But what does all this mean for record collecting? I will attempt to answer that question and hopefully give you some kind of idea of what buying on eBay is like, and how to use it effectively to build your collection.
Pros
1. eBay allows you to buy without going to a record store, garage sale, flea market or anywhere else that would require you to leave the house.
- Brick and mortar stores and other physical locations where records are sold may be a far drive.
- There is usually no way of looking at a store's inventory before going, and none at all for yard sales etc. This means that you could very well drive to a store and walk away empty handed because they didn't have anything you were looking for.
2. eBay gives you access to sellers worldwide.
- Your local record store is unlikely to have foreign language records, limited editions only available on import, or genres that are not popular in your area.
- I bought Cui Jian's "無所有"(Nothing To My Name) on eBay, and otherwise would never have been able to get it.
3. Prices on eBay can be substantially better than elsewhere.
- Sellers often don't know the real value of what they have and sell for cheap.
- A certain record may be less valuable in a different area and buying it from there instead of your local record store will be cheaper.
4. Rare items will often only be found on eBay.
- Out of print, limited releases, and one of kind items are not usually found in record stores. If they are they will certainly be very expensive.
- This Jim Reeves promo 10" 78 from 1954 is likely one of a kind and just simply won't be anywhere else. It can be yours for the low, low price of $21,000!
Cons
1. eBay only gives you a picture and description.
- You can't visually inspect records you buy on eBay. This means scratches or discoloration may not come across in photos and you won't know about them until it arrives. Sometimes dishonest sellers will intentionally not show imperfections in the photos.
- Written descriptions are subjective and what the seller considers to be "good condition" you may consider to be "a steaming piece of shit", in technical terms.
2. You can't hear a record before buying on eBay.
- Now I'm sure you're thinking, "I can't hear it in a record store either". This is true in most cases, but not all. I've been to stores that allow you to test out a record before buying. Obviously this is not the case for new sealed records, but those should rarely be a problem.
3. Returns are a pain in the ass!
- If you buy a record and it turns out to be a piece of shit, getting your money back is an involved complicated process.
- Often times you'll have to ship the record back to the seller at your own cost.
- Some sellers refuse returns on any basis.
- Disputes between you and a seller can take weeks and still not result in you getting your money back.
So now that we've got that covered, let's see some of the results of buying on eBay. These are all my own experiences, feel free to comment with your own.
I was looking for Queensryche's "Operation: Mind Crime" LP for a long time. This is one of the best prog metal albums ever, and a damn impressive concept effort. Geoff Tate's vocals are superb, and Chris DeGarmo's guitar work set the stage for the prog metal era of the 90's. Really great album, so you can imagine how excited I was when the package came from and eBay auction. I was to be very disappointed. I opened the package to find a tattered cover, nearly ripped in two sleeve, and beat to hell record. I was pretty pissed...then I listened to the damn thing. Once I got through it I shelved the record and considered using it as a frisbee. Nothing but skips, worn patches with pitches all screwed up, and sadness. Check out the photos and video, appalling!
However, just today I received a record in really nice shape from an eBay sale. Well really nice for being from 1979, hell the record is 8 years older than me and it plays perfectly. The jacket has very minor wear and sleeve is still intact. If you haven't heard this one do it now, best Live album ever made!
