I was reading your disappointing record thread, this seems to be the place to add a positive note.
I have been accumulating records since the late 60's. As I have always taken good care of them the vast majority sound as good as they were when they were new. So I know that older vinyl can sound great!
Like many I have been disappointed by the quality of more new and reissued pressings than I would like. While I still purchase some new I have recently been buying used records online from Luke's Records in Toronto.
Lukesrecords.com I have been extremely pleased!
Now I have purchased the odd used record over the years. At most places its hit and miss at the very best. I believe Luke's Records or a business like it is what we should be looking for. So what do I like about what he is offering?
Luke offers mostly British and European records, some of which are first pressings! Not all recordings are created equal and I find that a well preserved first pressing usually sounds better than subsequent reissues. Records from different countries do tend to sound different from my Canadian copies and I am often quite pleased with how good these foreign copies can sound.
He is light as far as jazz and classical but I found a few gems. Definitely worth your time to look. If you are a child of the 60's and 70's this is the place to be.
Luke cleans them with a Degritter Mk2 and places them in a new sleeve after visually inspecting them for obvious flaws and play grading them. He then indicates the label, place of pressing, year of pressing, record code information, condition of the cover etc. and even offers a short description of the record.
His website is easy to use and I have found when I have contacted him with a question he is quick to respond. He packs the records properly and extremely well and he ships quickly. In Canada he covers the shipping if you spend $200 CAD. I am not sure of cross border or international transactions.
Last but not least his prices are reasonable given the effort he goes through and the quality of record you will receive. For example a good record can be as little as $15 , a near mint second pressing $25-$60 and a first pressing from a popular artist can be $100 +.
Best of all nearly all of the recordings I have purchased from him have sounded wonderful.