How Much Surface Noise is Too Much?

Ticks and POPS are (if the LP has been cleaned) usually visible before I even started. I inspect LPs carefully before I buy. If they have any visible scratches.. I pass.
If you hold an LP up to sunlight and angle it just right, you can see a shimmering, almost rainbow quality in the grooves, and any defect will become visible)
(I already threw away thousands of slightly scratched LPs when I moved)
The 6,000 I have now will suffice if I can't find ones worth buying.
The best place where I buy used (secret) I can return stuff for credit, for any reason (I do NOT abuse this). They try hard to NOT buy damaged vinyl. And if it has a scuff or whatever,(and they bought it because it is rare or in demand) they mark it down.
As for how much noise I will accept: I will not put up with a repeating tic for more than three tics, and only one like that per LP. 3 tics seems to be my limit. Surface noise from deeper scuffs (that grating sound) I will also tolerate for a few turns of the table, and only one such per LP. The vast majority of my LPs are quiet.. but being an old hand (since 1965, yeah, I am a really old bag.) at LPs, I can say I know what I want in LP playback.

Forgot to add: the clean looking LPs with the dreaded constant surface noise (cleaning often will not fix) are trash. please destroy them if they are not a rarity.

Elizabeth, I agree that the most annoying ones are the clean looking ones with constant noise, even after cleaning. Is there any way one can tell by looking at the grooves in sunlight whether this will be the case before buying?

"Forgot to add: the clean looking LPs with the dreaded constant surface noise (cleaning often will not fix) are trash. please destroy them if they are not a rarity."

Please do not do this! You may later find that you cleaning method was not sufficient and trashed many otherwise good (and irreplacebale) albums.

You also may find that a different stylus cut rides in a different part of the groove that is not damaged, ie Shibata, Geiger, Van Den Hul, Fine Line, vs. conical or elliptical.