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With today's high CD prices, used provides good value, with a money back guarantee for unplayable discs. More music for less moneyhow can you lose?
Some folks have to hear the sound of the plastic wrap snapping off every time they get a new disc, while others just want to save some dough. Do used CDs find their way into your collection?
With a new baby in the house and car loans, I always look for "loose wrap" CDs at my local store. Also I'll only buy the latest remastered version. I bought the expanded version of Bob Marley and The Wailers "Live" at the Lyseum used for $7.
Where I live, I have a great selection of used CDs. I can usually get what I want by waiting a week or two after a release. On that note, I remember a time shortly after CD audio arrived where I could get CDs at an average price of $11.99. The recordings appeared to be better (I listened to rock mostly) because they didn't have the life compressed out of them by some producer mixing for his kid's boombox. Now I step into my local retailer (who shall remain nameless)only to see the prices of new CDs "towering" to $18.99. Well one thing can be said about the recording labels, they probably don't have to cook their books to show increased revenues!
The price of new CDs is ridiculous. The only times I buy them are: 1)If I absolutely cannot find the CD I want used (Typically, it takes months of looking before I come to this conclusion), 2) They are on sale in the $10 price range, or 3) it's a CD that I absolutely MUST have right now and I therefore don't care about the price (rarely happens).
It depends, I used to live near a great used store in DC. I haven't found a similar store in NY, but I never had any problems with discs I bought, and the price allowed me to try bands I never would have bought new. Especially not at $18 a pop. I would buy new over used at $10-12 for new discs, but those days are gone unfortunately.
Used is the way to go to find the hard-to-find titles that are either out of print or never released in the US. This way I bought CDs by Icehouse, Chris de Burgh, Don McLean, among others. For favorites, I buy on the day/week of release; for price, I buy from the club.