Buyers Paradise (Music And Video Exchange (Notting Hill))

Member Name: nilo0901

Product:	Music And Video Exchange (Notting Hill)
Date:	08/10/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decent prices, potential bargains, great selection across the board

Disadvantages: Not that friendly staff. Selling gets you peanuts

This is a vast chain of shops that buys and sells second hand just about anything but the biggest would be music. They have stores all a few doors from one another devoted to Rock & Pop, Soul & Dance, Classical and Stage and Screen. Around the corner are shops selling clothing, books, magazines, comics, electronics, homeware... just about everything. This place is a goldmine and you could get lost here for hours.

First thing to say is that it's a buyers paradise. If you're looking to sell for big bucks you're better off trying to do it individually on an auction site because you won't get much. Fair enough, as they need to make money too. The way it works is that you can either sell for cash or for vouchers to be used across their stores. Vouchers give you double what the cash will. As they sell everything, unless you need the money badly, I often find vouchers to be more worthwhile.

If buying, you can find some great bargains. They have a pricing system that means that if an item doesn't sell its price decreases. The longer it doesn't sell, the more it goes down until it's in the bargain basement. I think if you're a music lover, this is the best part of it.

For CD's, the Rock & Pop bargain basement is next to none. You can find many great CD's for £2-£3 but you have to sift through the countless copies of Robbie Williams or Dido albums to get the treasure. Watch out for condition too. It being a bargain basement, quality varies greatly so be watchful.

If vinyl's your thing then the selection is great. You can get anything from a bog standard LP reissue to collectors' items in all genres. I've always found it fairly priced although I think things brand new to the shop may be a little overpriced due to their predicting the potential devaluation.

Staff are a bit hit and miss but mostly are fairly miserable. Think of you're clichéd image of second hand record shop staff and you've just about summed up this lot. Help is rarely at hand unfortunately in my experience. Oh, and if you can't stand the stench of chips and fried chicken, keep away. It stinks of it...

Summary: Good for bargain hunters but less good for sellers