Martin Phillips

Well as some of you have rightly said VAT is not applicable on any itenm over £135.As for import charges I can't say conclusively. if the seller is obliged to show the actual price.I'm awaiting a couple of records from America so will see what is on the customs declaration! As for the Shelton's Yesterdays Laughter you probably know it fetched a whopping 990 dollars about eleven times the price of the one sold on Discogs back in September!

There's absolutely no sign that UK buyers have been neutered by this imposition of VAT.Little Joe & the Sunkings Question of Love in pretty good nick which does appear to be very rare in fairness had a small flurry of late bids raising it from 167 dollars to 767 dollars if I remember correctly, with the 20% to be added for good measure.Of course i'm making an assumption it's a UK buyer.The only other copy I detected was a slightly beat up one sold only in the USA in 2017 for about 120 dollars

A cheapie off Carolina Soul? Blimey you did well there! The VAT is not daunting people at all.That record by the Sheltons graded as VG- has currently hit almost 360 pounds at Carolina Soul .A MINT- copy on Discogs sourced in America again sold for 80 pounds last September !!!

No but you'll pay VAT on the buyers premium.Thirty five years ago you didn't have these perniciously high premiums. As far as E-Bay goes it doesn't seem to be deterring buyers.A record that sold in mint condition for 80 pounds last September on Discogs is already almost double that price with nearly three days of the auction still left!!!!

A friend from America who sells on Discogs asked me if I knew if he could still show a lower value on the customs form??

Most of the big E-Bay sellers such as Paperstax seem to list it under the bidding price as 20% VAT applicable.It's a pernicious tax really.Wasn't it around 3% when it was first introduced? All the big auction houses over here Christies etc and middling ones had a buyers premium of around 35% when I last looked.There was no such thing 30 odd years ago but I suppose many of the clients they cater for are the fattest of fat cats!!John(Manship) is the Sotheby's equivalent of Northern Soul Auctioneers.

Frankie you're spot on there with your comment.

It's uncanny the number of times you see two extremely rare records materialise suddenly with the same seller! Interestingly with the Detroit Sounds of Friction and this is speculation there was a copy on Discogs for sale white promo three or four months ago the seller from Canada described if I remember correctly as being vg+ touching on mint minus price around 2000 pounds..........I wonder if that's the same copy??? Also John Tucker just listed for sale here a great record incidentally and two appeared on an experienced American seller's list one much better than the other and I'd never seen a copy of that surface before In fact just as I was pressing buy somebody beat me to the punch!!!

I know the seller to whom you refer who has the Larry Allen Clifford Binns and Billy Arnell.He sold a promo copy of Detroit Sounds of Friction,I'm Leaving You recently in mint condition for 3,250 pounds within a few hours of listing it!!

That seems to be pushing it to the limit.That said the Chuck Proffitt,Love,love love.......two good sides on this........has fetched nearly 1700 dollars on Carolina Soul auction.Last one I spotted was around the 600 pounds mark a couple of years ago.

It's going nuts.The Eptones A love that's real is currently around 1500 dollars.Couple of weeks or so ago the Tony Borders record on Quinvy can't remember the title off the top of my head topped 1300 dollars roughly 1000 pounds.During the summer an equally good copy fetched 300 dollars or thereabouts!!!!

Yet more sad news to report. The passing of Roy C Southern soul singer at the age of 81 RIP

Dave does that mean those of us who have a copy will be booming out the George Lemons tune 20 years down the line in care homes at full volume because we'll be deaf as a post by then .......it'll make a change from Vera Lynn but I have great respect for that lady as a performer .The care home staff will be in for a shock then because they'll be the generation who listened to all that Little Mix drivel of today!

Akira Freeze, I Remember over $2000??>> I don't know about I Remember its more like something I'd want to forget like treading in dog dirt!!!! Absolute shocker Henry & His Kasuals.....Funny,Funny,Funny....The price certainly wasn't,over $1000. Good little record but surely 150-200 pounds tops????

More sad news with the announcement of the passing of Art Neville.He had apparently retired in December of last year thanking all his fans for their support during his long career.All These Things from 1962 was /is an unforgettable melody RIP

What a varied career this living legend had..........musician,arranger band leader composer producer and collaborator with Fats Domino and many others.He was the original writer of My Ding a Ling!Career began in 1936 and active until the very end RIP

I think that is happening.We all know there are ringers in there to ramp up the price as in a live physical auction.I've noticed it on a couple of records I bought on there,suspicious activity in the bidding patterns.I will say one thing though it gives you a chance sometimes if you know the seller is bona fide to get something you want whereas on here with us slightly fanatical soul record collectors the hard to find ones are invariably snapped up before you've clocked what's for sale! I've never been able to nail anything I want here yet.......but there's always a first time so i'll keep hanging on in there!

Yes only takes two.......two knobheads that is!

I meant to say Jack Hammer What Greater Love Demo !

It doesn't surprise me.....they're paying over the odds for everything.Auction fever! The other day Jack Hammer UA, Demo I think 535 Euros!!!

Oh yes....originals every time....for everything! nothing fake lol .......with the exception perhaps of The George Pepp reissue and I can't even find that!

Valentina I know exactly what you mean.I made an offer on a quite expensive one for sale on Discogs........he allowed that option.........but he's not biting.I thought I made a reasonable offer but clearly he doesn't think so !😁

Oh my pleasure Valentina.Hope its of some use to you maybe........even though the price appears to be flying high!

hHi.There is one for sale on E-Bay auctions promo copy but it's very popular VG++ condition I think.When I last looked had already hit bids of up to $ 147 .Don't know if this helps Kind Regards Martin