things even worse than waxidermy

there is some useful advice on there for the new guy who started the tread! like, thoughtful smart stuff. i was surprised.

no no, it's true -- it's not all depressing.

this is totally otm:

Opening a retail record store in 2012 is a ballzy move. Facebook, twitter, or waxidermy spamming will never replace two of the most important elements of a record store--pricing and knowing your stock. For example, you mention Record Jungle as a decent store and I agree with that. What has made them successful thus far is that Andy is very much in tune with 2012 pricing. About 80% of the store is priced at $10 or less with the majority of records in the $3-5 range. As we all know, big pocket buyers are far and few, international buyers are not coming around like old times, and for the most part, customers tend to be more fickle in this economy. Record Jungle understands these concepts and prices their stock accordingly. Giving your customers "good deals" (an $8-10 record for $3-5) has produced loyalty and return business. They also understand someone may buy a record for $5 and flip it for $12-15 on ebay. Rest assured they are not losing sleep over a flippers $5-8 profit. The line between too cheap and pricing yourself out of the market is a thin one, but they've figured out the small operation/modern store formula. Price well-----> high sales volume-----> high turn over-----> consistent and loyal return business------> replenish and repeat. Also, the location is a far fetch from prime LA real estate. Perhaps you can experiment with some bins of cheapies and see what happens? Throw your dogs a few bones. I hope your venture becomes all you wish for. Good luck to you brotha!

the majority of my business is from out of town - maybe 85%? - so i feel the original poster.

YEARSSSSS ago, for real, like ten years ago after i got married, i was in a record store in canada and they had a section specifically marked for stuff that they were going to put on ebay so it was REALLY tempting to grab some of it. i still need to make a couple of boxes like that. i don't have boxes of "rares" in the back for people. why haven't i done that yet?

i'll get on it. the guy on there who said having pretty wall records didn't do you any good was on the money too. you gotta move shit. not stare at it for months.

owning a record store is a dream of mine, and I'm nearing a collection where I could stock a store, but then I would lose all of my records. If I were to open a shop, I would need a hefty savings. I would price records to move rather than wanting the highest popsike value. I just sold records for much lower than the market value, and almost all of them sold. It was fun letting go of doubles and records I know someone else would enjoy more than I do. I have had bad experiences at certain record stores, but I didn't want to call anyone out on that thread. People figure stuff out and learn, or they don't. So far my best record store experience was Jerry's in Pittsburg, aside from the massive amount of stock that was fun sorting through, everything was priced around 3 to 10, more 5.99 than anything. Even records I knew are worth more, and I bought so much more than I would at a boutique store, with market prices. Antones in Austin is kind of similar.

After selling records and boxing everything, calculating shipping, buying tape, address stickers, I realized I really didn't make much in actual profit. I don't understand how flippers make real profit. Even though a lot of the records I sold I only paid a few dollars for, it took gas money to drive long distances to find them, hotel rooms, eating out, etc. But it was fun!

"I don't understand how flippers make real profit"

buy low sell high

ha! i mean i know you know that but its that simple really.

i could definitely make a living buying at stores/thrifts/craigslist/etc. probably make more. no overhead. put an ad in the paper, i'd be good to go.

but i like my store.

basically, i just like your attitude, scott!

But you're losing money while out digging for records. Does the mark up really cover living expenses? I mean I drive across country looking for records when my work allows. If I didn't have my job and I was just flipping without wanting to collect, I could live well, but with a family to support, I dunno..

i've thought abt trying to self-employ as a 'record dealer' but frankly in nyc the cost of living is too high and the competition for records is too fierce. i think if i lived in new england or the midwest i could buy collections and sell enough online to make it happen.

if i put a weekly ad in papers around here i would get ten calls a day. two might pan out. but there is not a lot of competition for people willing to do the work. where i am. and everyone is very specific. i'm a generalist. i know how to make money on all kinds of stuff. the more you know the better off you are. i bought a classical collection at auction that NOBODY wanted for under two hundred dollars. i made probably....hmmmm....5 grand or more on them over time? maybe more. most people i know wouldn't have wanted anything to do with those records. ya dig? there are dudes who go around forever looking for rare soul or jazz or psych and come up empty most of the time. i don't have that kind of time. i need to feed my kids who eat, like, EVERY damn day.

with the store i've been here long enough to get decent walk in stuff and i don't have to go out and about as much as i did my first year. but i DO still go out and about and make occasional house calls. some people get sleepy and won't even do that. they just wait for people to come to them. if they've been around long enough and they are central it can work.

i mean i don't even do half the stuff i COULD do around here if i had the time. haunt auctions in mass and vermont and new hampshire. go to storage auctions. all kinds of stuff. i could easily feed off of other record stores within a hundred mile radius of me if i felt like it. but i don't want to.

the more you know the better off you are You're right, I wouldn't know what to do with most records. I just like hunting for the ones I like or think I could like, which is why I could never be a record dealer.

I just like hunting for the ones I like or think I could like

yeah i feel this -- even though i have pretty broad and open tastes, its definitely the rad jazz and freako-person records that are getting me out the door to hunt for shit. if i ever get more than casually interested in 45's or "dance music," id have a whole new world to discover, though... i guess that can wait til i have kids and dont have the chance to dance as much. DONT IT ALWAYS SEEM TO GO THAT U DONT KNOW WHAT U GOT TIL ITS GONE

the vast majority of people selling records are not getting rich. tefteller, craig moerer...that might be it.

I've bought records from craig moerer, never disappointed aside from what I paid, but it was worth it.

he sells so much stuff that you can actually get some really good deals from him. i'll look up a great weird record and he's the only person selling it and its not listed as selling anywhere so he just sticks a random price on it. so, he's good for unknown stuff. sometimes.