Rediscovered My album collection. Where to buy online.

I stopped buying from Amazon. Too often the disks are warped. Bad packaging. I buy from Acoustic Sounds and local used record stores.

I buy some from Discogs.com.

search by artist; pick LP, next sort by condition, then scroll down to see where located (to keep shipping cost lower), and find a few choices in your price range.

I have done very well buying used LPs in very good condition, sometimes they have new, never opened.

I still prefer Amazon - 2 day shipping (Prime) on most and return has not been an issue.  I stopped buying used albums from Discogs and Ebay, particularly because no seller seems to know what Near Mint means - too many disappointments. Other places that have better inventory (than Amazon) are Elusive Disc and Acoustic Sounds. Local used record stores are a hit and miss, but when I do venture, I find the shopping experience enjoyable.

What to buy is going to dictate where to buy in many cases. With Tone Poet, I had no problem buying many copies of things like Katanga! when it was in print. (why so many- I give ’em away). Records like that I have no problem with Amazon.

Rare records: it’s nice when the trusted seller lines up with the record you want. That happens sometimes.

I don’t buy that many new audiophile records, and at a certain point, I stop buying the latest greatest reissue of something I might already have multiple copies of.

I buy a fair amount on line, and many of the sellers of private label jazz are not big businesses. My best advice for any record of value (and this held true across genres and countries where the copy was located) was to have a dialog with the seller about the history of the record, its actual playing condition (whether you want them to play test is another question) and your right to return.

I don’t like wasting anybody’s time, least my own. But I’ve gotten records from the MidEast and all parts of the world- records that in 2006-7 were in actual mint condition, including paper ephemera, in around the $100 plus price range. Today, those records command a multiple if found and condition is a key issue.

I’ve slowed down. Some records still come in. But with grading and pricing inflation, my "want list" is pretty short. And I’ll listen to anything, at least once. (Sometimes, it takes more than one time through to "get it" aside from the benefit of playing through a cleaned copy for the first time just as a QC/nit check step).

Thanks all!

what is the point of buying a new vinyl and not streaming or buying the same content on a CD?

Amazon is one of the best places to buy vinyl as long as you have Prime/free returns.  The packaging is usually great (record mailer inside another box) and returns are simple if there's an issue with the record. 

@grislybutter 

what is the point of buying a new vinyl and not streaming or buying the same content on a CD?

Many newly pressed vinyl releases are new AAA tape transfers that are not available on CD or streaming platforms.  Tone Poet, Atlantic 45, Blue Note Classic, DG Original Source, and Verve Acoustic Sounds Series to name a few.

@ketchup thanks! I didn't know. I thought all of them go through a/some digital steps, regardless of the media.

Acoustic Sounds, Music Direct, Amazon (their packaging has improved), Elusive Disc, Bandcamp and HD tracks for digital. 

I go wherever the music is. 

Plaid Room Records, Amoeba Records