That’s not ebay or Amazon.
Ebay ripps you off with the shipping.
I’m talking about old music records like ultimate spinach , the who , jefferson airplane , bob dylan ect.
And they have to be affordable.
a local record store, try yellowpages.com to find one close to your area
a local record store, try yellowpages.com to find one close to your area
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I would sell you mine if you like, I have a couple of thousand of them.
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I’m not sure where you live, but most metropolitan areas will have a used music stores. (more than one if you’re lucky) That’s is probably your best bet. Check your local Yellow Pages. Another idea is local flea markets or garage sales. Always folks there selling CDs, records and cassettes. You don’t specify the format you’re interested in purchasing, but since the boneheads in the music industry killed vinyl in the late 80s, the price of used records has shot through the roof. Vinyl has made a minor resurgence of late, but when I’m faced with the choice of paying $15 for the CD or $40 for the vinyl, I’ll buy the CD every time.
And if I may say, good on you for actually wanting to buy the music, instead of asking where you can find a place to download it for free. Good luck in your quest.
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Thousands of hours spent combing through used records shops, flea markets and garage sales, hoping to find a pristine copy of "Yesterday & Today" by The Beatles, with the infamous ‘butcher’ cover on it. No luck yet, but keep hoping!
I ran my own Record Store on eBay for a few years. I basically left because as a seller, I found that eBay was charging me too much to post/sell items. I ventured off on my own for a couple years selling things to many of my eBay customers directly, bi-passing eBay all together. I’d send them monthly lists, detailing the LP, condition, cost, year, pressing, good shipping rates, etc. I made a very substantial supplementary income during those 2 years (about $30,000 each year), and had the opportunity to pass on some rare vinyl at fair prices to many people all over the world. But I know what you mean with the costly shipping…but It’s not so much eBay, but more the sellers using it. The shipping charges are set by the people selling the item, and many times dishonest persons will limit your shipping choices, forcing you to opt for a more expensive option, and pocket the difference themselves. I would never buy from anyone with a percentile lower than 99%…or from a person with only a few transactions. I would always check out their feedback thoroughly as well prior to purchasing, or finalizing any deals. If you spend some time scrolling through their feedback, you might find some horror stories from other customers.
I’ve been an avid vinyl collector for over 40 years, and have somewhere in the range of 30,000 LP’s. The bulk of my collection is late 60′s psychedelia, 70′s progressive, hard rock, Krautrock, Jazz Fusion, Punk/New Wave, Metal, etc etc etc. I still own those Ultimate Spinach albums, along with all the other psych bands…Beacon Street Union, The Seeds, Head Shop, HP Lovecraft, Frost, etc etc etc…
Here’s a few very reputable online vinyl dealers that I have used over the years…their grading is very accurate for both vinyl and jacket…and their prices are very fare. Their stock is constantly changing. so it’s in your best interest to check back now and then. At times I’ve spent several hours scrolling through their online catalogs compiling my orders…
‘Records By Mail’…Craig is a really cool guy, and he’s located in Oregon…my favorite online store…
http://www.recordsbymail.com/
‘Vinyl Renaissance’…these guys are located in Kansas…very cool people as well…
http://www.vinyl-renaissance.com/servlet/StoreFront
http://www.vinyl-renaissance.com/servlet/the-Records/Categories
‘Rockaway Records’…located in both Phoenix and LA…
http://www.rockaway.com/online/online/index.php
http://www.rockaway.com/online/online/categorylist.php?category=10&searchdate=mm/dd/yyyy
‘Forever Vinyl’…
http://www.forevervinyl.com/
I’m not at home right now, so I don’t have access to my bookmarked websites. Once I’m at home, I’ll add some more links to a few more reliable online dealers.
I should point out that these businesses also have stores on eBay…that’s how I found out about them.
Sadly it seems the good ‘ol days of eBay are long gone…and many of the great vinyl deals (rare gems at a fair price) slowed down about 2 years ago. Between 1999-2006 was the best period for finding all that obscure 60′s/70′s stuff. I spent around $100,000.00 on records during those years…most of which I still have, while others I sold off for a profit to various collectors around the world.
If you’re ever in Calgary, Alberta Canada…you must check out this store. I’ve gone record shopping all over the world, and I’ve never seen a store with such an awesome selection of rarities…
It’s called "Recordland", and I can spend countless hours digging for vinyl there. The place is reminiscent of Aladdin’s Cave, and massive, with over 1,000,000 vinyl LP’s in stock. I have never seen a store anywhere in the world with this sort of great selection…tons of original pressings, imports, loads of obscurities…psych, 70′s prog, fusion, punk, metal, folk, 50s/60s oldies, classical, etc etc.
I Googled "Recordland Calgary images", and came up with these pictures of portions of the store interior…they have aisle after aisle with shelves 10 feet high of vinyl collectibles, as well as a massive selection of CD’s, books, DVD’s etc!
http://charliegower.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/rec2.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2368397912_6dd9291e36.jpg?v=0
http://www.schillmania.com/photos/35mm/image/collection/miscellaneous/IMGP2928.jpg
http://s4xton.com/hNpix/1056659595138E0360-1.jpg
http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/display/22397a1c-5864-483c-8046-ada522a9cad6.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pLGD2w9oq3Y/SCXPa9JgWeI/AAAAAAAAABc/kHZle8zHp94/s320/09052008043.jpg
I’m very good friends with the owners, and have been a regular customer for many many years…they always give me great deals, and let me know when items on my "Wants List" arrive.
Every music/record collector needs to visit this place!
You might also find a couple of my more recent "quiz" type questions asked here on Y!A interesting. I posted pictures taken from my record collection of the backs of album covers by various bands, and others would have to guess what album/band they are…
Name That Album part 1…
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AofcUy8LhPqPWbBVNZb.57jsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100111102442AAYubKz
Name That Album part 2…
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=At2yO2Pm.A4wg8e_AWxodWXsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100119183604AAHABkD
I’ll be asking more of these questions in the not too distant future if you’re interested…
Nice to see another record collector here
Edit –
The term "affordable" is somewhat subjective, as it really applies to that persons income, or how badly they want/need a particular album. I’ve spent well over $1,000.00 on an individual album on many occasions. I’ve also sold LP’s for the same. You’ll notice that at some of the sites I’ve posted above, the price will often depend on a few things: rarity (or not), condition, whether it’s an original pressing/2nd press, 3rd press/re-issue, etc.
If you’re not very particular as to whether or not something is an original, several labels are still re-issuing their back catalogs. While many of the more recent labels (Sundazed, Akarma etc) have obtained the legal rights to do the same. Sometimes the sellers of used vinyl themselves aren’t really all that versed in the value of an LP, and don’t have a clue as to which pressing a slab of plastic actually is. I’ve seen mid 70′s re-issued Beatles albums sell for hundreds of dollars, and people buy them not knowing any better. Or original vinyl stuffed into a re-issue jacket (and visa versa).
Most reputable sellers/collectors (and myself) used what’s called "The Goldmine Grading System", or a system loosely based on this. Check this site out, and maybe it will give you a better idea of what terms like VG, VG+. EX, M-, NM actually mean. So many people are under the misconception that a record graded at VG or VG+ (Very Good/Very Good +) is going to be in nice playback and visual condition. Then when the record arrives at their doorstep, they whine and complain. I can tell you personally that I NEVER buy anything graded as such. Nothing less that an M- (Mint Minus) or EX (Excellent) ever enters my home. There are extreme circumstances though….
http://www.goldminemag.com/article/Collecting_101_Grading_Your_Records/
The best way to visually grade an LP is directly under an incandescent 100 watt light bulb.
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Go to Buy Backs. They have old and new music, dvds, and games. Great prices!
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