Mre2007, congratulations on getting on the road with vinyl. eBay can be a good resource, but prices often can be bid way beyond rational expectations and you do have check out the seller before diving in too deeply. There are many good and reputable sellers with good classical stock on eBay, and a number who are clueless and/or unreliable. Look carefully at the feedback posted; also try emailing the seller and see how you feel about the correspondence.
My favorite sources of used classical vinyl over the years have been some of the fixed price sellers who post their lists of LPs for sale from time to time (usually monthly), or who maintain a searchable database of their inventory. Several with whom I've found great success over many years are:
Paul Hartin at Ars Nova,
Peter Fulop at Mikrokosmos,
The Classical Collector, and
Classic Choice (UK).
Be thoughtful about whether you are buying as a "collector" or buying for the music and/or sonics. There can be a vast difference in how you go about this depending on your orientation. As a primer, I encourage you to read some of the material Arthur Salvatore has posted on his web site about his own experiences chasing classical vinyl over the years looking for the best sounding version of given performances. Whether you ultimately agree or disagree with his perspective (and I do agree), Arthur's comments are worth considering.
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My favorite sources of used classical vinyl over the years have been some of the fixed price sellers who post their lists of LPs for sale from time to time (usually monthly), or who maintain a searchable database of their inventory. Several with whom I've found great success over many years are:
Paul Hartin at Ars Nova,
Peter Fulop at Mikrokosmos,
The Classical Collector, and
Classic Choice (UK).
Be thoughtful about whether you are buying as a "collector" or buying for the music and/or sonics. There can be a vast difference in how you go about this depending on your orientation. As a primer, I encourage you to read some of the material Arthur Salvatore has posted on his web site about his own experiences chasing classical vinyl over the years looking for the best sounding version of given performances. Whether you ultimately agree or disagree with his perspective (and I do agree), Arthur's comments are worth considering.
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