The Secret to Finding Great Records for CHEAP!

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[scottroberts]

I was at a record store and noticed a guy looking at a mono copy of Pink Floyd Saucerful Of Secrets on blue vinyl. My jaw dropped when I saw it but this guy was having a hard time deciding on whether he should buy it or not. He kept picking it up and putting it down over and over. When he set it down and walked away, I immediately picked it up. I went over to him and asked if he was sure he wasn't going to buy it. He said yes, he was sure and questioned why I asked him. I said you saw it first and I thought it was the right thing to do. He thanked me and I bought it. What goes around, comes around.

[RichAdams]

If you don't see any vinyl at a yard sale, always ask if they have any records they want to sell. Often, they forget to put them out or didn't want to bother lugging heavy boxes up or down steps. A few weeks ago, an older couple in my town set up a sale in their garage as they were preparing to move permanently to their house in Florida. Not seeing records, I asked and they had some stored in the basement in boxes on a high shelf which they didn't put out because they were too heavy for them to move. I offered to move the boxes for them to their garage so they could sell them and I also moved some other heavy items for them to the sale area. I ended up finding about 15 really great jazz records from the 1950s in excellent shape.

[randomsuper]

record karma is absolutely real. i remember when i was a kid and couldn't afford nice records so i'd hunt at every goodwill and salvation army i could find. now i make it a point to donate my records to those same places. an old beat up copy of dark side of the moon might not be worth much to a serious collector, but to someone else it could be something special. i believe it's the reason i've had so much luck at those spots all these years later.

[philipmcp]

I think sharing with other diggers is the way. The other day I walked into a garage sale after seeing a sign on the street. They had stacks of CDs and I was prepared to walked out. I figured it would be worth a shot and asked: "You got any records?" They pointed to a back room stacked with 20 boxes from a former DJ who had passed away. One dude was already in there, and I told him right away I wasn't looking to outpace him or beat him to white whales and to let me know what artists or genres he was looking for so we could work together. He nodded and said he'd do the same for me. We ended up passing each other various records (he wanted singles and rare disco, I wanted soul and funk), kept the boxes organized and even shared tips for other spots to dig and find deals (the day before he'd gotten first press Blue Notes for $5). In the end, we both left with bulk buys for very cheap, and everyone went home with good music.

[pizzlersteakhouse]

Hey brother, I been getting back into vinyl after 20 years and I gotta say we need more owners and "influencers" like you in the community. That mentality where you have the local watering hole where you create new relationships for people, your attitude on sharing knowledge vs looking at people as great.

It complements what music is all about also. It's supposed to be about everyone being on the same page enjoying the art together. You're a breath of fresh air and I love it. Please keep the content coming and the good karma spreading.

[vinylEarthlink]

What is amazing is when you do a record show, you will find all the dealers going through all each other's $1 and $3 bins. They're finding things, too, because nobody knows everything.

[johntowers]

Dude . Love your videos. I’m in Gold Coast Australia and building my colllection back up again. I’m very grateful for the insights and enthusiasm. Keep em coming.

[travisw]

I’m glad you mentioned record karma, I like to call it keeping the record godz happy! When I’m doing pop up events and a new collector is buying some stuff I end up giving them a record or a handful of bargain bin staples, or give buddies records I know they really want. Always spread the love people it definitely keeps me getting lucky with buying records and keeps things more fun! One thing I would add is that if you do get into being a picker make friends with as many pickers as possible, I got buddies that are eBayers but don’t specialize in records and I’ll spread the knowledge on what to look for, when they score a few boxes they call me and I come buy em!

[paulpotter]

I live near a goodwill outlet and go at least 4-5x a week. They charge $1.29 for vinyl. You are correct that the majority of times I find nothing or just a handful of $4-$6 records. But about once every 10 to 20 visits I have a real score. So consistency is key. Also do not sleep on 45s.

[alanarmstrong]

Another thing that I would suggest is that when you go to tag sales and you don't see records, always ask, because sometimes people just don't put them out. My best score ever was that i went to a tag sale advertising cds and asked the guy if he had any albums. He came out with a box, packed tight and said " I hope you like progressive". I ended up among other things getting 13 different Pink Floyd lps, near mint, and about half imports, germany, sweden, etc. He said most he had only played once and then transferred them to cassette, It was like xmas morning! Had i never asked, I never would have gotten them. By asking, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[ryanbarnes]

These are great tips. I remember getting a ton of used classic rock/70s albums at a record store before the demand for vinyl started increasing. All the albums were dirt cheap. Now, they'd be at least 20 bucks a record. Now I go to a punk/metal record store that's really small, but always has a ton of great albums. No one except the locals go in there. All the tourists, and the unaware "locals" go to the big touristy record stores.

[sethallison]

Also I always check the Beatles section for Butcher records. I have found two in the wild. One was from a reputable “hip” store but someone missed it: a stereo copy in the shrink for ten bucks. Not a lie. Always, always check. There are a lot of other similar albums, where the “regular” common pressing is ubiquitous and always 5 bucks but then you’ve got that oddball pressing that’s some crazy grail. Sometimes you find gold in plain sight.

[dawnpatrol]

Just got home from Salvation Army. Today was half off day. Found the brand new Adele SEALED 50 cents, and the Cure Standing on a Beach orig 86 press 50cents. Altogether I got 18 records and 5 reel-to-reel tapes for $12. But there are weeks where I go to this same place and find nothing. Persistence is key, and NEVER miss discount days

[thriftdig]

You hit all the good points. One thing I had to do was learn the curve on classical records. In all my years of digging, the one genre I would see the most of along with your Mitch Millers, Englebert Humperdinks was classical. Everybody out there are for the most part knowledgeable on rock, psych, soul, funk, punk, jazz. But classical not so much. I did my research on labels, soloists, pressings etc. and it's my main bread and butter now and do most of my business with classical. They are slow movers at shops so they usually price them very cheap. They are in abundance at thrift stores as well. My digger friends know that's what I go for and give me leads on things too. The one good thing is that people who bought classical back in the day generally took pretty good care of them as well. Knowledge is key.

[sethallison]

To expand on the labels thing, certain labels you can basically take everything. I worked in the record section at a big used bookstore and when I would train a new employee I would tell them “just take everything you see on Harvest, Vertigo, Blue Note..” etc etc. Certain labels you don’t even need to know the artists- you’re almost safe just taking it all

[slamjackson]

Great points here! On the subject of unevenly overpriced consignment shops… I was at a thrift shop that recently opened, they had some shelves of records.. buck or two each. The guy behind the counter sees me and tells me he has his “personal stash” (or some bunk) behind the counter if I’d like to take a look. He had all the “heavy hitters”, Sabbath, Beatles, Stones etc.. Basically he picked out all the ones he thought were valuable.. but they were all completely trashed, and he wanted like $20 a pop.. it was kind of insulting, I said no thanks. Kept looking through his cheapie pile.. Wound up finding cleaaaan mono copies of ‘Them’ and ‘Them Again’ on Parrot.. got ‘em for a buck or two and laughed my way out of there. That place didn’t last long.

[davidtimbro]

True that on all accounts! Used to visit a local shop here in Connecticut Integerty in Music. The place closed in 2019 after 48 years. Loved that place used to go there in the 80s when I was a kid. 5-6 yrs ago I walk in did my usual flipping thru records and there was a G.Dead working man’s dead, Poco, Breakfast in America, all original MFSL yes from 70s and 80s. Plus Pink Floyd greatest dance songs 1/2 speed master and more all for $5 a piece. I thought I just won the lottery! When I got that them home I realized they all were maybe played 2x. You never know. Keep up the great work Dylan. Even us older collectors need to be reminded of the basics.

[waxwiresnwaves]

Great video, buying in bulk has served me well, done it 3 times in the last 12 months but wouldnt be able to do it unless I had the knowledge in the first place. Saved a bunch on shipping too. Definitely agree the social aspect and building a network of friends can really help.

[thevinylgeezer]

You’re the man, Dylan. Record karma is real! Support local shops!!! One of these days, I’ll make my way to Noble.

[vintagevibes]

I’m so stoked I found you!! I have a small record shop in Stuart Florida but by accident lol 😂. I have been collecting records for years and when I opened my small vintage shop in 2020 I thought, let me bring a couple crates for customers to dig through. Well little did I know!! And everything you’re saying is truth!!! I’m learning so much and what a great community!!! Thanks for sharing!! I follow you on Instagram as well!!