If you are fan of classic music from the sixties, follow the advice below to get the best value for your money.

1. Avoid TV promotions - especially at Christmas time. This is the time that old classics get shamelessly recycled, at hugely inflated prices. These same collections will be available at a fraction of the price - often 75% cheaper.

2. Take careful note of the notes on the packaging. In particular, be on the lookout for words like "Songs by original artistes, although some songs may have be rerecorded featuring one or more of the original band". Unless you can buy the CD for a couple of dollars maximum, stay clear! Look out for a clear sign that these are the original songs and original recordings. A good sign is when the song list has the original year of issue alongside it.

3. Don't get hung up on buying new. You may enjoy unwrapping the CD or DVD from its cellophane wrapping (incidentally I don't! I can never find the tag, and end up stabbing wildly at the plastic with scissors and often end up scratching the case). Anyway, as soon as you've played it once, it's second hand anyway. You might get the occasional faulty CD, but if you are buying off ebay or Amazon, you will probably get a refund no problem.

4. Buy CDs featuring a single artiste or group, rather than a compilation. This will work out for you in the long term, as it leads to far fewer duplications, and also means you get a more detailed collection of a single artiste's work. The other advantage is that these CDs will be much easier to sell on later.

5. Search out for the maximum tracks of your chosen artiste on a single CD or CD box set. It is perfectly possible to get as many as 56 tracks of one artiste for the same price as an 18 - 20 track CD. It also ensures you get really good representative selection of the artiste's work.

6. Look for a clear theme to the CD. An example would be all their singles - both "A" and "B" sides - over a given period. This again makes it attractive for reselling, and reduces the risk of getting poorer quality filler tracks.

7. Use ebay and Amazon to find your ideal CD collection. Amazon has the additional advantage of giving buyer reviews. Use these in choosing your album, as they will be honest, and will highlight any re-recorded tracks, or inferior collections.

8. Compare prices of your chosen CD or DVD by going in to both ebay and Amazon. On some occasions ebay will be the cheaper (even at "Buy it Now" prices) and on others occasions, Amazon will come out as the best deal. Remember to take account of the postage costs when deciding on your buy or bid price.

9. If you are bidding on ebay, go to "completed listings" to get an idea of the likely prices. If there are plenty of listings, identify a current listing and go in at about half your ideal buy price about 2 days before the end of the auction, and then go back in to keep tabs on things with half an hour to go. Bid up at the last moment to your maximum price. Do not ever exceeed this. There will be another one along in a day or so, so do not get caught up in bidding fever!

10. If you are trying to get a specific track, why not use one of the download web sites? They are brilliant for getting hold of a specific favourite or hard to buy item. Try this site Click Here! and see what they have available.

Good luck!!



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