I think the first step is to identify the piece of music you want to acquire, and if it's classical figure out which recording is the one you want (that's a musical issue, not an audiophile one). If not classical, there may only be one original release, or there may be re-releases (usually in better shape but sometimes not such a good pressing).
I have mostly had good luck with used records, and if from discogs I sort the available disks by condition and look for the best one I can afford. If you are in a used record shop you can see for yourself if there are scratches. Everything gets cleaned before it goes near one of my styli.