Smugglers Records - Bridlington

Benjamin K.

Half record store and half shrine to rotting technology, we discovered this place when I was a teenager building a record collection and during our most recent visit to Bridlington, now aged 30, I was astounded to see the old place still running - albeit only opening two days a week.
There are some absolute gems in here, provided you're willing to get digging and dedicate some time to it. There's vinyl, CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes stacked FOR DAYS in there. Some of them are in somewhat dilapidated condition, but the old fella will always check it first and show you before you buy it. Probably best to pay with cash rather than card, too. Also, patience is required at the point of purchasing - he's got a lot to rifle through in there, so be prepared for a wait whilst he finds it for you.
An absolute Alladin's cave of music and media, rife for the plunder. Not one to be missed on a day trip in Bridlington! 💿🎧📀

Christopher M.

Great little record shop! Love having a rummage through the vinyl in here and have found a few gems along the way. Owner is a gentleman and will only sell good condition vinyl. 👍👍👍

Mathew G.

This place is absolutely stacked with records, vhs, cassettes, CDs, etc. Literally far too much to go through unless you have a day or two to spare. However some of the merchandise is inaccessible due to stacking more and more on top of each other. The VHS at times is 4 or 5 rows deep or the one you want has another 30 other boxes on top. Records are sometimes packed in tight too.

Also some of merchandise is in terrible condition - covered in mould and looking like it has come from a shipwreck. Fit for the bin yet priced at a premium. Thus the Pricing on some items is waaaay out and there is little room for negotiation with the owner. Boxes are also mostly empty and it takes time for Dave to track down your item in the back room.

Opening times are odd too. Best to ring before you set off as the shop is shut mostly over the autumn / winter and only open three days a week over the summer.

Why the three stars? There are some absolute bargains to be had if you know what to look for and are willing to dig. Bought some items and made up to 5x more by cleaning them up and putting on eBay. I visit perhaps once a year and never come away empty handed and made some good £££ too to boot.

Faulty C.

Visited as a buyer, rather than a seller, but I really take exception to the one star review above - especially the comparisons between slavery and feeling that he/she got a bad deal on some records they wanted to sell! No doubt, the pricing of some of the stuff in this place is inconsistent - i put that down down to the owner being a bit behind the times rather than being a total shark as suggested above. I liked the inconsistent pricing - too many records shops have the joy sucked out of them by the owners acting like antique dealers and knowing the pricing so well that it makes it hard to find a genuine bargain. This place is an absolute vinyl treasure trove, if you are willing to plough through A LOT of stuff, catagorised in a way that makes no sense at all. Impossible to look through everything in one go, but a joy if you like to spend your afternoons rummaging through dusty old boxes of records. And if you don't like the price........ don't buy/sell it!!!

Lavinia R.

Very small, a door is extremely annoying everytime you go up to it.

It has old albums and CDS and cassettes. Affordable prices

Not very much array of things but the owner has A LOT of things in the back

Too much for the owner to display.

Carl

Sold us a beatles mono cd set that was a FAKE. And the one tape we bought also had snapped tape so all in all not good. Selling illegal copies at 85 pounds ago is wrong. Avoid this con man at all costs

Batman R.

Please be warned never to take your record collection into Smugglers records. The owner is a very short, bald, goblin of a man who will fake interest in your collection just so that you will haul it all round to his grubby little lair for free.
Once there he will quickly evaluate it all while commenting how worthless it all is, and if he makes you an offer at all - it will be insultingly pitiful. So now you either have to haul it all away again (which he relys on you not wanting to do), or accept his meagre offering, or even just walk away and leave it all behing for absolutely nothing at all (which many have done if the offering is zero & they cant be bothered taking it all back home again).
Over the years, thousands of records have been aquired in exactly this method, then resold on E bay for extortionate amounts. This scam exploits the very locals who can least afford to be conned out of their beloved record collections. It should be illegal as well as just immoral to conduct business this way in 2015 - ita as bad as slavery in my opinion.

Sara R.

An absolute aladins cave of music. Everything you could ask for. Tape, cd, vhs and vynal. You need to be prepared to search but some absolute gems in there and all well priced