From the phone call I made to the store about selling our entire record collection, to coming in and having an employee help us load our crates of records into the store, and chatting with the owner while he really took time to go through our entire record collection - it was the BEST experience. The shop is great, and the music they had playing was a bonus. He knows a lot about all genres of music and is kind to everyone who steps through the door. He was very fair on pricing. We couldn't have asked for a better experience! If you are looking to shop for records, this is THE place! read more

I'm really glad the owner responded to my post. His response proves that he's not only a miserable person, he's also a liar. I was in the store for 2 hours on Christmas Eve. If I had found more of what I was looking for, I would have purchased more. I'm attaching my receipt. Oh, and the "little dog" you're referring to is my service animal. Have a nice life, sir. I hope you seek counseling. Love, Karen read more

Record Recycler - Receipt - Music & DVDs Near Me - Torrance, California

Been to this shop a few times and it never dissapoints. There is a great selection and all records are fairly priced and well organized. Best place to buy vinyl in LA IMO. P.S Don't mind the negative reviews complaining about the customer service. The owner can be frank but there is nothing wrong with that. People are too sensitive nowadays read more

Nice selection, chill owner. You can listen to used records on their record player which is a must. Good prices

This record store has every genre of music. It is well organized to find one's favorite artist and to discover new albums. The vibe is low-key, so shopping here feels like an immersion experience in music possibilities. read more

Great selection at reasonable prices. Record quality exceptional. Very friendly and helpful owner.

What a perfect place to sell your vinyl. I am downsizing and I reluctantly needed to let go of my collection. The wonderful owner made this process interesting and fun. I would recommend this business for buying or selling. read more

This is a great little record store. It's very unassuming, I missed it the first time driving by. Once you get inside there is A LOT of good stuff. If you have the time to flip through everything, you will find some real gems. I found quite a few albums on my wish list. I easily could have spent about $300, but I had to hold back. I'm definitely coming back for more! read more

We had a really great experience at Record Recyclers yesterday. Brought in a very cherished, well cared for extensive vinyl collection that I was ready to sell but only to the right place. The owner & curator Roy was very nice & he took great care in reviewing each and every one of my 300+ LPS. Roy is extremely knowledgeable about all genres of music over many decades, and he offered me a very fair price. I now know that we definitely came to the right place. If you're thinking about selling your collection and you want a fair & knowledgeable assessment of it, or if you're looking to add to your own collection...Roy's the man & Record Recycler is the place to go! Period! read more

I dedicate my 600th review to... Record Recycler. Def 5 stars in my book. Very unassuming record store in Torrance. You'll drive right by it if you're not careful. Some street parking, otherwise park around back. The hubs and I couldn't spend hours here like we wanted to on "National Vinyl Record Day" (8/12/17). We had intended only to check this place out with our children in tow. Oh my... It is clear that only quality records are bought and sold here. I sampled a few that I already had intentions of buying. Clean records with no major issues. Plus most of them had brand new inner sleeves AND new polypropylene outer sleeves. We bought one that didn't have an outer sleeve and the owner unexpectedly put a new one on it. Many genres. Mostly 33s. There is a 45 section, but I never start there. I should because there are some real gems. Most of the 12" vinyl I drooled over ran anywhere from about $3 to $20. Cash or plastic accepted. 2017 Yelp Challenge 66/100 read more

Record Recycler - Lol... nah, nothin but love for this place (8/12/17) - Music & DVDs Near Me - Torrance, California

Great little record store. My son is into used Jazz, so we usually find some classics at a fair price. They also have new and used rock and jazz. They pack quite a bit in a small place. I think if any complaint is they cover all genres of music, but I'm not usually looking for everything under one roof. Just some original used rock, blues, and jazz vinyl at a fair price. read more

This record store is amazing! It's a hidden gem. It is very organized and has a very great selection and great albums from tons of artists. The prices here are phenomenal! Most of the records are at retail price or below. For example, we found "Stop Making Sense" by talking heads on vinyl. This is usually 70$ including shipping but here it was 40$! It was a steal we had to grab! I would 10/10 recommend! read more

Record Recycler - Billie Eilish Vinyl - Music & DVDs Near Me - Torrance, California

Just spent over an hour digging this shop. Pulled about 50 albums. Took them up front and asked the owner if he'd knock some $$$ off since I pulled so many. He looks at me coldly and says, "Who the fu** do you think you are." Ohhhhh k guy. Good luck to you. Needless to say I won't be returning read more

Just came from my first trip to Record Recycler. Didn't buy anything but I will be back often. Awesome little shop with lots of great records. I've driven by it hundreds of times and never noticed it...on Crenshaw right next to El Otro Amigo. Very happy to live close by. read more

I really like this place. Appreciate how it's bare-bones, all about records, selection is unique and I was surprised many times by what I found compared to what I've seen at other record stores, was also surprised by the slightly lower prices compared to what I see elsewhere. I also appreciate how all records come with an outer sleeve. The only area that I wish was better is the used records section. I believe it's only categorized by letter and genre, making it more difficult to find any particular artists you're looking for since there's a ton of them. I'll definitely go back though. read more

Great little store selling a wide variety of used and some new vinyl at affordable prices. Roy paid me a very fair price for my vinyl collection. He is knowledgable and honest about what will sell in his store, as he has decades in the business. He has two turntables with headphones set up so you can listen to anything you are interested in buying. I highly recommend Record Recycler. read more

Zero offense to the people who gave RR a bad review, but I didn't experience any of the "horrible" conditions they spoke of. The shop itself is awesome; tucked away in Torrance on Crenshaw, not packed or picked through, and a solid collection with very solid prices. It definitely requires some picking through (records are loosely sorted by genre and alphabet), but that's sort of the "joy of the hunt" for people who love record stores anyway. On my first visit yesterday I got two great Beatles records for 10 bucks total, an awesome blues compilation for under 5, the Last Waltz triple-vinyl for 5, and a Willie Nelson for a dollar. And Roy, the owner, was super nice and cordial. There was one other customer when i came in and Roy went out of his way to tell the guy he would cut him a discount if he spent more than $100; at another point, Roy politely tried to dissuade a record seller who called over the phone from coming in since her/his selection was small and Roy didn't want them to waste a trip. And he thanked me for coming in when I complimented his selection. Maybe these super-negative review people just don't "get" how awesome, underground record store gems tend to work, or the slightly eccentric people that both own and frequent them (myself definitely included). This is no Amoeba (which I love), and that reality carries big "plusses" in addition to some "minuses" (smaller selection, not much new stuff, etc.). I'm stoked to return and had no idea there was another great indy record store so close to me in Hermosa Beach. Viva Roy! read more

Record Recycler - Music & DVDs Near Me - Torrance, California

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Good selection and the records are all very well kept. Some new, but mostly used records at affordable prices. It's good to come across a store that focuses on records only. My only gripe is my girlfriend cleaned out all their used Prince albums before I could get to them, but, that's a personal matter. I will handle her at home. I picked up a few records and walked out a happy clam. read more

The store was totally clean and the records for sale were in amazing condition! Despite some of the negative reviews that I had read, I decided to come to this store to try to sell my records. I spoke to the owner several times prior to finally making out to his shop. Roy was very prompt about responding to the message I had left him. I actually called 2 or 3 times before making the trip over to Record Recycler, and each time I spoke to Roy. He was very helpful and polite and answered all of my questions. As far as my in-person experience visiting this store, I was very impressed right off the bat. The store was clean and well-organized, there was easy parking in the front and the back, AND the records for sale were in amazing condition! Most importantly, was the manner in which I was treated. I got to the store about 4:40 PM (and I believe this store closes at 5PM), so I kind of expected that I might be turned down on trying to sell my records since I had several (full) boxes and there wasn't going to be enough time to look through all the records.* But, to my surprise, when I arrived to Record Recycler, Roy graciously took the time to go through all of the boxes of records I had for sale, and he and another worker brought all of the boxes out from my car (so I did not have to lift one box!, making it effortless on my part!). Overall, I would say I had a 150% positive experience at Record Recycler and with my interactions with the owner, Roy. Thank you!! (*I had gone to another record store first one week before since it was closer to my house, but when I got there the owner of this other shop told me he didn't have enough time to look at my records and then basically shooed me out the door!) read more

Great store. The owner will pay you a fair price for records that you no longer need. If he can sell them he will pay you ; if he can't sell them he will tell you. He buys and sells at reasonable prices. Nothing on his shelves is overpriced. He is a fair man and puts good quality Lps and singles on display. I have always felt that I came away from that store well served. Take your Lps in and see what he offers. It will be fair. Remember most old records are not the records. read more

Great record store. No frills and no bs. Prices are great compared to other shops in the area. Roy is always playing something cool on the PA giving it a nice vibe. Used inventory is huge, spanning rock, jazz and soul, and there is a curated selection of new inventory as well. I appreciate how the new stock is separate from the used. There are dollar bins along the floor with some great bargains. I've been many times and have not yet been through all of the shelves. Every time I come in I find more to buy than I can afford. read more

By far the best shop I have been too. Very great selection, and great prices. I will be back. I'd advise you to check this place out definitely. read more

Record Recycler - Music & DVDs Near Me - Torrance, California

It's great place to be! I'm a beginner vinyl collector, and I like this store because the price is right. Not too pricey and friendly owner (Roy). read more

Good selection of records and reasonably priced compared to other area shops. However, the pandemic is still raging and the owner wasn't wearing a mask. His assistant was, but the assistant got a call while I was there saying he may need to go into quarantine. Also there weren't any disinfectant wipes or sprays available. With 528,000 Americans dead so far (more than twice the number of Americans killed in WWII), everybody needs to do everything they can to stop Covid-19, including Record Recycler. read more

Great exchange! I went into Record Recycler with about 30 albums. Met with Roy. He efficiently went through my stack and offered me a fair price for them. I was in and out the door with cash in hand in about 10 minutes. There were several shoppers in the clean store. Plenty of street parking. read more

The owners response to my first review proves my point. 3rd grade answer. This is the man that owns a business in sales. It was a simple answer to a simple question if you had the intelligence. I had the shitty attitude?? That is a flat out lie. I was a perpective customer looking for a person with knowledge about records not a person who was condecending and acted like a child. Looking at your past comments to your negative reviews only indicates that you are not capable of grasping the knowledge of good customer service. Awesome job Roy on making yourself look like an 8 year old again! read more

Been here many times. The stock does rotate slowly but if you have the time to flip through the bins, you will find the hidden gems. Prices are very reasonable for used, and pretty standard for new vinyl. read more

I hated this place. I went through several stacks and everything was either new and over priced or used and over priced. After a couple rows of browsing I gave up and left. Dudley's isn't too much farther away and has a much better selection, better vibes, and better prices. Hard pass on this place. read more

Having visited here three or four times now, I'm glad I wasn't scared away by the bad reviews. And the person who gave it a 3-star rating because they only sell records?? It's called Record Recycler, so I'm not sure what else you were expecting to find! I hate to tell you this, but this is my favorite place to buy records here in L.A. The combination of price and selection is just too good. I hate to tell you because I don't want you snatching the records I want if you get their first. The owner mostly keeps to himself - busy cleaning more awesome records to put out, no doubt. But when I have asked questions, he's been helpful. I always spend way too much money there because 95% of the time he has the exact albums I'm looking for. I'm one of those people who puts some album art on my walls and I inquired about what I could keep my records in if I actually wanted to play the ones with covers on the wall. He hooked me up with a few spare cardboard sleeves that he had. Stopped in again today and he gave me the scoop on some records that had just come in. I landed a Bowie album and several albums on my vinyl wishlist. Checked four more things off today. Every record I've purchased here has played well and been in great condition. I'm sure today's purchases will be the same. I'll be back...of course. read more

This is my spot... I used to live in the South Bay from 2005-2014. This place helped build my collection. It's a chill spot you can spend forever at and owner is chill. I would listen to every potential record I'd purchase and never felt pressured to buy or hurry up. Fast forward to last weekend... I'm in the south bay visiting a friend and I check to see if this place is still around... yes it was!!! If you want a place where you can spent a long time at, feel no pressure to buy and believe it or not have a decent conversation with the owner go here. The prices also can not be beat. read more

Record Recycler - Music & DVDs Near Me - Torrance, California

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Similar to another reviewer, I was accused of trying to steal/shoplift records by the owner (not sure what prompted him to make such an outlandish accusation, but I think it's because the guy is bat sh*t crazy). It's too bad I had such a terrible first experience at this store, because I really was enjoying the selection and prices before I was accused of theft! On a side note, I saw the owner at a local record convention a couple weeks later and he was again flipping out on some poor soul. Apparently, outbursts of paranoid delusion fueled accusations seems to this guy's M.O. I will never return to this store and I urge you to do the same, unless you enjoy getting chewed out and having false accusations thrown your way. read more

First of all, it smelled like bacon, outside and inside of the shop... I don't know why, but the smell of bacon wouldn't leave me alone, which is quite bothersome because I don't EAT bacon... but anyways... I bought 6 records for $27... In my book, that's AWESOME. The shop has a TON of vinyl, and you MUST dig through... don't give up, you WILL find some gems! His prices are really really good. The store is a little messy, could be organized a bit better, but stuff IS alphabetized, so that helps. If you're looking for something in particular, ask the fella, he seems to be pretty knowledgeable about his stock, he seems pretty nice too. I like that this place doesn't even LOOK like a record shop on the outside, makes you feel like you're apart of some special club or something. Hahaha Oh... CASH ONLY!!! read more

I've been going to record recycler for about 10 years. 95% of my record collection comes from this great used record store. I make my friends jealous of all the amazing finds i make. If you're a digger, this is the spot for you. If you like everything neatly organized with douchey music posters on the walls and store windows, some young skinny hipster kid working in the store with 2" ear plugs and tattoos, hipster kids hanging out then this is NOT the spot for you. This is a place for serious vinyl lovers.The best thing about this place are the prices! I've seen the same exact record go for about 50% more at amoeba and other records shops of the same vain. The owner (and sole employee) Roy is extremely knowledgable about music and is a super cool guy. He's turned me on to a lot of music and has suggested very cool records to me which I always end up buying. Once he gets to know you he'll start suggesting stuff to you. That's the kind of community you can't get at major record stores. I can't say enough great things about this place, I really can't. read more

I walked into this place the other day and was disappointed that they only have vinyl LPs. Its great for that but shops need to diversify. read more

I've been going to Record Recycler for about 3 or 4 years now and I can honestly say that this is my favorite record store. (And I've been to a lot) This is a bare bones store filled with used records with the lowest prices I've seen in any record store. You are going to have to invest some time in order to get the most out of this store. The records are loosely sorted, so you are going to have to dig. This is the kind of place that you should check in frequently, because awesome records come and go every day. There have been times when I've come in with money burning a hole in my pocket and I found nothing, and other times where I have to make an extra trip to the ATM. As far as the owner, I can't say I've ever seen him act out towards a customer. He speaks directly and I can see how he could come off as short. He is a very knowledgeable guy and if you can articulate your music tastes and interests, he can be a great asset. The reason why I like this record store is because it's just the one guy, and if you go in enough, he'll get to know you and your musical tastes. You won't find this at too many places around town. Bring cash! read more

This is the go to place for nice clean vinyl at a great price! Roy knows his music and is an og when it comes to vinyl. I purposely don't buy other places because I know I'm paying to much for something I will probably find here. His set up is tight I like the listing stations. Thanks Roy for staying true to the vinyl game all these years see you soon. read more

This is one of the last AND greatest record stores in the south bay area. if you can`t find a great deal and friendly and helpful service here i doubt you will anywhere else in LA. I call B.S on that last review. i could never see the owner Roy do anything like that. the only thing i agree with on that last review is the fact that it is a "no frills" store..... meaning it has great prices and things may not be that "organized" but that is part of the thrill of serious record hunting. Overall a perfect place to dig for records for hours with friendly service and possibly come out with a fat stack of rare and great records. read more

I can see how the owner's affect might put some off, but I think he means well. He joked with me about some of the rather terrible/hilarious yelp reviews and his detailed retorts. I saw a classical record that I wanted with no price. He looked it over and said $3.00, which I appreciated--I clearly wanted it, and he could easily have gouged me and charged me twice that, but he didn't. The prices are moderate. The selection is decently well curated; not all records are in great shape. read more

I'm stuck between 3 and 4 stars. I really respect the fact that this place has managed to stay open for business and glad this is one of the very few record stores in the area. BUT the organization is really poor, and usually there are boxes filled with records laying around, waiting to be put into the bins. Eh.. Doesn't really have a wide range of stuff, but if you do find something you like, it is usually really cheap!! Give it a go, see how you like it. It really seems to depend on when you go, or what type of music you're into. Definitely more rock/folk selections found here than jazz/r&b. read more

Updating becsuse my review barely showed all the records I got in 30 minutes, and I feel it was unfair: