While most of my prog collection is sought-and-bought,  I have found old prog/prog related cassettes and/or CD's at thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, library sales, bargain bins, and swap meets--usually at very cheap prices (if not free), and I'll usually pick them up. These albums are by CHANCE, I never know what I'll find (and usually don't find anything of interest on any one visit).  I've found its a great way to sample music generally, and over the years I've amassed several thrift cassettes and CD's! (I don't collect vinyl, but may in the future). Some of these albums I've listened to once or twice and tossed aside, but others I've found are pretty decent and I keep them on hand for more listens, including:

Edited by zwordser - February 12 2016 at 11:09

There's nothing better than finding an incredible bargain in the bins. I've paid $20+ for a disc plenty of times, but getting something for nothing is the more memorable event.On New Years Day 2015, I stopped by a local thrift shop, not even knowing if it'd be open. Besides a few non-musical treasures, I scored a near-pristine copy of Pink Floyd's Pulse for a dollar. (Not to mention a near-mint 25th Anniversary Edition double-CD of Paul McCartney and Wings' Band on the Run, also for a dollar.)

I picked up Wind & Wuthering as well as Asia Minor's Between Flesh and Divine (a real find!) from the dollar bin at a record store once.  I also found Alive in an Ultra World by Steve Vai for a couple of bucks at a thrift shop.  I always look when I can, but rarely find good Prog.

^ More to the point does anyone shop in the traditional way any more?

Edited by richardh - February 26 2015 at 01:36

Vinyl LPs I bought for one pound in the last ten years include Aqualung, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, and Tales From Topographic Oceans. 
Why pay ten or twenty times as much when these classics can be found for less than the cost of the bus ride to the shop?

I had to convert myself to digital music because of lack of space at home. I'd love to spin my thousand vynils if I could. Sometimes I purchase a vinyl even if I know that it will never spin.

However, bandcamp is a source of great music if you have the patience to search between the rubbish.
Just try this as example

1974.bandcamp.com (i don't know how to link a url with a smartphone)

sublime220 wrote: All the time. It's my favourite way to find them too. Hard, but it feels really good afterwards for some reason in ways I cannot describe properly. You've also got a nice collection up there. Shadowfax, man, I thought they had disappeared from everyone's brains. Amazing band, truly.

I don't go to thrift stores much, and I've never found any music of value in there when I have.  But a few years ago I was at a garage sale the the lady's kid had a decent Porcupine Tree collection for sale.  I picked up the 2 disc version of The Sky Moves Sideways for $1.  Even though it was missing the 2nd disc.  I went up to the lady and asked if she had the 2nd disc somewhere, and she gave me a look like, "are you kidding?"   Good thing I didn't ask for a discount.

Progosopher wrote: I picked up Wind & Wuthering as well as Asia Minor's Between Flesh and Divine (a real find!) from the dollar bin at a record store once.  I also found Alive in an Ultra World by Steve Vai for a couple of bucks at a thrift shop.  I always look when I can, but rarely find good Prog.

Once i got from amoeba new trolls concerto grosso for 1and 2 $ 2.99