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Record store owner kills dollar bin fun

DJ_NevilleCDJ_NevilleC 1,922 Posts
edited September 2006 in Strut Central
Just had a store owner from Baltimore (not Baghat or El Supremo or True Vine) wipe out my dollar bins. It wasn't really a wipe out but he did get about 40 or so. I priced em so I shouldn't be upset but this seems a little Besides beat up raers and stuff that hasn't moved I like to put some good stuf in there for my regulars who can't afford to drop $5-20 per record each time they come in. Kinda bums me out because I know they'll be $5-20 records at his shop (check condition lads). This is the same guy that dropped off three boxes of garbage for trade last year (it was my day off) and then never came to get them back. I put them out for free in front of the shop.Back to planning my holiday...

  Comments

  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    So... you're mad because someone bought records from your shop at the prices you marked them at?

    So what if the buyer is gonna resell them?

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I know who you're talking about.
  • kalakala 3,361 Posts
    fair game or ...if it tweaked you that much why didn't you call him on it ?
    after all it's your store and your records
  • DJ_NevilleCDJ_NevilleC 1,922 Posts
    So... you're mad because someone bought records from your shop at the prices you marked them at?

    So what if the buyer is gonna resell them?


    My harsh judgement was based on his previous behavior (bringing in shitty traders and then leaving them in my shop for over a month without an apology) and the blatantness of it all. I've bought dollar bin records at shops and flipped em so I can't front on that.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    So... you're mad because someone bought records from your shop at the prices you marked them at?

    So what if the buyer is gonna resell them?

    No it's not like that. This guy is on the wrong side of enterprising. He is gripper supreme. He is the guy jostling you out of the way to get a box while simultaneously looking over your shoulder to see if you missed anything. He will ask "are you gonna take that" when you pull out minty raer, as if it were a half-eaten hamburger on your plate. His store is priced on the high end yet he seems perfectly willing to nickle-and-dime when buying. He brings terrible shit for trade and wants hook up on nice items. He couldn't stop crowing about his big time friends in NYC until they stopped visiting so often, then he wants to be YOUR best friend. He calls you to brag about how well he did at the last record show. Matter of fact he will buy stuff at the record show, double the price, and try to wholesale it to you fifteen minutes later.

    I mean, I can't be totally mad because he has given me some great records but he definitely can be a drag.
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    We used to have a dollar bin at the shop I work at... one time this out-of-town storeowner came by and bought a big pile of $1 records, and was real excited about moving them ("I already know who's going to buy some of these")... I didn't really care because we didn't put goodies in there, I actually thought it was kinda funny cuz some of that stuff had been sitting around for ages.

    The weird thing was he wouldn't even LOOK at a single thing in the rest of the store, most things being priced $5-8... he said that ate too much of his profit margin. Based on what he bought and the fact that he wouldn't consider dropping $5 I was quite confident this guy was not-at-all-a-baller.
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    One man's dollar bin...

    If this is who I suspect, this is more about being a retard vs flipping shit.

    N*** has very good prices and constantly stocks heat...and while I'd never flip Som bought stuff, I'm sure someone would, and does, try.
  • chrischris 287 Posts
    there is a guy from greece who comes to chicago (and i'm sure other cities as well) multiple times a year and buys out a large majority of the dollar-bin records at every store in town.
    in fact, he's in town right now and i have seen him at different spots the last 3 days in a row making waist-high stacks of utter trash.
  • 33thirdcom33thirdcom 2,049 Posts
    there is a guy from greece who comes to chicago (and i'm sure other cities as well) multiple times a year and buys out a large majority of the dollar-bin records at every store in town.
    in fact, he's in town right now and i have seen him at different spots the last 3 days in a row making waist-high stacks of utter trash.

    sweet send him to LA.
  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
    there is a guy from greece who comes to chicago (and i'm sure other cities as well) multiple times a year and buys out a large majority of the dollar-bin records at every store in town.
    in fact, he's in town right now and i have seen him at different spots the last 3 days in a row making waist-high stacks of utter trash.



    Word, this is common of most foreign buyers. I always make it a point to bring these visitors to the largest local dollar bins I can find. They always leave happy with a decent stack of things they can flip back home.

    Everyone wins when someone cleans out the dollar bin. I think any good store has enough dollar bin records to replenish stock and possibly help thin out the non dollar stacks to make way for new schitt. Just my two cents.
  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    So... you're mad because someone bought records from your shop at the prices you marked them at?

    So what if the buyer is gonna resell them?


    My harsh judgement was based on his previous behavior (bringing in shitty traders and then leaving them in my shop for over a month without an apology) and the blatantness of it all. I've bought dollar bin records at shops and flipped em so I can't front on that.

    Ahh ok, so this is just the latest example of assholery by said individual. Yeah I guess that that would piss me off. I totally know dudes in OZ that fit that description. Always wanting to pay nothing for stuff - always trying to screw you on stuff, and always wanting TOP dollar for things even when they're in shitty condition.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I've known all the old 45 guys in the NW for years, but I've never been able to work with them. These are the guys who sell doo wop, rockabilly, early rnr. They hoard thousands of 45s but wont sell a record to me because if I want it, then it must be worth a lot of money. They are obsessed with finding $100-1,000 45s, but will only shop in dollar bins. I'm happy to sell them a doo wop 45 for $50.00 that they can sell for $100.00, but they don't work that way, only dollar records from people who don't know whats up. They regularly cheat each other and stab each other in the back, then turn around and brag about it. A weird scene to be sure.
  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    I've known all the old 45 guys in the NW for years, but I've never been able to work with them. These are the guys who sell doo wop, rockabilly, early rnr. They hoard thousands of 45s but wont sell a record to me because if I want it, then it must be worth a lot of money. They are obsessed with finding $100-1,000 45s, but will only shop in dollar bins. I'm happy to sell them a doo wop 45 for $50.00 that they can sell for $100.00, but they don't work that way, only dollar records from people who don't know whats up. They regularly cheat each other and stab each other in the back, then turn around and brag about it. A weird scene to be sure.

    Dan are we ever going down to southern oregon to hit up that guy's place, with all the 60s and 70s stuff? BTW they were putting out major raers at shows for yrs. Not so much anymore.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    I've known all the old 45 guys in the NW for years, but I've never been able to work with them. These are the guys who sell doo wop, rockabilly, early rnr. They hoard thousands of 45s but wont sell a record to me because if I want it, then it must be worth a lot of money. They are obsessed with finding $100-1,000 45s, but will only shop in dollar bins. I'm happy to sell them a doo wop 45 for $50.00 that they can sell for $100.00, but they don't work that way, only dollar records from people who don't know whats up. They regularly cheat each other and stab each other in the back, then turn around and brag about it. A weird scene to be sure.

    There's a 45 dealer who hits shows around me that totally caters
    to this crowd, but luckily he's a really nice guy and puts the stuff
    he doesn't care/know about out for super cheap. Funk & garage 45's are
    the cheapest things he sells. Found a couple pretty valuable Northern
    pieces from him, but really just like getting semi-rare funk/soul joints for
    $3 apiece every show. I see his doo wop/pop vocal customers roll through, and drop
    3 bills on teen pop raers like it's nothing - they're all 52, shady, and
    wear satin jackets.
  • DJ_NevilleCDJ_NevilleC 1,922 Posts
    My other least favorite customer (I love all the rest) is this local e-bay guy. He brings me his leftover non-sellers. Four or five boxes of garbage (xmas records, Andy Williams, trashed Stones LP's etc.). I spend a half an hour looking through his boxes and pull about 3-4 records max. He knows they're crap.
    He likes to brag that he never pays more than two dollars for a record.
    Last week he came in and saw a record that I had priced at $30. He then tells me that he could flip that record for $75. Rather than buying it he puts it on hold til he can bring in more "traders." After a week of not seeing him I put that record back out today. I really hope someone who actually wants the record (or a dealer with a better attitude) gets it rather than him.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I've known all the old 45 guys in the NW for years, but I've never been able to work with them. These are the guys who sell doo wop, rockabilly, early rnr. They hoard thousands of 45s but wont sell a record to me because if I want it, then it must be worth a lot of money. They are obsessed with finding $100-1,000 45s, but will only shop in dollar bins. I'm happy to sell them a doo wop 45 for $50.00 that they can sell for $100.00, but they don't work that way, only dollar records from people who don't know whats up. They regularly cheat each other and stab each other in the back, then turn around and brag about it. A weird scene to be sure.

    Dan are we ever going down to southern oregon to hit up that guy's place, with all the 60s and 70s stuff? BTW they were putting out major raers at shows for yrs. Not so much anymore.

    So 10 years ago my friend says major Southern Oregon guy has garage full of 70s 45s. So Dr Wu who knows all about that stuff and I (who knows nothing) plan a trip to look.

    I call up SoOr dealer. We've met at shows and bought records from each other. Absolutly not. No way will he let me look in his garage. "Some of the funk 45s are worth $100." Dr Wu (and sometimes even I) still get stuff off him cheap at shows, but he wont let me look at the garage full of 45s. Thing he does not understand is I will buy good common stock for days at $2-6 that I can sell to my customers for $6-12. Since his customers want 50s he should be happy to move them, but no.

    Of course things come around. I just bought a collection full of punk and modern rock. Now with ebay and all, it's easier to try to get top dollar for that stuff so I am not wholesaling the whole thing to recordmonger, which I would have done 5 years ago, back when he would wholesale me his soul buys.
  • tick_ticklertick_tickler 104 Posts
    I've known all the old 45 guys in the NW for years, but I've never been able to work with them. These are the guys who sell doo wop, rockabilly, early rnr. They hoard thousands of 45s but wont sell a record to me because if I want it, then it must be worth a lot of money. They are obsessed with finding $100-1,000 45s, but will only shop in dollar bins. I'm happy to sell them a doo wop 45 for $50.00 that they can sell for $100.00, but they don't work that way, only dollar records from people who don't know whats up. They regularly cheat each other and stab each other in the back, then turn around and brag about it. A weird scene to be sure.

    >will drop a record like it's radioactive if you suggest that it's "disco". use the word frequently if any of this collectro breed is handling any soul, etc lp/45 that is post-'70.

    >>if any of them gets to some hot schitt ahead of you just hope whoever is pricing stuff tells them it's $2. as laser says, this is a deal breaker.

    >>>once they cop something though it is pretty impossible to ever get at it. once in awhile they will resell a record i offered $20 for to a local shop for $3-5. wha?

    i guess
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    My other least favorite customer (I love all the rest) is this local e-bay guy. He brings me his leftover non-sellers. Four or five boxes of garbage (xmas records, Andy Williams, trashed Stones LP's etc.). I spend a half an hour looking through his boxes and pull about 3-4 records max. He knows they're crap.
    He likes to brag that he never pays more than two dollars for a record.
    Last week he came in and saw a record that I had priced at $30. He then tells me that he could flip that record for $75. Rather than buying it he puts it on hold til he can bring in more "traders." After a week of not seeing him I put that record back out today. I really hope someone who actually wants the record (or a dealer with a better attitude) gets it rather than him.

    He's already put it on ebay, he is just waiting for the winner to send the money. I want to be there when you tell him it sold.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts


    He's already put it on ebay, he is just waiting for the winner to send the money. I want to be there when you tell him it sold.

    My thoughts exactly.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    I really wish people like this would just get into collecting decorative plates and hummels where they belong.
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    they're all 52, shady, and
    wear satin jackets.

  • parsecparsec 5,087 Posts
    I really wish people like this would just get into collecting beanie babies and barbies where they belong.
  • NiteKrawler45NiteKrawler45 1,062 Posts
    Are we talking about Mr. "Own Guru" himself here? If so, I can undersand exactly how annoyed you'd be N*al.
  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts
    Are we talking about Mr. "Own Guru" himself here? If so, I can undersand exactly how annoyed you'd be N*al.

    i'm just glad you weren't talking about me,,,,,,,

    SOM's $bin section + listening booth = dream thrift store
    and yes, i knew which customer would want those
    high school jazz bands & private press loner folks
    but
    leaving crates of sh*t trades
    never that
    also i did buy some $10 reggae jointz

    but which is worse,
    having a serial manipulator call just to rep his rare show finds
    or
    having said dude in your store live & direct
    good got off good
    (ya can always say "i have a call on the next line & haffi go")

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts
    Is this record store frequented by hipsters who find it ironic to buy a $4 White Lion LP or cool to buy a Boston record for the ill cover art?

    My local shop had a whole backroom of garbage that a Philly shop salivated over ... cleaned him out and marked them up 500%. The South Street dudes were all over it!
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