One of our favorite things to do is collect records! It was my first time here and my bf has been coming here for years. LOVED the vibes in here and so much to sift through! This place has personality and a nostalgic charm to it. They are a brick and mortar store that has been in business since 1988. They sell every genre of music both online and in store. Besides music they sell electronic equipment-guitars, Cds, Tapes, 78's, 45's, DVDs, video games, comic books, collectibles. Anything you pick up and later change your mind leave on the floor or at the counter so it can be placed back accurately. There aren't prices on them so they'll tell you the price when you ask. | September 13, 2025 | read more

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NO - absolute worst service ever. They take advantage of you both ways - buying and selling records. Like everyone says - no price on records. They look you over then give you a jacked up price. They told me all records are $25 or $35 dollars - I bought one, guess what $35. I wanted sell them about 100 records - their offer $18. What a freakin joke they are. The one-eyed man is especially charming. Told me I am wasting his time, "what are you going to hover over me", what a cranky curmudgeon. Buy or sell your records in San Mateo - well worth the drive. read more

It is an impressive collection this Record Man has acquired, however it's not that easy looking through the 1000's of records with the setup he has. Weird pricing too, looks like he will check the internet before coming up with a price. D: read more

I did not read the Yelp reviews before coming here but definitely should have. As others have pointed out, the store layout is quite confusing -- there are multi-story packed shelves of old records and you need a ladder to view the upper shelves. It can be challenging to figure out where each genre is housed. I had to ask the gentleman at the front desk where to find classical records; it turned out they were at the neighboring Planet Mix store. The records are not individually priced. When I visited today, I was told all records cost $15-30. I'm not sure how the gentleman got his pricing, but I was quoted $28 each for vintage, very lightly used pressings of the Pet Shop Boys' "Please" and "Actually". While in store, I tested parts of both on the store's record player (which had a very heavy stylus) and the sections I thought looked scratched/scuffed played through nicely, so I thought the pricing was reasonable. When I got home and cleaned the records, however, I discovered a scratch on "Please" that caused audible pops and some skipping. I'd maybe have offered to pay $10-15 if I'd caught this in store, but certainly not $28 which is how much I've paid for brand new, flawless pressings. My lesson is certainly learned not to skip the Yelp reviews! I will stick to my old friend Streetlight or try another shop next time. read more

Here all the time. Great store with a vast selection, good to spend lots of time in. Prices are a bit high, but they don't vary much so just search for what you really want. However, I strongly discourage all from trying to sell records here, they offer absurdly low prices for records no matter how good the condition. read more

Huge selection of records. All staff are incredibly helpful and welcoming. Going in my first time I was given a tour of the place and shown to the exact genre of records I was looking for. Left with good records and knowledge on speakers. This place will get my business as long as I'm in the area read more

Came back here after a long while and it was a mediocre experience. As others have mentioned mentioned, the store boasts a massive collection of vinyls, but the store is very hard to shop given the tall 6row bookshelves chock full of vinyls, with one measly stepladder to go around for each part of the store. Many of the albums are unsleeved and have extensive spine and sleeve damage from people who don't know how to properly care for vinyls rummaging the shelves (I don't exactly blame them), and yet the employee there will still claim they are in "nearly new" condition. I came in and found Tina Turners "live in Europe 88" album on 2xLP and even though there was a stain on the front cover the discs played pretty well so I was ecstatic to add it to my collection. I shared with the "old kook", as another customer called him, my enthusiasm for finding this album on vinyl that I thought had been lost to the vestiges of time. I waited for a response before realizing that he had no intention of responding. Idk if he was judging my taste in music or what, but what's there to judge regarding the Queen of Rock n Roll? If he doesn't care to make conversation with a paying customer and would rather talk to his dogs lol, then he should stop running a business. I hate saying this about an independent record store, but I won't be back. Can find better rare vinyls without the attitude online. read more

What a hidden gem!! Never been there! Angela THANK YOU! Lovely talking to you.. a woman full of musical knowledge! Great store.. you HAVE to visit it.. tons of vinyls read more

Encountered rude, cursing little boys running the back store who were too busy playing video games to properly run the back store. Old kook in the main store would not acknowledge me, I finally pulled out of him that he just works there and that the owner had gone home. This guy would sell classic, collectables etc heavily if he only chose the right cordial staff and be realistic about prices. read more

Visited for the 1st time yesterday. The woman that greeted me was great as she showed me around explaining how their huge inventory of used albums are organized. Overwhelming amount of vinyl for sure. Organized like books on TALL shelves. They provide 6' ladders to get to the top 2-3 rows. Very difficult to shop. Nothing is sleeved so many have spine / cover damage. Also, nothing is priced but she told me majority avg. in the $10-15 range. I found two albums I was interested in and Discogs had them at $25 and $15. The woman had left so I worked with an older man who was very unfriendly. He priced them both at $24.95. I shared what I researched and found on Discogs but he said he bases pricing with his own methods. Had zero interest in negotiating. I took the one that matched the Discogs pricing. I won't be back. read more

The Record Man is located in Redwood City. I've been to this record shop many times. It boasts over a million records -- Rock, Jazz, Soul on the ground level, Country, Vocalists on the 2nd floor, just to reference a few genres. They also have CDs, video games, and 45s in the back. The owner/staff are very engaging and helpful. They were having a BOGO sale over the weekend, so I went to check it out. I could spend hours just looking at the records. They offer turntables so you can listen to the records. Worth checking out if you are into vinyl. read more

My sons and I had an awesome time visiting The Record Man last weekend. The selection was fantastic, and the kids found some great albums. The proprietor was super friendly and helpful, and he very kindly gave my older son two books on tape with our purchase. We will definitely visit again next time we are in town. read more

The Record Man - New records section at The Record Man - Music & DVDs Near Me - Redwood City, California

I made a trip to the Record Man and let me tell you...I probably won't be going back. They do have a ton of records and the person who directed me was nice. However the pricing is ridiculous! How can anyone charge between $20 - $30 on records that should be in the dollar bin? I put half my records back when they gave me the total. I love to support Mom & Pop stores but when the pricing is unreasonable I can't bring myself to do it. Case in point, they were going to charge me $25 for a later year Wes Montgomery record that I put back. I went to Rasputin the next day and it was in the $1 bin. The annoying thing is there are no prices on the records until you get to the counter. read more

You can go home again. Most of my allowance and early high school part time jobs was spent here between 1994-1999. At the time is was a lot of records but I was more focused on CD's. A few weeks ago I was reminded of this gem of a store along El Camino and now that vinyl is all the rage I was craving a visit. As fate had it, despite a long absence from the town of my birth I found myself unexpectedly traveling home and I made sure to drop in. The only staff member I know by name is Gary. I didn't see her, but whomever the woman is who has worked there forever was there. I'd say it was nice to see a smiling face but the mask she had on blocked it (I know it was behind there). After I shared it had been 20+ years since my last visit she kindly offered me a tour of the store and mentioned that CD's etc were in the back building (it will always be The Record Man Annex to me). I could have spent hours here but time was limited. For me the highlight was buying War by U2 on vinyl. Not a huge U2 fan these days but I remember buying this compact disc there Freshman year of High School. If I am going to buy a U2 record in 2021, you know it has to be special and now it will forever be exactly that. Thank you Record Man. You have fantastic staff, a fantastic collection of vinyl that is overwhelming in the best possible way. Please hit me up when you open up a much needed 'annex' in Los Angeles. read more

I drove by this place the other day on my way to another business in Redwood City. My wife noticed it actually, and I as I do collect vinyl, I looked it up right away. The first thing that struck me is there is absolutely no way to order online! I mean, why even have a website? But reading the reviews, I see now why you can't buy online: nothing is priced, and it seems like the pricing is arbitrary depending on the mood of the owner. Those reviews saved me a trip as I can tell already I do not agree with no pricing. Sounds like a waste of time and aggravation. Even though you won't be getting my business, I give you 4 stars for staying in business and sharing a love of vinyl! read more

I've been coming to the record man since I was really little and I've always enjoyed the atmosphere and the amount of records video games movies and comics this place is amazing if you have the time to sit there and browse you will find a lot of great titles The staff is always very friendly and helpful . read more

Okay, let's clear one thing up. This isn't Barnes and Noble. Records are not in shrink wrap with prices tagged on them. This is a place to come to find those hard-to-find gems you have been looking for and want to make sure you get the copy in the condition you are paying for. I have purchased many records from this store. Most of my purchases are for a fair priced based on what Discogs and Ebay is selling the records for. Sometimes I overpay a bit for some other times I get a great deal. The bottom line: You don't have to buy the record if you don't want to pay the price. Anyway, here are some tips if you are visiting the Record Man store: 1. Know what you are looking for. Do your research. Know what the going FAIR price is for the LP. Don't just go to Discogs and get the cheapest price. Look at the sales history and look at the median price. Some records have gone up in value since the last listed price. Don't assume you will be buying the record for $2. 2. Know that most records there will be anywhere from $18 - $50 depending on the record. Jazz records will be anywhere from $25 - $60. This isn't a flea market. You are not going to buy any Sonny Rollins for $3! 3. Tell yourself "what is the most I want to pay for this record?" and stick to it. 4. Don't be afraid to negotiate. Especially if you are buying several LPs. BUT, don't be disrespectful! If they ask $28 for an LP, don't offer $10. That isn't going to go well for you. Make a reasonable offer. 5. Know that record collecting is a very expensive hobby. If you only want to spend $3 for a record that is in demand, collect bottle caps. This hobby isn't for you. I have stuck to my points and have walked out with some real great gems. I exam the records and look at the dead wax to make sure I am getting the pressing I want. Most of what they have are first pressings or hard-to-get pressings of certain titles. On a recent purchase I bought a UK pressing of Pink Floyd's "Obscured By Clouds". Cover was VG, LP was VG+, but as close to NM as you can get. This was an A2 B2 pressing. Once I cleaned it, it sounded heavenly! Price? $40. The cheapest I could get a copy of this in this condition on Discogs was $140 including shipping. Know your stuff, do your research and you will be a happy customer at The Record Man. A great store! read more

This place has a lot of records. A lot of records. Service is egh. Don't bother asking for something. They will just point you down a row. It's organized in what ever system it is they are using. The rows are small and if you happen to like anything on the bottom shelf good luck with that. Then the pricing. They seem to make shit up. Truly. They give you a price and it seems it's in a question form. You can't act like you like anything or the prices will rise. We will probably be back in a year or so. Then we will remember why we don't like it. We like records though. read more

It gets 1 star for the staff being nice and showing me around. It gets another star for housing quite an eclectic mix of vinyl that you may not see in the wild at say streetlight or Rasputin. But as many have mentioned before, the pricing is absurd. What is even more egregious is there are multiple copies, on the shelf of the same record. If there are 5 copies of the same record, how can you justify charging the same price? It isn't rare mor is there demand, so it makes no sense. Many theories can float around, from charging rubes and tech ppl bc it's Redwood City, or if the owner has such an attachment to The collection that he sells them high hoping no one would buy? Idk but it is off putting. All the positive reviewers are baffling, ostensibly acting as gatekeepers to the idea that record collecting is not for cheapskates and fair weathered music fans, that record collecting is serious and costs money and you should go to the flea market if you want cheap records. It's absurd elitism. What is the most grating part of this experience is that the place is not that shoppable. If you want a record on the high shelf, you gotta get a ladder. You gotta dig on the ground for those on the bottom shelf. If I'm working that hard to get a record, it better not be inflated by 500%. If it is curated and you spent time selecting the desirable records, sure you can charge a bit more. And to reiterate, a great deal of their records are ones I have seen at countless stores in the Bay Area and Los Angeles for $1-2. read more

The absurdity of the Record Man's pricing system has been well covered on this page, but I would like to add one more thing. When you're done shopping and you take your stack to the front, and they consult their ouija board and slap a price tag on it--they price all their records as if they were in pristine Near Mint condition, but most of them are VG- at best. Their story is they look online and take the average sale price. Fine, but then they should take the average sale price of copies of the record that are actually in the same condition as the one they're holding. Seems like this would be straightforward. They're not interested in being straightforward there however--when you leave your stack behind bc they're asking double of what the record is worth, they peel the price tag off, put it back on the shelf, and hope that when the next sucker brings it up to the front, they can spring their inflated cost on him at the last second again. If you're a novice record collector, they are trying to take advantage of you. There is no other conclusion to draw. If you are highly informed about records, you may get lucky and get a square deal on one or two of them. I'll end on a kinder note, their collection is impressive and fun to comb through. read more

Record stores don't come around so often these days it's great to have a few options left. There are quite a few records in the store. However it was dusty, the records are not wrapped in plastic. The covers are worn. The prices can be justified only if these are in really good shape which they are not. Probably will not go back again. read more

Recently moved to Redwood, wanted to check this place out again after 10 years. They still stick to their old weird model of having customers bring records up to the counter to be priced. NOTHING ON THE SHELVES ARE PRICED. They've always had a reputation of over-pricing records and providing bad customer service but thought I'd give the benefit of the doubt and still support locally. All records start at $15 no matter the condition LOL. They've got a big selection but there's really nothing special here anymore. The rare records are in real bad shape. My last visit, the lady overpriced a record that is worth merely $15 in NM condition. She tried to charge me almost double its value for a VG condition. I asked if she would go down a few bucks and she denied lol. I've been here 3 times in the past month and spent a good amount of time/money at the store and at their store in the back. I kindly suggested to the lady that a little discount for a returning customer would be much appreciated but she didn't care. It's sad that they'd rather lose a repeating customer over $6 than cutting a deal and having me return and spend more money. That record will sit on that shelf collecting dust for many years to come. They're not knowledgeable on how to price and especially dont know how to retain customers, thats why those records have been sitting on the same shelves for YEARS and they have a bad rep that they've self inflicted. Better off spending your money at the many other record shops in the bay. Stacks, ska dog, rookys, tunnel, groove merchant, econojam, needle to the groove, just to name a few. read more

This place is a joke! I've been to over 50 records stores worldwide, I've never paid 26$ for a VG- very common second hand record (Styx -Cornerstone). It should be at most most 12-15$. Anyways, I've got back 2 days later I bought it, and asked for a return. I couldn't find my receipt and they didn't accept. Instead, they issued me a "store credit". Once I was buying another record (25$ new, sealed Led Zeppelin - IV), the owner made a new rule in front of me and said I can't buy new records with that store credit. I have to buy a second hand one so get stiffed. I got the Styx record back and I left. PLEASE DON'T GO THIS PLACE. A RECORD STORE SHOULD GIVE YOU A JOY, NOT MAKE YOU UPSET! A side note, the store owner claimed that he is in record business for 30 years. I'm not even 30 years old and collecting records for 7-8 years, and can easily say this pricing is not reasonable. I'd like to ask him if he feels at ease while selling these records at these prices. read more

The Record Man - Music & DVDs Near Me - Redwood City, California

They are not kidding and no hyperbole about it being a "true premier record store." What a treat--we walk for the first time and were greeted very warmly by the owner who introduced himself as "the record man," along with his wife--and two humungous German shepherds. The owner very patiently gave me a full tour of every section of the store, with incredible Billie holiday, Ellis Presley, Etta James, every imaginable genre with rare pressings up front of store. Transports you back to the'60's vibe with incense. There are listening stations all through the store to actually be able to listen--this practice went out ages ago, and to discover this here harkens the true audiophile. I'll be back for sure. If you're a vinyl lover, this should be your ticket and first stop. More info and photos, along with detailed survey of records to follow shortly :-) read more

The Record Man - Sticker from the shop - Music & DVDs Near Me - Redwood City, California

Cool place to check out if you're in town. A large selection of stuff, but it is pretty tight inside.

Love love love. Messy. Like a fucking wild book store. Super nice old guy. He's got a dog. Dog friendly. Honestly. Fucking cool as fuck.

The lady working at record man was helpful, friendly and polite. She knew her music. Will definitely be back for more records. Prices were reasonable. read more

I had avoided this place because some of the negative reviews here, but was in the area today and decided to check it out. Wow! I am glad I did. First, this is probably the best used collection in the bay area. I was mostly looking through Rock, Alternative / Indie and Jazz, and I was finding multiple copies of used stuff that you never see anywhere else. The selection is HUGE, but you have to dedicate some time scanning through it. Second, the staff (I think the owner and his wife) were insanely friendly. When I walked in, the woman took me on a tour of the shop to show me where everything is, and point out the listening stations. Chatted with her and her husband, and man, they are super nice. For used stuff, you have to take the record up to get a price. It seems some people don't like that (I prefer to having stickers on the sleeve). But the prices were fair for what I got (around what you would see on Discogs. This is now my go to place if I just want to scan through records and see what treasures I can find. read more

Great selection, I've come here many years to get gifts for my friends and never left disappointed

Just discovered this store this evening. I was looking for two particular albums on CD which led me to Vinyl Solutions first (since I usually go there for all my obscure CD needs). Since they didn't have the CDs I was looking for, I tried looking online on LetGo and OfferUp and was dismayed at lack of results. On a casual search of online record stores, I found this one on Google and decided why not check it out since it's open. I'm glad I did. Was greeted by the owner, an older gentleman, who asked (who I believe) the co-owner to show me around. I was told of the different selections, as well as told of the promotion they were offering (buy 1 get 1 free) and also about their second store right across the pavement, "Planet Mix" which has extra CDs/vinyl/ etc. All very helpful info, and the organization was good. I found one of the CDs I was looking for immediately and took longer than I planned picking out a 2nd one for the free one. Was also distracted by the owner's 2 dogs. They were adorable and I pet each one once I'm so happy to see friendly dogs that customers are allowed to pet. This pandemic has made people not open to that so my dog-petting withdrawals are huge. This to me is gonna be another huge incentive to come back. Anyway I was able to pay by card. Got a sticker out of it, which is a cool souvenir. All in all I enjoyed my experience and I feel like once I get a portable record player like planned, I can spend hours in this store. I can't believe I never heard of it before since I've been a San Mateo county resident all my life, and I for sure want to come back! So if you want a good selection of CDs and vinyl, and you don't mind dogs, this is a great place for you! read more

Should have read the reviews before going in. Spent an embarrassingly large amount on a record and got home to find that my friend spent $3 on the same record somewhere else. I wanted to contribute to a local business, but now I just feel taken advantage of. read more

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Just because there's a lot of records does not mean that the selection is very good. In fact, most of the ones here are the records that you forgot your favorite artist released. In the event that you get a good fine, you'll be paying AT LEAST $10 more than what you should be paying for EACH record. People in the comments saying "oh well the premium is for the quality" are dead wrong. Save yourself and find another place read more

The place is both great and not so great! Huge selection in a building and shelving that looks ready to fall down. The vinyl is typically in good shape and plays well, although I noticed some scratches. The vinyl covers are all worn, by various degrees, and none have any kind of protection. The staff...mostly the owner behind the counter...she is very friendly! Comparatively, everything is unmarked and overpriced...like it was brand new. I was too tired to haggle and had buyers remorse when I left with 4 records. Probably won't rerun, unfortunately. read more

I didn't actually buy anything so I can't say much about the prices, but I did notice a lot of records weren't priced and that left a bit to be desired. A lot of the records that did have tags were reasonably inexpensive, however. I feel like if you stumble upon a record you really REALLY want and have to have and probably couldn't find elsewhere, price shouldn't be a huge issue?? Plus, you can play it in the store and make sure it actually works! Better than trusting online orders sometimes... The main reason I didn't buy anything after two hours of browsing was because I was SO overwhelmed!! There is so much. I didn't even bother with the second floor because I knew I'd need another 2-18 hours. The owner gave me a tour when I came in, which was very hospitable and helpful considering I'd have been miserably lost otherwise. It's an incredible space and I'd love to do a photoshoot in it someday!! Oh, one thing that peeved me was that the "House" section was basically a huge mix of EDM while the "Electronica" section was a mix of very bizarre/experimental stuff (interesting tho!). I feel like they could better organize the "House" section to cater to the various subgenres or at least call it "Dance" since House is very specific and now I'm just being a music snob... Anyway, I am very much looking forward to coming back, especially for one of the $1 yard sales! Place is definitely worth checking out, regardless of whether or not you take anything home. Absolutely fascinating. read more

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Friendly service. However all used vinyl is very overpriced. I spent over an hour picking out used 80's records. They would be rated G for sleeve and maybe G+ to VG in vinyl quality. They are very dusty and not cleaned. They wanted 24.99 each for records that maybe would fetch 12 on discogs. I bought two new records for that price ea and passed on all the used vinyl. I'll never go back. read more

tl;dr best place to find something really obscure, if you don't care about the condition of the sleeve/vinyl This place is not for the casual record collector or newb. The selection is deep (cool), and the guy running the place is old school (gets the job done). But, there are a number of reasons I won't be returning. 1. Records are not set up for easy digging, being all vertically sorted on shelves, rather than in bins for "flipping." 2. There are listening stations, but the guy running the place told me he wasn't sure they even worked. 3. It's all used records; nothing new. 4. There's a front "house" w/ two levels, and you have to be let into the top floor by the guy downstairs, but if there's anyone on the first floor, he won't leave to unlock the second floor for you. 5. Supposedly the front house is where all the good stuff is, and the back building is all the low budget stuff. Frankly, I couldn't tell any different in quality of sleeves or vinyl. Everything appears to be in G/G+ condition, w/ vinyl coming in at VG/VG+. 6. Records are not kept in plastic sleeves to protect them read more

Pretty big record selection. I really love the vibes of this place. They have listening stations too. First time here and I felt very welcomed. The lady who helped me was a beautiful mature black woman with a very charming personality and amazing smile. Very reasonable prices as well. Couldn't ask for more from a record store. Definitely coming back when I can. read more

I routinely get home with records I've purchased here and find that I've paid at least twice the price for the same record, released the same year, in the same condition from a seller on Discogs. This includes the cost of shipping. Records that should cost $11 to $20 are priced here at $30 to $50. I've overheard the owner mention "techies" in conversations to others, and I think he knows exactly what he's doing. I could understand if he had to factor in the Bay Area rent, but I'm pretty sure I also overheard him mention that he owns the building. Besides the prices, this place is great. If you're looking for a specific older record that's hard to find, this is probably a good place. Beyond that, just go to Discogs. Get twice as many records for the same price. read more

Went in looking for a rare country 45 and record man had it in stock at a great price. Highly recommend!

Whenever I'm travelling for business one of the first things I do in a new city is look for used record stores. I visited The Record Man the other day and it will be my only visit, without even making a purchase. The selection is actually pretty incredible, which is a big shame. It's so expensive, most of these albums will never be bought or see a turntable. There are several copies of the same album in most cases. It's well organized and the staff was very friendly showing me around the different sections. What kills it for me are the prices. I was told up front that most albums are in the $15-$20 range. This is insane because the albums are far from mint condition or rare. Now, if I really needed something and this was the only place to find it I might see myself spending that. But I shop used record swaps and see many of these same albums in the $5-10 range. I can only assume this store is catering to someone getting into records for the first time, or doesn't take the time to shop around. read more