Having been on a voyage to find a wealthy selection of jazz CDs from the slim selection at Integrity n' Music in Wethersfield to (non-existent jazz selection) Music Outlet in Enfield, CT to Turn it Up in Northampton, MA to random thrift sifting, all have been underwhelming disappointments. Trading Post has it down very well for the area, rivaling stuff not seen in even Book Off in New York City and they know it with an impressive selection of not just those 'jazz 101' greats but contemporary fusion, funk, bluesy I was looking for: Robben Ford, Joe Sample and/or Crusaders (very difficult finds in stores), Frank Gambale, Lee Ritenour to name a few, especially those older GRP releases and even some obscure imports were here.
Immediately noted, Trading Post isn't looking to score you any real deals on used discs, likely because they know collectors are looking to avoid predatory Amazon prices and having the item right in front of you. Deals, like ones you may occasionally find at Newbury Comics, aren't really here though you may find something harder to come by, maybe an older print of a disc which I always prefer in my collection.
Most discs are planted at $6 and up, averaging in the $10-15 range. There were a few that were grossly overpriced, like a Hiram Bullock release from the 80's - not something found easily but still too pricey, even if it's a very rare street level finds. They offer a pretty fair buy 3 get 1 free, but you may spend more than it's worth to get there.
I ended up snagging a $10 disc that was around $9 on Amazon and another that was a $.01 on Amazon and $5 here. The former was an older print and I find that particularly cool. Managed to save on the $4 shipping and mystery of not knowing what I'm getting, which is generally what keeps me from buying online.
LPs are a dime a dozen here, basically nobody cares about collecting them and there's no shortage of the clunky medium you can find cheaper elsewhere but they have tons here they barely fit on shelves along with the occasional "rare" video game, don't even bother with those.
Collectors beware: be prepared to pick up an array of spare case of jewel cases. The paramount of all complaints here is how they treat the physical pricing with many jewel cases which are ruined with large stickers planted right on the front. Follow Newbury Comics idea of individually plastic sleeving each disc (an excellent preservation practice I've found used widely in Japan) - a big project maybe but at these prices and audience, collector's appreciate this and it ought to be implemented.
It would've been nice to see a discount section that may prompt more clearance and impulse buys or maybe stuff that just doesn't sell. It's not easy to blind purchase when something interesting is around $10.
Return value? I might return in a few months but I won't stop in regularly unless there's a little more incentive than B1G3. read more