Thanks for checking out avenue player records. If you’re just looking for my inventory and don’t care about history, shipping, etc., go here.

History: I’ve been peddling music since 1990, including a 5 year stint at the now defunct Home Of The Hits in Buffalo, NY in the early to mid ‘90s. Home Of The Hits specialized in indie rock, punk, hardcore, and other left of the dial type stuff an

d was an institution for the local indie/punk scene. avenue player records has been up and running since January 1999, primarily on eBay, but I’m now in the process of moving my inventory over to The Record Ranch, which is cheaper and more geared towards record junkies. It’s a one man operation, and like all the record stores I’ve ever worked in, I’m not getting rich off of it. It does, however, keep me from loitering in other people’s record stores and re-filing their misfiled records and straightening their racks.

Stock: The store’s focus is primarily on the non-commercial: indie rock, punk, hardcore, electronic, avant-garde, prog, jazz, soul, etc. Everything has a buy-it-now price, except for the more hard-to-find/rare CDs and vinyl which are auctioned. If you’re looking to buy out of print CDs, you’ve come to the right place, as it is my specialty. There’s also plenty of vinyl to rummage through.

Grading, descriptions, etc.: For CDs, all CDs I sell come complete with all of the artwork unless otherwise noted. Naturally, I take great care in accurately describing all flaws to the discs and artwork. Normally, I don’t sell anything that looks like someone took a cheese grater to it. I do not grade jewel cases, unless they aren’t completely interchangeable (i.e., digipaks or some other proprietary packaging). For normal and not so normal CDs in jewel cases, all cracked parts are replaced with the same type of case (I even have replacement Rykodisc and Mobile Fidelity jewel cases on hand). I do use eBay’s pre-filled item descriptions. HOWEVER, I note any discrepancies in that information in my own description. Also, I will always note if CDs are record club pressings, promos, etc. If you still are unsure about something, please feel free to ask.

For LPs and 7” singles, I use Goldmine’s grading guidelines with an extra grade in between VG+ and NM:

Mint (M):  Absolutely perfect in every way -- certainly never played, possibly even still sealed. Should be used sparingly as a grade, if at all.

Near Mint (NM or M-):  A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this, implying (perhaps correctly) that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. An LP jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any other noticeable similar defect. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. Basically, an LP in Near Mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap.

Very Good Plus-Plus (VG++): A bit less wear than VG+, but with a flaw or 2 more than acceptable to be called NM. The record will have only a couple of very light signs of wear at the most - maybe a sleeve scuff or a light spindle mark. The jacket will have only minimal ring wear, sharp corners. No splits and/or very little to no edge wear. All in all, it’s a well taken care of record.

Very Good Plus (VG+):  A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and

otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight ring wear, lightly turned-up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP jacket may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount. In general, if not for a couple minor things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.

Very Good (VG):  Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as will light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all these problems at the same time, only two or three of them.

Shipping: I take great care to make sure that your purchase arrives safely. All CDs are shipped in padded bubble mailers. All vinyl is shipped in cardboard vinyl mailers with cardboard squares for padding. All records come in plastic sleeves with the record removed from the jacket to avoid splits in transit. My shipping prices are very fair and I discount whenever possible for multiple item purchases. Just contact me for a quote beforehand. I normally ship your purchase within 24-48 hours of payment. Please note, this is not my full time job, so every now and then it may take 72 hours to get your purchase shipped. If time is of the essence, please let me know so we can work out a plan. All buyers receive a confirmation email once their order is shipped.

Buying: I am always looking to buy both vinyl and CDs. if you are looking to sell your collection please contact me here. I pay a fair price.

Check out my store at The Record Ranch!