Dillon, thanks for making this video. As a longtime record store owner, I can relate to everything you said here. Those customers who complain need to know that you couldn’t afford to stock new LPs unless you had the used record volume of sales. IOW, your customers buying the used records are literally supporting your ability to stock and sell new LPs. Again excellent content. Thanks
Dillon, I have been watching your videos since just before the global shutdown. I absolutely love your honesty and how humble and genuine you are. I hope one day to meet you at your store, not too far from you in western New York. You definitely fuel my passion for collecting vinyl records. Best wishes to you and your family.
RESPECT, NOT ALOT OF RECORD STORE OWNERS WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH THEY PAY FOR THEM RECORDS , CONGRATS BROTHER SO DOWN TO EARTH. ONE DAY BROTHER YOU WILL BE ON TOP OF THE GAME WITH YOIR ATTITUDE AND LOVE FOR MUSIC .
As a fellow store owner I fully agree with all you said. You held up an album and I said the exact wholesale price. People think we pay Pennie’s and Jack up the prices. Truth is, the wholesalers get paid up front and we plant little seeds and hope get a sustainable crop. Good job.
I owned a record store from 1999 until 2008. I started it trying to be vinyl focused but the vinyl explosion was aways off. Anyway, the margins were super thin back then on new LP's and CD's, too.
Went to my first record fair with my parents and found a small record shop nearby. Being in the record store is so much nicer than shopping online (which I have being doing since I started collecting a month ago), so I placed an order. I know the price will probably be more than from a big store like HMV but I think the extra cost is worth it to support these local stores.
No matter how low you price your inventory, people will complain. You are my favorite record shop owner (and that includes myself, lol!), I appreciate you passing on all the knowledge. I am a weekend only shop with a very small inventory bc otherwise, I couldn't do it... but I absolutely love it, it's the absolutely the best hobby to be a part of. Thanks again l, I will try and buy from you online as often as I can 👊
I was in retail my whole working life and it’s pretty much the same all over. I had a retro men’s clothing store and it’s impossible to compete against the Walmarts of the world. It’s why I try to only shop local stores. Actually only been in a Walmart half a dozen times in my life. You provide a unique and specialized experience for your customers and that’s why you are and will remain successful. Hopefully someday my travels will take to NC and to your store. Congrats and keep ‘em spinning.
With the mark up, you to pay for taxes, inventory, rent, liability, payroll, Utilities, Insurance, and there’s probably a dozen more items that I forgot about which really narrows down with what you make or any brick and mortar shop would make per item.
I usually stop by my record shop maybe once or twice a month. Typically spend around a hundo per visit. This was great knowledge for the consumer to help support their local store even more. My approach to digging is buying used before new. There are modern releases I'll buy, but they're from modern artists. King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, for example, has been a blast collecting. I think It's important to offer a variety, but also have your own feel and asthetic. Can't wait to visit your store someday!
Superb insight into the "otherside" of a record store. Very enjoyable post Dillon ( yet again)..Many Thanks from the UK for taking time to do these 👍👍👍👍
When I worked in a record store in the early 70's our store sold new releases for $6.19. The minimum wage was $1.90/hr. That makes a new LP 3.25x the minimum wage. Min wage of $15.00/hr in 2023 makes a new LP $48.75. So is new vinyl that expensive? Our sale LPs back then sold for $4.69 that's 2.46x the min wage. Our best deal IMO was Humble Pie Live at the Filmore. A&M listed that double LP for a single LP price. Best deal in rock!
Easily the most fascinating video you’ve ever made & I’ve definitely watched countless heavy rotations. So many questions answered that I’ve pondered for years. It’s going to be kind of insane 20 years from now when OG used from the 70s just start becoming much more rare than they are now and God forbid the “old pressing” that’s used was never cut from analog to begin with. This is truly the golden age to still snatch those up while we can at the prices they’re at now because they will end up being much more sought after at that point. Because honestly as long as the vinyl is cut from digital, it’s hard to imagine how a copy from today will sound any different whatsoever than the copy 20 years from now, which will end up being truly weird. Unless some insane sea change happens in the technology, which is kind of hard to imagine. The only possible scenario would be if a company comes along that starts manufacturing all that analog process stuff again and artists can all afford to record on tape again, vacuum tubes get used again, that would be truly remarkable. My bet would be on Jack White. Damn, think about how much Elon Musk threw away for fucking twitter when he could collaborate with Jack White on something infinitely cooler like that.
Hopefully this sheds light to a lot of people, its a big misconception that wholesale pricing is a lot lower & that the prices are expensive to make crazy profits… there is 2 local stores from me that get NO BUSINESS (due to their own faults) & have probably $150,000 worth of inventory that they paid for. God knows what they are going through, cause i know they didn’t get their inventory for cheap, no one does. The real game is within the used records. Always will be from now on.
At the same time, who cares if record store owners are making crazy profits? They probably deserve it. I don't knock anyone for making good money running their own business.
I live in Baltimore and I have a couple shops near me. One,Rebs sells mostly new and what used he can get. Probably smaller than yours but somehow supports 2 owners and a staff. Another is huge,but sells alot of other stuff. He mainly has a store of Walmart $15 dollar sale records. It’s hilarious! And Soundgarden which is not terribly big, does a huge new record sales and shipping business, and has a fair amount of used. The are open everyday all day and staff many people at a time. Somehow they are cheapest on new records and offer a 5% loyalty discount.You should hit that if you ever come through. There are others within a half hour to an hour, but those are closest.
I checked the prices for the White Album in '68 and they ranged fro about $8.50 - $13.00 with the MSRP being about $11.99 - this apparently was an outrageous price at the time.
I live in a tri-state area that has seen four record shops come and go in the last five to seven years. There was no way to compete with Walmart, Amazon, Target and the other box stores when it came to new vinyl and there wasn't enough people interested in the old stuff. I miss the family owned and even chain record stores we had in the 60s and 70s. Wishing you all the luck.
yeppp, when im older i want to open a record store but MAINLY used vinyl and obviously have some reissued albums but mainly the essentials and stuff i like.. in a week im actually going to a record show and selling a few hundred records so im already starting my record selling journey at 15 years old!
Thanks - appreciate your videos. I buy and sell used in retirement for the love of music and records while adding to my own collection. Ran my own retail auto parts store for 20 years and often heard the same comments - you are really raking in the bucks! The reality is that most people have no idea what kind of sales volume it takes to cover overhead let alone earn a meager income for yourself. Rock on!
These margins are crazy and the fact that you pay up front makes it very very difficult. Respect! Here is one thing that I think helps your favorite record store and has benefits for the buyer: if there is something new out there and they don't stock it (or didn't come out yet), ask the store owner to order it for you. They will try to keep the margin at the lowest because they know that otherwise you would be ordering it online, they have a risk free investment in goods that pays back immediately, you don't have to do the extra work with ordering, pay for shipping, and get to contribute to a local store instead of sending your money to amazon etc. Best to send over a list of a dozen items and first ask for a quote, that way the store owner sees that you are a serious collector and conscious about your money. I started doing this with a local shop (South Hungary) and it's working out great.
Why I watch your show is to see records I don’t have and now will be on the look for in da wild. I have bought records because of you and took chances on records( part of that is because I have Tons of vinyl). My intention is to come visit. Hope your there then but I still plan to come and shop
Dude, I’m stressed for you after hearing all that! Hey, I’ve only been able to come to your store once. My daughter and I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed it. We both bought a record and I went to ikea on your tip to buy shelves for my records. I live two and a half hours away but we will be back. My son really wants to come next time. I have enjoyed all your videos are well. I appreciate you man!
Niche shop here with a bit of a complex issue. We carry lofi, psych, jazz, house and its tough to get "vintage" lofi or old records as you just don't see lofi or modern psych out in the wild, used. Thanks for the one stop tid bit, Monostero was the first one I came across
Yes, yes, and YES The only thing I would dispute is the "You can't make money off new vinyl" sentiment.... If you buy a pre-owned album for $1, and sell it for $10 - you're making $9 profit (not taking into consideration the time/effort to source, inventory, store, clean, grade, price and sell the album). This is a LOT of pre-owned albums. If you buy a NEW vinyl album for $15, and sell it for $24 - you're making $9 profit (not taking into consideration the time/effort to search for, buy, receive, price and sell the album), Like you pointed out the margins aren't always that good, but on a lot of titles it can be in that ballpark. In the end that's the same $9 profit. The only difference is the UPFRONT COST and commitment like you mentioned. If you have the cashflow, and confidence it will sell then it can certainly become a profitable business. It all comes down to volume and scale. Great video as always man, cheers!
Dillon watched the video yesterday left me smiling about my record buying not a collector but loved growing up listening to music and going out and buying the record. I am showing my age but the first was Revolver bought the mono for $2.99 stereo was a $1.00 more, dad woulld not give me the extra dollar. My god have times change. Still a great video, thanks.
This latest video was informative and transparent. It really put some concrete numbers on what was previously my guesstimates of what independent record store owners have to factor in and shell out to keep a business afloat (including rent, staff and utilities)...in addition to all of the hard work work of acquiring used collections, assessing them, cleaning them, grading them, ticketing them...as well as absorbing pressing flaws / returns etc. and the rest. I really appreciated the break down and I know your other content watchers will as well. This is bound to get a lot of views and traction. Great one!
Spot on video… store I worked at for 10 years we focused on used vinyl and tried to find the best priced reissues among some 5 or 6 distributors, they all have stuff priced differently and if you sift through their online catalogs certain albums can be $2-$3 cheaper so figuring that out was key to getting people the best priced, but man ya buying collections was something we focused on and it’s still my focus!
I Remember I bought Kiss Alive! (Double LP) in 1977 at K-Mart for $8.99 later that year I bought Kiss Alive II for $7.99 on Special at K-Mart - of course for a 5 year old kid that was huge money - all of by birthday money and a small loan from mom and dad lol.
Such an interesting insight, thanks a lot for being so open Dillon. Even though I buy both new and used records, you are totally right nothing beats the thrill of finding something in the used bins that has escaped you for ages. Great video 🙏🙏
Thanks for another great video, Dillon! It’s crazy that the wholesale prices are as high as they are. Thanks for always being so honest and telling it how it is.
Great video, as a record store owner in the UK I can confirm that the issues you discuss in the US are exactly the same here. You hit so many nails on the head I expected you to be wielding a hammer at any moment.
Great video as always Dillon. I used to run a record label and I think some people forget how many people in the chain there are and how they all need to make a bit of money, e.g. the pressing plants selling to the record label needs to make money, the record label selling to the distributor, the distributor selling to the record store, the record store selling to the customer. I used to always try and sell as cheap as possible to the record stores as I know they had a lot more overheads and bills than than me, and being a collector myself, I wanted the stores to carry on thriving. I also used to try and avoid distributors when I could and sell direct to the record store so they would get it cheaper than they would from a distributor. But then again, some stores would only deal with distributors and not with small labels directly so it was a difficult balance. Just my point of view regarding wholesale from a record label owner. Been loving your content for years now - really enjoy the videos 👊
Great video my friend. I've worked in retail forever. I understand how this works everyone thinks these stores are price gouging then I have to explain why thats not the case then they go..oh didn't think of that. I remember when I bought Abbey road first time I paid I think it was 4.99 brand new..I was like wtf...lol
Working in retail for years I learned the gross margin on vinyl was low as well as CD. Now we always made more money on reissues but anything new very low margins, 10 to 15%. Budget CDs is how we made profit. For you it comes down to used vinyl. RSD, not much margin in that
The shop I work in over in the UK do the same as you. Mainly used records with a selection of classic albums brand new sealed. Like yourself, we don't make much money on the new stuff but people still buy them. Most people don't complain about the prices but again like yourself, we explain the prices we pay for them and what we make, which is very little. Complete transparency. The Wall, The White Album, The Red & Blue, Californication, to name a few are all good sellers but very expensive for us and obviously the customer. I don't know how shops that sell only new vinyl pay their bills and keep going. It must be ridiculous hard to make ends meat.
Thanks you!! So informative and honest, really sympathetic to your plight. Wish you personally bright future just sad how hard to make a living this is for you.
I appreciate the info. You don't really realize what goes into running a record store. I need to come out to your store more often. Thanks for the video.
Great Video. Enjoyed the pricing of the records part. I won't have a go at my local record store guy when he goes to sell me a strictly limited edition version of the new Metallica album on gold vinyl for £50,when he paid £40 for it himself.
Thanks for this excellent video and explaining how things work behind the scenes for record shops. Appreciate there's a lot of time and work producing this.
Dillon that was such an interesting video and thank you for being so candid. I never imagined running a record store would be a bed of roses and this really confirms it. Shame the market will not bear 60 bucks for that new copy of The Wall, that would really help you to keep the lights on. Hope you keep on finding great used collections with more margin in them, to help you make some money! Greetings from London.
Great video, very revealing. Your mark up is standard - most corporations expect a 25 - 30 go. Ask those who question about their mark up. You are not a high volume chain store - relax, you doing it right.
I own a Record Store in So. Calif...and yeah, If you carry only New Records, you won't be in business for long. We have lots of T-Shirts/Posters, etc....to make some profit. Your pricing is spot on with ours.
I think that if you have a station where you can download albums for a few pennies it's good to do this & if you really like the album you have just go out & buy the real thing because not everyone can afford to pay out ££££s for something which might not be as good as you thought.. it can happen.. We don't have a local Record Shop in the small town I live in now but if I ever get a chance to go to any of the Cities for the day I always fine the right Record Stores to go & see what I can pick up if the Album is in good condition.. being a Vinyl guy is just something special in my Opinion.
Cool video. I dont mind paying a few bucks more to support a store. I'm amazed by some stores who only do new records, where used records is where a store can make some money.
Again, great vid. Lots of info that makes sense too. I sometimes see stuff on Amazon & then see if it's coming from an independent store. I then try to order from that store. Amazon is just used to keep an online list of "to get". I really almost exclusively buy from brick & mortars. Thank you. I hope to take a road trip from Philly some day...
Dylan, The only reason for the crazy record prices is the revival of vinyl. In 2011, I purchased a reissue of The Beatles - Beatles for Sale (in Stereo) for $19.99. You can get that same record today at $22.99. A 3 dollar increase in 12 years. The manufacturers are jacking the prices up due to the pandemic and limited pressing plants. Its all a cash grab. Its not your fault, but it all comes from the top down. Of course if you ordered more stock, you would get bigger discounts. Buy collections. Sell quality used stuff. That's where the value is for everyone.
For what it's worth, this was a really interesting video. It helped me appreciate my local store even more. Just so you know, as someone still pretty new to the hobby: it's just as exciting for me to find a copy of something I've been looking for new, like "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" on vinyl as it is that original pressing Frijid Pink album. I haven't heard either and have had trouble finding both. Jimi Hendrix is someone I never really listened to but getting into vinyl allowed me to do so in the way it was meant to be heard. I understand that records are going to be expensive; it's a hobby and hobbies aren't cheap. Ever. So thanks. And I wish your store was local. I would be there every week. Also! Your exclusive Poobah album was awesome! Sounded great! So glad I managed to get one of those!
Thanks Dillon Always wondered how Record stores make ends meet Would like to visit your store some day I'm in Canada I'm into Psych , Classic Rock , Wicked Lady , May Blitz To name a couple Love watching your videos brother Keep em coming
Hey Dillon Your knowledge of music is so informative Would love to shoot the breeze with you about vinyl I have a fare size collection One of my treasures is a 4 LP box set from Black Sabbath entitled Sabotaged Only 300 copies in the world 100 on purple marble I have the Purple Stellar box set Are you on Facebook or anything Would like to send you a friend request Also on one of your videos of your psyc collection I noticed you store your vinyl of course in a inner plastic sleeve and put it at the back of the jacket itself between the outer sleeve I've been starting to do that myself now For starters looks Kool and probably saves the wear and tear on the jacket itself I assume you recommend doing that Talk again sometime Have a good one Should post a video of your pysc albums for sale in your store Do you have Speed Glue & Shinki their 2nd album Also a Classic Keep on Rockin
Great video Brother. I helped a Friend with His Record shop for 5 years. I lived Your message about operations on a Record shop. I talked My Friend into selling other popculture collectables. Like comic's and video games and Toy's. Because some day's We didn't sell any record's. Thanks always for sharing Your passion and adventures from Toronto Ontario Canada 😀 👍 ❤️ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 ♥️ 🔊🎶🎶🎶🎶💯
There's two record shops near me. One of them is near my apartment and the other one is near where I work. The one near work is huge and at least 80-90% of their stock is brand new sealed stuff...I kinda hate the place because it wasn't always like that - new owners maybe? The one near my place has been there for about 35 years and the dollar bin can be crazy-good. What makes the small one so much better is the inventory. It's got to be about 90% used. The prices aren't always low because he's always bringing in "heat." I'm a cheapskate so nothing beats going on picks but the owner of the little shop hooks me up because he knows I'm passionate about what I like (just like him) and, more importantly for him (and me), I trade in really decent stuff. The big place told me they would only consider like-new LPs made, preferably, in the last ten or so years; the small place just likes popular titles that people will buy and enjoy. If I was in NC I'd be at your shop, for sure! Peace - Art B
Thanks for explaining that, Dylan. I had no idea the wholesale prices were that high. And I didn’t know you couldn’t just order directly from the major labels. Very informative.
I am finding that as I am living in Australia local record stores are becoming more attractive as ordering anything from the states I am looking at frequently paying double or more the price of a record for postage. If it's off ebay maybe worse as sellers will jack up the postage to offset ebay fees. It's not quite as bad from Europe (excluding Italy of course) and Japan but bad enough. The trouble is there are many things that are never likely to crop up in an Australian store. There are new items that interest me but they mostly come from indie labels (who usually have their own sites) or through bandcamp.
Great video, very interesting to hear your perspective as a store owner. Owning a successful store is not for the faint of heart that's for sure. Also you crack me up, the staircase bit lol
In the 1980’s when lps were $8.99 the ma and pa store I worked at paid $5.98, unless it was a million dollar hit of the day and then it would be $5(pressing quality reflected-generally bad) and that would be Madonna, Brothers in Arms but that same CD was 14.99-15.99! CDs were ridiculous expensive. Only a 30-40% mark up and there were no used records….well just a few because we wouldn’t take them unless they were mint. Used records collections were bought for penny’s at second hand junk/antique stores where I bought my collection for $1 a piece. Never regretted it. But I only had 20$ extra a month I could spare. I didn’t go to bars.
Do you have a preference in One Stops between Alliance, All Media, and Ingram? I remember the good old days of Baker & Taylor (who were AWESOME) but they decided several years ago to only handle library accounts.
Great stuff man. Thanks for taking the time to explain. People don’t get it. This is a good step in the right direction. Hopefully you get less flack from people moving forward.
Dillon, thanks for making this video. As a longtime record store owner, I can relate to everything you said here. Those customers who complain need to know that you couldn’t afford to stock new LPs unless you had the used record volume of sales. IOW, your customers buying the used records are literally supporting your ability to stock and sell new LPs. Again excellent content. Thanks
Yes! Very well put!
Power to the independent record stores!
🎉🎉🎉
Dillon, I have been watching your videos since just before the global shutdown. I absolutely love your honesty and how humble and genuine you are. I hope one day to meet you at your store, not too far from you in western New York. You definitely fuel my passion for collecting vinyl records. Best wishes to you and your family.
That means the world to me! Thanks for the kind words!
RESPECT, NOT ALOT OF RECORD STORE OWNERS WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH THEY PAY FOR THEM RECORDS , CONGRATS BROTHER SO DOWN TO EARTH. ONE DAY BROTHER YOU WILL BE ON TOP OF THE GAME WITH YOIR ATTITUDE AND LOVE FOR MUSIC .
Thanks!
As a fellow store owner I fully agree with all you said. You held up an album and I said the exact wholesale price. People think we pay Pennie’s and Jack up the prices. Truth is, the wholesalers get paid up front and we plant little seeds and hope get a sustainable crop. Good job.
I owned a record store from 1999 until 2008. I started it trying to be vinyl focused but the vinyl explosion was aways off. Anyway, the margins were super thin back then on new LP's and CD's, too.
Yeah always a tough game!
Went to my first record fair with my parents and found a small record shop nearby. Being in the record store is so much nicer than shopping online (which I have being doing since I started collecting a month ago), so I placed an order. I know the price will probably be more than from a big store like HMV but I think the extra cost is worth it to support these local stores.
Good on ya! Always best to support local!
No matter how low you price your inventory, people will complain. You are my favorite record shop owner (and that includes myself, lol!), I appreciate you passing on all the knowledge.
I am a weekend only shop with a very small inventory bc otherwise, I couldn't do it... but I absolutely love it, it's the absolutely the best hobby to be a part of. Thanks again l, I will try and buy from you online as often as I can 👊
Thanks so much!
Dillon - love these “behind the business” videos that come with your brand of genuine honesty. Always interesting to hear ownership perspective!
Thanks for watching! 🙏
I was in retail my whole working life and it’s pretty much the same all over. I had a retro men’s clothing store and it’s impossible to compete against the Walmarts of the world. It’s why I try to only shop local stores. Actually only been in a Walmart half a dozen times in my life. You provide a unique and specialized experience for your customers and that’s why you are and will remain successful. Hopefully someday my travels will take to NC and to your store. Congrats and keep ‘em spinning.
This was a very interesting video! Definitely makes me appreciate my local record stores even more!!
With the mark up, you to pay for taxes, inventory, rent, liability, payroll, Utilities, Insurance, and there’s probably a dozen more items that I forgot about which really narrows down with what you make or any brick and mortar shop would make per item.
Yeah there’s a lot to it! But we are surviving!
I usually stop by my record shop maybe once or twice a month. Typically spend around a hundo per visit. This was great knowledge for the consumer to help support their local store even more.
My approach to digging is buying used before new. There are modern releases I'll buy, but they're from modern artists. King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, for example, has been a blast collecting. I think It's important to offer a variety, but also have your own feel and asthetic.
Can't wait to visit your store someday!
As a fellow record store owner, I can more than appreciate this video. Thanks for making it. :)
Superb insight into the "otherside" of a record store. Very enjoyable post Dillon ( yet again)..Many Thanks from the UK for taking time to do these 👍👍👍👍
When I worked in a record store in the early 70's our store sold new releases for $6.19. The minimum wage was $1.90/hr. That makes a new LP 3.25x the minimum wage. Min wage of $15.00/hr in 2023 makes a new LP $48.75. So is new vinyl that expensive? Our sale LPs back then sold for $4.69 that's 2.46x the min wage. Our best deal IMO was Humble Pie Live at the Filmore. A&M listed that double LP for a single LP price. Best deal in rock!
Yeah I know! Wild if you put it in that perspective!
Easily the most fascinating video you’ve ever made & I’ve definitely watched countless heavy rotations. So many questions answered that I’ve pondered for years. It’s going to be kind of insane 20 years from now when OG used from the 70s just start becoming much more rare than they are now and God forbid the “old pressing” that’s used was never cut from analog to begin with. This is truly the golden age to still snatch those up while we can at the prices they’re at now because they will end up being much more sought after at that point. Because honestly as long as the vinyl is cut from digital, it’s hard to imagine how a copy from today will sound any different whatsoever than the copy 20 years from now, which will end up being truly weird. Unless some insane sea change happens in the technology, which is kind of hard to imagine. The only possible scenario would be if a company comes along that starts manufacturing all that analog process stuff again and artists can all afford to record on tape again, vacuum tubes get used again, that would be truly remarkable. My bet would be on Jack White. Damn, think about how much Elon Musk threw away for fucking twitter when he could collaborate with Jack White on something infinitely cooler like that.
Great video.
So glad that I built most of my collection back in the 90's when used vinyl was dirt cheap.
Yeah I bet 🤣
Hopefully this sheds light to a lot of people, its a big misconception that wholesale pricing is a lot lower & that the prices are expensive to make crazy profits… there is 2 local stores from me that get NO BUSINESS (due to their own faults) & have probably $150,000 worth of inventory that they paid for. God knows what they are going through, cause i know they didn’t get their inventory for cheap, no one does. The real game is within the used records. Always will be from now on.
Yeah. Like I said, gotta have both I think. Thanks for watching! 🙏
At the same time, who cares if record store owners are making crazy profits? They probably deserve it. I don't knock anyone for making good money running their own business.
I live in Baltimore and I have a couple shops near me. One,Rebs sells mostly new and what used he can get. Probably smaller than yours but somehow supports 2 owners and a staff. Another is huge,but sells alot of other stuff. He mainly has a store of Walmart $15 dollar sale records. It’s hilarious! And Soundgarden which is not terribly big, does a huge new record sales and shipping business, and has a fair amount of used. The are open everyday all day and staff many people at a time. Somehow they are cheapest on new records and offer a 5% loyalty discount.You should hit that if you ever come through. There are others within a half hour to an hour, but those are closest.
Noted! Thanks for watching! 🙏
You must live near me! Harford/Baltimore county I'm guessing?
I checked the prices for the White Album in '68 and they ranged fro about $8.50 - $13.00 with the MSRP being about $11.99 - this apparently was an outrageous price at the time.
I live in a tri-state area that has seen four record shops come and go in the last five to seven years. There was no way to compete with Walmart, Amazon, Target and the other box stores when it came to new vinyl and there wasn't enough people interested in the old stuff. I miss the family owned and even chain record stores we had in the 60s and 70s. Wishing you all the luck.
Thanks!
yeppp, when im older i want to open a record store but MAINLY used vinyl and obviously have some reissued albums but mainly the essentials and stuff i like.. in a week im actually going to a record show and selling a few hundred records so im already starting my record selling journey at 15 years old!
Thanks - appreciate your videos. I buy and sell used in retirement for the love of music and records while adding to my own collection. Ran my own retail auto parts store for 20 years and often heard the same comments - you are really raking in the bucks! The reality is that most people have no idea what kind of sales volume it takes to cover overhead let alone earn a meager income for yourself. Rock on!
Holy crap way higher than what I thought as a whole sale cost mind blown!!!
Great video! Cool seeing Rich Robinson watching you from the wall behind ya there
Haha!
Nice looking Les Paul hanging in the back. Great video!
These margins are crazy and the fact that you pay up front makes it very very difficult. Respect!
Here is one thing that I think helps your favorite record store and has benefits for the buyer: if there is something new out there and they don't stock it (or didn't come out yet), ask the store owner to order it for you. They will try to keep the margin at the lowest because they know that otherwise you would be ordering it online, they have a risk free investment in goods that pays back immediately, you don't have to do the extra work with ordering, pay for shipping, and get to contribute to a local store instead of sending your money to amazon etc. Best to send over a list of a dozen items and first ask for a quote, that way the store owner sees that you are a serious collector and conscious about your money. I started doing this with a local shop (South Hungary) and it's working out great.
Why I watch your show is to see records I don’t have and now will be on the look for in da wild.
I have bought records because of you and took chances on records( part of that is because I have
Tons of vinyl). My intention is to come visit. Hope your there then but I still plan to come and shop
Dude, I’m stressed for you after hearing all that! Hey, I’ve only been able to come to your store once. My daughter and I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed it. We both bought a record and I went to ikea on your tip to buy shelves for my records. I live two and a half hours away but we will be back. My son really wants to come next time. I have enjoyed all your videos are well. I appreciate you man!
Pretty grim. But also why I try to buy from small businesses as much as possible.
Yes! Thanks!
Niche shop here with a bit of a complex issue. We carry lofi, psych, jazz, house and its tough to get "vintage" lofi or old records as you just don't see lofi or modern psych out in the wild, used. Thanks for the one stop tid bit, Monostero was the first one I came across
Yes, yes, and YES
The only thing I would dispute is the "You can't make money off new vinyl" sentiment....
If you buy a pre-owned album for $1, and sell it for $10 - you're making $9 profit (not taking into consideration the time/effort to source, inventory, store, clean, grade, price and sell the album). This is a LOT of pre-owned albums.
If you buy a NEW vinyl album for $15, and sell it for $24 - you're making $9 profit (not taking into consideration the time/effort to search for, buy, receive, price and sell the album), Like you pointed out the margins aren't always that good, but on a lot of titles it can be in that ballpark.
In the end that's the same $9 profit.
The only difference is the UPFRONT COST and commitment like you mentioned. If you have the cashflow, and confidence it will sell then it can certainly become a profitable business. It all comes down to volume and scale.
Great video as always man, cheers!
Dillon watched the video yesterday left me smiling about my record buying not a collector but loved growing up listening to music and going out and buying the record. I am showing my age but the first was Revolver bought the mono for $2.99 stereo was a $1.00 more, dad woulld not give me the extra dollar. My god have times change. Still a great video, thanks.
One of the greatest VC videos ever made! I’m sure other record store owners will be very appreciative of this..Rock on brother!
Thanks! I tried to present the facts well
Wow, I thought wholesale would be alot cheaper! Love your videos keep up the good work!
This is a great view into a record shop. Thanks
I used to be a buyer for a large music retail chain and the big guys definitely used to operate on a cycle of credit and returns.
Very cool 🔥 didn't realize you had a basement..
We don’t 🤣
Thanks Dillon. I'm really glad I got one of your shirts. Hopefully, that bit of profit helped you! I gotta get to your store!
Everything helps! Thanks so much!
True, everything cost about 10x as much as it did in 1968. I was there!
This latest video was informative and transparent. It really put some concrete numbers on what was previously my guesstimates of what independent record store owners have to factor in and shell out to keep a business afloat (including rent, staff and utilities)...in addition to all of the hard work work of acquiring used collections, assessing them, cleaning them, grading them, ticketing them...as well as absorbing pressing flaws / returns etc. and the rest. I really appreciated the break down and I know your other content watchers will as well. This is bound to get a lot of views and traction. Great one!
Thanks!
As someone who dreams of opening a shop one day I can’t thank you enough. I’ve done a fair amount of research but this was extremely helpful. 🍻
In UK buying big names wholesale is difficult too. Cheers Dillon for your excellent videos serving both collectors and other record dealers Respect
Spot on video… store I worked at for 10 years we focused on used vinyl and tried to find the best priced reissues among some 5 or 6 distributors, they all have stuff priced differently and if you sift through their online catalogs certain albums can be $2-$3 cheaper so figuring that out was key to getting people the best priced, but man ya buying collections was something we focused on and it’s still my focus!
I Remember I bought Kiss Alive! (Double LP) in 1977 at K-Mart for $8.99 later that year I bought Kiss Alive II for $7.99 on Special at K-Mart - of course for a 5 year old kid that was huge money - all of by birthday money and a small loan from mom and dad lol.
Such an interesting insight, thanks a lot for being so open Dillon. Even though I buy both new and used records, you are totally right nothing beats the thrill of finding something in the used bins that has escaped you for ages. Great video 🙏🙏
Thanks for another great video, Dillon! It’s crazy that the wholesale prices are as high as they are. Thanks for always being so honest and telling it how it is.
Thanks for sharing this, your transparency is cool!
Thanks for watching! 🙏
Thanks for all the videos! I always learn something new every time I watch! Thanks again! 👍
Great video, as a record store owner in the UK I can confirm that the issues you discuss in the US are exactly the same here.
You hit so many nails on the head I expected you to be wielding a hammer at any moment.
Thanks! 🤣
Great video as always Dillon. I used to run a record label and I think some people forget how many people in the chain there are and how they all need to make a bit of money, e.g. the pressing plants selling to the record label needs to make money, the record label selling to the distributor, the distributor selling to the record store, the record store selling to the customer. I used to always try and sell as cheap as possible to the record stores as I know they had a lot more overheads and bills than than me, and being a collector myself, I wanted the stores to carry on thriving. I also used to try and avoid distributors when I could and sell direct to the record store so they would get it cheaper than they would from a distributor. But then again, some stores would only deal with distributors and not with small labels directly so it was a difficult balance. Just my point of view regarding wholesale from a record label owner. Been loving your content for years now - really enjoy the videos 👊
Back in the 90’s with a lot of house music the promos were sale or return.
Great video my friend. I've worked in retail forever. I understand how this works everyone thinks these stores are price gouging then I have to explain why thats not the case then they go..oh didn't think of that. I remember when I bought Abbey road first time I paid I think it was 4.99 brand new..I was like wtf...lol
Working in retail for years I learned the gross margin on vinyl was low as well as CD. Now we always made more money on reissues but anything new very low margins, 10 to 15%. Budget CDs is how we made profit. For you it comes down to used vinyl. RSD, not much margin in that
Yep! Thanks Steve!
That was a great video! Always wondered what the mark up is. Thanks for your honesty and the education.
Thanks for watching! 🙏
The shop I work in over in the UK do the same as you. Mainly used records with a selection of classic albums brand new sealed. Like yourself, we don't make much money on the new stuff but people still buy them. Most people don't complain about the prices but again like yourself, we explain the prices we pay for them and what we make, which is very little. Complete transparency. The Wall, The White Album, The Red & Blue, Californication, to name a few are all good sellers but very expensive for us and obviously the customer. I don't know how shops that sell only new vinyl pay their bills and keep going. It must be ridiculous hard to make ends meat.
Yeah I don’t understand either. I guess high volume.
Thank you for the information! Hopefully we can get to your shop one day.
Thanks you!! So informative and honest, really sympathetic to your plight. Wish you personally bright future just sad how hard to make a living this is for you.
Thanks for this Dillon and explaining just what it takes for owning a record store. Peace and love man !
Wow! Near on 12 bucks for a new album in 1968 seemed freaking expensive to me even before you revealed the inflation calculation. Crazy.
I appreciate the info. You don't really realize what goes into running a record store. I need to come out to your store more often. Thanks for the video.
Price sticker shock - that's what it's called. I've done the same inflation calculations , and come to the same conclusion.
Great Video. Enjoyed the pricing of the records part. I won't have a go at my local record store guy when he goes to sell me a strictly limited edition version of the new Metallica album on gold vinyl for £50,when he paid £40 for it himself.
Haha! Thanks for watching! 🙏
Thanks for all the info! Gonna visit the shop soon when we’re over from Scotland
Thanks for this excellent video and explaining how things work behind the scenes for record shops. Appreciate there's a lot of time and work producing this.
Dillon that was such an interesting video and thank you for being so candid. I never imagined running a record store would be a bed of roses and this really confirms it. Shame the market will not bear 60 bucks for that new copy of The Wall, that would really help you to keep the lights on. Hope you keep on finding great used collections with more margin in them, to help you make some money! Greetings from London.
Great video, very revealing.
Your mark up is standard - most corporations expect a 25 - 30 go. Ask those who question about their mark up.
You are not a high volume chain store - relax, you doing it right.
Thanks!
Great content. As the owner of a small record shop, I totally relate.
I own a Record Store in So. Calif...and yeah, If you carry only New Records, you won't be in business for long. We have lots of T-Shirts/Posters, etc....to make some profit. Your pricing is spot on with ours.
Yep! Thanks for watching! 🙏
As strictly a consumer of records this video was very interesting and informative and very much in line with what my prefered "dealer" tells me.
I think that if you have a station where you can download albums for a few pennies it's good to do this & if you really like the album you have just go out & buy the real thing because not everyone can afford to pay out ££££s for something which might not be as good as you thought.. it can happen.. We don't have a local Record Shop in the small town I live in now but if I ever get a chance to go to any of the Cities for the day I always fine the right Record Stores to go & see what I can pick up if the Album is in good condition.. being a Vinyl guy is just something special in my Opinion.
Cool video. I dont mind paying a few bucks more to support a store. I'm amazed by some stores who only do new records, where used records is where a store can make some money.
Appreciate the honesty bruv
Thanks for watching! 🙏
It's all about a business plan and monthly budget. Great vid Dillon.
Yeah that’s what I’ve heard, I’ll try that sometime 🤣
Again, great vid. Lots of info that makes sense too. I sometimes see stuff on Amazon & then see if it's coming from an independent store. I then try to order from that store. Amazon is just used to keep an online list of "to get". I really almost exclusively buy from brick & mortars. Thank you. I hope to take a road trip from Philly some day...
Dylan, The only reason for the crazy record prices is the revival of vinyl. In 2011, I purchased a reissue of The Beatles - Beatles for Sale (in Stereo) for $19.99. You can get that same record today at $22.99. A 3 dollar increase in 12 years. The manufacturers are jacking the prices up due to the pandemic and limited pressing plants. Its all a cash grab. Its not your fault, but it all comes from the top down. Of course if you ordered more stock, you would get bigger discounts. Buy collections. Sell quality used stuff. That's where the value is for everyone.
For what it's worth, this was a really interesting video. It helped me appreciate my local store even more. Just so you know, as someone still pretty new to the hobby: it's just as exciting for me to find a copy of something I've been looking for new, like "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" on vinyl as it is that original pressing Frijid Pink album. I haven't heard either and have had trouble finding both. Jimi Hendrix is someone I never really listened to but getting into vinyl allowed me to do so in the way it was meant to be heard. I understand that records are going to be expensive; it's a hobby and hobbies aren't cheap. Ever. So thanks. And I wish your store was local. I would be there every week. Also! Your exclusive Poobah album was awesome! Sounded great! So glad I managed to get one of those!
Thanks Dillon
Always wondered how Record stores make ends meet
Would like to visit your store some day
I'm in Canada
I'm into Psych , Classic Rock ,
Wicked Lady , May Blitz
To name a couple
Love watching your videos brother
Keep em coming
Thanks! Hope you can make it down!
Hey Dillon
Your knowledge of music is so informative
Would love to shoot the breeze with you about vinyl
I have a fare size collection
One of my treasures is a 4 LP box set from Black Sabbath entitled Sabotaged
Only 300 copies in the world 100 on purple marble
I have the Purple
Stellar box set
Are you on Facebook or anything
Would like to send you a friend request
Also on one of your videos of your psyc collection I noticed you store your vinyl of course in a inner plastic sleeve and put it at the back of the jacket itself between the outer sleeve
I've been starting to do that myself now
For starters looks Kool and probably saves the wear and tear on the jacket itself
I assume you recommend doing that
Talk again sometime
Have a good one
Should post a video of your pysc albums for sale in your store
Do you have Speed Glue & Shinki their 2nd album
Also a Classic
Keep on Rockin
Do you hate it and dislike it? LOL Thanks for the video. Keep up the great job!
Dillon, don't get me started on the markup when it comes to ordering NEW CDS!!!
Oh I can’t imagine
Mad respect for you, Dillon. Can't wait to come shop for some killer used (& maybe a little new) when I'm in Matthews in May!
Great video Brother. I helped a Friend with His Record shop for 5 years. I lived Your message about operations on a Record shop. I talked My Friend into selling other popculture collectables. Like comic's and video games and Toy's. Because some day's We didn't sell any record's. Thanks always for sharing Your passion and adventures from Toronto Ontario Canada 😀 👍 ❤️ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 ♥️ 🔊🎶🎶🎶🎶💯
Thanks for watching! 🙏
There's two record shops near me. One of them is near my apartment and the other one is near where I work. The one near work is huge and at least 80-90% of their stock is brand new sealed stuff...I kinda hate the place because it wasn't always like that - new owners maybe? The one near my place has been there for about 35 years and the dollar bin can be crazy-good. What makes the small one so much better is the inventory. It's got to be about 90% used. The prices aren't always low because he's always bringing in "heat." I'm a cheapskate so nothing beats going on picks but the owner of the little shop hooks me up because he knows I'm passionate about what I like (just like him) and, more importantly for him (and me), I trade in really decent stuff. The big place told me they would only consider like-new LPs made, preferably, in the last ten or so years; the small place just likes popular titles that people will buy and enjoy. If I was in NC I'd be at your shop, for sure! Peace - Art B
I used to find records like Zeppelin and Pink Floyd for $10 not that long ago. The same records are $20 -$30 and up☝️
Great video. Lots of important information, especially as I'm thinking of opening up a record store myself! : )
Thanks for explaining that, Dylan. I had no idea the wholesale prices were that high. And I didn’t know you couldn’t just order directly from the major labels. Very informative.
Sorry, Dillon, not Dylan.
Thanks for watching! 🙏
Ingram is still around? I remember in the 90’s seeing order sheets for VHS movies coming out of Ingram.
I had no idea they are still in business!
I am finding that as I am living in Australia local record stores are becoming more attractive as ordering anything from the states I am looking at frequently paying double or more the price of a record for postage. If it's off ebay maybe worse as sellers will jack up the postage to offset ebay fees. It's not quite as bad from Europe (excluding Italy of course) and Japan but bad enough. The trouble is there are many things that are never likely to crop up in an Australian store. There are new items that interest me but they mostly come from indie labels (who usually have their own sites) or through bandcamp.
Thanks for this insight, very interesting 👍
So…how do you feel about the new stuff? Thanks for the interesting insight about the nuts and bolts of running a vinyl shop.
Great content man. Hope one day I can visit your store
Thanks so much!
Long live Noble Récords!
🙏🙏🙏
Great video, very interesting to hear your perspective as a store owner. Owning a successful store is not for the faint of heart that's for sure. Also you crack me up, the staircase bit lol
Haha thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 🤣
In the 1980’s when lps were $8.99 the ma and pa store I worked at paid $5.98, unless it was a million dollar hit of the day and then it would be $5(pressing quality reflected-generally bad) and that would be Madonna, Brothers in Arms but that same CD was 14.99-15.99! CDs were ridiculous expensive. Only a 30-40% mark up and there were no used records….well just a few because we wouldn’t take them unless they were mint. Used records collections were bought for penny’s at second hand junk/antique stores where I bought my collection for $1 a piece. Never regretted it. But I only had 20$ extra a month I could spare. I didn’t go to bars.
Thanks for the video Dillon. very informative and interesting!
Do you have a preference in One Stops between Alliance, All Media, and Ingram? I remember the good old days of Baker & Taylor (who were AWESOME) but they decided several years ago to only handle library accounts.
Great stuff man. Thanks for taking the time to explain. People don’t get it. This is a good step in the right direction. Hopefully you get less flack from people moving forward.
One of the best Videos , geetings from Berlin Germany, thx
Thanks!!!
Thanks for making this video Dillon! Really appreciate it!
Thanks for watching! 🙏