Thoughts on people scanning used cd's in a record store?

For those against...how would YOU know that this is a $100 CD? I'm sure this is the sort of thing that most here wouldn't give a passing glance except to make fun of it. Scan it with your phone and pocket some cash.

 

As a former record store manager, I'll pretty much guarantee you that while a staff member may nod and make positive noises while you speak, almost as though they agree with you ... ultimately they're going to be thinking you're the one exhibiting obnoxious behavior.

Because here's the deal: The guys scanning are ALSO regular customers in the store. And they're probably buying more stuff than most people browsing the bins.

The store is in business to make money. The scanners are spending money. That's the bottom line.

Sorry, man. But that's retail. They're not operating a museum. The scanners' cash is as good as yours or possibly even better, if they spend more.

 

I personally despise hammers anyway. I prefer to do it the old fashion way myself, with rocks.

 

This secondhand store has been brought to you by someone intending to make money by selling on music. You probably shouldn't encourage him by shopping there.

The secondhand book world went through this revolution over ten years ago. Almost all of what I would find interesting to buy in books and music won't have a bar code. It used to be fun at library sales to skip by picking a couple of non bar coded items worth real bux off a table while the maroons sat all around there, taking pictures of bar codes of moribund worthless textbooks and waiting forever for the crude early cell phone online data streams to tell them what they weren't worth. Those were the days.

I set up sometimes at record fairs and pray hipsters will come by with their phones and look up my stuff on Google to see what it is, go to YouTube to hear some or to Discogs so they can flip it. It's the only way most of them could make heads or tails of some of what they're looking at anyway, especially if it doesn't have a bar code. I am not good at phone myself, but I idly tried to look up a specific variation for a record on an Android phone at Discogs once and found it almost impossible. For searching, their mobile interface blows chunks. So I agree they shouldn't spend any of their time trying to develop mobile apps themselves. I'd rather they'd put that time they're already not spending into making the website work on a small screen. The full size version could use some improvement, too.

 

My oldest best friend on Long Island does this....
He's made quite a profit from it...
And, while I wouldn't do it...
it's got the same 'take-the-power-away' feeling that downloading had with the industry itself!
The used record store owners I remember when I was a kid also had a 'buy-low/ sell-high' mentality.
If THEY'RE not smart enough to know what they've got............. well........

 

As much as I liked some of the more mocking posts, I agree that I would probably be irritated by someone who was scanning each and every cd (presumably for a profit). I definitely don't enjoy these dealer types raking through my native record hunting lands for profits.

With that being said, I often (usually at this one Salvation Army that tends to jack up their music prices at random) gather my pile of interest and google certain titles I am unsure about, either to see if it's worth the $7 they're asking or to simply check reviews.

More often than not, the smartphone has led to return items to the shelf.

 

This anti-flipping bias--I do get it for Record Store Day--though I don't agree with it. But for clearance bins? Seriously?

Let's start with this:

Pretend that people randomly left dollar bills and occasionally fives and twenties in public places. Not so many that anyone with a decent job would go looking for them, but enough that it could help some people with enough time to search for them scrape by.

Would you object to people searching for them so they could make it from month to month? When you are walking down the street and see a five dollar bill, do you just leave it?

So what is wrong with scouring clearance bins for underpriced merch?

Furthermore, a CD in a clearance bin does no one any good. It just takes up space. It's one step from landfill. Any time anyone, for any reason, is able to connect that object with someone who desires it and will get some utility from having it, they've done a good thing. And they've helped the store stay in business to boot.

I flip something maybe a dozen times a year. If I see a record that will make me $75 and a cd I'll make $20 on, you bet it allows me to spend $95 on stuff I want. I should just leave those in the bins for some schmo who might not even know what they're worth because why?

If it weren't for record pickers grabbing stuff from the trash, from thrifts, and from the trash, the world would have many fewer playable copies of rare records.

And it's not like anyone is keeping others from hearing the music. Half the recorded catalog is on Youtube, and it doesn't take too much savvy to get 99% of the other half.

 

Woosh!

 

Why is this thread even here. It's not about music, it should be in the market place discussions.

 

What does scanning it have to do with it being pirated? Don't you mean counterfeited? Anyway, not sure I understand how anyone is supposed to be able to even answer what they think someone else will do if that happens? It's not like a bell goes off and says "This cd is a counterfeit."

 

I've got no problem with people doing this. If the store hasn't checked first themselves it's their loss. BTW I hope the check for prices on actual sales and not just the crazy listings

 

What the heck are you talking about?

 

Because that was a mistake, and you caught it before I finished editing it. Besides I have now reported the post along with the other subject that should be in Visual Art and not here.

 

white wolf asked "What would a person do if they scanned a pirated cd?" Now my post makes no sense.

 

I think you are all looking at this kinda backwards.
They are not scanning for information...
They are actually installing information...
Secret tracking codes so Big Brother can keep an eye on suspicious rebellious folks who still buy and listen to CDs

 

True on the other hand if the scanners are constantly buying up all the good stuff you won't have customers other than scanners.

Ultimately if the store is happy with scanner types then it's their choice.

It doesn't really bother me too much.

 

I thought the consensus opinion on this forum was that the only CDs worth having were ones with no bar codes.

 

As long as they're able to pay their rent and stay open. Most of the people running stores aren't in this just as a hobby.

 

Sure the store should check and some do, but many record stores are not in the business of selling online so they would rather sell for less or standard prices in their store and make more from volume. The store I frequent the most started scanning a lot of stuff this year but sometimes when they try to get a price that is competitive with online prices, the record will just sit around for months.

 

If you normally pay 'market' price for CDs/LPs, then the flippers, shouldn't bother you.

If you like to pay below 'market' prices for CDs/LPs, then you do not like flippers. Because, you want to find the bargain, just like the flipper, who wants to find the below market priced CDs/LPs. (so essentially, you're just like the flipper, you want to find a bargain) LOL

 

I usually go by a feeling.
If I'm sure I have it, I'll pass.
If I'm not positive...

Darryl

 

Basically, if a record store prices stuff to move, some people will flip. The other option is every item is priced at market value, whatever that is (since it fluctuates and is different in different markets). There is really no solution to this issue.

 

!

 

At one of the local record shows there's a seller who prices all his lps very reasonably. I take the early entry option and in the same line as me are several record store owners who will buy up these $20 records for the stated $10 price and sell them in their stores for at least $20, usually more. The seller knows they are doing so there's no secrets. He prices lps to move quickly, saving the bigger ticket items for the higher prices and the collectors. Is it a pain in the **** for me? Sure because I have competition but I would have competition regardless of who the buyer is.