So your interested in buying a bulk lot of records?  Well,  buyer beware!

Whether your buy 45s, LPs, 60's doo wop, etc...  it is important to check out your seller very well.  The large collection of 100+ records may not be as great as it looks.  Even though you can find some great deals with people liquidating their old record collections here on Ebay, a large portion of sellers are only reselling the unwanted records they have picked though.  The seller has already purchased that "great deal", picked out all of the hits and good records.  Now they are ready to sell you the left over junk.  Artists you have never heard of or good artists with bad songs. 

Before you buy, start checking the sellers feedback and purchase history.  Look to see if THEY have purchased large quanity lots of records in past few months.  If they have, then you can almost guarentee your getting the leftovers.  Your not going to be very happy when you start sorting though those records.

If you want to get those amazing finds, start looking for odd number quanity lots. If the seller has 43 or 72 records for sale, chances are they don't deal in vinyl regularly and don't have the extra records hanging around to make that nice round numbers of 50, 100 or 200.  Look for sellers that give vague descriptions like, "They all appear to be in good condition and most are still shinny".  Most people can visually judge the condition of a record fairly well.  Either it looks new (VG+, VG++, NM) or it has scratches or is dull in appearance.  Seek out auctions that have the old record carrying cases included.  Alot of times you can find 20-30 records in an old, worn carrying case.  Most of these finds are good little record collections. 

If you want to find the good lots and great deals, you are going to have to look deeper than the regular "lot of 100" auctions.

Even though I advise you to beware of the resellers, you must also approach the 1 time sellers with caution as well.  Take a look at the pictures, ask some questions, and make sure the records haven't been stored under the Atlantic Ocean for the past 30 years.  Just recently, I saw a really good deal on 200+ records for sale.  After closely examining the photos, I noticed the records were stacked up and layed out on the sellers concrete driveway.  I guess this was the closest place to snap some photos after he dug them out of the garage.  I decided really quick that I didn't want anything to do with that auction.  If he was going to treat records like that pre-sale, there was not telling what I was going to get after shipping. 

The average person handles a record with some care.  Most every knows the surface is fragile.  I also believe that the average person will take reasonable care when shipping vinyl.

When buying from a 1 time seller, be prepared to take a little risk.  Be prepared for the possible condition of the records.  At the same time, enjoy the scavenger hunt for a great find and quite possibly an all #1 hit collection.  That's all part of the fun.  You win some, you lose some but, you will probably be in better shape than buying 200 records that have been picked though. 

As always, if you are looking for a particular title, NM or mint condition; buy from a dealer who knows what they are doing.  Only an experienced pro is qualified to grade, handle and ship the song you first made whoopy to 30 years ago!

Have fun with your record purchases and don't be scared to take a chance.  I hope everyone has a fun and safe bidding.  Good luck, I'll be bidding too!