Acquiring used vinyl...is it worth hunting anymore?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Chester0711, Jul 17, 2017.

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  1. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    If I found one good record for every twenty "Vaughn Meader and the First Family" album, I'd be happy. I somehow don't. I'm convinced Vaughn Meader sold more records than the Beatles.
     
    GLENN likes this.
  2. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.
    Yes!:wiggle:
    Problem?
     
    Arkay_East likes this.
  3. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    Not at all, sounds legit to me...
     
  4. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    given my recent experience with 8 tracks, I'm not surprised. breaking, sticking, unspooling...a lesson I've learned is to enjoy the music since it might be the last time I hear it.
     
  5. PoeRaider

    PoeRaider Forum Resident

    There are pretty sophisticated networks of people out there who harvest the best items before the public ever sees anything. Be it jewelry, collectibles, vinyl, etc, by the time you get to a garage sale, I've found the best stuff is already gone, especially in recent years. I actually know a guy who does this for a living, in fact his entire family does it as their only source of income (they are not poor at all.. always new cars, etc). If I find out that he "cleaned out" a yard sale before it even went live, then I don't bother going, cause there will be literally nothing remaining that is even worth looking at. You can get there first thing in the morning and be the first one in, and it's all crap. I know the local Salvation Army has people doing this as well.

    Not saying you can't find some gems at yard sales anymore, but I just use discogs or the my local record shop these days. Too little reward for the effort in hunting flea markets anymore, at least in my area.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  6. Marc Bessette

    Marc Bessette The King of Somewhere Cold

    I agree but as the Baby Boomers are dying off, the good pickings are getting less frequent.
    I am a baby boomer and I am dying off...or at least rotting on the vine
     
  7. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    it's like lotto. you gotta be in it to win it.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  8. GodBlessTinyTim

    GodBlessTinyTim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Here in rural Midwestern Ontario, it's a pointless endeavour. This is a place where people go to die, and it shows in the records you can find at antique/junk shops. Milk crates of Barbra Streissand and Andy Williams as far as the eye can see, peppered with the likes of Christopher Cross and Air Supply. Lots of classic country, but it's all Camden/Pickwick budget comps from the 70's and 80's. No R&B to speak of.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  9. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.
     
    Marc Bessette likes this.
  10. thesisinbold

    thesisinbold Forum Resident

    Location:
    Camarillo, Ca, USA
    Stop hunting at garage sales? I've stopped hunting at record stores. I'm not talking about hunting for a bargain, I'm looking for something somewhat desirable in good shape. I'm not even talking about prices. My local spots seem to only sell scratched records.
     
  11. Somerset Scholar

    Somerset Scholar Ace of Spades

    Location:
    Bath
    Me too to a large extent. I like my records Ex to Near Mint unless they are very rare. The record fairs are my best bet. Bristol Record Fair is the largest regional one and I always find something there. Prices can vary wildly between dealers. Picked up a 1st press mint copy of Joe Jackson's Night and Day for £3 at my last visit.
     
  12. overdrivethree

    overdrivethree Forum Resident

    I may have shared this sentiment before, but...

    I just wish someone would buy up all those worn "Sing Along With Mitch" (or whatever) records at Goodwill, and melt them down for pressing new records.

    I don't even search for vinyl at Goodwill, if I ever did - it's *always* been Mitch Miller/Jim Nabors/Barbra Streisand/etc. I wonder why Goodwill even bothers accepting that stuff anymore - it just hangs off the shelves in precarious piles, all dusty and musty, jackets split. It makes records on the whole seem unappealing.
     
    Chew likes this.
  13. Isaac K.

    Isaac K. Forum Resident

    I wouldn't search Goodwill for records, not because of the quality of the records but because they are a for-profit business masquerading as a non-profit and is completely unscrupulous. They give almost nothing to charity.
     
    showtaper likes this.
  14. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I've found some cool stuff in antique shops, including Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Genesis's Selling England By the Pound, both in good condition for good prices.
     
  15. wpjs

    wpjs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ny
    I guess it depends on what you're hunting.
    For me,
    I have been able to pick most of what I want at local record shows here in NYC.
    I'm fine with paying $5 -$10 for clean originals.
    Other than that I don't hunt.
    I'm fine paying "going rate" on eBay for a LP I really want to add to my collection.
     
    showtaper likes this.
  16. BroJB

    BroJB Large Marge sent me.

    Location:
    New Orleans
    It might almost be worth becoming a Percy Faith fan just so I could have satisfactory trips to the thrift store.
     
    Bob J, GLENN, Jrr and 4 others like this.
  17. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.
    Well, NYC vinyl hunting is tad different than is a lot of rural areas in the US.
    Try traveling 45 min. one way to the nearest store, only open one day a week.
     
  18. Deaf_in_ LA_1974

    Deaf_in_ LA_1974 Forum Resident

    I know when I had a garage sale and posted records in the paper, I had several people show up the night before wanting to know if they could buy everthing, before the sale.
     
    coniferouspine likes this.
  19. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    First off, all the people suggesting that--because of the Internet and availability of info--the good deals are gone...they're wrong. Most people still can't be bothered to piece out their stash of records in the basement to figure out what's valuable. And the ones that try usually wind up discovering that they don't know how to grade, that scammers are everywhere, etc.

    That's not really the problem.

    The problem is this: There are legions of record flippers who will beat you to most of the new stuff that appears. This is all they do: Search, buy, flip. They're aggressive and generally unpleasant. (And if you want to have a good day, get to a good stash minutes before they arrive and watch the steam go out of their ears!) If you have a real life, it's tough to beat these guys. Usually you do that only when something good appears that wasn't properly advertised. You know: Garage sale, no records mentioned, but records are available. And even then, these flippers get up really early and check out one garage sale after the next looking.

    NOW...Here's the thing. Probably 75% (maybe a lot higher than that) or more of the flippers don't know much about music or about record collecting. They know certain things are worth buying. They may be able to do acceptable sight grading. But the weird stuff that isn't easily priced using lookup they are going to miss. They won't miss The Beatles or Led Zeppelin. They might miss something like a valuable promo label copy of a common title or an obscure dusty corner release.

    So you can sometimes strike gold even after the crappy flippers have show up. But it's a lot harder now that there are so many of them.
     
    Dubmart, TLMusic, hominy and 3 others like this.
  20. DLD

    DLD Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, Tx
    I'm about to give up on estate sales. If an ad has a picture or a mention of decent records forget abut it. Resellers will be in line very early. That leaves garage sales (as decent records at thrifts are a thing of the past) and pickings have been quite slim (for me at least) in the last year or two. Where I may have easily found 100 records a year, I doubt I've found a hundred in the last 4 total.
     
  21. Michael McGuire

    Michael McGuire Active Member

    Location:
    Texas
    My dealer hits garage sales all the time and buys lots of vinyl. I've never been lucky, but never asked.
    I agree abut being in good graces with your favorite store. Recently, he got a collection and while there were cover condition issues.. vinyl was clean and quiet. Went back 3 or 4 times to see if there was more.

    M
     
  22. gillcup

    gillcup Senior Member

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC, USA
    In general, the well has really dried up in my experience. I used to come home from vacations in Calif with so many albums I could barely fit them in my suitcase (and I deliberately left a lot of space). Now I am lucky to find 5 albums after days of searching. I can still find some interesting LPs at record shows but they are rarely cheap.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  23. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Both fairly common records. I'm sure if you put in enough time you can find stuff like that. I'm not willing to put in the time when records like that are everywhere.
     
  24. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Record shows are not really what I'd consider hunting. They're basically made up of semi-pro dealers, record shop people, etc. selling records at the high end of market price. The sad thing is that a lot of the good stuff stores get in will be held back for shows if it doesn't go to eBay or Discogs first. I just can't deal with the high prices, crowds, and possibly being stuck with a bum record you paid top dollar for so I don't bother with shows.
     
    dee likes this.
  25. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I guess it depends on who you are. For someone like me, who has a small but growing record collection and is mainly interested in acquiring copies of titles I like, any store that sells used records for a decent price is worth looking into. For someone who already has a decently sized collection and is more interested in tracking down rare finds and filling specific gaps in their collection, these kinds of places will likely not satisfy.
     
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