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

The quality/selection and the pricing vary wildly. There are a-holes gouging people by asking 40 or 50 bucks for a beat up old Doors LP. Then there are amazing people who practically give away near mint Joni Mitchell etc. LPs for 2 or 3 bucks. And everything in-between.

 

BAGH!!! I've been looking for this for a while! Really good find and for a dollar that's insane!

 

Yeah, it's interesting how I witnessed first hand the once bountiful thrift store/garage sale finds dry up right before my eyes. 7 or 8 years ago I was finding all kinds of good stuff. This find here was particularly memorable: Thrift Store Finds

It just seems like there's waaayy more people out looking now than there used to be hence the odds of finding the quality stuff are much lower. Record stores and Discogs are my main sources now. I spend more money and buy less, but I'm careful to get titles I really want. A while back I remember buying some records at a local Salvation Army and I was talking to the girl behind the counter. She said there was a guy who asked her if she could text him whenever records were donated and she had no problem with it! Heck, even the good CDs now seem to be drying up. Crappy 90s rock is all over the place but where are all the jazz CDs I was finding like crazy just a few years ago?? Original non remastered Blue Notes, OJC's, Columbia, etc.

 

I'm really put off by the prices to get decent pressings. It's hard to get out of your head how cheap they were for decades, it seems

 

I don't bother with charity shops, no point around here, garage sales can be good, but are rare, my hunting ground is car boot sales and although June was rather dry this year has probably been better than last, apart from luck I'd put any success down to the following:

1. Knowledge, I've been doing this for more than three decades and was in music retail until the end of the nineties so although my memory isn't as good as it was I still have a major advantage over the new generation of dealers, I also collect a lot of genres, so for example this weekend I picked up some nice Jungle and House records and I'll often get nice Classical or Folk that others pass over.

2. I talk to people and pass out my number, sure nine times out of ten you don't hear back, but sometimes it pays dividends, actually liking what I'm looking for means I can have proper conversations about the music with people, rather than just asking for Floyd, Zep and Beatles.

3. Make friends with the competition, sure some people aren't worth it, but most are and if they get something you really want being on good terms means you may get it, plus you may want to split a large collection, my fellow record buyers often tip me off to other things I collect and vice versa, also a bad day isn't so bad when you can share the disappointment with others.

4. Carry as much cash as possible, if that killer collection shows up you want to be able to make an offer for the lot, also adopt a scorched earth policy for really good collections, this will deter any occasional visitors, it's definitely worked for me.

5. A record is worth what it's worth regardless of location, if you find a £100 record in a thrift/charity shop or at a garage sale/boot sale for £50 it's still a bargain, you wouldn't believe the number of great records I've picked up because people in front of me wouldn't pay a very fair price due to where the record was being sold.

6. Put in the hours, I'm out of the house at just gone 5am almost every Sunday and during the Summer I might not get back home until 12 hours later, but you can't dig part time and expect to find much.

7. Make friends with the regular sellers/dealers who have records, in the UK this is people who do house clearances and part-time record dealers, build up a relationship and spend money with them and hopefully they'll call you when they get something good.

I know that over here every other person selling will tell you about the vinyl revival, but there are still bargains, this weekend I was third in line for some records and watched as the first guy paid 8 pence or 10 cents for a near mint P J Harvey LP, that's what you can miss out on by being sixty seconds late to the right car, I may have the last laugh as after he'd bought all the records I had a nice chat with the seller about the much larger quantity of LPs they hadn't brought along that morning, hopefully I'll get that call.

 

I know the inflation-argument has been advanced in this forum many times and just as many times the counter-argument comes up.... I have to say that for most any good piece of vinyl ten bucks is well worth it. I'd rather get the original or close to it even if I have to deal with a little crackle here and there -- as long warpless/popless/skipless natch! -- than the reissues and remasters, most times. I say most times you understand. But I compare to the price of new vinyl which is never much under $20 and I have less of a problem saying goodbye to the era of plentiful lps for 1 or 3 bucks. Fun while it lasted...the occasional good score will happen from time to time. But we can't live for that.

 

There is definitely more competition out there, but the deals are still out there, kids. It is really just a matter of dogged patience and diligence.

Garage sales and thrifts are still great and - as many have pointed out in this thread - CD sales seem to really be heating up.

 

of course it's worth it. finding treasures requires patience. with the ongoing surge in vinyl, the record stores can't all be as thorough or knowledgeable when it comes to pricing/grading records, if you know what i mean. probably why i recently snagged a RL LZII for $12 in the New Arrivals bin here recently. don't go in expecting anything and you're bound to be rewarded, right?

 

let's team up. i hate that part.

 

I don't get a chance to do Garage sales very often, but occasionally I still find the occasional gem in a thrift store eg. a few weeks ago found a NM copy of "On The Beach" for $2.

 

I'm finding that selection at thrift stores is getting staler and staler (as far as LPs), and condition of what I do find is getting worse, as in you can tell they have been rejected by another collector and weren't donated by their original owner. Donations in general don't seem to be as frequent. The stores themselves are also getting wise (or foolish) by jacking up their prices; one local thrift chain has raised their base price of records by $3 since the end of last year, Mitch Miller and all!

That's not to say I haven't still been digging up gems, I have but for every haul there's at least 10 wasted trips. Doesn't really make it seem worth it in the long run.

 

Reading all these accounts, on top of witnessing what I have seen in the world of buying used music over the past 45 years, well, first & foremost I'm glad I went through the majority of my Rock 'n Roll obsessions decades ago. Oh, there's always been cut-throat collector competition for desirable records, but I think that not only has the majority of "the good stuff" been sucked up by those with deep wallets, I feel that the only reason any of said "good stuff" would be spotted these days is only because the first wave of baby boomers are either entering nursing homes or living out their last days with diabetes, heart attacks, cancers & strokes. Even then, most of their families have the technology now to access information on ANYTHING, so a lot of those craveable pieces of music won't be exactly be thrown out to the wolves. That being said, I also feel it's simply stupid for someone to close off all other avenues to own good music, meaning that if you can't get your hands on that original 12 inch black circle, you should at least embrace some other form of having it; Re-issue, cassette, CD, reel, 8 track, import....hell, if someone else has the elusive piece you can't find to save your life, swallow some pride and ask if that very owner would consider at least dubbing you a copy onto a blank CD or cassette. Throw them something acceptable for their time and close the damned book on it. There's too much competition out there for music that means something to people....know when you should stop wasting time & wave that white flag.

 

This is an excellent summation of the non-record store vinyl hunt situation.

I'm with you on re-issues or sometimes tapes and CD's. No problem there.

I still check my local thrift shops and Goodwill on the off chance I might find something good. That does happen once in a while. In first half of this year this year I've found a nice copy of Randy California's Kapt. Kopter, a very good condition Surrealistic Pillow, a good clean Bowie Station to Station and a few other things, but considering the fact that I hit these places on my way to work everyday scouting for used books and hit the record bins while I'm at it, it's really not all that much. The only way to find good stuff is to hit these places regularly and often and be thick skinned against frustration and/or boredom and if they weren't on my way to work I probably wouldn't bother any more. Most of the records I buy these days comes from record stores or if I can't find it there, eBay or Discogs (and then hope they are as listed, but that, of course, is another story/thread.)

 

I envy you US Folks for the vastness of opportunities you have to hunt and find good stuff in person.
With patience and long expectations, since some years I have the best opportunities online only.
I have lost the enthusiasm of looking into the markets, shops, and fairs because in my area (north Italy) they all are crazy and show trivial things at absurd prices.
Very often LPs I bought on Ebay, Discogs, and in this Forum (exactly the same kind of pressings in terms of originality and general conditions), I find them for sale in shops or trade fairs at a price three/four times higher than I paid for them, shipping included...
It seems a nonsense, but in my case, as I buy lately, I could recognize a certain worth in buying used vinyl if I do it online only.

 

Yes. If you know your deadwax/hot stampers. Dealios are EVERYWHERE if you have persistence, patience and know where to look in your area. My collection of old school/vintage/analog/AAA LPs is nearing the 1.5K mark.

Portland, Oregon is a freaking Mecca for quality used LPs. I'm blessed. It's been a lot of fun and will continue to be.

 

Was just thinking the same thing about how thrift stores have dried up for CDs, at least by me in north Jersey. Like many, I have a life and can't run that rat race to be first at thrifts and garage sales. and since I'm only in it for the music, it should be fun and on my terms. Even if I could persuade my locals to alert me (I'm sure others have already beaten me to it) when new discs come in, it would be an awful lot like work for not a lot of return, since I'm not a collector.

As for vinyl, I'm even more certain that the vultures come out early and often in my local thrifts. I don't actively seek vinyl anymore but on the rare occasions I thumb the bins, the amount of dreck insures I don't look again for a while.

A little depressing, but I'm not ready to give up completely. I've been a little more strategic in my visits of late. It hasn't paid off yet but I'm at a loss as to what else to do other than disrupting my busy schedule or paying off store clerks.

It's a hobby and a fun one and I intend to keep it that way as best I can.

 

Could be worse...Rural Quebec= endless rows of Willie Lamothe.....Geez, how many albums did this guy release? Talk about prolific....worse than Sting

 

I've been going to garage sales for almost 20 years and I've seen a decline in quality and a vast increase in price. People used to throw their records at me begging me to take them or give me deals I couldn't refuse. One guy gave me 2 milk crates filled with albums although I had most of them already. or like me - I just threw out the LPs I no longer wanted.

When I lived in Bayside NY there was a used record store, Breakdown Records, that charged $2 for all the albums. I found unopened records from the 50s and early 60s of Frank, Ella, Nat and many others for the same $2 price (he was one of the few guys buying LPs in the 90s and stores going out of business gave him a bulk price). He let me go into his basement and there was a treasure trove of jazz. and if the records were bad I could return them. For $2 per! Try that today! I saw the same Sinatra record in worse shape selling for almost $30.

People here in PHX think their old albums are worth far more than they really are - many of which looked like they were used as frisbees. And far far too many records at collector record shows are in poor shape for far too much $$. I used to love going to FMU's record sales in the beginning but they were simply too crowded by the time I stopped going in 2010 and I hated people climbing over me.

I now buy CDs cheap. Just got Linda Ronstadt's long out of print Spanish CDs for $1 for both. Scored several SH mastered CDs too - cheap - Ray Charles Mamas and Papas, Buddy Holly, BST II, and others.

Because I have about 200 LPs to listen to that I bought I think my LP days are over.

I've got a mental disease

 

Just scored 14 deep late 70's Disco platters at GW yesterday. I love it when old DJ collections get dumped at GW!
Yes. It's worth it.

 

Just came back from my local thrift store. Somebody turned in their classic rock collection...tons of yes, Steve miller, Clapton, moody blues, some stones,Floyd, etc. most of it 2 bucks per album. I scored Torres' "sprinter" vinyl me please pressing for 1.50 (I had a 50 cent off coupon.)

 

8p for PJ Harvey LP...... in Bristol? bonkers

 

November 19th 2012.

 

In my case, it is still definately worth hunting for used vinyl. That said, I've spend the last year searching out places in my area that have access to good used vinyl and sell it at reasonable prices. I regularily hit my "secret spots" that are off the beaten path on a regular basis to see what they have onhand and I also hit some of the more main-stream stores to see what they have.

I also watch several online websites I have found that I know are honest in their gradings and sell at reasonable prices. Hunting for vinyl I want at a reasonable price is a fun part of the hobby for me and is very much alive for me .... for now

 

I still go to a monthly boot sale and just take pot luck. I don't have a pre-conceived list. A lot of the albums are around $2.50 plus or minus. You obviously pay more for originals by the classic rock bands, and then you are into original vs remaster/reissue territory. Where there are good remasters e.g. Prince, Van Morrison, Bowie, Zep, Hendrix I don't think it's worth searching for the originals, but that's a matter of personal taste. There are some things like Exile on Main Street where I think it is worth hanging for the original. But again, that's a personal choice.

 

In Somerset, Bristolians hopefully know better, it started at 50p, and the first person had it in his reject pile, he deals in video games normally, then he asked how much for the lot, £2, hence the 8p, most of the other LPs were pretty decent £10+ titles as well, oh well tomorrow's another day, if the weather holds.