We visited Amoeba Music yesterday, and the staff there were so welcoming to our doggie Meatball. They even gave him some treats. So nice! :) I bookmarked this spot to visit since it was my boyfriend's 1st visit in Berkeley, and I thought this was a cool store to check out. We did have to check in his backpack at the entrance of the store, which is no issue. They have lots of selection of music, and my bf found a vinyl that he has been looking for a long time - The Big Lebowski one. He was so happy! This is definitely a good spot to check out if you're into music and especially if you want to get vinyls and cds. They also have some cool lunch boxes and posters as well plus other interesting items. Parking in Berkeley can be tough though. We drive around for about 18 minutes before we finally found a spot to park. read more

Amoeba Music - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

I visited the store for official Madonna new album record sales, and had an excellent experience. I even won a vinyl record in a raffle, which made my day! My only suggestion would be to offer more Madonna records so fans can complete their collections. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I would definitely visit again. read more

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Showed up in our 2nd stop around the Berkeley downtown/campus area to browse for music. Got some new trendy vinyl (36) not the best price but trends do drive prices so ehhh it is what it is. Vintage things can be quite cheap depending on format and popularity. Picked up Damian Marley's stony hill (7) for a cd that's a good price, will be more rare through the years. Also picked up Nelson Ned for the same price but in vinyl. Now ask people about famous Brazilian singers in Spanish he's top of that list, good price for refined ears. 5/5 great store read more

Amoeba Music - Vinyl, cd - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

I haven't been here in a while, but I used to always come here back in the day!! And it hasn't changed a bit, plenty of new and used records, CDs and cassettes arranged by music type in alphabetical order. They also have DVDs, posters, t-shirts, turntables, and other music related items and stuff. You could seriously spend a lot of time up in here going through everything. This place is definitely legendary on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, been here a long time!!! Always a good vibe in here!!! read more

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Their return policy is very poor. I bought the wrong record for my daughter's birthday; it was still new, sealed, and had the price tag. When I attempted to return it a few days later, they told me I could only receive a store credit. All sales final? Really? BUYER BEWARE! read more

I went here on the hunt to buy vintage wrap and hip-hop cassette tapes. I'm currently finishing a restoration of a 90s Honda Civic and since installing a classic Alpine tape player, I decided to collect a bunch of tapes that I would've listened to in the mid to early 90s. I was happy to find the Souls of Mischief first Album, and while the price was almost $50 it was definitely well worth it as this is a very hard to find album. I also picked up a couple of other gems that were an excellent condition and the price wasn't bad at all. The staff was super friendly and it was nice to be able to buy this album here back in the 90s when I first came out and once again now, when I was looking for this place actually had it in stock. I've always been a fan of amoeba music even back to my days as a DJ. They've always had items that were hard to find and the staff has always been super cool. read more

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I love Amoeba! It still has the charm of an independent record shop, despite being a huge facility with an amazing selection. The staff are all super kind and engaging- They hire people that love music, and it shows. No judgment or elitism, which is refreshing for a guy in his 40's buying albums from 20 years ago. Their selection of indie rock, alternative and metal are all very impressive, both current and past. From a trade-in standpoint, I was pleased. I got decent value for what I traded in, and left with a few hidden gems. I do love supporting smaller record shops, but I think Amoeba has the most extensive collection in the East Bay. read more

Horrible store! I brought 100 excellent quality LPs, including 1 l paid $19.00 for. They paid me 17.89 for my collection. I should have taken them home, but it was hot, l had spent an hour waiting for an offer, wanted to go home. Crooks and gouge grifters. AVOID!!! read more

I've been to the Amoeba store in SF before, but this was my first visit to the one in Berkeley. As expected, they had everything I could ask for in terms of vinyl. Awesome inventory of many different music types, rarities, box sets, etc. I was very happy with their selection of underground/indie artists, jazz and classic rock. I could shop here for hours given their selection. I was happy with my finds! Support your local record stores! read more

Amoeba Music - Great selection - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

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There is a lot of stuff to check out here. I like to browse the shirts section, they have quality reprints of old bands made by licensed clothing companies. What I am looking for is not always in stock but if you check often great deals on rare items can be found. read more

Goodness & Gracious!! These guys obviously ROCK. Quite unexpectedly today I see ST. VINCENT's "ALL BORN SCREAMING" on their decently prepared outdoor display / frontal window display. I step inside with a half galon milk and I gently bother the young man situated by the entrance if he happens to collect people's belongings; and he says "You can keep that, you're fine!" Another nice surprise, this time with "Human Interaction". The previous one was a "Poster - Seer Interaction which occurred on the pavement, outside. Anyways, I shortly locate the album which literally brought me inside from the outside; at a beyond-easy-to find location, shelved quite neatly, particularly for a house-advertised / recommended album, unlike a number of other record stores in the Bay Area would or I witnessed they actually did!! Which altogether gave me 3 decent reasons to further navigate the store. MAN!! Haight? Or this one? Which one would you go to? Which one would you prefer? Drop down a comment below. LOL. Today's world, dude dot com. Hey, I am feeling spoiled not only through their retail mastery in the ways that they deliver their great selection of records and fun merch like candles, pins and nonewhatsoever, OR the gentle, empathetic SERVICE, but perhaps more importantly their visible keen intention towards owning the very REASON why perhaps we should have faith in HEAVEN while we're on the Earth was phenomenal. I am so touched. They made me feel proud. As if I were He-Man on his annual leave yet Castle Grayskull is being defended by such ROYAL troops that the Sorceress needs not to have the tiniest bit of concern. GOD BLESS EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO MADE TODAY's seemingly financial, yet deeply sincere transaction, possible, literally all the way down to the person who made the shoelaces of every single person who had worked towards the creation as well as the distribution of the the vinyls I bought. Fantastic! Surreal record store. Extremely surreal for today's woooooooorld dduuuuuuude dooot cooom. Cordially, Eric NOTRICK read more

Amoeba Music - Stuff. - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

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They have a decent selection of music. They had some obscure black metal that I was looking for. They make you take off your purses and backpacks like your 12 when you walk in the door. It seemed nice enough, and the prices were Berkeley prices. The people at the register were nice enough. It's a record store and they sell records lol. read more

Great hip hop/rap section. Bunch of hidden gems in there. Look for recommendations from Evan.

the staff cherry picks and that's why their stock of used records is not very impressive. They must be unaware that people can sell their records online now. their bins are full of 30 dollar reissues of classic albums. CDs are overpriced too..CDs are considered outdated technology now...many people give them away for free, including myself. And you can be sure their business is way down and that's why they're not open 7 days a week anymore. Get with the program, folks. The 70s are over. read more

Long live music, in whatever form it morphs into next! Amoeba Music has you covered making sure you can get your tunes through whatever ways necessary. CDs, records, cassettes... whatever you can think of, it'll be here! Great throwbacks and current day hits line the aisles. I could've spent hours upon hours here. I also could've emptied out my entire wallet too but self preservation, and clearer minds, prevailed haha. This place seems to get bigger the further in you go. They even have musical instruments available, primarily keys from what I remember. Maybe nows the perfect time to pick up a keyboard and brush off my skills... Had an armful of stuff but eventually calmed down and ended up buying a few CDs instead. Obsessed with this place. I will be back! read more

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This past weekend was really great especially my birthday is coming up (May 8) so I heard Kehlani was in town and my girlfriend was very excited and wanted to go! We waited in line for nearly 3 hours and met wonderful people in front of us. Then there were people saying we needed a ticket to meet and greet Kehlani but when we started getting closer to the the store somebody told us we could just buy the album and meet and greet Kehlani which was an awesome experience. read more

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Huge selection with great prices. Very cool staff. I found a ton of CDs I wanted. There were even some I didn't even know I wanted. Will definitely keep goin' back. read more

I collect rock CD's, and I found everything I wanted in the Berkeley store! Very nice personnel. If you need to ask a question it's easier to ask the people at the cashier area. The people on the floor are busy putting new stuff on the shelves. I was in LA during Christmas and the store in Hollywood is also very good! read more

Super great team of employees hard to get to, but when you get there, you're treated really well love that it's privately owned and they have an amazing selection of music on top of merch and shirts for their business buttons stickers and other such items for other musicians, huge fan of amoeba music. It literally is part of our history being northern California is or Bay Area people to appreciate this valuable and historic store! The value is phenomenal for what you get. I am very impressed by this store even though it was hard to get to it was worth the difficulties.! the prices aren't super high either big fan of the store if you've never been, I highly recommend it! read more

This place is a classic ! From the smell of bud in the air and fantastic selection of music playing .. it's a "thing" to visit this record store . A must do for the Bay bucket list ! read more

Date: 12/21/2019 Time: 2:50 PM 56° Cloudy It's not too often that I am in B-town or Berserkeley to shop, dine or browse. However, this time I am in Berkeley with two of my sisters, having lunch and browsing at the holiday fair on Telegraph Avenue. What's left? Shopping! First stop was Starbucks on Oxford, then Cupcakin' Bake Shop. Heading southbound on Telegraph, our next destination was Amoeba Records. Wow! I haven't stepped into this shop in so many years. The last time was probably somewhere around the mid-80's, early 90's. My younger sister had some special coupons ($50 in value) that she had to use. She told me to get whatever I wanted - CD's, DVD's, LP's, etc. Yep, I got the hookup from her. I didn't buy any of the aforementioned items because I didn't want to add more to my collection. I am at that age (over 65) where I don't want to accumulate a lot of material goods. So, I just settled for a pack of Star Wars playing cards and an Amoeba holiday pin, which was cool. Looking for CD's, DVD's, LP's? This is the go-to place for all those goods. They also carry mugs, posters, lapel pins, turntables, tee shirts. I love the memories of hanging at this record store...the people, the music and the posters. Customer service can be some or none. Either they are able to help or they are busy doing something else. It doesn't bother me that I don't get instant attention and/or help. I just wait my turn. Attitude I leave at the front door because mine is contagious and not worth catching. Return visit? Yes. I want to see if they carry zigzags for rolling a joint and listening to some Jimi Hendrix (Purple Haze). Just kidding on the "paper". Not kidding on the return visit. read more

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I've been to the LA location and the SF location each a bunch of times and was excited to check out the Berkley spot (which I believe is the original). It met expectations. Lots of records, cds, and other media. Staff was friendly and the prices are pretty good. Like the other two locations, this one is situated on a cool street so you can enjoy the neighborhood as much as the shopping. read more

Amoeba Music - The sign outside. - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

I wish I live closer sometimes. I use to stay in the East Bay and I didn't use to visit this Amoeba enough. I regret it now. I live in Ceres and We Have A Mad Monk which is okay but falls completely short compared to this Amoeba in Berkeley who alphabetize their hiphop albums in vinyl and in cd format very well. And have a huge selection of hip hop music which is very uncommon. The prices are going to be the prices. The conditions of Vinyls I bought were good to great. Spent over $100 and didn't regret it. My trip was worth it. Nothing to complain about for this location. The personal was very nice. Parking is always, a pain but I made it work(Mad Monk prevails there as its not in a SF/Berkeley/Downtown type area). read more

Spent many hours of my youth here with friends decades ago. (And may or may not have skipped school once or twice to peruse the record bins). Recently rediscovered this place while on a quest to find vintage LPs from my brother's birth year for a birthday gift. I have to say I WAS shocked by vinyl prices. Last time I browsed a record shop (like, 10-15 years ago) used records were cheap. Like $5-9 cheap, plus tons of $1 record bins. Now, most USED vinyl runs from 14.99 to 19.99, with new 180g vinyl going for $26-$40! But with vinyl outselling CDs for the first time since 1984, I guess this is the new order. (Full disclosure, they still have $1 vinyl, stored on the floor under the bins, but I didn't have the time or patience to hunt for "treasure" there.) read more

They are really rude, self impressed employees who think they are God's gift to the world. Horrible to deal with. If you want to sell your records, please go to Groove Yard in north Oakland. the owner, Rick Ballard, is incredibly knowledgeable and a great guy. He pays top dollar for your records. read more

My first visit since pandemic. As soon as you walk in they make sure you have your mask on and sanitize your hands. Everyone seemed pretty courteous of space. People kept their masks on while shopping. We were able to find way more ISO records here than SF location. Very happy with our take homes and experience! read more

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Hello. I am a knucklehead. I was recently gifted a record player, so of course I will go to ameoba. I did not realize how the physical record business works. Records are not some kinda stupid business like cars or cheap jeans where there is one on every corner. They were made and that was it unless the music is so prolific they decide to make more money and press some more for the new generation. So I see why the things I want, I wasn't able to find. But actually, they could read some mojo and uncut and purchase new music using that as a reference. read more

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2 stars for a large selection of vinyls in every category of music. Took 3 stars off because of an unfriendly staff, I was so surprised by the attitude and the lack of basic customer service. The vinyls are also pricey and you could find most of these online or in other stores in person. Short story, lots of vinyls and lots of attitude. read more

I really love going to Amoeba Music. The vibe is great, the selection is plentiful, the music is thumpin, and the people are nice (for the most part). They get kind of weird if they see you with a Rasputin's bag or know you went to Rasputin's and frankly that's pretty sad. Any music lover is going to go around to various places looking for whatever tune they are after. It could be at Amoeba's.. or it could very well be at Rasputin's. Don't knock someone for covering their bases and checking all music stores when trying to track down a specific album or artist. Just a suggestion. read more

Amoeba Music - The best music! - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

When I went to Amoeba recently for the first time, the employees were friendly & nice. However, most of the CD's & records were almost all used. I barely saw anything new/factory sealed. I hope when I come here again, Amoeba has some new/factory sealed stuff in stock. read more

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Stopped by here while on a trip and crossed off the final Amoeba Music store to visit in California. Large variety and selection, plus the staff was very kind (even if you aren't a huge music or movie fan, they'll guide you to find a great gift for someone who is, judgement free) read more

While I prefer the Hollywood location, this Amoeba location is still very enjoyable. Anything you could possibly imagine is here, including many bootlegs and rarities you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else. I certainly was surprised to find some of the material that I did. There is still a significant amount of volume here, and you could spend hours looking through everything. Service was great. Employees were very helpful. I struggled to find any super crazy deals, but prices were very fair. I noticed that the prices were a bit cheaper than the Hollywood location. This is a quality Amoeba location and a superb record store in general. read more

2/3 visited now. Smaller than the one across the bridge. Found some great deals and a couple vinyls I had not seen at other stores. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Actually found 45's albums which we recently inherited a bunch of and only a couple albums to put them in. So lucky to have found them. Not new but still in great condition. It was nice that when they had many albums on the floor level that there was a stool to sit instead of sitting on the floor. read more

Amoeba Music - Music & DVDs Near Me - Berkeley, California

It has been about 20 years since I have visited this store. They have a good selection and I like how the CDs and vinyl are together. They mix the new and used vinyl which is helpful. I just wish all of the $1 vinyl was in one spot, maybe at the back of the store, so I didn't have to crawl around to find it. read more

I do not recommend amoeba anymore. The staff is terrible and the selections are terrible. There is a guy there maybe late 40's with short almost shaved hair and dyed blond. He is the rudest most conceded man I have ever met. The older red headed skinny gentleman doing the buyin is super rude. They both are the most unprofessional employees. They talk about you in from y of people and act like they are above you. Sorry guys you make minimum wage at a local store you aren't hot shots, calm down. Besides that Kevin is wonderful. So if you do decide to go in I recommend finding him and asking him for advice and help! read more

I hadn't visited Amoeba in quite a while, but it's still the place I love to go to buy my music. Thankfully, because vinyl is having its rebirth moment, CDs are ignored and prices are lovely. Go ahead with your vinyl obsession. I just want to hear the music. Selection is awesome. Go! read more

i don't typically leave neutral to negative reviews but...I was in line for black friday record store day, and was sub 10 in line and had waited since 6-7 AM for a 10 AM opening. I know the nature of it is that records are limited and they only get a certain number, so that's not the fault of the store at all. However, the free for all once doors opened is a bit concerning. A group of people ran past me and swarmed the section for the record I was hoping to buy. I wish this store would've also implemented the menu system for their RSD releases, makes things a lot simpler and civilized. Especially since their 2 other locations do implement this method. This isn't necessarily the fault of the employees because everyone was super nice, but just more so the organization of it all at this specific location. read more

I came here looking for some old Indian music for my mother and to my amazement, I found quite a few good records. She was pleased. The staff was wonderful and very helpful. read more

Poor customer service. Several times I'll ask the cashier to look up some music for me and they will seem annoyed.

I got a wakeup call today, haven't been to Amoeba since the early 90's, the day of getting used album in good condition for 1 dollar are long gone. 4 albums 2 new 2 used 81 bucks. Will head to Rasputin next week. Guess this is the norm now read more