€68,00 as you can see, for a very special release (in my opinion) by Prince.
Prices have just gone silly in recent years, last purchase was almost £35 but one of only a couple this year.
It’s compounded by all the superfluous versions available in different ‘colours’ or multiple bundles at differing price points assuming everyone really wants vinyl/CD/postcards/booklets etc when maybe you just want a decent no frills replacement release for something that’s been played to death or damaged.
You are joking ? I saw it costs 27 k ! Perhaps the most expensive vinyl to buy.
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That is for an original promotion copy from 1987, there are less than 100 copies.
You can purchase a mint, normal copy for about 100 euro, it cost me 15 euro many, many years ago.
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I think this also raises the question of ‘collectable’ vs ‘completist’ purchase and although the purchase motive may differ, do you actually play it if re-sale value is important - you might never know if the purchase is faulty if Mint/unopened - I have a few of those which are duplicates ‘for the future’ rather than expensive.
I have paid a few hundred pounds for an LP a few times over the years.
Some examples Bowie - Space Oddity original Philips £200
Pink Floyd - Piper original mono £225
Patto - Hold Your Fire £180
Some expensive Jazz albums also. Hey Ho it’s only money.
Can’t afford to do it so much nowadays though!
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That’s my experience too Mike. I only buy black vinyl, but recently missed the fact that I ordered the latest Mark Knopfler album from HMV and by the time I got around to opening it found it was light blue and sounds dreadful with constant hissing surface noise. Too late to return it. Wasted a lump of cash 
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Did cleaning it help at all ?
Black is only dark blue- my mate is " colour chemist". He can bore for Britain on such things.
Colour is a subjective perception… 
You were buying used in the shops or online ? I buy from Discogs , NM or M, and I am quite never disappointed.
However in New Zealand, I guess most lps have to be ordered from Australia or US, so the prices raise quickly.
I tried for fun 2 lps , well known in prog rock , like Octopus, on Discogs.
No one in New Zealand.
I must be unlucky then, even though I only buy M or NM.
I stopped buying from ebay many years ago after a couple of people replied with “considering its age” when I’d questioned the grading.
On Discogs too I’ve bought a couple that certainly did not meet the grading. One in particular was described as “play tested, M/NM”.
The surface noise was horrific, the inner had splits on two of the three edges and the outer sleeve had a split along the spine that obliterated the artist and album title. “Must have occured in transit” was the response when I queried the grading. At first he wanted me to send it back at my expense but later agreed to refund postage when I said I’d keep it and send it to Discogs for them to see what’s being classed as M on their site.
I look at used as a last resort now.
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I’ve had a similarly poor experience with so called “mint unplayed shop stock” on Discogs. I try to only buy new/sealed online now and used in person.
Yes, I feel you are unlucky. I don’t see myself buying elsewhere, as I prefer original ( or from the same year) than reissues.
But sometimes I buy audiophile reissues, if I can’t find an original at a good price or condition.
I have ordered recently Tony Joe White first album, on Analogue Productions. Sealed.
Sadly not - and I have a Degritter. It’s not just the frying bacon sound either. I have plenty of discs with surface noise that still ‘succeed’ because the music rises above the noise and manages to engage me. The light blue ‘One Deep River’ just sounds muddled and crowded. Horrible.
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In the local second hand shops. Despite my best inspections, overall, the conditions haven’t been great.
I’ve just bought Queen’s “A Day at the Races”, I paid $75 new - at the limit of my “willing to pay”. There was a used Japanese pressing available here for about $65, mint condition, but I went new. I also grabbed Meatloafs “Bat out of Hell” and Supertramp’s “Crime of the Century”, both new at $52 and $46 each. The will be it for new LPs for a while now.
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That’s generally been my experience too FR. You can be unlucky, but most sellers on Discogs are genuine. You can’t expect to get a completely blemish free disc if it’s been pre-owned and used, even if it’s described as NM, but it should be mostly quiet and enjoyable. IME most of my Discogs purchases have been as described and I mostly buy Classical LP’s where blemishes are more obvious.
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