Secondhand Record Shop Near Me in Upminster: Crazy Beat Records

Crazy Beat Records keeps more than 10,000 records on the shop floor that never appear on its website, which is the best reason to make the trip to the far eastern edge of London for a secondhand record shop near me with real depth. The shop is at 87 Corbets Tey Road, Upminster RM14 2AH, in the London Borough of Havering, a walk from Upminster station on the District line and c2c. It opens Monday to Saturday and has traded records for over 30 years.

Crazy Beat describes itself as one of only a handful of traditional record shops left on this side of London and Essex, and it has been buying and selling vinyl on Corbets Tey Road for more than three decades. The storefront is part of a typical suburban parade, which makes the scale inside a surprise: the business holds at least 100,000 items in total, and all of that stock is kept on site.

The shop has had a second life as a film set. Its own site lists appearances in an Audible advert, the TV series My Mad Fat Diary, an episode of Come Dine With Me, a Fabric nightclub video and a BBC news piece on Trojan Records. Regulars are less interested in that than in the racks, but it explains why the interior looks so much like the record shop people picture.

The bulk of the floor stock leans toward the music that Essex and east London DJs grew up on: hardcore, drum and bass, UK garage, boogie, house, soul, hip hop and reggae. That makes Crazy Beat unusual among London's used shops, many of which put rock LPs front and centre. If you are filling gaps in a jungle or garage collection, this is where 12-inch white labels and early pressings still turn up.

Ask at the counter for anything outside those genres, because the team can locate stock that is not out on display. Listening posts are set up for checking records before you buy, which matters for dance 12-inches where the B-side or a particular mix is the real reason to own a copy. Bring your own headphones if you are fussy about sound, and give way at the posts when others are waiting.

The shop is proud of being a place for diggers, and the clearest proof is the price at the bottom end. There are large bargain bins and crates of £1 12-inch singles, which are worth an hour on their own if you play house, garage or breakbeat. Expect plain sleeves and some wear, and pick up anything with a label you recognise before somebody behind you does.

Separate boxes marked new in hold freshly bought 45s, and those are the ones to go through first if you visit regularly, since they change as collections come through the back door. The honest advice is to skip the general rock and pop racks unless you have time to spare; the shop's strength is dance music and black music on 7-inch and 12-inch, and that is where its knowledge shows.

Crazy Beat's posted hours are Monday 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday 10 am to 6 pm, Wednesday 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday 10 am to 6 pm, Friday 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday closed. Saturday closes an hour earlier than weekdays, so plan a weekend visit for the morning rather than arriving mid-afternoon from central London.

Weekday mornings are the quietest time for the listening posts. If you are coming for something specific that is listed online, the shop asks you to give notice before collecting in store, because staff need time to pull it from such a large stock. Call 01708 228678 or email sales@crazybeat.co.uk with the title and catalogue number, then pick it up on the day you arrange.

Crazy Beat buys entire collections rather than cherry-picking, and it pays by cash or bank transfer. Vinyl is the focus: LPs, 12-inch singles and 7-inch singles, with CDs, tapes and music DVDs taken only as part of a larger vinyl collection. The shop states plainly that easy listening, country and western, musicals, classical and opera are hard to sell, and offers reflect that.

For drop-offs there is an unloading area behind the shop, so you do not have to pay for parking on the high street. Large or awkward collections can be collected: the team has a company van, travels across the UK for the right records, and can send someone to bring boxes down from a loft. Send genres, formats, quantity and location first, along with photos if you can.

Upminster is a quiet place to walk once your bag is full. Upminster Windmill, a restored smock mill on St Mary's Lane, is a short walk from the station and makes an easy detour before or after the shop. Allow for the journey home too: Upminster is the eastern end of the District line, so a trip back into the West End takes the best part of an hour.

If you want to keep digging on the way home, the c2c line takes you to West Ham and onward connections toward east London's other used shops. Rook Records on Wick Lane in Hackney Wick is the specialist choice for imported jazz and soul, but it only opens Wednesday to Saturday, so pair the two on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Crazy Beat Records is at 87 Corbets Tey Road, Upminster RM14 2AH, in the London Borough of Havering. Phone 01708 228678 or email sales@crazybeat.co.uk. Opening is 10 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am to 5 pm Saturday; the shop is closed on Sunday. Parking is available nearby, and the M25 at junction 29 is a short drive for anyone bringing a collection by car.

Come here if you collect or play hardcore, jungle, garage, house, soul or reggae on vinyl, and bring a sturdy bag; the shop also sells vintage record boxes, crates and DJ bags if you overbuy. Casual visitors looking for a quick browse of classic albums will get more from a central London shop, but serious diggers should budget at least two hours.