PLaces to find LaserDiscs

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum here and was curious if anyone had any hints or tips on places to find LaserDiscs these days? Obviously there is eBay and the internet but do any of you know of physical stores where LDs can still be found?

I live in London and have been a vinyl collector for about 15 years now and for me the thrill of the hunt and finding a great record (or film!) for a bargain price is one of my favourite parts of collecting and unfortunately you just don't get that on the internet really. Plus it's always more fun to go out looking for stuff as opposed to just clicking away on the mouse, I'm not sure if this will be possible with LD however.

So if anyone has any tips on places worth checking out it would be appreciated, or just stories of any particularly good finds you might have made.

Cheers,
Ed

They're a really hard find in most areas now. Perhaps you could try craigslist and flea markets. I've pretty much given up on looking for LDs as it's practically an online-only market right now and shipping prices aren't cheap.

Oh well, that is disappointing news! But not unexpected really, I was hoping there might be a few places that were still flogging Laser Discs in London but maybe not. There's still the outside chance of finding a stack in one of those shops that sells nothing but old videogames and DVDs I suppose, and there are a few of those still knocking about.

I'm a charity shop regular from all my time spent hunting for Vinyl in them for years and I have to say I can't remember a single occasion that I've seen a Laser Disc in any of them. Normally I will flick through their entire vinyl section (which I guess is the most likely place to find a Laser Disc as they're the same size) and I've never seen one.

Agreed on the corporate charity shops these days, a lot of them don't stock vinyl anymore and when they do stuff can be priced so ridiculously that you have to wonder what they've been smoking!

Never mind though, the hunt must go on! And failing that there's always the internet, my only problem with that being that everyone knows exactly what they have and how much it's worth, so much less scope for bargains.

Be on the lookout for Hamfests, ham (amateur) radio and electronic fairs and conventions, where there are sometimes huge flea markets full of unusual electronics gear, including, sometimes, laserdisc players.

Last year I scored a working Laserdisc player at the Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio, USA. There were a couple other players there as well.

For example, there is one listed for the U.K. in September - search for "national hamfest."
These fairs cater to, and are designed for and by, radio operators, but there is typically all sorts of additional electronical-type gear such as recording equipment and players.

My laserdisc moment came at Wimborne Market (Dorset, UK)... Was just finishing my trip having purchased some retro gaming stuff and by one of the fire exits was a stack of old electrical items, I a had a scan and about half way down was a Pioneer CLD 515... I asked the vender and he said £5! I had no hope in it working, took it home and it worked like a dream! I have been back many times and missed out on a tub of laserdiscs that had been bought seconds before me! Still look hard and LD's still live strong!