Where to Find Cheap Vinyl Records, According to Collectors & Enthusiasts

Vinyl is the best way to listen to music but it’s also the most expensive way too.

That’s because a lower level of demand for vinyl combined with high production costs means that it’s more expensive to supply vinyl.

However, with our guide, you ought to be able to find plenty of cheap vinyl that will keep you happy without breaking the bank. 

A Quick Guide To Vinyl Grading

The better the quality of the vinyl, the more you’ll pay.

A mint-rated item is one that is in the same condition as the day it was made and as you work your way down the grading scale the more that starts to be wrong with it.

However, it is only Fair and Poor rated vinyl that tends to have significant playback/audio quality issues – the rest tends to refer to packaging condition. 

• Mint (M) rated
• Near mint (NM) rated
• Very Good+ (VG+) or Excellent (E) rated
• Very Good (VG) rated
• Good (G) rated
• Fair (F) rated
• Poor (P) rated

Unfortunately, the pandemic seems to have seen off many of our former favorite online vinyl record stores and marketplaces but there are still some bargains to be had if you know where to look.

Amazon

Amazon makes life easy if you want to buy second-hand gear.

It’s usually provided under a warranty from Amazon that makes it simple to trust that you’ll get what you’ve ordered.

They also ensure that shipping and handling tends to be good value for money. 

Amazon makes it super clear what grade of item you’re buying and they’re really good at making sure that you get what you pay for.

Check out Amazon here.

Craigslist

Craigslist can be the perfect place to find incredible bargains when it comes to buying vinyl but it’s also a great place to get ripped off too.

We have some simple rules for using Craigslist – you have to be able to see and check the merchandise before you pay for it (we’d recommend that you meet somewhere with a working vinyl deck for this). 

Because once you’ve paid for something, caveat emptor. 

Check out Craigslist here.

Discogs

The Discogs database is a crowdsourced marketplace for music and it offers one of the most ridiculously large collections in the world (over 20 million items!). 

That means it’s the world’s biggest single market for vinyl enthusiasts and while you may get a better price somewhere else, you can’t beat them for selection or convenience. 

Their database is also really handy for researching records that you’ve bought elsewhere – they track over 7 million recordings and more than 4 million artists!

Check out Discogs here.

Dusty Groove

This is a smaller, more specialist outfit which still carries a bunch of awesome tunes, particularly if you like funk and rare groove (though they do carry a huge range). 

Our only complaint is they often seem to have more brand new vinyl in stock than used and that means slightly higher than average pricing. 

Check out Dusty Groove here.

Ebay

Ebay is a great way to buy cheap vinyl, you can get real bargains in bidding wars and their PayPal protection means you get what you paid for or you get your money back.

You can’t go wrong even if their user interface is a bit clunky by 2021’s standards. 

Check out Ebay here.

Whatever your tastes, the selection above is the perfect range of online outlets to buy inexpensive vinyl records from. 

Why not pick something up today? Get spinning!