Kinda ticked off after talking to a guy at the flea market last Saturday

I ran into this older dude who's been hitting garage sales for like 40 years. He was going on about how I should never pay more than a dollar for any vinyl record, no matter how rare. I laughed it off at first but then he pulled out a stack of original pressings he got for fifty cents each. Suddenly my $8 copy of a Beatles album felt like a total rip-off. He said the trick is to go to sales in rich neighborhoods where people just want stuff gone. It hit different because I've been overpaying for years without even thinking about it. Made me wonder how many other things I've been paying too much for at thrift stores. Anyone else ever had a random stranger make you rethink your whole approach to bargain hunting?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_thomas4d ago

Honestly I think some of you take this way too seriously. It's a flea market, not a stock exchange. Who cares if you paid $8 for a Beatles record? If you wanted it and you had the money, then it wasn't a rip off. That old guy sounds like he's been doing this so long he forgot it's supposed to be fun, not a competition. Also, going to rich neighborhoods just to save a couple bucks on someone's used junk feels a little desperate to me. Ngl, I'd rather pay a little extra and not have to drive across town for some dusty books and records.

the_wyatt4d ago

Whoa hang on, rich neighborhoods ain't always the golden ticket. I tried that for a while and half the time the rich folks either have estate sale companies running the show or they want top dollar because they think their junk is fancy. The real sweet spot is middle-class suburbs where families are moving or downsizing. Those people just want the stuff gone quick and don't have the energy to price everything high. Don't let one old timer's fifty-cent score make you feel bad about your Beatles album though, sometimes you just pay for the convenience of finding it.

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scott.drew4d ago

I read somewhere that the real trick is going on the last day of estate sales after they mark everything down.