[78-L] Rare 78's for sale on E-Bay

[Steven C. Barr]

From: "Kurt Nauck" <nauck at 78rpm.com>
> I found 3 records of interest from this seller. Two of them were 
> interesting but unimportant labels that were priced at $9.99. I 
> selected Buy it Now and paid with my credit card. Then a little while 
> later I got a message saying that they were not available. He has not 
> answered my email.
> Chances are, had I not been a well-known dealer the transaction would 
> have gone through without a hitch. I remember the time that a bunch 
> of us at the ARSC conference in KC went to the local record store 
> where we spent a couple of hours picking out records. My pile was 
> little different from anyone else's pile, and none of us found 
> anything to write home about. None of the records were priced, but 
> when people went to check out, they were charged around $1-2/record. 
> When my turn came, the owner said, "Gee Kurt, I'll have to price 
> these tonight - come back in the morning." Knowing exactly what was 
> up, I returned the next day and we sat down to go through my 
> "treasures." Not a single record was under $10, and some were over 
> $50. "The prices are negotiable," he graciously told me. I responded 
> by saying that any negotiation would be pointless. I pulled out a 
> single record that had been hanging on his wall (a small Flexo disc 
> that had been pre-marked $20) and told him that that would be the 
> extent of my purchases.
> Such experiences come with the territory - wow, if Kurt wants this, 
> it must be really valuable!
> 
Point being that anyone who is aware of your operation knows that
your minimum bid is $3 and that you are looking to make a profit
on the records you purchase...so any record you want must be worth
AT LEAST $2.50...?! I would guess that, other than yard and estate
sales, the days of your buying "cheap" 78's are past! Your own fault?!
> Of course, there are other dealers who are delight - Larry Holdridge, 
> Tom Smith and Tom Hawthorn immediately spring to mind. Or the late 
> Jim Hadfield or Rick Whiting.
> And some dealers who might have been a little ornery or idiosyncratic 
> (like me, probably), but were still a real pleasure to deal with. 
> (Larry Mason & Morty Savada)
> 
Ah...the late Jim Hadfield! I used to make annual (or less) trips across
the river to buy 78's therefrom; he also knew that I collected Grey
Gull items...and found me my "Radiex promo record" announcing
that Radiex records (Radiaces?!) were now electrically recorded. IIRC
he charged me $3 for it! I have often wondered what happened
to his barn(s?) full of 78's...?

These days, 78's are rarely sold at yard sales and/or thrift stores...
and the few which are are all too often OVERpriced (Hey, these are
really old...they must be worth BIG $$$?!) This is why I generally
buy "job lots" of "leftover" 78's from dealers...usually for a dime
or less per disc...?!

Steven C. Barr