Firstly, yes! Vinyl collecting will certainly be expensive. Although bear in mind, your most costly purchase will be a record player. Before buying any records, I suggest you have somewhere to store your collection. This could just be a shelf or purpose-built storage. You will also need a record cleaner to wipe the vinyl before and after play. Care is essential to making the vinyls last!
Now you’re ready to purchase some actual records. Where do you go? Well, HMV’s music stores have a wide range of genres and artists to choose from. The stores are great to browse and see what’s around, but I don’t recommend buying from here as the prices are extortionate! This can also be the same for independent vinyl stores across the country. Local vinyl fairs are great fun and have a huge variety of choice for usually good prices. Even check out car boot sales! Yet, I think I have had the most success in second hand vinyl stores, these have had the fairest price while upholding good quality. If there’s not a store local to you try eBay or Vinted for second hand records. My best advice - never buy anything over £30 unless it’s rare - you should never be paying that much!
Choosing what vinyl to buy is definitely a tricky decision. You have to be selective and should choose albums which you’re obsessed with. There’s not much point buying a vinyl for one song! I recommend listening to whole albums on Spotify, etc. before purchasing anything physical. In the end it needs to be worth your money. After buying a couple of records, if you’re a collector enthusiast you could aim to find an artist’s entire discography. If you want rarer vinyls, you could search for picture vinyls or special editions of a release… although these might get pricey.
To track your collection, I recommend an app called Discogs which shows the value of individual vinyls and the total worth of your collection. Vinyl hunting is fun, and gradually forming a great collection is even better. But if you’re still hesitant you could opt for a cheaper alternative and collect CD’s instead!