Online Vinyl Deals

At the risk of being labeled a Grinch, I don't think @Nee Lewman was hating on anyone, just observing that we all have different relationships to deals. Smashing the buy button online is a very different level of commitment than making repeat visits to a Barnes & Noble (full disclosure - I went once for the Revolver box set, and that was plenty for me). For those who are willing and able to do the latter, I salute you.

In short, it's a blast to see the level of commitment that some of the Whos are willing to go to, to uncover deals and share with the rest of Who-ville. The more the merrier I say. I bet Lee agrees, even though it frustrates him at times.
 
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hatfieldpdx said:
At the risk of being labeled a Grinch, I don't think @Nee Lewman was hating on anyone, just observing that we all have different relationships to deals. Smashing the buy button online is a very different level of commitment than making repeat visits to a Barnes & Noble (full disclosure - I went once for the Revolver box set, and that was plenty for me). For those who are willing and able to do the latter, I salute you.

In short, it's a blast to see the level of commitment that some of the Whos are willing to go to, to uncover deals and share with the rest of Who-ville. Keep 'em coming I say. I bet Lee agrees, even though it frustrates him at times.
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My resting curmudgeon clearly got in the way of ā€œway to go above and beyond @MikeH.ā€ Thatā€™s for damn sure.
 
TenderLovingKillerĀ® said:
My theory is the reason we love finding deals in this hobby has to do with the instinctual hunter/gatherer mindset that still resides in the deep recesses of our modern brains. The journey is just as important as the results. If we werenā€™t looking for cheap vinyl deals we would be expending that energy in other places, speed boat racing, oenophilia, hunting Big Foot, selling handmade jewelry at craft fairs. Etcā€¦
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Another reason is that some of us have been buying vinyl since you could find records for under a dollar, or picking things up from indie labels, and this new wave of interest and skyrocketing price tags threatened to push us out at one point. Inflation is off the charts on everything and not everyone has a bottomless bank about.

We live in a society that runs on consumption where people flex possessions. There are always things I've had to accept simply aren't for me, I can't have, or I can't rationalize buying. Some things I've been told aren't for me due to social, class, or racial dynamics. Finding ways to crack that system is always worth it to me. It's a symbolic pushback on that entire hierarchical and restrictive system. In many ways, it's how I've always survived. Now I'm sitting on a stack made of Neil Young, Beatles, and Dead box sets I've wanted for a long time, along with having amazing xmas presents for people.

It might exhaust others, but having a community willing to hustle around and share information and little hacks with one another is actually energizing to a certain degree.

We could all buy records without this place or each other. We could also choose to lurk and gather information without ever participating (which is fine for those doing it). Anybody that makes a choice to comment and contribute something here does it for one reason or another, but it's a choice and never a passive gesture.

Then again, some of us just like feeling like hooligan street urchins, scamps, and gremlins rolling around in piles of riches. I'd argue that's valid, too.
 
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Dead C said:
Another reason is that some of us have been buying vinyl since you could find records for under a dollar, or picking things up from indie labels, and this new wave of interest and skyrocketing price tags threatened to push us out at one point. Inflation is off the charts on everything and not everyone has a bottomless bank about.

We live in a society that runs on consumption where people flex possessions. There are always things I've had to accept simply aren't for me, I can't have, or I can't rationalize buying. Some things I've been told aren't for me due to social, class, or racial dynamics. Finding ways to crack that system is always worth it to me. It's a pushback on that entire hierarchical and restrictive system. In many ways, it's how I've always survived. Now I'm sitting on a stack made of Neil Young, Beatles, and Dead box sets I've wanted for a long time, along with having amazing xmas presents for people.

It might exhaust others, but having a community willing to hustle around and share information and little hacks with one another is actually energizing to a certain degree.

We could all buy records without this place or each other. We could also choose to lurk and gather information without ever participating (which is fine for those doing it). Anybody that makes a choice to comment and contribute something here does it for one reason or another, but it's a choice and never a passive gesture.

Then again, some of us just like feeling like hooligan street urchins, scamps, and gremlins rolling around in piles of riches. I'd argue that's valid, too.
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Not for nothing, itā€™s clear you read some Judginess in my post that was not intended. I love a deal as much as anyone else. I do find some of the extremes a little baffling and inquired directly to someone I am very friendly with.
 
Piratenovelist said:
I would like to be able to afford to do a PIF offer again so this thread has been helpful. Iā€™ve just been trying to get ahead for months now finically. Hopefully the new year will allow for me to start putting away for a vinyl fund to do more fun stuff here.
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Me too. I struggle with getting through a play through, I started like mid first year of pandemic and havenā€™t even finished Bowie & Everytime I think about purging something, I end up hugging it in the listening chair sobbing about how horrible I am for thinking of getting rid of it and could it possibly forgive me.

Also there is absolutely no way I could have all the records I did if I paid MSRP for even a quarter of them.
 
Dead C said:
Does the time you spend worrying about what we do and exhausting yourself over it seem worth it?

There is no way I'm wasting my energy concerning myself about how the rest of you choose to buy records. There is even less of a chance I'm posting to complain about it.


The short answer to your question is yes. The long answer is more nuanced, addressing social and class dynamics, as well as hater theory. If seeing @MikeH buy some Johnn Prine albums drains you, then that full response could make you dangerously sleepy.

Also, the only reason you know about any of this is because people are sharing the information on here. I'm sure that Mike could confirm that compiling a list for others takes a lot more effort than going to Barnes & Noble, but it helps others. That's worth it.

Shouldn't you be off strapping antlers to your dog and ransacking Whoville?

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Reminder: this is the deals thread. To anyone that hates deals, don't worry; records are still available at full price.
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" The long answer is more nuanced, addressing social and class dynamics, as well as hater theory. "

@Dead C just gave us the "Unified Theory of Social Media"
 
Dead C said:
Another reason is that some of us have been buying vinyl since you could find records for under a dollar, or picking things up from indie labels, and this new wave of interest and skyrocketing price tags threatened to push us out at one point. Inflation is off the charts on everything and not everyone has a bottomless bank about.

We live in a society that runs on consumption where people flex possessions. There are always things I've had to accept simply aren't for me, I can't have, or I can't rationalize buying. Some things I've been told aren't for me due to social, class, or racial dynamics. Finding ways to crack that system is always worth it to me. It's a pushback on that entire hierarchical and restrictive system. In many ways, it's how I've always survived. Now I'm sitting on a stack made of Neil Young, Beatles, and Dead box sets I've wanted for a long time, along with having amazing xmas presents for people.

It might exhaust others, but having a community willing to hustle around and share information and little hacks with one another is actually energizing to a certain degree.

We could all buy records without this place or each other. We could also choose to lurk and gather information without ever participating (which is fine for those doing it). Anybody that makes a choice to comment and contribute something here does it for one reason or another, but it's a choice and never a passive gesture.

Then again, some of us just like feeling like hooligan street urchins, scamps, and gremlins rolling around in piles of riches. I'd argue that's valid, too.
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I just like music and this place allows me to talk about music with other likeminded individuals without putting on pants. I have generally thought about why I enjoy this peripheral stuff of this hobby so much and like you alluded to, back in the day ā€œthe huntā€ was more about finding dusty gems in garage sales, flea markets and swap meets. Nowadays with the prices and availability rising along with the proliferation of Discogs and eBay, finding an obscure or out of print album isnā€™t nearly as rewarding. If you have a couple hundred bucks of disposable income you can purchase almost any record online which removes some of the fun out of the hunt. So now the hunt isnā€™t about just finding a copy of The Beatles Revolver itā€™s now finding a copy of Revolver for the best price possible. This same mentality applies to the audiophile set that buy 6 copies of The Doors LA Woman. In that instance the extra layer of difficulty isnā€™t about finding the best deal but instead about the best sound. The end result isnā€™t really the point. Itā€™s like you said, you get the opportunity to talk about something you enjoy with likeminded people.

Pushing a boulder up a hill is never more enjoyable than when youā€™re doing it amongst friends.
 
Nee Lewman said:
I see that now. I was out running errands (actually standing in line at the post office) and may have not taken it as well as I could have.
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I didn't even think we were "arguing," to be honest. I'm definitely not agitated - I'm in jokester mode - but there's no accounting for tone on the internet. Sorry, if that didn't land, either.

I do filter everything through weird layered analysis, though. The irony of your comment about the "thought experiment" is that I've obviously already done all that questioning of my own motivations and weighing effort against reward. Me dumping that out here wasn't targeted toward you, it's just already packaged up in my skull while I'm zipping around trying to find cheap box sets.
 
Dead C said:
I didn't even think we were "arguing," to be honest. I'm definitely not agitated - I'm in jokester mode - but there's no accounting for tone on the internet. Sorry, if that didn't land, either.

I do filter everything through weird layered analysis, though. The irony of your comment about the "thought experiment" is that I've obviously already done all that questioning of my own motivations and weighing effort against reward. Me dumping that out here wasn't targeted toward you, it's just already packaged up in my skull while I'm zipping around trying to find cheap box sets.
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I think it was just post office vibes. It was busy and the dude who ended up helping me was rather slow and unhelpful. And there were people. And the three year old was running around.

I wasnā€™t arguing either but a little like what the fuck did I do to @Dead C ? Lol
 
TenderLovingKillerĀ® said:
I just like music and this place allows me to talk about music with other likeminded individuals without putting on pants. I have generally thought about why I enjoy this peripheral stuff of this hobby so much and like you alluded to, back in the day ā€œthe huntā€ was more about finding dusty gems in garage sales, flea markets and swap meets. Nowadays with the prices and availability rising along with the proliferation of Discogs and eBay, finding an obscure or out of print album isnā€™t nearly as rewarding. If you have a couple hundred bucks of disposable income you can purchase almost any record online which removes some of the fun out of the hunt. So now the hunt isnā€™t about just finding a copy of The Beatles Revolver itā€™s now finding a copy of Revolver for the best price possible. This same mentality applies to the audiophile set that buy 6 copies of The Doors LA Woman. In that instance the extra layer of difficulty isnā€™t about finding the best deal but instead about the best sound. The end result isnā€™t really the point. Itā€™s like you said, you get the opportunity to talk about something you enjoy with likeminded people.

Pushing a boulder up a hill is never more enjoyable than when youā€™re doing it amongst friends.
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I think you're kind of nailing the core of this entire hobby
 
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