It's worse though to see the heavy jawns that I request actually pop up and go straight to the internet. It makes me not want to roll through again on some "what's the point?" shit.
DO NOT tell them what you're looking for... then you may see it in the store and not on the 'bay
yeah, I agree. I won't try to haggle in a shop. It seems rude.
Me thinks this is idiosyncracy related. Here in Argentina you would even look if you don't try to bargain
Chalk it up to cultural differences... in the US you haggle at a yard sale or flea market but at an actual store with price tags you generally can't... and some places will get pissed at you for trying... so its just not done
I think certain local shops in my area have caught that fever too, but I still try to support them. I just wish they would holler at the regulars first when they get what they think is a hot/expensive commodity in their store. I see these "buy-it-nows" on the 'bay and wonder why they didn't offer it to me first. I'd pay the $25 that I don't normally spend in the store for say a James Brown's Hell LP or something like that. I never see that in the store though.
I know shops need to pay the bills, but they don't realize they're not going to get the deep cheese out of their local customers if they don't offer up some deeper records.
I'm not going to pay $20 for Dennis Coffey's Evolution, sorry. That Cleopatra Jones OST on ebay looks really nice though. *sigh*
I think I know the shop of which you speak - as much as I have love for them, I wish they would just price some records period. Having everything unpriced is very discouraging for the average customer.
Ah, I'm just used to that though. It is depressing when I walk in with a budget and come to the register with a mound of records, only to put 3/4s of them back.
It's worse though to see the heavy jawns that I request actually pop up and go straight to the internet. It makes me not want to roll through again on some "what's the point?" shit.
I dunno man, I actually don't mind what the record store you speak is doing in terms of having unpriced stock. Well, let's put it this way, my hands always sweat when "pony tail" lifts his glasses and comes from behind the computer to ring me up. However, he has been very fair with what I've purchased there. Definitely walked out with some crazy deals, and I always look forward to going back.
OK, we've talked about this in the past - I honestly never thought I'd have reason to complain, but my local store has officially caught the "relying on 'the book' and GEMM for pricing the majority of records" bug.
A $63 copy of "Comin' At Ya'?" Sorry, I used to get them there for $7 a few weeks ago.
What I'm thinking about trying to explain to them is that GEMM dealers are not necessarily pricing records "to sell." They're hoping some Buy It Now fiend will suck it up and empty his/her savings account because they can't find the $10 break record anywhere else... This is where RECISM comes in and f*cks it up for everyone else!
Have any of you actually had conversations with dealers at your local about how records are priced? I'm not trying to tell anyone how to make their money or run their business, but I do have a few suggestion in mind. And, I can't really complain, some things will still get a solid price and/or slip thru the cracks etc., but ya'll feel me? I'm not necessarily trying to get over on anyone - afterall, I want to support my local record stores. But, isn't it in the best interest of the (returning) customer and business to price reasonably?
How does your local run it?
This kind of pricing policy is killing walk-in business at local record stores - shoppers figure that they may as well just get that shit off ebay if they are gonna have to pay those prices anyway.
A couple places I frequent used to try that 'gemm priceguide' strategy - 6 months later they noticed they hadn't seen me & my big benjamins in a minute...
---
I actually stopped shopping at a favorite local store because of this. I occassionally still support the store because it is owned by a cool family and a friend; I even make a "sympathy purchase" every now and again, and buy stuff that just came out. But forget about older, used LPs. Their pricing is just too high. Why drop $10 to $30 on a fairly common record when it can be had for $1 at a record show or flea market? I just figure they aren't really catering to the "digger" but to the guys who think it's "cool" to buy records, and are just really "amped" to find a few copies of their favorite albums.
I think certain local shops in my area have caught that fever too, but I still try to support them. I just wish they would holler at the regulars first when they get what they think is a hot/expensive commodity in their store. I see these "buy-it-nows" on the 'bay and wonder why they didn't offer it to me first. I'd pay the $25 that I don't normally spend in the store for say a James Brown's Hell LP or something like that. I never see that in the store though.
I know shops need to pay the bills, but they don't realize they're not going to get the deep cheese out of their local customers if they don't offer up some deeper records. I'm not going to pay $20 for Dennis Coffey's Evolution, sorry. That Cleopatra Jones OST on ebay looks really nice though. *sigh*
I think I know the shop of which you speak - as much as I have love for them, I wish they would just price some records period. Having everything unpriced is very discouraging for the average customer.
Ah, I'm just used to that though. It is depressing when I walk in with a budget and come to the register with a mound of records, only to put 3/4s of them back.
It's worse though to see the heavy jawns that I request actually pop up and go straight to the internet. It makes me not want to roll through again on some "what's the point?" shit.
I dunno man, I actually don't mind what the record store you speak is doing in terms of having unpriced stock. Well, let's put it this way, my hands always sweat when "pony tail" lifts his glasses and comes from behind the computer to ring me up. However, he has been very fair with what I've purchased there. Definitely walked out with some crazy deals, and I always look forward to going back.
Oh, for sure... I normally do get great deals. It's just weird that my personal requests are priced really high or never really offered to me. I go there sporadically now, whenever I have a full day to dig. Normally, I get my diggin' fix at SonRed's spot.
I live around the corner from May's now. I just bought a gas mask to hang out there.
following along the haggling, there is this store in FLint that got some records. Everything no matter what is priced at about the $5-10 range. Sometimes that is good, sometimes not. There are hip hop 12"s I want to pick up that are worth like $2,but they want $7.
So I tried to haggle the price and was met with a STERN NO! NO haggling. Prices are set.
Next time I went back I asked prices, they told me, I said it was too high for those and went to put them back. The guy quickly came over to me and cut me a great deal.
That is how I do it everytime now. I dont outright ask, I just start to put stuff back.
It's worse though to see the heavy jawns that I request actually pop up and go straight to the internet. It makes me not want to roll through again on some "what's the point?" shit.
DO NOT tell them what you're looking for... then you may see it in the store and not on the 'bay
I doubt it. There are many things that I would like that go straight to the 'bay anyway. I think things would be different if I actually was a daily frequenter. Maybe. Bi-weekly stops probably don't cut it.
How long ago did the place we're talking about begin selling LPs on eBay? They were just strictly 45 for the longest!
If you're talking about pony tail... then for a minute really. They list under different names. I cry when I look at the LPs. I almost get emphyzema(sp?) there sucking in all that dust, only to go home and see what I would have liked to see was chillin' behind the desk with the punk rock teens.
It's been a minute since I've checked for records on the 'bay. Do they have anything interesting?
It's worse though to see the heavy jawns that I request actually pop up and go straight to the internet. It makes me not want to roll through again on some "what's the point?" shit.
DO NOT tell them what you're looking for... then you may see it in the store and not on the 'bay
I doubt it. There are many things that I would like that go straight to the 'bay anyway. I think things would be different if I actually was a daily frequenter. Maybe. Bi-weekly stops probably don't cut it.
They've been on a 'every decent lp in VGplus or better' goes straight to the 'bay kick for about 6-9mons now.
shit goes cheap on the 'bay all the time though, cause they have like 3000 items in their ebay store & it's a pain to page through all of it.
I think certain local shops in my area have caught that fever too, but I still try to support them. I just wish they would holler at the regulars first when they get what they think is a hot/expensive commodity in their store. I see these "buy-it-nows" on the 'bay and wonder why they didn't offer it to me first. I'd pay the $25 that I don't normally spend in the store for say a James Brown's Hell LP or something like that. I never see that in the store though.
I know shops need to pay the bills, but they don't realize they're not going to get the deep cheese out of their local customers if they don't offer up some deeper records. I'm not going to pay $20 for Dennis Coffey's Evolution, sorry. That Cleopatra Jones OST on ebay looks really nice though. *sigh*
I think I know the shop of which you speak - as much as I have love for them, I wish they would just price some records period. Having everything unpriced is very discouraging for the average customer.
there was a place here in PDX that never had any records priced. You would go in, find something you liked and he would say he would look into. The first time this happened I came back several days later and he told me he hadn't decided yet. Never went back after a couple of those runarounds. This was pre internet too so I am sure I was saved unbelievable madness, like $150 for Kool and The Gang records. Laserwolf told me that that the guy claimed he sold some B Dylan jernt for $10000 and was trying to squeeze every last penny out of his burl ives' ever since. Needless to day he finally went out of biz.
At a certain point it was not funny anymore where I am with the Gemm/ebay reference prices. Now the wiser dealers check the price, deduct the ebay fee, convert to euro's, deduct what you would loose money-time-wise by auctioning/emailing/posting and the end-price might be agreable for al parties. That way a record that does $100 generally on ebay will be euro 50/60 or so. Even for sell through you might buy that record, although the profit will be minimum wage or only for ego-satisfaction.
OK... Hammertime.... what is pricing "correctly" to you? I price things at what I think they're worth and what I think I can get for it. Sometimes I underprice, sometimes I overprice, I'm a human like anyone else.
Raj - I look at this totally differently. I've always haggled within reason. Maybe it's a cultural thing, my dad's a haggler too, what can I say we're jews! lol anyway yeah this is not Best Buy or Costco or even Amoeba. It's a small independent store and I'm ALWAYS willing to at least entertain a negotiation. I'm not offended by it unless someone's being a total tool, but I could understand not wanting to do it with someone you don't know.
Sabadabada - I knock $25-50 off big pieces all the time for good customers.
i once spent an afternoon diggin out an entire store...at the end of the day i brought my finds up to the register to check out. all was fine until the owner/clerk got to a copy of the wanda robinson-me and a friend lp i had found priced at 5.99. all of a sudden dude pulls the "hold on one second" and runs off to the back room. i'm thinkin' "wtf..." until dude comes back out and says " yeah well...this isn't for sale, cuz i'm gonna post it up on ebay, if you wanna bid on it here is my blah blah blah." i'm PISSED. why price this shit and put it out only to get cold feet when someone wants to buy it. i tell him forget it and i walk out without buying a thing...fuck that spot. so a few days later i check the auction and of course his starting bid was like $25 and not one fool bid on that shit. the clown thought he had some money piece and it didn't sell. he lost the walk in sale and the customer as well...what a fool.
i once spent an afternoon diggin out an entire store...at the end of the day i brought my finds up to the register to check out. all was fine until the owner/clerk got to a copy of the wanda robinson-me and a friend lp i had found priced at 5.99. all of a sudden dude pulls the "hold on one second" and runs off to the back room. i'm thinkin' "wtf..." until dude comes back out and says " yeah well...this isn't for sale, cuz i'm gonna post it up on ebay, if you wanna bid on it here is my blah blah blah." i'm PISSED. why price this shit and put it out only to get cold feet when someone wants to buy it. i tell him forget it and i walk out without buying a thing...fuck that spot. so a few days later i check the auction and of course his starting bid was like $25 and not one fool bid on that shit. the clown thought he had some money piece and it didn't sell. he lost the walk in sale and the customer as well...what a fool.
tha's the only time I get real pissed - when it's priced & they pull that stunt.
must admit, I've never set foot in the place... not sure I'm missing too much really. It does seem to 'reek of authenticity' though.
Man, I went there to see a friend's band play. Their bouncer was a 6'6 Polishman, that didn't speak English as his first language. Cat had on a ratty suit and smelled like sausage. He gave me a look like he'd mash my face in if I even thought that I might have a negative thought that would have generated if I even tried to analyze his being. Whoa.
That place still sells Stroh's in the can. That gives it "authenticity" to me.
I was in a store recently - this place sucks - they get zero business. example: I had been in two years ago & bought records, there were some I ended up putting back before I checked out & I just stuck a big wad of them in the back of one section. I'm lazy. Anyhow, 2 years later that wad is still there untouched. So last time I'm in there I pulled out two big boxes of 45's - unpriced & spent at leats an hour & a half going through them. It was pretty blah stuff, but anyhow, I could tell these had been sitting for decades. They were coated in a thick layer of dirt & dead bugs. I take them up & guy sorts them into piles of like $15, $30, & "I have to look these up". these should be like $2 45's. So I'm like "woah... uhhh... good luck with those, dude." To which he says:
WE SELL THESE FOR BIG MONEY ON THE INTERNET[/b]
so, I'm assuming that after I left he put them back, got out his bag of dirt & turned it back into the mummy's tomb.
my favorite haggle techinicque consists of taking the stack up.. asking dude to price it up... knowing full well how much it is (running tally) and then pull out what you have in the wallet.. "oh i only have this much" ... most of the time the owner will pull a title or two out and you end up getting a deal without actually asking.
last time this happend i had a stack that the owner priced at $97 (there were no stickers on any of the records)... i show him i only have 60 on me so he pulls out 2 12"s from the pile (apprx value $10)... my buddies i was with then proceed to haggle further for their stacks.. at which point the owner says "thats not fair to your buddy over there who alreay paid" but he caves to their haggling and throws me back one of the 12"s... so i got my $97 pile minus one 6 dollar 12" for $60 no tax.
my favorite haggle techinicque consists of taking the stack up.. asking dude to price it up... knowing full well how much it is (running tally) and then pull out what you have in the wallet.. "oh i only have this much" ... most of the time the owner will pull a title or two out and you end up getting a deal without actually asking.
This technique relies on pretending that you can't add, which isn't such a great look for those of us with a modicum of self-respect.
Comments
Me thinks this is idiosyncracy related. Here in Argentina you would even look
DO NOT tell them what you're looking for... then you may see it in the store and not on the 'bay
Chalk it up to cultural differences... in the US you haggle at a yard sale or flea market but at an actual store with price tags you generally can't... and some places will get pissed at you for trying... so its just not done
I dunno man, I actually don't mind what the record store you speak is doing in terms of having unpriced stock. Well, let's put it this way, my hands always sweat when "pony tail" lifts his glasses and comes from behind the computer to ring me up. However, he has been very fair with what I've purchased there. Definitely walked out with some crazy deals, and I always look forward to going back.
I actually stopped shopping at a favorite local store because of this. I occassionally still support the store because it is owned by a cool family and a friend; I even make a "sympathy purchase" every now and again, and buy stuff that just came out. But forget about older, used LPs. Their pricing is just too high. Why drop $10 to $30 on a fairly common record when it can be had for $1 at a record show or flea market? I just figure they aren't really catering to the "digger" but to the guys who think it's "cool" to buy records, and are just really "amped" to find a few copies of their favorite albums.
I live around the corner from May's now. I just bought a gas mask to hang out there.
So I tried to haggle the price and was met with a STERN NO! NO haggling. Prices are set.
Next time I went back I asked prices, they told me, I said it was too high for those and went to put them back. The guy quickly came over to me and cut me a great deal.
That is how I do it everytime now. I dont outright ask, I just start to put stuff back.
real weird.
It's been a minute since I've checked for records on the 'bay. Do they have anything interesting?
They've been on a 'every decent lp in VGplus or better' goes straight to the 'bay kick for about 6-9mons now.
shit goes cheap on the 'bay all the time though, cause they have like 3000 items in their ebay store & it's a pain to page through all of it.
there was a place here in PDX that never had any records priced. You would go in, find something you liked and he would say he would look into. The first time this happened I came back several days later and he told me he hadn't decided yet. Never went back after a couple of those runarounds. This was pre internet too so I am sure I was saved unbelievable madness, like $150 for Kool and The Gang records. Laserwolf told me that that the guy claimed he sold some B Dylan jernt for $10000 and was trying to squeeze every last penny out of his burl ives' ever since. Needless to day he finally went out of biz.
OK... Hammertime.... what is pricing "correctly" to you? I price things at what I think they're worth and what I think I can get for it. Sometimes I underprice, sometimes I overprice, I'm a human like anyone else.
Raj - I look at this totally differently. I've always haggled within reason. Maybe it's a cultural thing, my dad's a haggler too, what can I say we're jews! lol anyway yeah this is not Best Buy or Costco or even Amoeba. It's a small independent store and I'm ALWAYS willing to at least entertain a negotiation. I'm not offended by it unless someone's being a total tool, but I could understand not wanting to do it with someone you don't know.
Sabadabada - I knock $25-50 off big pieces all the time for good customers.
179 e. 3rd st between ave a & ave b
nope.
how to stop in and still maintain my secret identity?
i could do it on haloween - in costume.
the perfect crime.
must admit, I've never set foot in the place... not sure I'm missing too much really. It does seem to 'reek of authenticity' though.
tha's the only time I get real pissed - when it's priced & they pull that stunt.
That place still sells Stroh's in the can. That gives it "authenticity" to me.
WE SELL THESE FOR BIG MONEY ON THE INTERNET[/b]
so, I'm assuming that after I left he put them back, got out his bag of dirt & turned it back into the mummy's tomb.
last time this happend i had a stack that the owner priced at $97 (there were no stickers on any of the records)... i show him i only have 60 on me so he pulls out 2 12"s from the pile (apprx value $10)... my buddies i was with then proceed to haggle further for their stacks.. at which point the owner says "thats not fair to your buddy over there who alreay paid" but he caves to their haggling and throws me back one of the 12"s... so i got my $97 pile minus one 6 dollar 12" for $60 no tax.
all without actually asking for a deal.
This technique relies on pretending that you can't add, which isn't such a great look for those of us with a modicum of self-respect.