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Author
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Topic: Is Ebay Killing Records Stores?
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LearningCurve
Punk Posts: 43
Registered: May 2002
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posted 12-06-2002 06:52 PM
  
It seems I can find more hard to find records on ebay then by spending a day hitting my favorite stores. I am even guilty of selling some hard to find records on ebay for top dollar. Am I part of the demise? IP: Logged |
DWITT
Punk Posts: 141
Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 12-06-2002 07:07 PM
Yes. Knock it off.------------------
"Excellent Cartoonery" IP: Logged |
trailerdiva
Punk Posts: 576
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 12-06-2002 07:25 PM
One of the best that recently called it quits:Yesterday and Today Records was started in September 1977 by Skip Groff. Over the years, we became involved with many of the Washington DC punk/alternative groups, including producing many of the early Dischord bands,,including Minor Threat / SOA / Teen Idles,as well as The Slickee Boys and Black Market Baby. Over the years the store accumulated more than 1,000,000 45's and close to 50,000 LP's and CD's. Though new items arrive everyday,the store will be closing at the end of 25 years on September 30,2002. Skip and Kelly Groff will continue to service your vinyl needs through mail order,eBay,and local record shows. Sidenote: an article in Alternative Press about the place said that Henry Rollins used to work here to get the discount and the owner told him he was such an asshole that he should front a band. [This message has been edited by trailerdiva (edited 12-06-2002).] IP: Logged |
Reno
Punk Posts: 1460
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 12-06-2002 07:49 PM
Selling stuff on ebay is kinda like making a deal with the devil. On one level, it's the only way some small store can stay afloat at all, but on the other hand it's the very thing that may eventually kill them. They try to protect their franchise, by disallowing stores to list their web URLs in the listings, 'cos god forbid you sell anything they don't get a cut of. Any problems with sales or listings cannot be resolved by contact with anyone at ebay (in fact, I challenge you to try to contact a human being....you can't). Any issues must be resolved by wading through dozens of multiple choice questionaires, ending in an automated response.It's funny how "not rare" a lot of stuff is. Looking for an ultra scarce set of James Dean cufflinks? MIG fighter jet? Ming Dynasty vase? If there's two of anything in the world, one is bound to show up on ebay if you wait long enough. Kinda takes the fun outta collecting in a way. It's cool to get stuff you want, but if filling your want list is only a matter of maxing out a Visa card in a single afternoon. IP: Logged |
The Artful Dodger
Punk Posts: 858
Registered: May 2002
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posted 12-06-2002 07:52 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LearningCurve:
It seems I can find more hard to find records on ebay then by spending a day hitting my favorite stores. I am even guilty of selling some hard to find records on ebay for top dollar. Am I part of the demise?
Yeah, you are...but I'm not sure it's really a bad thing. Take the example that trailordiva made for instance; now, even more people will have access to those LP's from that store.
I used to love walking down to The Music Factory when I was a little weenie and buying albums--record stores are great! But now, I can have access to so much more via the internet and Ebay. Change isn't always bad, and young people and urban hipsters will just find a new place to congregate and talk about music and stuff--like TCPunk  [This message has been edited by The Artful Dodger (edited 12-06-2002).] IP: Logged |
DWITT
Punk Posts: 141
Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 12-06-2002 08:26 PM
The problem being you need a computer and a credit card, instead of two feet and a fist full of cash.
it's good(business) and bad(society). The more it encourages people to do everything from the privacy of their homes, the worse society as a whole will end up. We're social creatures, the world's a scary place, get over it and get out there and see it, don't order it online.
With that, I'm signing off and going out.------------------
"Excellent Cartoonery" IP: Logged |
Patti Pagan
Punk Posts: 1401
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 12-06-2002 09:53 PM
But what about indie stores that sell on eBay? I've bid & bought from both Ernie November's in Rapid City & St. Paul's Root Cellar on eBay. I also hit 4 used record stores in person when I was in Nashville last weekend as well as regularly patronizing indie stores, not to mention the record sales on the first Saturday of the month record sales at the Lyndale VFW. I do prefer to shop in person though. IP: Logged |
The Artful Dodger
Punk Posts: 858
Registered: May 2002
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posted 12-06-2002 10:14 PM
quote:
Originally posted by DWITT:
The more it encourages people to do everything from the privacy of their homes, the worse society as a whole will end up. We're social creatures, the world's a scary place, get over it and get out there and see it, don't order it online.
Oh, I don't know about that.. my INBOX is full of invites from TCPunkers to do all kinds of social-creature types of things--things I wouldn't have done had it not been for the internet. I guess my point is, change is like the tide, you can fight it all you want, but you can't stop it, nor should you always try. So record stores go the way of the buggy whip. Sad, to be sure, but rather than cling to the past, we should embrace the future and look at the opportunities that are created.Surf the tide, bro. IP: Logged |
Fry
Punk Posts: 509
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 12-07-2002 03:15 PM
I dunno, I like to do stuff in person, be it social interaction or buying records.I doubt most of you prefer drinking at home visiting TCPunk to going to a bar. IP: Logged |
J.Free
Punk Posts: 139
Registered: May 2000
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posted 12-07-2002 06:11 PM
I understand being on both sides of this issue. However, eBay isn't the only option people have for tracking down rare stuff online, it's just the most well known - a case of brand recognition, if you will. I'm currently back to auctioning off my CDs on eBay, after trying several times to run my own private, non-fee-based, auction pages. Most of the feedback I heard from people who checked out my DIY approach to auctions, had to do with their reluctance to deal with a lesser known merchant. Apparently, a lot of people believe that there is some kind of security in a transaction that takes place on eBay (I personally disagree, but that's based on my own experiences, both as a seller and as a buyer).If I could take this stuff over to any used CD shop in town and get the same money, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I've worked in retail music stores before, and I understand where they have to keep their budget at a certain level. Fine, I respect that. Now that I've been auctioning through eBay again, I'm actually selling things, so my perception of economic need is dictated by that, I'm afraid. I have bills to pay, and this is providing me with enough cash to pay them. I think the only alternative to what people rightly perceive as a "corporate" approach, would be to establish something in the way of actual competition, but I just don't think the economy is strong enough to support such a thing right now, and it's every man for himself. IP: Logged |
J.Free
Punk Posts: 139
Registered: May 2000
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posted 12-07-2002 06:15 PM
And, I do prefer drinking at home over going out to a bar. Part of that's economics as well, part of it is selection, part of it is ambience. Bars are generally annoying, but it seems I have to spend a lot of time in them, in order to see bands.  IP: Logged |
Felix Havoc
Punk Posts: 1629
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 12-08-2002 02:19 AM
I used to go to yesterday and today in the early 80's. But last few years it hasn't been a very good store. I mean, there was no one there up on current music. He just sold rare and collectible stuff on ebay and used the store like an office/warehouse. Record stores will continue to do fine if they have a good staff who know music, get what the kids want and provide other things you can't get on line. Ebay has skewed record collecting but I don't see it as a challenge to retail for new releases. It does suck most of the high end stuff out of the collector market, but how big a proportion of store sales is that anyway? Retail is mostly new release driven. The rare is stuff is nice when you get it, but the demand is so much greater than the supply it's a tiny part of most stores sales. IP: Logged |
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