Locating those long sought after records, can be time consuming. But, at the same time, can be fun and rewarding. Who hasn't dream't of one day, entering a thift shop, walking up to a bin of records, and there before your very eyes, lies a stack of records that you have been wanting for years. And to top it off, you can probably purchase them at a bargain price. Of course this is just dreaming. But hey, it could happen.

The first step, that many people take in locating records, is to pick up the phone directory and let their fingers do the walking. This is a good method for locating stores in your area that might deal with vinyl recordings.
At a local record shop, you can expect to find a relatively large selection of records to choose from. But expect to pay top dollar for your selections.
While browsing the phone book, you might want to take note of any thrift shops or flea markets in your neighborhood. There, you will no doubt, find fewer recordings than at a record store. And they will quite possibly be of a lower quality. But you should expect to pick them up at bargain basement prices. One such origanization that falls under this category, and is located nationwide, is Goodwill Industries.

Also include in your search, any used book store in your area. They are also known for having used records for sale. Although, their selection may be limited.

After you have finished with the phone book, grab the newspaper, and look under yard or garage sales. There have been many situations where a "Vinyl Hunter" has walked away from one of these events, with a box of vinyl gems, and in most cases, for only a few dollars.

If you are the type that prefers to stay at home and do your shopping with the use of your computer(this tends to save gas and reduces wear on your vehicle), there are several ways for finding records.
One particurily fine method is to visit one of the many online auctions which have appeared in recent years. Two of the biggest, and perhaps the best, are Ebay.com and the Yahoo Music Auctions . At these sites, you can be sure to locate literally thousands of recordings(vinyl,shellac,tapes and CD's). To many collectors, online record auctions are another form of entertainment. While competing with other collectors for the same album, you experience a rush of adrenaline in very much the similar fashion as you would when participating in legalized gambling. But buyer beware! Much like the gambling experience, online auctions can be addictive. Additonally, if you get caught up in a bidding war, you can easily end up paying much more for a recording, than it is really worth.

Pehaps the most plentiful resource on the internet for purchasing records albums, is the record dealer website. Here a buyer, could buy or sell an entire collection of records. There are two methods for locating these websites. One way is by the use of a search engine(Yahoo,Excite,etc.). Another source of dealer websites is the Record Collectors Webring. Here, one can locate record dealers and other fine websites that specialize in recorded music.

Finally, you can visit one of the many message boards that deal specifically with the "Buying,Selling or Trading" of record albums. One of the larger boards available, is the Record Collectors Guild's "Buy,Sell or Trade" message board. There are thousands of recordings available at this site for purchase.