Source
r/vinyl•
22masterkyle

Any Canadian vinyl collectors?

Just started collected and have 50 records: Some Chris Hadfield, Rush, David Bowie, Air Supply, Loverboy, Beach Boys, Failure, Abba, etc. I'm wondering, do you think that our prices are higher for records than buying them from the US? I have a suspicion, like most products, we are being overcharged for used and new records. I just paid $35 CAD for 8 records (Abba Greatest Hits, Elvis 2 record set, The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, etc.)

Posted Jan 13, 2016, 4:26 PM UTC · edited

230
klets•

The guy who owns the record store near me was complaining about the prices of new records so it's not just us who think it's high!

6
scottread1•

Yeah my local record store in Peterborough can't even afford a debit machine or POS computer. The owner says the margins on new records are razor thin, and he has to somehow compete with HMV.

Really sucks to be a low volume record store these days.

5
nmycon•

Bluestreak? I don't even bother anymore...

I moved here for uni 4 years ago and they had a decent punk selection (its grown larger over the hears). Back then most of the punk LPs were between $10-15.

Every September when I came back the same records would be sitting there with new stickers, priced $5 higher. There are now some records for $25+ that they used to have priced at under $15, not to mention you can still get them for $15 or less at HMV or Amazon.

I'm all for supporting local stores, but I'm not paying $10 more just to do so.

Haven't dropped in at all this year and doubt I'll ever go back.

2
scottread1•

Yeah Bluestreak exactly. the dude who owns it's a pretty cool guy and he helped me out and sold me my first TT.

When I was new to vinyl this subreddit wasn't very welcoming lol, but Tim was so I kind of think of the higher prices as being a tax for having someone local who knows his shit regarding turntables/amps and shit.

HMV might be cheaper, but they'll sell a newbie a Crossley and not think twice about it.

1
scottread1•

Yeah man we definitely get hosed, but that's pretty par for the course at this point.

CD's have always been more expensive in Canada than the US.

2
rusy•

I would say that CDs aren't actually that bad in Canada - at least within the past few years. I haven't paid more than 12.99 CAD for a new release at HMV in a long time. Take Bowie's new release - I can walk over and buy it for $12.99 right now. Looking at various American sites, the pricing for it looks like this:

Amoeba: 15.98 USD

amazon.com: 11.98 USD

Bestbuy: 9.99 USD

fye: 9.99 USD

2
scottread1•

hmm, and that's most likely in USD so you can argue that Canada has cheaper CD's at the moment.

So why is vinyl so much more? :(

1
dallasdude•

I imagine it's at least a little bit harder to get good used inventory in Canada. Doesn't help that your currency is in the crapper, $35 CAD is less than $25 USD right now.

2
Nikola_Badnjar•

I'm Canadian! Yay Canada! Anyways I do agree with you, but I have to say its all about finding a spot to get your albums. I live in Hamilton because i'm a student here and like once a month a guy comes and sells records. A lot of them are 10$ price range and I've bought most of my zappa from there and most of my doors albums from the guy. I don't like the price range as much.. but it's better than going to some local stores.. and if you live here you'd know which ones... and finding the same albums in a worse condition for like 30-40$.. for one... Strange days was 40$!!!! at this one place and I ended up picking my copy from this guy and paid 10$, its also really good condition. But you bring up an interesting point about being charged more than the US. My dad recently went back home (Serbia) and he said the records are really cheap and he'll bring back a bunch for me... turns out its even more expensive over there. I just think people rely to heavily on the online price of a condition and print that doesn't resemble the record being sold

1
22masterkyleOP•

It's ridiculous! Those 8 records for $35 are beat up. They work but you can hear the pop and cracks.

I'm not that far from Hamilton! Can you PM me his location and any other good record store locations? Do you find $10 a record to be a good value?

2
Nikola_Badnjar•

Hey yeah I think 35 for those in that condition are a little much but its what we deal with.. Ill send you his information when I get a chance :) (classes). where are you located roughly if you don't mind me asking?? But 10$ for something that is mint is not that bad, I mean depending on what it is right. It is also the vintage gear.. like Im having trouble finding a used player for a friend of mine.. which is kind of discouraging him which sucks.. But like its so weird to get excited when I see something priced that way that I know isn't right?? like what? In my opinion.. I think the "bubble" in a way will pass it just take time!

2
22masterkyleOP•

I bought a brand new Denon DP 300F for $344 + tax because our used vintage market is either none existant or overly priced. I'm originally from the Niagara region but I'm currently in Brantford. Very few good used spots.

1
Nikola_Badnjar•

Oh cool! let me know if you're ever in hamilton, Ill shoot you some locations! i'm trying to get vintage table myself in the area thats afordable.. but no luck yet

1
38-RPM•

The Canadian dollar being so low with the US exchange rate makes buying from the US un-economical. The local record shops have not adjusted much to the exchange rate yet so record are still affordable here, especially the used stuff. Unfortunately, everybody is raising prices because of the vinyl re-resurgence so $1 records from years ago are now $5 or $10. It's still a good deal since I have found brand new Jazz releases for $17 at London Drugs which equates to $11 USD!

I also live a few minutes away from Canada's biggest record store and they have like 1.2 million records so it's not worth going on ebay and discogs unless I really can't find something.

1
rusy•

I also live a few minutes away from Canada's biggest record store

Are you referring to Recordland?

1
38-RPM•

Yes. I usually go there at least twice a week. It's very unhealthy for my wallet.

1
rusy•

The wife and I visit your city occasionally and I always stop in. I also always have a panic attack that I'll be looking for something at the very back of one of the claustrophobic aisles and the whole place will go up in flames, but I won't be able to get out because there's some dude in front of me, so intently inspecting a copy of Toto - IV to see if it's VG or VG+ that he doesn't hear the screams or smell the smoke ;)

2
38-RPM•

Yeah I wish the place was bigger or the stacks were wider. Recordland is a place to go if you want to find out how it feels to be intimately close to other human beings and there is always somebody standing in the spot where you need to be to see what you are looking for so you hang out in the deserted soundtracks section for awhile to cool down waiting for people to clear out. I'm told only 300,000 records are in front so I really want to see the stuff in the warehouse behind that metal door. Al told me a few weeks ago that they had 200,000 records they were going to sell as $1 records but they had no room to display them.

1
deepestcreepestU-Turn•

Recordland? Canada is so much better than the US. Just to-the-point without all the fluff and BS. Please take me in!

1
BHMaloneyDenon•

As a Canadian who moved to the US, I can confirm that record prices in Canada are much much higher than in the US

1
DeuceSKSystemdek •

Yes. I am Canadian and I collect records. I did a weekly community radio show focusing on obscure Canadian music for 8 years.

The exchange rate and shipping from the US sucks right now. I find if I go to the right shop and consider the exchange, record prices are nearly the same as when I visit the US. Mail order is a different story.

I also seek out used records constantly and I refuse to pay the high prices that some vendors ask. Usually they are clueless greedy dorks with a 1970s collector guidebook mentality and they rarely have good records anyway. They seem content to fleece the new and unaware.

Sorry OP, someone hosed you $35 for sub-8 bucks worth of records. That's not a geogrphical phenomenon.

1
slavikccPro-Ject•

I'm Canadian as well and have been collecting records for quite a while now. I noticed that records have jacked up in price over the past years, which I recalled seeing Pink Floyd's The Wall and other classic rock LP's for between $5-$8 each at various record stores from say back in 2005-2006 and is now up to $12 to $20. Finding cool LP's in bargain bins and thrift stores are much far fewer and far between as well, and it consists of junk records like the countless Loverboy, Saga, Herb Alpert, and Barbara Streisand records. Sadly, I don't think I will ever find Skinny Puppy LP's and singles for $2 each ever again.

Even worse is our currency exchange rate between USD and CAD, which is continuing to drop (down to $1CAD = $0.69USD at the time of this post), so ordinary consumers, like us, are obviously paying a lot more now. Paradoxically, American tourists who are shopping in Canada will have a field day with buying records now, so this is good news for record stores to continue to sustain themselves.

1
evileyeballTechnics•

Me too

i have Troopers discography

Loverboys first five albums

Everything from PRiSM up to the point of Ron Tabak Dying.

Allmost all of Streetheart

Some Guess who

Rush

April wine

Steppenwolf

Martha and the Muffins

1
sink_or_swim_Kenwood•

Last night I got six Neil Young records (all good shape and original Canadian presses) for $60 CAD. I was super excited about this because Neil Young records are normally hard to find here (Toronto) and expensive when you do find them.

1
inaptitudeThorens•

I'm Canadian, actually Ottawatian. We are truly blessed here in our city's capital to have around half a dozen great record store. Record Centre, Vertigo, Birdman Sound, Compact Music (x2), Legend Records....

1
22masterkyleOP•

Lucky! If I could only stop at one place, what would it be? I'm thinking of spending valentine's day with the misses in Ottawa.

1
inaptitudeThorens•

Record Centre in Hintonburg is by far my favourite. Great shop, nice owners and good prices. Also lots of vintage equipment.

Vertigo is the largest in terms of volume, both used and new. Birdman Sound is great in terms of finding obscure bands, both old and modern. The only one I'd skip is Legend as they price their stuff between 5 and 20 dollars more than anywhere else (and I've found the condition of their records suspect).

2
soulsellerTechnics•

When you consider the exchange rate and shipping, US prices are generally higher, and some European prices are lower.

I live on the east coast and our local prices are generally higher than what I can order records for.

Half the fun for me is scouring for decent prices.

1
thodelifeRega•

Burlington Collector here. We are getting destroyed by Warner...

1