Competitive Digging?
behemoth
2,189 Posts
what do you do when you are going to look at a collection in a tight space with 3 other people? do i just pull stuff out and make my own stack and hope no one offers money on the whole lot? who schedules 4 people to look at a huge collection in a basic closet space?
you ever fought anyone over records before?
i understand the competitive nature in a fair setting. but at someones apartment?
you ever fought anyone over records before?
i understand the competitive nature in a fair setting. but at someones apartment?
Comments
there was an annoying sale a couple of years ago, where a guy was going to sell off his collection in his garage and had an ad saying where and when and STRICTLY NO EARLYBIRDS NO EXCEPTIONS and when I pulled up in my car 5 minutes before the "start time" there were 4 guys, all local collectros/dealers that I know, all with huge piles of records next to them, almost done going through everything. I pulled a couple decent things, but I could see what these dudes had and there was some great stuff of course. And I laughed after watching them all haggle the shit out of dude on records he was already only selling for $1-$4 each, thinking he screwed himself by letting them in before me because I would have paid his price with minimal negotiation, for most of the same records.
I hate the low end haggler......if a record isn't worth $4.00 to you it's not worth buying.
this collection is mostly disco and in the NYC setting i can picture a few of these others to be people i see on a regular basis but i am not necessarily friends with...
i just picture it being a clusterfusk with people making stacks and looking over shoulders and shit like that. they also want to sell the whole lot. so it isn't like every single person is going to look through it all and bid on it like an auction. i just don't understand it. it is a house call. not a open sale.
i gotta hope i get there first. or hope that people bail. or that it sucks and there is nothing to haggle over.
on another note. i will admit to showing up to sales early but i went an hour early to a "no early bird" sale and at least 4 people had went even earlier and grabbed everything worth grabbing.
Yeah, I mean, when buying dollarish records I might round down to the nearest 10 on my offer, like "how about $50?" for 56 1-dollar records or something, but dudes starting to pull vinyl out of sleeve to point about abrasions or thinking "I'm buying so many they should be fifty cents each!" get the gate.
yeah, no doubt, getting burned by dudes jumping the rope on "no early birds" is on me, I guess if you are hardcore you at least try but I'm just not made that way. I can barely get there on time haha.
I was more mad at the dude who was having the sale than the dudes. I felt like my trust had been with him.
also, what you were saying about your situation reminded me of a post Numero put up on FB a week or two ago about a one-day sale in Chicago of a dude's private collection open to the public. It looked insane. But all I could think of was what a madhouse it would be and easy to get frustrated. I meant to ask on here what Chi heads had checked it out, and any stories.
If it's a group dig you can only hope that there's enough good stuff to go around and just work quickly. It's usually best to go on digs with people who have slightly different tastes than you to avoid problems. Inevitably somebody else will find something you wanted but then maybe you will find something they want and they will trade. There are no rules...but it's best to not get too greedy and just go with the flow...and be respectful of the space and the people giving up their records!
:pasue:
i know because the person called me and then said she had contacted other people who want to buy as well. non CL.
just how we do.
she is meeting every one at her fathers house. so it's like she won't be there until a certain time and that is when the other ones are getting there. no way around it. oh well it'll either be good or it'll suck. wouldn't be the first time...
I'm not even gonna talk about the record shows and all the confrontations I get in to with the Japanese dudes that are there when the sun comes up wearing fanny packs stuffed with doe. That shit is whole other thread.
this thread got me heated last night thinking of a few "open houses" where I arrived half an hour early after explicitly being told NO EARLY BIRDS only to see the usual losers walking away with piles. i used to know one guy who would peer into windows to get the action going early.
BUT your comment reminded me of one dig with a ton of furniture and book people involved. maybe 800 records or so in a basement among tons of other stuff w/ tight confines.. guy next to me goes "glad the dealers aren't here, let me know if you find any soundtracks you don't want." i threw a couple Black Orpheus or Lalo Schifrin whatever his way midflip and when i pulled a Maximum Joy on 99 i go "grab anything that looks like this". guy pulled holland tunnel dive, china shop, and some good no wave and punk titles for me.
pulled some fantasy jazz he didn't even ask for and we got through everything before the other record buyers showed. so you can definitely work with someone, even a stranger.
I don't know about more than 2 people though, but if the record collection is big enough it shouldn't be an issue unless you're super greedy (Not YOU in paticular, just in general).
peace,xavier
but then underneath a huge stack of records and blankets i found THIS!!!! which i was only charged $200 for in perfect working condition with the amp!!! SO GLAD I WENT!!!
HAPPY DAYS!!!
200$
that is :bananas:
I stopped by a junk shop once to look for records and on my way in I noticed they just got a stone mint fender rhodes 73 stage piano. I said how much and the guy said $150. Sold! I told him i'll take it...
any one with expertise know if there is something wrong? or if i need a different cable? or if it is just not compatible?