Our
Goal:
Princeton
Record Exchange is dedicated to providing an alternative to the
Mall, "Big-box", and online stores that have come to dominate
the music and movie retailing world. We take pride in our low
prices, the high quality of our merchandise, and the depth of
our selection.
Our
History:
After
graduating from college in 1975, Barry, the owner, traveled to
flea markets and college towns buying, selling, and trading records.
He slept in his van and set up shop on street corners, college
book stores ( Princeton's was one), or wherever he could find
a space. Eventually tiring of life on the road, in 1980 he established
our first store in Princeton, NJ. The throng of customers and
massive amount of merchandise soon overwhelmed the small space,
so, in 1985, we moved to our present location on S. Tulane St.
with five times the retail area. Even so, we are usually packed
to the rafters with music and movies. From humble beginnings Princeton
Record Exchange has grown to be one of the largest independent
music stores in the country.
Our
Store:
We
are located at 20 S.Tulane St. in historic, downtown Princeton
, New Jersey , about one hour from New York City and Philadelphia
. We are easily accessible by car, train or bus-see our directions
page for details.
Our store has padded carpeting, wide
aisles, bright lighting, and easy-to-browse racks of new and used
CDs, LPs, and DVDs housed in over 4,300 square feet of comfortable,
air-conditioned space.
Princeton Record Exchange is staffed by friendly, knowledgeable
experts in most areas of music and movies. Our customers are free
to browse in a casual atmosphere; we won't attempt to sell you
something you don't want. Please Note: We do not
currently handle mail orders, list our inventory or sell online
mainly because our inventory changes greatly from day to day.
Selling
to us:
Princeton
Record Exchange has been buying music and movie collections for
over twenty-five years. We have established a solid reputation
as one of the leaders in the industry for buying CDs, DVDs, LPs,
video games, and other audio and video formats. We are also an
active member in the Better Business Bureau and adhere to their
standards of business practices. You can rest assured that you
will be treated professionally.
We
purchase thousands of collections every year-private collections,
estate collections, reviewer/radio station surplus, and entire
store inventories-no collection is too large!
To
find out what we can pay for your DVDs, CDs, LPs and other merchandise,
you may:
- Call us at 609-924-3472 to discuss
your collection with an appraiser, or
- Bring your collection to our
Princeton , NJ store, or
- Describe your collection online
at our Sell Your CDs,
Sell Your DVDs ,
or Sell Your Records
questionnaire pages.
Our
Prices:
We
discount almost all of our new merchandise, and, of course, our
used merchandise is much, much cheaper. The serious collector
will find that our prices, especially for rarities, are substantially
less than most online stores, auction sites, and metropolitan
record stores.
Our
regular sections include new and used titles-about a 50/50 split.
The new are almost all discounted, and we stock tens of thousands
of used CDs priced under $9.00, thousands of used DVDs under $12.00,
and tens of thousands of records at very reasonable prices-we
need the quick turnover to make more space!
In
our "Budget" sections (mostly used merchandise) we usually have
in stock 20,000 CDs priced under $5.00, 1,000 DVDs under $5.00,
and tens of thousands of records under $2.00. You never
know what gems you might find!
Our
Quality Control:
All
our used CDs, used LPs, and used DVDs go through an intensive
quality-control inspection before they are placed in the store
for sale. Our LP inventory is protected by clear plastic jackets
to prevent shopworn covers.
We guarantee our work; less than 1% of our used CDs and LPs are
returned. Why are we so fussy? So you'll want to visit us again!
We will give cash or store credit for defective or sealed gift
returns up to two weeks from date of purchase when accompanied
by a sales receipt.
Our
Selection:
At
Princeton Record Exchange , you won't waste your time
looking through unwanted, scratched, or overpriced items. Our
store buys CDs, LPs and DVDs through our vast buying networks,
so we are able to bring you those out-of-the-way and lesser-known
artists that you have been searching for.
We
welcome you
to come in and browse through over 60,000 new and used CDs, 10,000 DVDs, and over 60,000 LPs. A much more extensive selection than
most online stores-we're easier to navigate too!
While
our selection changes all the time-we never know what will come
in the door-the lists below will give you an idea of the genres
we feature and the average quantities in stock.
New
and Used CDs
- Rock/Pop,
including thousands of imports and indies..30,000
- Alternative...3,000
- Jazz..4,000
- Classical
CDs, including 20 th century, baroque, renaissance, chamber
music, rare historical recordings, and more..8,000
- Opera..700
- Oldies..500
- Soul/Funk/R&B..1,000
- Rap/Hip
Hop..1,000
- Soundtracks/Broadway
Shows..1,000
- Electronica,
including techno, trance, trip hop and more..1,000
- Industrial/Gothic..700
- Blues..500
- International/World
music..500
- Reggae..300
- Metal..600
- Country..300
- Folk..300
- We
also stock a good selection of, Avant-garde, Beatles, Bluegrass
, Comedy, Gospel, Latin, Motown, Personalities, Spoken Word,
and much more!
- Cheap
CDs under $5.00..20, 000!
New
and Used LPs
- Rock,
including thousands of indies and imports..20,000
- Alternative..2,000
- Jazz,
including bop, free jazz, big bands, and more..3,000
- Classical
including over 100 audiophiles, 20 th century, opera, rare monos,
and more..3,000
- Rap/Hip
Hop..600
- Soul/
Funk/ R&B..500
- Techno..300
- Oldies..500
- Rarities..600
- We
also stock a good selection of Audiophiles, Avant-garde, Beatles,
Bluegrass, Blues, Broadway Shows, Comedy, Country/Western, Electronic,
Folk, Gospel, Gothic, International, Latin, Metal, Motown, Personalities,
Psychedelic, Reggae, Soundtracks, World Music, and much more!
- Cheap
LPs from $1.00 to $1.99..Over 20,000!
New
and Used DVDs
We
stock over 10,000 DVDs including Criterion Collections, comedy,
Disney, drama, family, horror, TV, and much more. Most of our
used DVDs are priced at $11.99 or less, and we have over 1,000
cheap DVDs for less than $5.00.
Testimonials:
The
New York Times
"Customers
come from as far as Scotland and Japan or as close as around the
corner. Over the last 20 years, the Record Exchange here has flourished..."
The
Philadelphia Inquirer
"Here's
the area's best source of offbeat used compact discs in all musical
categories. The shop at 20 S. Tulane St. has arcane sources"
"Humble
Princeton shop has become a legend among those with a passion
for vinyl"
"What
makes [Princeton Record Exchange] uncommon is its success during
a time when independent stores everywhere are falling prey to
the malling of America "
"The
Princeton Record Exchange is one of the largest independent used-record
stores in the world..its customers come from Germany , Australia
, Japan and throughout the world."
"This
shop is considered by many to have the largest LP collection on
the East Coast..."
The
Newark Star Ledger
"The
store excels in three criteria: offering a large selection; offering
LPs in good to excellent, scratch-free condition; offering LPs
at a reasonable price."
Billboard
Magazine
"
Princeton Record Exchange has gained a reputation as having one
of the best collections of vinyl in the New York/Philadelphia
corridor. With an inventory of more than 100,000, 90% of which
are used, the store attracts avid collectors from as far away
as Europe ."
"With
both bargain hunters and serious collectors, the Princeton Record
Exchange has established a secure niche for itself."
Wire
Magazine
-interview with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem
"I
grew up in basically a small farm town [in southern New Jersey
], and if it wasn't for the Princeton Record Exchange, I might
as well have grown up in the armpit of the world...The
Record Exchange saved my life"
Town Topics #1
"Music enthusiasts take note: if you continue reading this column, be prepared to spend freely and uncontrollably for hours on end at what is arguably the best independent record store in the region and among the best in the country.With that said, you might already be familiar with the drawing power of the Princeton Record Exchange and what it offers at 20 S. Tulane Street in downtown Princeton... [ click to continue ]
Town Topics #2
"Collectors will find an extensive selection of quality & discontinued new and used LPs in every category at the Princeton Record Exchange."
Store Policy :
We guarantee new and used merchandise against physical defects, and allow sealed items to be returned within fourteen days. Click to read more about our Store Policies.
