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Review content:
Incredible selection, but this is the first record store I have been into in over 10 years that still exclusively uses a price guide to price records upon checkout. The only real guide for records anymore is eBay auctions. Typically the price is a minimum of $10, and don't be surprised at a $50 pricetag on an album that typically would sell for $15 anywhere else. And all of this is pretty interesting, considering that these guys actually DO sell a lot of their higher-end items on eBay!
Dave will regale you with stories of celebrities who have come through and bought stacks of records. While these are undoubtedly true, the folks at Bop Street should keep in mind that the majority of record buyers in Seattle aren't members of a big-label, multimillion-selling rock band on tour.
For those of us looking for good-condition copies of things, it does help that they have a listening station at Bop Street. However, should you find a record that skips, and decide to take a chance on it anyway, they will still charge the price listed in the book for a mint-grade copy. If you contest the price, they might knock a few bucks off. This is a funny practice, as it shows where the business ethics are lacking.
I have been a record dealer, myself, for 20 years. And no, I'm not a competitor, and have no store set up in Seattle. I am a collector as well, and, while I look for good prices, I don't begrudge fellow dealers for charging what the records are truly worth, at least in a general ballpark amount. But really...a $5 album is a $5 album, and a $500 album is a $500 album, and price should always depend on condition.
Here's an example. Let's say I go by the book in pricing records. Someone brings a record to the register at my store. It looks mint, and books at $20 mint, but the customer says it skips. I would put it on the turntable behind me and test it to verify that.
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