Originally Posted by
Barry
If LPs are not black vinyl, I won't touch them. 'Vinyl' (polyvinyl chloride) is transparent. The addition of carbon black makes it black (obviously!) and thus easy to cue tracks, and the carbon also greatly helps reduce problems with static.
Sales of CDs at boot sales are becoming more expensive - typically £1/ or occasionally 50p/, and they are often in poor condition. Whereas most charity shops now only charge 50p/, and as is becoming increasingly common: 4 x CD for £1, or 25p/. They are also in much better condition.
The charity shops in some of the more 'cosmopolitan' parts of London stock the most amazing variety of CDs. At 25p or 50p, one can afford to gamble and be introduced to acts and music that is new to you. Only rarely have I picked up a CD that didn't like.
Returning to LPs, boot sales are largely useless - the choice is poor, usually 'best ofs' and easy listening, and the condition of both the record and the sleeve is often poor. There are of course the traders, who armed with their Record Buyers Guide, sell their wares for high prices; largely irrespecive of condition. The best however are those record sellers who get their stock from house clearances - they sell LPs for much more reasonable prices, and the condition is always good.