[grokit]

What about online, is there anything beyond the occasional cheap used gem on Amazon? I've gotten a few for around $10 shipped that were kind of worth it.

 

[Redcarmoose]

The fun for me was in 1 dollar rock records. Van Halen for a buck kind of stuff. If you buy new for ten and you like them better than downloads or CDs, cool. I used to see really strange things at thrift shops like 40 Dixieland Jazz records, go back the next day and they were gone. Somebody out there just purchased 40 bucks of Dixieland Jazz, I said to myself. I didn't buy stuff to resell I only made purchases to listen to and own.
 
 
The guy that said that thrift shops do not have good stuff is half right in my experience. The big shops seemed to have a buyer who would come before and take the good stuff. I made friends with the gal at one Salvation Army and she let me go into the back room and hunt through the just in cases of records. A little charm goes a long way sometimes when your trying to bend the rules.
 
Also little church thrift shops are too much trouble for the buyers and they will get good stuff in at times. 
 
 
This process is a little like gold mining, you never really know where to search until you find a little then you get a routine of going around to the same places, again and again. People who want to spend tons of money will just order new audiophile releases at 30-50 bucks a pop. Much rock and metal just do not have a buying public ready to lay down that type of money for 180gm audiophile disks. So there not out there to buy. Much of the music would not be considered classic so an audiophile lab just wouldn't see the sale volume demand, but the music is still great. There are a few rock and zero metal audiophile disk reissues. Our hard rock and metal disks come out of the middle class 80s and 90s where they were a part of life.

 

[Lurkumaural]

^^ This.  This was me.  All day on Saturdays, when I was single.  I feel like I need to double up on the Zyrtec and albuterol after reading it.
 
I have so many scratchy dollar records of stuff I was simply curious about.  In San Francisco, the Dixieland (and Mangione haha) guy was me.  I also have a neat collection of 180gm discs, with some nice prog rock, that makes me so happy about putting my lungs through that environment.
 
Moose, thanks for the read.

 

[Stevtt]

You can find decent online but you have to be careful. Only go with people with established feedback because you are relying on their grading. Check Audiogon sales. I've found some decent stuff there. on eBay it's not unusual for a person with 100% feedback selling an album for 5 times it's worth so be very careful

 

[Carlosfandango]

Here in the UK cheap vinyl can be found:
 
Charity shops
Car Boot sales
Local Ads <- free regional newpaper
Newagent window ads/Supermarket back wall ads
Place of employment often has 'Trading Post' webpage where staff can list sale items
uk.freecycle.org <- if you are lucky
Village/School fete
 
S'about all I can think of....

 

[grokit]

Thanks for the great reads, Redcar. If I can't shop on the streets for real gems I can do so vicariously through your stories.
 
Quote:

You can find decent online but you have to be careful. Only go with people with established feedback because you are relying on their grading. Check Audiogon sales. I've found some decent stuff there. on eBay it's not unusual for a person with 100% feedback selling an album for 5 times it's worth so be very careful

Thanks Stevtt. I guess the only deals online would be in buying entire collections and hoping for the best.
 
I wonder about the post office, they must auction off undelivered records sometimes like they do with books.
 

 

[bigshot]

I've gotten just as many records in worn condition from dealersas I have from swap meets. I stick to my guns and refuse to pay more than five bucks for a record. Usually two bucks. Vinyl should be fun and cheap. If you're all anal and spend lots of money, you're doing it wrong.

 

[BotByte]

Update:
 
Just got back from second-shop-hunting. Called up mom going "lunch date and shopping?". She buys for me every time, so it was free for me.
 
He's the list I got:
 
Bundle of Slip cover - free, good for ones without a cover
 
Joni Mitchell, Clouds - biggest find. Pics later
 
Barry Manilow, The Best of - I like him. Nice cover, pics later
 
Steely Dan, Countdown to ecstasy - not in perfect shape, but nice
 
K-drive & Ginman, Hit me/Deep & right - my mystery of a album. Turned out it's like second step and electronica. Not too bad IMO
 
George Shearing, The Sheating Piano -  another mystery to me, turned out great. Nice cover too
 
Luciano Pavarotti, King of the High C's - I grew up to Pavarotti, love him, never heard this album I think.
 
Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony NO. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 - needed a cheap classical, Tchaikovsky all over the place. No cover
 
Cream, Best of - Happy about this, sad about no cover
 
Big drum roll:
Fleetwood Mac, Rumors - the best of fleetwood mac IMO. God I love this album. The condition is OK, no cover, no deep scratches
 
 
Pics:
 

 
For a self portrait for the cover, all her own writing and amazing guitar chords. My god Joni is amazing.
 

 
Rear cover
 

 
Don't you just want to stare into his eyes all night? Dat nose...
 

 
Kinda creepy IMO.
 

 
Why wasn't this the front cover. Do you know how much complaints they would get now a days about the cigartray?
 
9 albums
around $1 each
total:
$7 with specials.

 

[bigshot]

One thing you'll get good at as you go is spotting the age of a pressing. Until the oil crisis in the 70s, all records were pressed on virgin vinyl. The quality dropped a bit in the early 70s, and fell off a cliff by the beginning of the next decade. Older pressings generally sound better. You can sometimes tell by the weight of the cover of the album too. Paper printed sleeves are a good way to determine age, especially when they advertise current records. They chintzed on the weight of the cardboard at the end too. That can help.

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

One thing you'll get good at as you go is spotting the age of a pressing. Until the oil crisis in the 70s, all records were pressed on virgin vinyl. The quality dropped a bit in the early 70s, and fell off a cliff by the beginning of the next decade. Older pressings generally sound better. You can sometimes tell by the weight of the cover of the album too. Paper printed sleeves are a good way to determine age, especially when they advertise current records. They chintzed on the weight of the cardboard at the end too. That can help.

I found how floppy they were.
 
Older ones could bu used as a saw blade, some could break with a touch. That said, thickness is good to look for.
 
How does thou clean these archaic disks of music?

 

[Stevtt]

Gotta love this hobby
 
I use a Spin Clean. I had a VPI 16.5 but sold it. I will probably go back to Automatic sooner or later but may go up to a VPI 17.

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Gotta love this hobby
 
I use a Spin doctor. I had a VPI 16.5 but sold it. I will probably go back to Automatic sooner or later but may go up to a VPI 17.

Any cheap ways?
 
How about warm water, light dish soap and watch the center sticker?
 

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

Any cheap ways?
 
How about warm water, light dish soap and watch the center sticker?

That will work too, but big props to the 16.5.
 

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

 

That will work too, but big props to the 16.5.
 

Awright, thanks

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

 
How does thou clean these archaic disks of music?

I've washed thousands of disks and the best and most inexpensive way I've found is to sponge them off with a 50-50 mixture of distilled water and white vinegar. It cleans off the most rugged thrift store gunk and leaves no residue, since both liquids are distilled. You can spend more, but you can't get cleaner than that.