Where do you purchase your vinyl records?

Sonnie Parker · Oct 11, 2024

Where are you buying your vinyl, and do you only buy new, or do you buy used in addition to new, or used only?

I've been satisfied with all of the following companies thus far.

Acoustic Sounds - I've found they have more in stock than other stores.
Elusive Disc
Music Direct
MFSL
Rhino
Experience Vinyl - slow to ship (first time I've ever ordered from them and received 15% off my order)
Amazon
eBay - used in mint/near-mint condition
Discogs - used in mint/near-mint condition

I have been trying to stay with 180 gram vinyl on new items if possible. While the 45 rpm is supposedly better sounding, I prefer the 33-1/3, so I don't have to flip the albums as often. Somewhat lazy, yes.

spinblackcircle · Oct 11, 2024

I try to buy direct from artists when it's it appears to impact them directly. Makes up for when I do have to order from Amazon. Then in no particular order, Music Direct, Elusive Disc and Acoustic Sounds. I don't order too much from eBay or Discogs since I mostly only by new/sealed records.

Sonnie Parker · Oct 11, 2024

spinblackcircle said:
I try to buy direct from artists when it's it appears to impact them directly. Makes up for when I do have to order from Amazon. Then in no particular order, Music Direct, Elusive Disc and Acoustic Sounds. I don't order too much from eBay or Discogs since I mostly only by new/sealed records.

I did not realize you could buy from the artist. I assume you can go to their websites and order?

spinblackcircle · Oct 11, 2024

Sonnie Parker said:
I did not realize you could buy from the artist. I assume you can go to their websites and order?

Most smaller artists fulfill their own orders. I've received many handwritten notes with my orders. Bigger ones will use something like Merchbar or Diggers who take a significant cut, so when I see that, I will just order from where it's most convenient.

Travis Ballstadt · Oct 11, 2024

I do my best to buy as much as possible, new and used, from my local independent record store, Easy Street Records - especially important right now as they've had a pretty devastating flood last week. Easy Street is a hub of this whole West Seattle community. They have a coffee shop, a diner, live music, a bar, and records, of course. They do trivia nights. They host art shows. They sponsor a little league team. They help so many great independent artists in so many ways. I feel incredibly lucky to have a shop like this just a couple miles from my house, and I try to never take it for granted.

I buy a lot direct from independent artists. I order from Acoustic Sounds a few times a year. I have ordered from Amazon but I try to avoid it whenever possible.

I don't buy from Target or Walmart or big retail chains. I'm just barely old enough to really remember going into record stores and finding community, I'm glad there are still places trying to keep that alive and I do what I can to support them. When we travel I always try to find at least one independent record store to stop in and check out. For a music lover and musician, these are the hubs of humanity, our earth revolves around them.

Sonnie Parker · Oct 11, 2024

We had a great record store in Troy (20 miles northeast of us) that we shopped at years ago when we lived in Troy. It eventually closed and now the closest one is an hour from us. If it were closer, or if we went that way during their open hours, I'd visit them, but we rarely get up that direction... generally try to avoid Montgomery due to such high crime.

AJ Soundfield · Oct 14, 2024

I have maybe 10 LPs, mostly from Amazon, 1 or 2 ebay

Sonnie Parker · Oct 14, 2024

I read some people say that Amazon does not package well, but I purchased seven or eight albums from Amazon (I just got four from Prime Day), and they were packaged very well. Each album had its own cardboard box, which was inside another box. It is as good as any of the others I've ordered from.

Travis Ballstadt · Oct 14, 2024

Sonnie Parker said:
I read some people say that Amazon does not package well, but I purchased seven or eight albums from Amazon (I just got four from Prime Day), and they were packaged very well. Each album had its own cardboard box, which was inside another box. It is as good as any of the others I've ordered from.

I’ve not had issues with Amazon not packaging well. Except it’s so incredibly wasteful.

Todd Anderson · Oct 18, 2024

I never should have sold my vinyl collection. Such a short-sighted move.... but I was newly married, had my first house, had my first kid, and needed a new computer. So, I took ebay for a spin and sold off the entire collection.

I got the computer... Of course, it's long gone, probably rotting away in some toxic electronics dump outside a poor village in Africa.

Meanwhile, my old collection haunts me. I really want it back.

The Vinyl shop you use in Seattle sounds cool, Travis. Much of my collection was amassed through a local DC-area indie shop called Vinyl Records. It's long gone... but they we great. One of the guys who worked there always had a few albums or EPs stashed away for me behind the counter. One of them was a total score - Stereolab's first 7" single ... at the time, I trusted him to know what I should and shouldn't be buying, and he was right most of the time.

That single was limited to 6 or 700 copies. I think I sold it for close to $100 in 2002... Discogs has two copies for sale right now, starting at $625. :hissyfit:

And I had lots of gems like that. Such a bummer!!!

Travis Ballstadt · Oct 18, 2024

Todd Anderson said:
The Vinyl shop you use in Seattle sounds cool, Travis.

Easy Street Records is a great follow on Instagram. Earlier this week they posted a throwback from the week before the Beastie Boys released Hello Nasty. They came in and were digging through every crate of records. At one point they did an impromptu performance and then went behind the register and sold advance copies of the yet to be released album to customers who were in the store. Working the cash register themselves and everything.

I've seen so many great shows in there in just a few years, including Slash, the Linda Lindas, Citizen Cope, they even let my band play an acoustic show this spring when we released our new record.

Sonnie Parker · Oct 18, 2024

I'd love to visit one of the famous large record shops one day, like Amoeba Records. Of course, all their stores are in California, so chances are it won't be one of theirs. There are a couple of nice ones in Atlanta and Nashville. Maybe I can get by there one day.

Todd Anderson · Oct 18, 2024

You definitely should get up to Nashville… such a scene!!

AJ Soundfield · Oct 24, 2024

Sonnie Parker said:
I'd love to visit one of the famous large record shops one day, like Amoeba Records. Of course, all their stores are in California, so chances are it won't be one of theirs. There are a couple of nice ones in Atlanta and Nashville. Maybe I can get by there one day.

You were 30 min away when you were down for FL Audio Expo https://bananasrecords.com/
Just sayin...

Sonnie Parker · Oct 24, 2024

AJ Soundfield said:
You were 30 min away when you were down for FL Audio Expo https://bananasrecords.com/
Just sayin...

But I was not playing or buying vinyl then. Just started back a month ago.

AJ Soundfield · Oct 25, 2024

Sonnie Parker said:
But I was not playing or buying vinyl then. Just started back a month ago.

Next time then..

Sonnie Parker · Oct 29, 2024

We found a small gem in Fort Walton Beach yesterday: Fort Walton Vintage Records. They mainly sell used vinyl they've purchased from military personnel needing to unload albums before moving. They sell a few new albums of the more popular or limited items. They try to buy vinyl that is near mint or mint condition. I also saw quite a lot of cassettes. We purchased several albums that we may not have ever purchased had we not visited.

If you are ever in that area, you might check them out.

Asere · Oct 30, 2024

Amazon, Target, Walmart, a local records store Josey Records.

gb1 · Nov 17, 2024

I used to travel regularly for work. I would ask the internet for record stores near me. Once on a trip to Seoul South Korea I packed six inches of LPs. I had to smile when i put my bag on the scale. I also enjoyed talking music with some independent stores in the US about their greatest finds too.The hunt is one of the best parts of collecting.

Where do you purchase your vinyl records?

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