Do any of you collect records?
You know, vinyl?
I look out for horror soundtracks and have quite a few now.
I have noticed though that Charity Shop stocks seem depleted. I often find myself flicking through stacks of really ancient albums from the very beginnings of popular music.
I'm not knocking this stuff but it seems as if we've reached the bottom layer, the bedrock. Typical of this foundation are Nana Moskauri, Richard Clayderman, Burt Kaempfert, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Andy Williams and those LP's known as Top of the Pops.
For a record browser like me I expect to have to trawl through lots of albums I don't want but it seems to have got harder to find anything in my area of interest these days.
Maybe this is the case for vintage toys as well, which always seem to be in the glass cabinets with a whacking great price on them in Charity shops now.
What's your experience readers?
You are lucky in the UK! There haven’t been any good vintage finds in retail second-Hand stores in the US for years! The good stuff was picked over at least by the late 1990s, if not before! Thank goodness for eBay - the world’s flea market!
ReplyDeleteI thought you had Thrift Shops everywhere Zigg? Have these gone?
DeleteI still can get vinyl records and some "used clothes" etc. shops, but I hunt for 90's games (sometimes I can get even complete "big box" versions).
ReplyDeleteThe price on eBay, OLX and other auctions can be waaaay too high, I am try to buy old PAL/NTSC Laser Disc reader, but there is only gus who sells the same ones since 2015, and the prices goes higher and higher every year and still nobody buys it
A laser disc reader eh Ran! have you got some laser discs? Are they movies?
DeleteMostly Gundam Movies like F91, Char's Counterattack etc.
DeleteOn laserdisc?
DeleteYes, on laserdiscs. Most of them I gave away to a friend who collects them (and can use, as he have PAL/NTSC LD reader). And the coolest thing is that most of those Movies have sort of "artbook" as a cover
DeleteHere are posts on that blog, with those LD
https://merryxellos.wordpress.com/2015/07/24/paczka-z-japonii-kontratak-ranalcusa/
https://merryxellos.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/paczka-z-japonii-formula-ranalcus-edition/
I'm being dumb Rab sorry. Are those discs the same size as big LP records or smaller?
DeleteRab? Ran!
DeleteLaser Dics are 70's "CDs" as big as Vinyl Records, with quality of moern DVD
DeleteBut costed around x10 of VHS casette, thats why they lost the video format war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5qNMAM2dzg
Thanks Ran. I've never owned one or even ever heard or seen one playing! I haven't lived!
DeleteAh, don't get me started on charity shops, Woodsy. They've forgotten that they're supposed to exist to help the less well-off in their own neighbourhoods, and not just impoverished third world countries. They also use the extreme asking prices of chancers on eBay as a guide for their own prices, which is a ludicrous thing to do. An Oxfam shop in Clarkston, Glasgow, was selling two Beano Books (1994 and 1999) for £30 each (in a glass display case), claiming that the Internet price was around £60 each. An eBay search shows that they can be obtained for as little as £3 or £4. When I pointed out their mistake, I got the ol' spiel - "We're trained in how to price items, etc." Total pants. Some volunteer probably saw old 1940 or 1950 Annuals on sale on eBay at a high price and just assumed that all Beano Books were worth the same. They don't have a ruddy clue. That probably explains the lack of the kind of vinyl albums you're looking for - they'll be in a glass case with a huge price on them. And based on collectors' catalogue prices for pristine condition albums, though the ones in the charity shops are usually scratched, with the covers being far from perfect.
ReplyDeletejust checkin in again after a chuffin rubbish week at work. I've noticed a price hike in collectables in Charity Shops too Kid. Ypu're right, they usually get locked away in glass cabinets. Vintage Board games are a good example, they are way too dear and yes, it must be the Ebay effect that has done this. I used to be able to pick them uo for pence at car boots and in charity shops but now its £15 a game easily. I suppose charities view collectables as a source of extra income over and above the normal stuff. A windfall maybe? For the collector its no longer a place for lots of bargains like they used to be and the vintage stock has definately reduced in quantity. maybe its all been bought? As for records I do still check their stock but haven't found a decent horror film soundtrack for years.
DeleteThing is, they're charity shops, not antique shops, so they shouldn't be trying to compete with dealers. True story from last Wednesday. Was in a charity shop that had a little log ornament priced at a fiver. You know the sort of thing, log with flowers on the top. It's been there for many months, nearly a year (since I first noticed it) and it just had't sold. Probably because it had at least four broken flower petals. I've been saying to my pal who goes in with me that if they reduced it, it would probably sell, so I bit the bullet and said, "You can either have that broken ornament for another six months, or put £3 in your till today - interested?" She confessed that she was affronted that it was even on sale in that condition, so readily agreed. (It's not worth anything really, but I liked the colours on it.)
DeleteThat's the trouble with selling things too high - they'll sit for months unsold, whereas they shift almost immediately if they're more reasonably priced. That way (lower prices), because the money comes in so much quicker, they can put more dosh in their till in six months than they can when stuff is more expensive, but none of them has the sense to see that. I know people think one shouldn't 'negotiate' in a charity shop, but if it means they get money in their till for something they can't otherwise sell, I reckon it's doing them a favour.
I've never haggled in a Charity Shop Kid but I like the idea, especially as, like you say, some items are growing beards. I think I now the floral log ceramic you bought. I do like looking at all those nic nacs they have. Its much more interesting than going in real shops, which I avoid these days. If everyone was like me the High Street would definately wither away, which I'm sure isn't a good thing for town centres but thats how I am. I used to love going 'up town' when I was younger but shops turn me off now. Only book shops, comic shops, junk shops and charity shops draw me in. Enjoy your log Kid.
DeleteI don't actually 'haggle' as such, Woodsy - I just make them a realistic offer when I think something is overpriced for its condition. If they accept, it's money in their till, if not, it's something for them to dust in a few months time.
DeleteA mark of a good record is that you can find it in every charity shop, Kings "Love and Pride" must be a good record because it's still available in shops!!- Mark J Southcoast Base
ReplyDeleteI'm joking of course!!! Lol!!- Mark J Southcoast Base
DeleteI like that song. If Des O'Connor had covered it then that would deffo be in all the charity shops MJ!
DeleteDes should've covered The Arctic Monkeys " I bet you look real good on the dance floor" - Mark J Southcoast Base
ReplyDelete