AFTER RON'S RESPONSE:
I amusingly stand by my review. It speaks for itself, and obviously struck a nerve, as Ron has exhibited nothing but anger and frustration rather than resolution or common sense. Because he knows I am right. I don't care the least bit about the old records I brought in, that he laughingly described as me thinking were a goldmine. In fact, I was trying to do a favor by giving them to a struggling local retailer during this crazy pandemic, and ultimately getting them into the hands of someone who might use them. Well in fact, thanks to the incredible power of technology, I was able to make 2 quick phone calls, drove to a store just a few miles away, and sold the lot for $34.50. While this was hardly worth my time, Ron was ever so wrong that I was "off the mark" since I easily netted a 330% premium over Ron's "generous" offer. What a great teaching moment for my son. So either way the story worked out well for the good guys. I don't say this lightly, but Ron, you are a straight up liar. I don't have to tell you that because you and your ever dwindling customer base already knows. You see, upon leaving the store, the 2 patrons that were behind me in line stopped me and my son outside and said they were sorry and embarrassed that my young son had to witness YOUR tirade. Funny how their truth negates your lies. As they say "facts matter". I appreciate your attempt to deflect your shortcomings on others, but they simply fall flat. I am sorry you don't engage in civil, honest trade and commerce in your store. Your only tactic is to lie, cheat, and attack. READERS: Don't take my word for it: read many of the other reviews which tell the same story. This is not isolated. This is the way they operate. I am sure Ron has convinced you to look for alternatives all by himself with his borderline psychotic posts Try: ASYLUM RECORDS, BANANA'S MUSIC, ST. PETE RECORDS, or PLANET RETRO. You will be glad you did!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
My son and I went to their Pinellas Park store today to inquire about the sale of some old vinyl we had. We had called to ask about the process and they said they needed to see what we had to determine condition and marketability. The female clerk looked over our box and picked about 10 of the best items and said the rest were "not sellable". She quickly said they would purchase their selections of my items for about $9.00. 3 of the albums were still sealed in plastic. Knowing, from their own inventory, that these items would retail in their store for approx 50.00+, I politely said I would think about it. I was polite because I was not in the market to be swindled. I realize every business is there to earn a profit. I am a businessman myself. However, buying inventory at 10%-20% of what they will retail for on their shelves does not work for me. I was fine to take my merchandise and leave quietly, but a man approached the counter and very rudely accused me of wasting THEIR time by not accepting their ridiculous offer. One of his quotes was "do you think we are doing this for fun, wasting our time with you?". On the contrary, the way I see it they wasted MY time. I won't stand for rudeness and bullying. You shouldn't either. I attempted to educate the attendant about how commerce works in the real world: one party offers to buy or sell a product at a price and the other party agrees, negotiates, or declines. It is really rather simple. Wouldn't it be great if we could all set the price of anything we want to buy and the seller has to comply? That would be wonderful, but that is a fairytale. Sound Exchange: If you don't like business and commerce, don't participate. That is how it works, in every free market economy on earth. Instead, this store operates by intimidation and pressure. They count on you not caring about losing a few dollars here and there, while they enjoy extremely high margins. The visit was not a total loss, however. I was able to demonstrate to my 14 year old son how not to do business. You see, the Sound Exchange business model is to try to coerce sellers in to selling at prices many multiples of their value to the store. If you just want to unload your dusty old stuff somewhere, go for it. However, if you want to deal with honest, reasonable, genuine business people and strike a fair deal, then I strongly urge you to avoid this store. I would avoid them at all costs. There are too many alternatives for you. As you can see I am not alone, there are several 1 star reviews. This is not a coincidence. Beware! read more