the items. Like I said I haven't been there since 2008. I don't remember a long haired guy with a bad attitude, but I remember a bald guy with glasses. In the end, I have mixed feelings about this place. The employees were corrupt. On the other hand, it's still a cool store, and still around in the dying industry of being an independent record store in the digital/streaming age. read more

Took a dvd collection with movies in years 1910's,1920's,1930's,1940's etc up to mid 2000's to a store in Northridge CA that buys dvd's.Owner came out looked through the boxes in my truck offered me $150.00 for everything. I left with the dvd's brought them to CD trader in Encino where they scanned each one and they gave me $580.00 for them all. read more

Great selection, fair pricing. Staff very nice willing to help. I come here as often as I can.

I have been hitting used CD stores for 15+ years.. remember Record Trader in Reseda? I worked there for a couple years. As someone who hates buying new CDs, because of how ridiculously over priced they are, I'd say that CD Trader is my favorite out of the 4 stores I tend to hit. The great thing about used CD shopping is, you can go in with out anything in particular in mind to look for, and leave with some great finds. Whenever a new album comes out that I want (which is few and far between these days), I can usually find it fairly quickly in their used section, for about 7.99. There is a great used DVD section there, and bargain CDs for 3 bucks. Most of the used CDs I find are 5.99, great deal, and the stamp card is great too, buy 10, or 12, I don't remember, and get one free. Yeah! We like free! I see people blasting on the organization of product here, but what do you expect, it's like a music swap meet, all kinds of people just digging around. I think the staff is cool for the most part. I go whenever I get a chance. I think its funny, everytime I am there, I see customers who were regulars when I worked at Record Trader, they bugged me then, and I know they must bug the CD Trader staff now too. read more

take a good hour and 1/2 if you have it and you will leave here happy. jazz, rock, soul and funk, all at reasonable prices. i've caught some gems here really cheap. they have an extensive music dvd section. read more

Ok, so this has been my first visit to CD Trader and while my overall review and thoughts are positive, I do have mixed feelings about the vinyl. I really like the fact that they have an awful lot of stock and a vast variety to choose from. I really enjoy looking through LP's, 45's, CD's, DVD's, shirts, etc. and finding what I'm looking for. The store is large, and yet, relaxing for browsing, etc. The woman behind the counter was nice and all went well. I realize that vinyl is more expensive to press now. I realize that the prices of vinyl, unfortunately, can't be as low as they once were in their hey day, but that said - I feel like $39.99 plus tax for most of the new vinyl is just a bit too much. Some of the lower quality, used vinyl was priced much more affordably, but the quality of the vinyl is sometimes better suited to hang on the wall for the artwork rather than to play it. I did purchase some LP's that were used and priced fairly and look like they will play fine. I found a lot of DVD's that were very reasonably priced (especially considering the quality and condition of the discs and packaging, etc.) and some CD's as well. They also have a wide variety of box sets and rare items. I also like that they buy items too - that way I can literally rotate my items LOL (or at least the ones I find out I'm not so fond of haha) I just wish the new vinyl could be a bit lower priced and I would have purchased more items. They accept CC's and have their own parking lot (strip mall area) with free parking right in front. There are a couple other record stores similar to this, but honestly, I enjoy them all for different reasons. Go check them out - you'll definitely find something you like. read more

Not that big of a selection. Some prices are worth it. Sometimes I feel awkward because the employees don't feel very welcoming whenever they see someone come by. read more

A great record store in Tarzana. Good selection, the prices are good, the store is fun to spend time in.

first i should mention that this review is only relevant to their vinyl. i only go here to for their records, so this review is for my fellow crate diggers. i've been frequenting this place ever since they first opened, and i've gotten to know dave over the years, who seems to have been there the longest. he's a really cool guy, and he's been good to me over the years. this place does get some gems from time to time. it's really random, but they do charge premium prices for those rarities, so be prepared for that. sometimes it's absurd, but hey, it comes with the territory, i suppose. if you get to know them and start getting cool with them, they will let you bring your own portable turntable to listen before you buy, which is always a plus. i don't know if things have changed since, but a couple years ago i tried bringing in some records to trade/sell and i remember being offended at how little they offered and laughed in his face and said no thanks, i'll try my luck with freakbeat instead. get on their mailing list if you haven't already. they routinely hold sales throughout the year routinely on holidays like 4th of july, labor day, thanksgiving, etc. vinyl is 30% off, so that's when i swoop in to buy those rare gems i mentioned earlier. read more

Have found some real vinyl jewels here over the years as well as some great CD boxed sets very reasonably priced, but the selection of Criterion Collection DVDs is most impressive. Customer service fluctuates with some genuinely helpful and very cool employees and a couple aloof and indifferent ones who nearly discouraged me from returning were it not for the awesome selection and the great stamp card. read more

decent place to buy if they don't value what you're after, so you might get lucky. bad place to sell. i guess that works for them, but it might explain a paucity of selection in the jazz and classical sections. i imagine they sell their more choice items on ebay, but who knows. that's what i'll do myself instead of bringing anything i value to sell there. read more

Bought a CD one day, Later that day i realized that i already had the CD, went back to sell them the CD back (WITHOUT HAVING EVEN OPENED THE CD SINCE I BOUGHT IT), and they said the CD had too many scratches. Made me wonder why it was ok for them to sell it to me in the first place. Good prices, but terrible service. also, very good selection. read more

ive been going to cd trader since 1997 they have a gang of hip hop cds dave is cool nice person ken is my down homie we both love prince jack is cool people nick and i always talk about the beastie boys kip was in a band called shock he knows music they always show me love and sometimes they let me get my flow on im akademic a the student of hip hop i cop my used hip hop ,dvds jack and nick are talented musicians these are my fam bam i love record stores i miss tower and moby disc i go to freak beat and amoeba too i miss the listening stations they have good prices i love the three dollar bin you can find some gems these are my folks sometimes i cant cop cds but they always show me love and respect sometimes you can see celebrities i saw chino xl i missed krs,shock g and the late great mac miller you cant fade cd trader the bomb i need a t shirt jack and nick are down to earth they work hard dave and ken give excellent customer service cd trader will always be the bomb real talk i keep it 100 i wish they were open later but they have lives read more

I have retired and have to move to small apartment from a large house that is in foreclosure and I needed to sell my extensive DVD and CD collection. I sold several hundred DVD's and CD's to CD Trader and was told they paid 33% of what they could sell them for and not the 50% as advertised on their website. That wasn't a big deal for me as I was pretty desperate for the cash. All in all I averaged about $1.50 each. I waited for about an hour for them to go through everything and the guy explained how many they were buying at each price level with $1 being the minimum up to $2.50. There were about 75 or 80 they didn't want at all and I was able to sell those to friend. It was a pleasant experience and the guy was very friendly and helpful. I went back the next week with 389 DVD's. It was the same guy but this time he wasn't as friendly and seemed bothered I was there with so many DVDs. Not sure if it had anything to do with it but this time the long haired guy with a ponytail who is the manager that MANY others have complained about was there. Anyway the guy I dealt with before was there but he told me it would be at least 2 hours and maybe more but I could leave them there and come back later. I felt a little uneasy about it but I based on my previous experience with the same person I figured it would be ok and I could trust him. When I returned he had just finished and he had a large bag of the ones they couldn't use and told me the ones they wanted totaled $200. I asked him for the breakdown like he gave me before and he said he didn't have it. He asked for my license and while he was doing the paperwork I tried to at least count them from a distance to get a total of how many they were buying for the $200. My rough count was around 300. When he came back with the $200 I asked him if he could at least tell me the total number. He was very irritated and said "I already told you I don't know there were just too many of them". I took the $200 as I really needed the money to keep my electricity on and have some grocery money until my next social security check comes. When I got home I counted the ones they didn't want and there were 77 which means they paid me $200 for 312 DVDs which is 64 CENTS FOR EACH ONE! The bottom line is NEVER LEAVE YOUR CDs OR DVDs THERE FOR THEM TO COUNT BECAUSE THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF!! You need to stand there and watch them like a hawk and demand a breakdown. And whatever you do don't go there when you are desperate for cash like I was because you just might be tempted to take whatever they will give you. The guy who waited on me was a big heavyset blond guy in his 40's with thinning hair. Kind of reminded me of an overweight Nick Nolte. SELLERS BEWARE! One other thing. The last time I was there they had me sign for the cash in a notebook. This time they wanted my ID but didn't want me to sign the book. I bet that notebook has a much higher payout to me than the paltry $200 they gave me so they can write it off as a business expense. Hello IRS!!!! read more

I'm a musician coming here for years. I've dropped a lot of money into this place, referred lots of people and always felt they supported your local independent artists. Recently, I spoke to the buyer (owner) about carrying a newly released CD I produced in their store and he declined. His excuses were hardly legitimate and I called him on it. Disappointed and put off by his overall attitude... came to realize they've never exactly been the warm and friendly type anyway. Hardly ever offering anything by way of trade-in OR store credit anyways... so then why would I want them to represent my product? With that being said the buyer has every right to carry what he wants and sees fit in his store. Never the less... I will NEVER return to their establishment again... they are NOT and never were the only game in town selling CDs and Vinyl. As a matter of fact Rockaway, Amoeba, Canterbury Records and Freak Beat (along with numerous online digital sources) are all carrying my product and any or all of them should be your first and ONLY choice before resorting to "CD Traitor" in Tarzana, California. read more

been here a few times before they pretty much have everything you'd be looking for! whether it's new or old, they have CD's, vinyl, dvds, blurays, etc.........not sure about cassettes i think they might. but it's a pretty cool spot, too bad it's a good drive from my house and the parking is really small!!! besides that i like it and the staff is cool. read more