Garage Sale Vinyl: The Consumer Advocate Edition
Buyer Beware: Don’t Be Duped By LP Predators!
by Christopher Long
Whether it’s this column, my book, or my podcast, the hook of my “Garage Sale Vinyl” brand is that it’s merely a celebration of rediscovering magical music on warm and crackly records. I also like to share a few cozy personal stories from a kinder, gentler, and simpler bygone era. But more than a qualified curator and (hopefully) compelling storyteller, I consider myself a vinyl consumer advocate. Fun fact, there are countless seasoned albums out there, hiding at garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, and Goodwill outlets far and wide. And be sure, through due diligence, you can find an unimaginable number of desirable, vintage LPs on the cheap. However, in the spirit of complete disclosure, I will confess openly that from time to time, I will actually pay as much as $5 or $6 for certain vinyl treasures. And while it doesn’t happen often, I will also admit to having given in to temptation and plunked down a whopping $10 for a pre-loved record. GASP!
Recently, I found myself traveling through the great state of Tennessee when I popped by a quaint antique mall in the tiny town of Dyersburg. In short order, I was directed to a particular vendor that boasted a bounty of pre-owned LPs. There were about six creaky crates containing approximately 500-600 pieces of vinyl. And I realized in an instant that there were oodles of bestselling titles from an array of celebrated artists. Just as quickly, I also felt an all-too-frequently attempted fisting.
About the fourth or fifth record I thumbed across was an LP of personal interest, The Partridge Family Album, the 1970 debut from the Partridge Family. The cover appeared to be in pristine condition, and as I felt an instant tingle shoot down my leg, I noticed the price sticker — $20. What? This is a “five-dollar” record, at best! As I continued flipping through the impressive inventory, it became clear that with the exception of a couple of Dan Fogelberg and most Barry Manilow titles, ALL of the records were priced between $20 and $40. C’mon! Really?
I’ve seen this type of pricing practice so often in recent years. But, as they say, “it is a free country.” It’s not like these dealers are gas gouging with a hurricane on the horizon. They can charge whatever they want. And it wasn’t like I was actually being forced to buy that Partridge Family album. But what made blood shoot from my eyes was lurking in the next bin.
The 1977 Aerosmith album, Draw the Line, is recognized widely as one of the band’s original syringe era classics. Yeah, it was no “Toys in the Attic,” but (thank goodness) it’s no “Just Push Play” either. Locating a vinyl copy of Draw the Line had been one of my missions for quite a while, so when I saw it peeking from in between Fogelberg’s Phoenix and Nugent’s Free for All, I felt that tingle again. But as I plucked it from the bin, I was appalled. The cover was horribly tattered, front and back. Plus, it looked as if it actually had been shit on. The inner paper sleeve was Scotch-taped to the inside of the LP jacket, and when I finally managed to remove the record from this nasty-ass cover, I saw that it was coated with some type of dusty, dirty schmeg. It also looked as if it may have been cleaned at some point, with a carrot scraper. The sticker price? $25. Offensive, indeed. FYI, after consulting a qualified advisor, I learned that the value of even a “B”-rated copy of Draw the Line is only about $7.
At the end of the day, who really cares? It was just another case of indecently overpriced vintage vinyl. I mean, nobody was dead. Yet, this really upset me. Oh sure, I would never personally pay that kind of price for a record that would require serious TLC just to elevate it to a “Trash” rating. But with so much misleading info flooding super-geeker websites, and so many greedy (or maybe just incompetent) dealers charging such obscene prices, many less-than-informed people will actually pay that kind of money. I don’t know about anybody else, but in my house, $25 is A LOT of money. And when you consider that many of these mile-high-priced records are acquired by the dealers for pennies, it just seems wrong to me.
Conversely, the day before the disappointing Dyersburg discovery, I visited the Goodwill location in Lexington, Tennessee, where I scored a FACTORY SEALED original pressing copy of All My Love, the 1967 classic from legendary country singer-songwriter, Don Gibson. The sticker price was just 99¢. Now, THAT’S more like it!
There are many factors in determining a record’s value. Buyer beware, just because a website supports a dealer’s absurd price, that doesn’t mean that you gotta pay it. Be patient. Be diligent. Keep poking around. Amazing treasures are out there — on the cheap. Don’t be duped by LP predators! ◼
