Where To Buy Vinyl Records Online: The 20 Best Stores

Updated August 2026 · Originally published October 2021

This is our guide to the best places to buy vinyl records online — the stores we actually use, plus a few suggestions from our DJ community. Some of these you’ll know. Others are small, specialist operations that are worth having in your bookmarks bar.

A lot has changed since we first published this. Vinyl is no longer a comeback story — it’s the dominant physical format by a distance, and the money involved is serious. In 2025 US vinyl revenue passed $1 billion for the first time since 1983, growing 9.3% year on year off 46.8 million units sold. That was the nineteenth consecutive year of growth, and vinyl generated more than three times the revenue of CDs.

The catch is what that demand has done to prices. According to Discogs data, the average price of a mint-condition record rose 24% between 2020 and 2025, to $37.22. Add international shipping and, depending on where you live, import duty, and a casual order can get expensive fast. Knowing which store to use for which kind of record has become a genuinely useful skill rather than just a preference.

Pre-internet, record buyers took a trip to their local shop and hit the racks. Most of those neighbourhood stores were forced to close, put to the sword by file-sharing at the turn of the century. What replaced them wasn’t a like-for-like substitute, but the good online stores have inherited something of the same character — staff with opinions, proper curation, and a point of view about the music.

We’ve broken the stores below into four groups: electronic, non-electronic (rock, soul, hip hop and everything adjacent), second hand, and a fourth section covering the platforms that have become central to how DJs buy since we first wrote this.

Disclaimer: although we’ve categorised these stores musically, most of them cross over into other genres. We’ve put them where we have because that’s what we think they do best.

What’s changed since we first published this

Three things are worth flagging before the list, because they affect how you should read it.

Juno Download closed. Juno Records did not.

In mid-2026 Juno Download shut down abruptly after two decades, ending one of the most important digital stores electronic music has had. Its deep back catalogue of hardcore, hard trance, jungle and dancehall — much of which never made it onto Beatport or Bandcamp — went with it.

This is worth being clear about because the two names cause endless confusion: Juno Records, the vinyl and gear store at juno.co.uk, is unaffected and still trading. The two businesses split in 2013, when the download arm was sold to a US company. If you buy records from Juno, nothing has changed. It’s a reminder worth taking seriously though — a fifteen-year-old store can close on a Tuesday with no warning, so keep your own backups of anything digital you’ve bought.

Drift Records has closed

Drift, the award-winning shop on the High Street in Totnes, Devon, has shut its doors for the last time. It was in the original version of this guide and it deserved to be. We’ve replaced it with Piccadilly Records below rather than quietly deleting it, because the closure is part of the picture: a booming format does not automatically mean healthy record shops, and the economics at the retail end are tighter than the headline sales figures suggest.

Records cost noticeably more

The 24% jump in average price since 2020 is the headline, but it isn’t spread evenly. New audiophile and indie-exclusive pressings have inflated hardest. Second-hand and back-catalogue digging has held up far better, which is part of why the second-hand section of this guide has grown in usefulness rather than shrunk.

Shipping and customs are now part of the decision

Ordering across borders isn’t the simple proposition it was. Depending on where you’re based, a $30 record from another continent can arrive with a handling fee attached that costs more than the record. Where possible, buy domestically or check whether a store has a distributor in your region. We’ve noted international shipping in the tables, but it’s worth checking a store’s own policy page before you fill a basket.

Electronic music stores for buying vinyl records online

Phonica

As with several picks on this list, Phonica is best known for its physical store in Soho. It opened in 2003, in the middle of a wave of London record shop closures, and has outlasted almost everything that was around it. The breadth of knowledge behind the counter and the eclectic catalogue made it the go-to for London’s more discerning selectors.

The online store is well worth a visit. Electronic music is in their DNA and it shows in how the site is organised — house, tech house, minimal, techno, electro, disco and edits all get their own space rather than being lumped together. They also run their own label, and the pre-order system lets you reserve releases before they land, which matters for the pressings that sell out in a day.

Boomkat

Boomkat is one of the first places we go when buying vinyl records online. A lot of what they carry is genuinely scarce, and the site is fast and clean. They also have a way with words — the reviews are frequently more entertaining than the music, and they’re not shy about saying when something is difficult or unrewarding.

That editorial voice is the actual product here. You can tell the staff care as much as the customers do, and if your taste runs to the experimental end of electronic music, their weekly recommendations are a better filter than any algorithm.

Turntable Lab

Buying vinyl records online from Turntable Lab is a straightforward, pleasant experience. The site is quick, the categorisation is clear, and they don’t over-complicate things. They don’t go as deep into underground electronic music as Phonica or Hard Wax, but for a lot of buyers that’s a feature rather than a limitation.

They’re also one of the better places to buy DJ and hi-fi equipment alongside records, which makes them genuinely useful if you’re setting up rather than just restocking. If you’re still deciding on decks, our guide to the best DJ turntables covers what to look for before you spend.

Juno

Juno is one of the longest-running stores on this list, with roots going back to 1996 as a dance music information site before it ever sold anything. It’s now one of the largest independently owned dance music and equipment retailers in the world, adding hundreds of new releases a week.

Although their roots are in dance music, they stock just about every genre going, plus a serious range of DJ and studio gear. The vinyl catalogue is categorised properly with all the usual sub-genres, and their onsite audio player remains one of the best around — you can queue up a whole page of releases and audition them without clicking in and out.

One point of confusion worth clearing up: Juno Download, the separate digital store, closed in 2026. Juno Records — the vinyl side at juno.co.uk — is a different company and is trading normally.

Hard Wax

Hard Wax is a musical institution in Berlin and well beyond it. Founded in 1989, it has had some genuinely influential people behind the counter over the years, including DJ Hell, Gernot Bronsert of Modeselektor, and Marcel Dettmann.

The online store is one of the best places anywhere to find club weapons, and it’s organised with the same severity as the shop itself — no clutter, no marketing, just short descriptions and a clip. If you play techno, dub techno or anything with a Berlin lineage, this is a bookmark. Try not to spend too much money.

Non-electronic stores (rock, soul, hip hop and more)

Dusty Groove

This veteran online store looks dated at first glance, but its depth is close to unparalleled. It has become home to a loyal following of crate diggers and specialises in soul, funk, hip hop and world flavours, all categorised brilliantly. The descriptions are written by people who have actually listened to the records, which is rarer than it should be.

For DJs digging for breaks, edits and sample sources, this is one of the highest hit-rate stores on the list. There’s also a physical shop in Chicago if you prefer your digging hands-on.

Piccadilly Records

Piccadilly has been going since 1978 and sits in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and it is about as decorated as an independent record shop gets — Best Independent Record Store at the Music Week awards, Best Record Store at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards, and top of The Independent’s list of UK independents.

The stock runs from indie and alternative through house, techno, disco, soul, funk, jazz, reggae, psych and balearic, which makes it one of the few shops on this list that genuinely does cross over. Mail order is well handled and records arrive properly packed, which is less universal than it should be.

Their annual end-of-year list is the thing to know about. It carries real weight beyond Manchester and is one of the better ways to find records you missed. They also sell off non-mint and hidden-shelf stock through a separate Discogs account, which is worth checking if you don’t need a pristine copy.

Norman Records

Norman Records is another UK store, this time in Leeds. They have a strong electronic catalogue but it’s the rock-oriented genres where they pull ahead of most of the competition. What we like is that each genre is sub-divided into bestsellers by week, month and year, which is a genuinely useful way to browse when you don’t know what you’re looking for.

We highly recommend a dive into their psych and krautrock section — there are consistently gems in there, and plenty of it is sample-friendly if that’s what you’re after.

Red Cat Records

Red Cat is a Canadian record store on Main Street in Vancouver, and it’s very highly regarded by the locals. When we first wrote this guide, their online operation ran through Discogs. It doesn’t any more — they run their own storefront now, which is a clear improvement: proper new-arrivals and used sections, staff picks with actual staff commentary, and a genuinely fun staff mixtape on the homepage.

They specialise in rock, folk, electronica and funk among others, and they sell gig tickets for shows around Vancouver too, which tells you what kind of shop it is. They ship within Canada, to the USA, and to selected countries in Europe.

Rough Trade

Rough Trade is the granddaddy of record stores, with a global reputation for being at the forefront of new music. They have several physical stores across the UK plus one in New York.

If you’d rather buy vinyl records online, the store is slick and easy to navigate. The most impressive thing is the categorisation — the sub-genres go deep and the artist tagging is excellent. There’s also a function that lets you flick between the US and UK sites, which is handy for keeping shipping sane depending on where you’re based. We had a particularly good time going through their African section.

Sounds Of The Universe

Sounds Of The Universe — or Soul Jazz, as a lot of us still think of it — was firmly on our radar during our time in London, and the online store is every bit as good as the shop. Slick layout, high-resolution artwork, and a Turkish section that is genuinely unrivalled if that’s your thing.

The connection to the Soul Jazz label is what makes it distinctive. They reissue a lot of the music they sell, so the store doubles as a well-argued case for a particular view of music history. For anyone with an eclectic but discerning palate, get this one bookmarked.

Second-hand stores for buying vinyl records online

Dub Vendor

London-based Dub Vendor specialise, as the name suggests, in reggae, roots, dub and dancehall — and they’re probably the best in the world at what they do. Their online vinyl can be filtered by 7″, 10″ and LP, which is a really nice touch when you’re specifically after singles.

They get the hottest imports from Jamaica and hold a deep back catalogue of classics. If you play anything with a soundsystem lineage, this is the specialist you want.

Victor Kiswell

A number of the most discerning big-name DJs buy vinyl records online from Barcelona-based Victor Kiswell. He specialises in new and old records with a twist of funk or jazz, and the categorisation is unlike anywhere else on this list — Arabic and Persian, Bollywood, library music, early electronics, sitar bangers, breaks and loops.

Most listings come with a generous audio clip, which matters when you’re spending real money on something you’ve never heard. This is not a cheap store — plenty of stock sits in the three-figure range — but it’s the perfect place to pick up genuinely off-kilter wax you won’t find anywhere else.

Growing Bin Records

Growing Bin specialise in balearic, ambient, jazz, krautrock and electronica, and the store sits alongside Basso’s other ventures out of Hamburg, including a blog and a label. The site has a boutique feel and the attention to detail is sublime.

The track descriptions are written with obvious love, and the categorisation is detailed and quite funny — genres include “cocktails by the pool” and “club med”. It sounds like a gimmick and isn’t; it’s a more honest description of how a lot of this music actually gets used than any conventional genre tag would be.

Vinyl On The Net

This one is for the punks. The site looks a bit DIY, but it’s an essential stop for the genre — rare punk 7″s, KBD, proto and post punk, plus new wave, mod, ska, indie, C86, psychobilly, Madchester, gothic and Americana.

Stock is a mix of mint and used, clearly labelled with a grading system you can check on the site, and you can switch the display currency between dollars, pounds and euros. They went quiet for a while and have since relaunched and are taking orders again — worth knowing if you tried them at some point and found the door shut. Our one gripe is unchanged from last time: no audio clips.

The platforms DJs actually use now

This section didn’t exist in the original guide, and it probably should have. These aren’t traditional record shops, but between them they account for an enormous share of how records get bought today — and for DJs specifically, a few of them are close to essential.

Bandcamp

Bandcamp is where a large proportion of independent labels now sell vinyl direct, and it’s the single best way to make sure your money reaches the people who made the record. Physical purchases usually come with an instant digital download attached, which for DJs is the whole argument — you get the file for the gig and the record for the shelf, in one transaction.

Worth knowing: Bandcamp Fridays still run, on dates published in advance, and on those days the platform waives its revenue share so more of the money goes to the artist. If you’re buying anyway, timing an order around one is free money for the label. The platform has changed hands twice since 2022 — Epic Games, then Songtradr in late 2023, with significant layoffs — so it’s not the unambiguously safe institution it once looked like. The economics are intact today, but don’t treat any platform as permanent. See Juno Download.

Discogs

Discogs is the world’s second-hand record shop, and if you’re hunting one specific pressing it’s usually the fastest route to it. The database underneath it is the real asset — matrix numbers, pressing variants, label codes — and learning to read it properly will save you from paying reissue money for a repress you didn’t want.

Two things to watch. Grading is seller-declared, so buy on feedback as much as on condition, and treat “VG+” from an unrated seller with caution. And shipping is calculated per seller, so five records from five sellers costs a great deal more than five from one. Use the seller filter and buy in bundles where you can.

deejay.de

Trading since 1988 out of Germany, deejay.de has become one of the most important sources of electronic music vinyl in Europe — a lot of other record stores buy through them. For DJs, the standout feature is the reservation system, which lets you hold releases as they’re announced rather than racing for them on release day.

The range is exceptional and they ship worldwide. The site is more functional than beautiful and customer service reviews are mixed, so it’s a store we’d use for the deep catalogue rather than for a hand-held experience.

Rush Hour

Rush Hour is both a record store and a label, based in Amsterdam, and it’s one of the most consistently well-curated selections in Europe. House, techno, jazz, soul and the experimental edges, chosen by people with a very clear point of view.

Their reissue programme is a big part of why they matter — a lot of records that would otherwise sit at collector prices on Discogs have been made available again through Rush Hour at sensible money. If you want one shop that reflects where European club music currently sits, this is a strong candidate.

HHV

Berlin-based HHV is one of Europe’s largest vinyl retailers, with a catalogue that runs deep across hip hop, jazz, electronic and experimental releases. They also run their own label and have done since 2002.

It’s the store to check for limited pressings and exclusive editions, and the sheer scale means they often still have stock of things that sold out elsewhere. Less boutique than Hard Wax or Rush Hour, but that’s the point — it’s a proper big shop with a proper big warehouse.

How to buy without getting burned

A few practical points, most of which we’ve learned the expensive way.

• Learn the grading scale. Mint, Near Mint, VG+, VG and below. The gap between NM and VG+ is where most disappointment lives, and on second-hand marketplaces the grade is an opinion, not a measurement.
• Consolidate orders. On Discogs and similar, shipping is per seller. Buying five records from one seller instead of five is often the difference between a sensible order and a silly one.
• Check whether there’s a regional site. Rough Trade, among others, lets you switch between US and UK storefronts. Buying from the one nearest you can save more than the record costs.
• Audio clips are not optional for DJs. If you’re buying to play out, a store without clips means you’re buying on reputation alone. That’s fine for a label you trust and reckless for a record you’ve only read about.
• Sign up for the newsletters of the two or three stores that match your taste. The genuinely scarce pressings go to people who saw them first, not to people who searched later.
• Look after what you buy. At current prices a damaged record is real money. Our guide to cleaning vinyl records properly covers the basics.

Which store should you use?

New club electronic music: Phonica, Hard Wax, Juno, deejay.de or Rush Hour, depending on how deep you’re going and where you’re shipping to.

Breaks, samples and dig material: Dusty Groove, Victor Kiswell, Sounds Of The Universe.

One specific record you already know you want: Discogs, every time.

Supporting the label directly: Bandcamp, ideally on a Bandcamp Friday.

Something outside your usual lane: Boomkat, Norman Records, Growing Bin — all three are strong enough editorially to be worth reading even when you’re not buying.

That’s our round-up of the best places to buy vinyl records online. If you’re building a digital crate alongside the physical one, our guide to the best DJ record pools covers that side of things — and if the records are piling up faster than your setup can handle them, our rotary mixer guide is where a lot of vinyl DJs end up eventually.