This place has an amazing selection of albums & cd's at a reasonable price. The knowledge & courteous staff were very helpful with whatever questions I had. read more

would of loved this place if they weren't hoarding almost everything! me and a family member here went to buy some records for her birthday. The cashier didn't help us at all and felt like they were ignoring us. Id say it isn't worth someone's time. read more

I have decided on a whim to own the entire Frank Zappa discography catalog. Since he put out 60 albums while he was alive and another 60 after his death that is quite a task. Sound exchange is helping. I got a Lotta used CDs that are reasonably priced. read more

Sound Exchange - Discount Store Near Me - Pinellas Park, Florida

Good service and selection but store is too dark inside. Great value cds! knowledgeable owner who greets you. Rarity in record stores! read more

See all

I go frequently to all the record stores in Pinellas County. I often find smoking deals at Sound Exchange as I'll find new records that have literally been on the shelf for 5 years, and still selling at their original price, while Discogs pricing is 3-5x more expensive. They have a great funk / jazz selection and I always come across some great, out of print hip hop albums at excellent prices (FL doesn't like hip hop like other states). My issue is the staff. The older gentleman are always in a poor mood and do whatever then can to ignore you and not provide any support. Questions are always blown off. It's a disappointment, and I never buy albums I can buy elsewhere for that reason. I'd rather spend my money at DaddyKool as they have awesome selection and even better staff. So this place has some good stuff, but don't expect any customer service. read more

I have never had a worse experience with a vendor in my life. I brought 100 vinyl albums in mint condition from my mother-in-law's estate and the guy behind the counter was rude, condescending, and just plain awful. He said he did not want the records. He refused to even look at them. I will never ever patronize this store again. Oh... And I ran into a friend of mine who took a look at the albums and gave me $100 on the spot and he said that it was a great deal! With all of the sound exchanges horrible reviews you think they try to get their act together. read more

I have always had great experiences with the staff and owners of Sound Exchange Pinellas. The owner went out of her way to help me when I couldn't get there due to car trouble. Thank you for the excellent service and inventory, especially books! read more

I have filled a formal complaint with the state for this Company in their own admission on the company website buying and selling 100% to and from the Public. You have no right to seize property on some notion Of a verbal agreement.You fall directly into 538.03 Section O and should be following these rules. You can keep up any tactic you choose but The one mistake you made was having the police Witness that you accept items no questions asked. I aslo have you google post where you believed The property was stolen and still took it anyway With no documentation describing me Suspicious The Department of revenue has been contacted Along with the Divison of consumer affairs in Pinellas County. I hope you have a tax ID for being a second hand dealer for your own sake...... read more

See all

An amazing record store! Also books, DVDs, CDs, stereo equipment, collectibles. Great selection. Great prices. I was happy I stopped by.

This negative review should rest squarely on the shoulders of Hugh. Consider, first, the quality vinyl competitors like Retro Records, Bananas Music, Micro Groove, Daddy Kool Records, and others. A business cannot afford to treat customers like I was treated and I would like to save you time, money and infinite grief by begging you to avoid dealing with Sound Exchange. They have deceptive practices and horrible customer service. They deserve to waste away in this niche market as every competitor surpasses them in quality, customer caring, and service. Don't order online from Sound Exchange. Don't ask Hugh to take responsibility for a company's mistake, and don't shed a tear when this place shutters the doors. The world would be a better place without it. read more

Excellent vinyl collection at a very fair price. At first glance it doesn't seem like they have much, but I left very impressed at the quality and rarity of the stuff I found. Had to stop my husband from buying every single vinyl he has been wanting but could not find anywhere, because this place has it and they know what it's worth. The owners were nice enough to let me bring my dog in. Will definitely visit again when I'm in Tampa. read more

I'm a vinyl collector so I patronize all the vinyl shops in the area. Most of the folks that own/work in these shops are pleasant, or at least personable, which makes the experience nice, regardless of what treasures you do/don't find. I've purchased from this Sound Exchange several times but no more. Here's why: they don't stand behind what they sell. Case in point: I bought a DVD from them. It was used, not new, but they sealed it shut so I couldn't examine the DVD before I purchased it. Only after I bought my disc and looked at my receipt did I see that they offer no refunds ever on anything, which gave me pause. Trusting that they would have validated the DVD worked since they sealed it up, imagine my disappointment when I got it home to find that the main movie DVD couldn't be read by any of my players, giving back a "disc is dirty" error. I tried to clean it, but no dice. Upon closer inspection, I could see where the back was discolored in portions, like the disc had been wet or exposed to some liquid. I took it back, but the cashier couldn't see the discoloration I saw (funny how that works). He cleaned it for me but it still won't play. Only then do I find out that I can't return it. I could exchange it but they don't have another copy of the movie in stock and don't know when they'll get one. My options: either exchange it for something I don't want or leave it there and let them hold on to my money indefinitely while I hold my breath waiting for something to come in that I *do* want. Look, the money's not the thing. It was $3 and change. It's the principle. You are not thinking of the long game and all the money you're NOT going to get from me in the future because you wanted to hold onto your $3 and make life harder for me as a customer. That and the crappy attitude that I get every time I go there are enough for me to decide that a farther drive to another vinyl shop that understands how to take care of customers is worth the extra effort to patronize. Let me know how that business model works out for you.... read more

This is the place to buy CDs/lps/DVDs and all memorabilia!! This is my favorite store as a collector there's always something in here Everytime I go!! read more

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

This is my favorite record store in the area. I find their used classic rock record inventory to have the best selection over the locations in St. Pete. Staff is friendly and helpful as well. read more

Here is my response to Ron W.'s perspicacious comments. "First you need to learn some manners when you are in a business. You can't just reach over the counter and grab stuff without expecting a strong reaction from staff. For the record, the CDs that you grabbed belonged to another customer who was selling them to us. Our clerk advised you to "put them down, they don't belong to us". I certainly hope that you understand our concern here and that you should ask for help before you start reaching for stuff on the other side of the counter." The CD (not plural) in question was ON THE COUNTER...not on the other side of it. And he didn't "advise"..he BARKED like a fucking pitbull. Polite, he wasn't. Plus..there was no sign saying not to touch. It's a USED CD store you run. Put a note saying not to touch shit since you may be surprised to learn most of your customers ain't psychic. BTW..I'm in my 50s...don't talk to me like I'm a kid. with your "you need to learn some manners" bullshit. "Second, why do you feel the need to denigrate our staff member by referring to them as "baldy"? A man cannot help the fact that he is bald, but at least he is clean and well dressed." You take offense I referred to Baldy as "Baldy"? Well excuse the fuck out of me for not memorizing his name tag....come to think of it I don't recall seeing one. What should I call him? Percival? Cedric? And you are implying I wasn't well dressed? How would you know what i was fucking wearing? Were you there? "Third, this happened years ago. Did you just get a computer and decide to say bad things about all the businesses that in your mind have offended you?" FYI...this happened about a year ago. Had I known about Yelp then I would've commented that very day. Be advised that I had been a customer of your store for *almost 12 years.* "I can only say that anyone who gives any credence to this complaint doesn't know the real "Scooter" who is the complete opposite of his cute little nickname." Oh...am I supposed to be hurt? And you don't know me. The fact that three people found this useful shows me that at least three people ain't exactly going to be sending you Xmas cards this year. I want music...I'll "shop" at The Pirate Bay or Batzbatz. read more

I don't get to visit often, but most of my experiences have been positive. They have a good selection of records. Never really browsed for CDs or DVDs so I can speak to that selection. The record prices are fair also. I prefer Daddy Kool for the styles of music I like, but this place does carry a variety of records. read more

Great selection of blu rays and books love visiting when I have time The staff is very friendly and helpful read more

Planet Retro, Disc Exchange and Bananas have better customer service! I'd rather drive across town than shop here again.

This is my favorite music and movie store in the area. They have a great range to choose from, and I've always found the prices to be reasonable. I've sold things here too (CDs and DVDs mostly), and been happy with how much I was offered for them. There should be more stores around like this - buy some stuff, enjoy it, sell it back to them, then buy some more - what's not to like?!!! read more

They've been around for ages and it's easy to see why. Excellent selection of Blu-ray's - cds - vinyl albums. Lots of unique items related to music and movies as well read more

Called them about selling my Laser Disc Collection they tell me on the phone I can't email them the titles to get a bid that I need to bring them in for an offer. Ok makes sense so I drive 1hr to get there to be told we only pay .25 per there is no negotiations, WTF, thanks for completley wasting my time and gas!!! Never go there again horrible service. read more

It;s like stepping back into a lost time, For me the vinyl, the DVD;s and more is just awesome. They have a lot of vintage stuff and for collector's or those who refuse to walk into our technological society (and don't feel bad about it). It's a heaven for those who know how to appreciate such fine quality merchandise. read more

The vinyl selection was great! Walked out with quite a few lps I thought I would never see again. Very nice store, and the staff was very friendly as well. Will be back for sure! read more

Been shopping there for decades, they always have great hard to find CD's. Nice folks too!

What's with all the bad reviews? Totally undeserved.....Sound Exchange is a terrific business with a helpful staff. It is one of the last places in the area with a good solid collection of CD's and there is plenty of vinyl to keep any collector happy. Sound Exchange has been around for a long time and there is a reason for that.....It is a great place for CD's, DVD's, and Vinyl. read more

I saw that review mentioning Hugh. I had the opposite experience. Hugh spent an unreal amount of time and patience with my parents who are not easy people to deal with. He is a real treasure and an encyclopedia of music trivia. Few people seem to looove their jobs these days and it was a nice way to spend a few hours with people like that. Its a cool store with special people. read more

great staff, even better selection. i am one of those last holdouts that actually likes to buy cds and this shop consistently has stuff i can't find elsewhere. great staff that always seems to know all the weird stuff they have in stock. cant even tell you how many succesful pilgrimages i have made from orlando to look for weird/rare black/death metal albums/b-sides/singles/etc and ended up with exactly what i was looking for and even more. hell last time i was there i walked out with some venom on vinyl... awesome. check this place out. read more