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Buy Someone You Love a Record Store for Christmas

Record Store eBay London Shop On the Beat For Sale

A London man has put his entire record shop for sale on eBay. To clarify, On the Beat owner Tim Derbyshire is not selling off his store’s collection of vinyl rarities and music memorabilia. He’s looking for bids on all of it — the bricks, the mortar, the records, the register, the collection, and the customers — as is, in one piece. The original new-wave outpost founded in 1979 is currently going for a buy-it-now price of £300,000, or $482,000.

Characterizing the potential purchase as “a lifestyle change,” Derbyshire writes on eBay, “If you’re at the stage in your life when you don’t have to worry about making money but can live the bohemian life, meet interesting people every day and the occasional pop or rock star, here’s your chance to take over the oldest record shop in the centre of Swinging London. It’s been there for five decades, right in Soho and just around the corner from Tin Pan Alley.”

Under “specifics,” he lists On the Beat as “profitable,” though he did tell Daily Mail that “even with more people buying vinyl these days, it’s a struggle to make ends meet.” Derbyshire has been in charge of the store for 35 years, tending to a collection of roughly 25,000 records at any given time, not to mention vintage record players, and a massive cache of memorabilia. “I have really enjoyed my time running the shop,” he said. “I’m just so tired now.”

The eBay listing further described On the Beat as, “A vinyl treasure trove with a pulsing, groovin’ history steeped in its very walls … Without someone buying it, it will disappear. If you’re mad about music, love vinyl and want to keep the dream alive, here’s your chance to take on an Aladdin’s Cave of musical gems. I’ve given it my heart and soul for all these years but it’s time for me to step down and let another passionate music lover take over.”

You know, Christmas is right around the corner…