www.undergroundalbums.com
Jerome Tomko
PO BOX 1686 PLAINS PA 18705-0686 USA
TEL: 570/472-9137 (noon-10PM eastern [NYC] time)
FAX: 570/472-9489 (24 hours)
NO RETURNS on tapes. EVERYHING is sold / traded AS IS (see "grading" page).
How to order: Browse the site, make your selections, then contact me to determine availability and / or make trade offers and to reserve your selections. When I receive your payment and / or trade items, your order will be shipped promptly (generally within 1-5 days, though during busy periods it may take 7-10 days, depending on volume). Details as follows:
How to reserve tapes and offer
trades
Domestic Payment & Shipping Information
Overseas Payment & Shipping Information
Trading / Selling Information
Payments are accepted via Visa, M/C, AmEx, Discover (via PayPal), check, MO, IMO
MAKE PAYMENTS VIA MAIL PAYABLE TO:
undergroundalbums.com
PO Box 1686
Plains PA 18705-0686 USA
EMAIL me HERE (This email link should bring up an email from you to me. If not, my email address is shown below: )
NOTE: if your email bounces or you don't get a reply within 48 hours, please call, fax or write.
PHONE: (570) 472-9137 noon-10PM Eastern (NYC) time.
You will get me, a busy signal, or the machine. 4th ring machine if you prefer not to leave a message- but PLEASE do not call repeatedly and hang up on the machine in an attempt to get me in person. Sometimes I am not here to answer the phone due to buying trips, etc. If you leave a message reserving tapes, I will call you back promptly IF any of your requests remain. Also, I DO NOT return international calls (except Canada), sorry.
PLEASE only reserve items you will pay for quickly. Reservations are 3 weeks in US and 5 weeks overseas. ABSOLUTLEY NO EXCEPTIONS. If you can't come up with the payment in that period, please DO NOT order. If you must cancel out on an order, please let me know within 2 weeks of ordering. Individuals who reserve records or tapes, never pay for them and never contact me to cancel or explain will not be able to place orders from this site in the future.RETURNS POLICY: All tapes are sold AS-IS, NO RETURNS OR REFUNDS of any kind for any reason.
DOMESTIC (USA) PAYMENT & SHIPPING INFO:
PAYMENTS VIA MAIL must be payable to undergroundalbums.com. Money orders, cashiers checks, and personal checks are acceptable (checks may be held until clearance). Please DO NOT send cash unless it is well-concealed in a registered envelope- and even then, I would NOT recommend sending cash throuth the mail as it is very likely to be stolen.
PAYPAL: I also accept PAYPAL payments. CREDIT CARDS: can be used via PayPal. Safe and convenient. Your invoice will state the email address to which you can make your Paypal payment.
PA RESIDENTS MUST ADD 6% SALES TAX. Sales tax applies to postage charges as well.
POSTAGE AND INSURANCE:
USA shipping: MEDIA MAIL is FREE, other services charged at approximate actual costI can also ship via express mail at my approximate cost. Please note that the new USPS rates calculate priority mail charges by SIZE as well as weight and distance. For instance, a box over one cubic foot in size gets charged for 20 pounds of weight, even if it only contains a few ounces of weight. The new priority rates are quite complex and you should ask for an exactquote if you want more than a few tapes sent that way.
If paying by mail, PLEASE INCLUDE a note or letter with payment stating your name, address, and what you are paying for. This is greatly appreciated. If you send an envelope with just a check / MO and no explanation of what the payment is for, this may delay your order.
Finally, I cannot send anything out BEFORE receiving payment / trade items in full, NO EXCEPTIONS. I do not offer shipment via any other service besides the US Mail, and I do not offer any type of domestic shipping other than Priority, Media Mail, or Express. Please DO NOT request any other terms (M-bag, UPS, private carriers, shipment before receiving payment, etc etc). I cannot ship your parcel "ahead of the queue" simply because you want it right away, either. Parcels are shipped out in the order payment is received.
OVERSEAS PAYMENT & SHIPPING INFO:
PAYMENTS VIA MAIL must be in US Dollars payable to undergroundalbums.com.
RETURNS POLICY: All tapes are sold AS-IS, NO RETURNS OR REFUNDS of any kind for any reason.
PAYPAL: I also accept PAYPAL payments. CREDIT CARDS may be used via PayPal. Safe and convenient. Your invoice will state the email address to which you can make your Paypal payment. Chargeback policy is as stated above for payments via PayPal.
OTHER ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHODS: a bank check (cashier's check) or bank IMO in US$ drawn on a US bank (your bank can make one for you). Postal IMO's are a safe payment method for Japanese and Canadian customers, but have been pretty much phased out by the US Postal Service for most other countries. You can also send money via WESTERN UNION, but this may be rather expensive for you.
US cash sent well-concealed in a registered envelope is sent entirely at your risk. I do NOT RECOMMEND sending cash through the mails, even if it is registered. I have had several registered envelopes go missing in the past few years and given the current environment in the USA I would say that mailing cash is even more risky than usual as incoming packages and envelopes may be receiving extra scrutiny by the PO. One envelope sent registered by a customer in the UK was stolen by thieves at JFK Airport in NYC; the government eventually recovered the envelope and sent it to me, and even prosecuted the thieves, but the payment is gone forever.
Of course, PLEASE DON'T EVER send UNREGISTERED cash- at least 5 payments sent that way over the last couple years never arrived here, and there is nothing I can do about unregistered letters lost in the mail.
WIRE TRANSFERS are available for large orders (over $500). ASK if you wish to use this option.
SHIPPING CHARGES:
OVERSEAS ORDERS will be figured INDIVIDUALLY so you will not get overcharged! I will quote an exact figure when you order.
EMS, GEM, Express Airmail, etc are now Express Mail International (EMI). Insurance up to $100 declared value is free, and can be purchased at higher values.
Air Letter Post (formerly Small Packet) is now First-Class Mail International (FCMI). This rate class only applies to parcels up to four pounds weight, just as it always has. FCMI can be sent registered but cannot be insured, just like letter post was before. Registered mail is available.
Air Parcel Post is now Priority Mail International (PMI). This rate will only be used for parcels of 4 pounds weight or higher (or if you insist on insured shipment for a lighter parcel). PMI can be insured but not registered, just like Parcel Post was before. Insurance starts at $2.45 for up to $50 declared value and goes up from there.
Surface Mail (aka Economy) no longer exists, sorry to say.
REGISTRATION & INSURANCE: I am not responsible for any uninsured / unregistered parcel once it is mailed. Insurance or registration optional, I will bill you at my approximate cost.
Registration is available only on parcels under 4lbs weight, and includes insurance.
Insurance by itself is available only on packages over 4lbs weight, and costs $2.45 for up to $50 declared value, and goes up from there.
Insured / registered value & value on customs declaration must be equal. Please note that you will only be able to make a claim for the declared / insured / registered amount should something get lost or damaged.
IMPORTANT: I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for uninsured / unregistered parcels lost or damaged in the mails. Please note that parcels sent insured or registered to any address outside the USA must be insured or registered for the exact amount declared on the customs form, and in the event of loss or damage, it is that exact same amount that will be paid to you by the postal insurance. If the BUYER is outside the USA and chooses not to purchase registration or insurance for the full value of their order, and their order is subsequently lost or damaged in the mail, the BUYER agrees to accept responsibility for the loss, and further agrees that the seller WILL NOT offer any refund or any further recourse for recovery of the value of the lost or damaged item(s). Purchase of any item(s) from this website constitutes the buyer's full and unconditional agreement with the seller's terms stated above.
If paying by mail, PLEASE INCLUDE a note or letter with payment stating your name, address, and what you are paying for. This is greatly appreciated!!
Finally, I cannot send anything out BEFORE receiving payment / trade items in full, NO EXCEPTIONS. I do not offer shipment via any other service besides the US Mail and FedEx, and I do not offer any type of US Mail service other than the categories stated above. Please DO NOT request any other terms (M-bag, UPS, private carriers, shipment before receiving payment, etc). I cannot ship your parcel "ahead of the queue" simply because you want it right away, either. Parcels are shipped out in the order payment is received.
TRADING & SELLING YOUR TAPES TO ME:
I may be interested in trading for or buying YOUR TAPES. PLEASE let me know about 1960s-vintage tapes you want to sell or trade, especially items on my WANTLIST. You might be suprised at how quickly I'll trade tapes on this site for totally obscure junk from the '60s. Let me know what you have, I'll respond promptly with all sorts of inane questions about condition, melted rollers, label variations etc, and then we can make a deal.
I BUY OLD (1960s vintage) TAPES IN ALL FORMATS (4T, 8T, reel, cassette) except maybe Playtape. I am also looking for those "cassette EP's" that came bubble-packed to a card to be hung on a hook-rack on the wall of a shop (must still be in the bubble-pack with the card). I am mainly buying only items I need for my own collection at this point so don't get mad if I turn down your trade / sale stuff. I am still buying vinyl for resale, of course.
I WILL trade stuff from the "equipment" page for tapes if the deal is right, but I'm generally not interested in acquiring any more tape-related equipment, except for 4-Track decks and some Quad stuff, or really outrageous finds like NOS high-end Akai, Marantz or Pioneer decks. Also I'm potetially interested in a big Technics reel-to-reel deck.
HEY...I could use a 4-track player with excellent frequency response and LOW wow & flutter specs, if such a thing exists; if anybody would be willing and able to convert a broadcast studio type cart machine to play commercial prerecorded stereo 4-track cartridges I would be very interested. All the 4-track decks I've run across have had awful speed accuracy or are mechanically flaky.
Tape-wise, I am generally looking for this type of stuff (some of which does not appear on my wantlist):
1) OBSCURE / PSYCHEDELIC / GARAGE '60s BANDS / ARTISTS (there are a few very early '70s ones in this category as well). Some examples: 13th Floor Elevators, Seeds, Chocolate Watchband, Hunger (yes, Hunger was issued on 8T). Also "acid folk" stuff. Most of my wantlist is this type of material.
2) WEIRD '60s POP. Not really psychedelic, but not really straight pop either. Couple examples: Inner Dialogue on Ranwood, or the Free Design on Project 3. Or maybe the first 3 Association albums, Eternity's Children, that type of vibe.
3) EARLY ISSUES of '60s "CLASSIC" ROCK. This would be mainly the early versions (i.e, white cart Ampex with title sleeves, or white or green cart GRT with picture boxes, or white cart RCA with picture boxes or plastic "tub" cases, or white cart ITCC with title tags on sleeves, or white cart Capitol) of stuff like Buffalo Springfield, Cream, Hendrix, Doors, Iron Butterfly et al. I don't want the common '70s issues. Almost all of these Ampex tapes (and some of the GRT's) will have bad rollers. Ask if you don't know what I'm talking about on these. '60s music on carts made during the '60s.
4) QUADRAPHONIC TAPES (all formats). Mainly interested in rock and jazz. I also buy quad LP's.
5) 4-TRACK CARTRIDGES. Again, mainly rock & jazz are needed. I pretty much only want mint ones in their original boxes. I could use a 4-track player with excellent frequency response and LOW wow & flutter specs, if such a thing exists; if anybody would be willing to convert a broadcast cart machine to play commercial prerecorded stereo 4-track cartridges I would be very interested.
6) OBSCURE '70s PROGRESSIVE / AVANT-GARDE stuff. This would be mostly UK & German bands like Gong, Faust, Magma (I know, they are French!), Hatfield & The North etc. Many of these will be import-only. The more obscure, the better. I'm not looking for the "classic" / popular FM radio prog like Yes, ELP, Genesis etc...though Ampex title sleeve copies of the first couple Yes & ELP albums might be of interest after all...
7) EARLY PUNK. Yeah, who isn't looking for this stuff? I'm looking for the exact same ones you are. Did the DANGERHOUSE label do an 8-track for "Pass The Dust, I Think I'm Bowie" by Black Randy & The Metrosquad? Didn't think so. Especially wanted: The Cramps "Psychedelic Jungle", PiL "The Flowers Of Romance", Adam & The Ants "Kings Of The Wild Frontier".
8) AVANT GARDE / FREE JAZZ: like Sun Ra, Coltrane, Ornette Coleman.Yeah, the exact same ones YOU wanted to trade for!
9) EXOTICA. Esquivel, Yma Sumac, any GOOD Les Baxter or Martin Denny, etc.
IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING '70s tapes: aside from the quad, punk and progressive rock categories above I'm usually not interested in buying or trading for any post-1970 carts at all- basically, 99% of what I want was manufactured from 1966-1970. No '70s top-40 or AOR. And I never buy or trade for country, easy listening (except "exotica" type stuff), Xmas, classical, etc.
Thanks for reading my long-winded trade-spiel. Now that you know I'm only looking for totally esoteric weirdness, hope to trade with you soon!