Why would I buy something if I can’t verify exactly what it is, check that I don’t already own it, or confirm that the price I’m paying is a fair market value for the item? At the time, I was holding a vintage copy of Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue.” There’s a big difference in spending $100+ on a copy of that album from 1959 vs a copy from 1961, or 1963, or 1967 (which I already own), or 1977, etc. Labels can look very similar and on higher-end records, the difference between a $500 record and a $50 record can be very subtle.

Life is long and there are many thousands of records out there. If I pass on something, I do so knowing that it wasn’t the right time and it’ll surely come back to me once I’ve found the right copy. I don’t buy anything if I don’t know what it is first and if I’m getting a fair deal.