Frequently Asked Questions

What are your store hours?

Our usual hours are MONDAY thru THURSDAY 10am to 8pm. FRIDAY & SATURDAY 10am to 9pm. SUNDAY 12-6. We are open every day except Christmas & Thanksgiving. On other holidays we have abbreviated hours so call the shop to check. 513-591-0123 And, we are always interested in old Cincinnati & regional music items…. records from artists & labels, tickets, posters, photos… anything & everything.

Where is Shake It?

We are located in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Northside. Our street address is 4156 Hamilton Ave. We are at the southern end of Hamilton Ave., where the Ludlow Viaduct turns into Hamilton Ave. If you are coming from the Clifton area, head down Ludlow (Esquire Theatre will be on your right) toward Cincinnati State, cross the viaduct & Ludlow turns into Hamilton Ave. We're about 4 blocks north.

You're a record label too, right? Can my band be on your label?

We basically do small vanity projects with our friends and comrades. Please don't send unsolicited demos & follow up with constant phone calls & emails.

Is Shake It on a bus route?

Mainly it’s the 17 that runs past our shop with stops within a block or so.

Are you hiring?

We've had the same folks here for years and can't imagine that we will be hiring anytime soon. If you do want to inquire the easiest way NOT to be considered is to email us. We get between 10-15 "Hey, if you guys are hiring shoot me an email." e-mails a day. Most get deleted in moments. At least show up in person.

I heard you guys take other folks gift cards? That true?

Yup, if you wanna unload your gift cards to Best Buy, Target, Barnes & Noble, Staples, etc., we'll take 'em off your hands. We trade out for store credit on chain competitors but NOT on other local indie shops like Everybody's, Phil's or Joseph-Beth for example because we want you to support them also. If you have a card you want to trade in, drop your card(s) off at the counter, we'll call in & confirm the amount & then issue to you the same amount in Shake It store credit. We DO NOT give cash back on gift card trade-ins.

What is your return policy?

With so many streaming options on the web as well as checkin' it out in the store we don't allow exchanges because you didn't like it. We do allow exchanges of sealed & defective items. You have 10 days to get it back to us for an exchange or store credit. If ya can’t make it back in that amount of time just give us a call & a heads up.

You sell other stuff besides music?

Yes we do! We are primarily a music shop, we do sell a lot of books, magazines, t-shirts, & a lot of Kidrobot & other Japanese influenced designer vinyl. We also sell a healthy selection of guitar strings and basic music supplies.

Do you buy used stuff?

Yup, we are always looking for quality used LPs, CDs, DVDs (and even some books if they are in the range of what we already sell...that being weird pop culture, music, hip lit, bizarre bios, some art books, etc., etc…. And, we are always interested in old Cincinnati & regional music items…. records from artists & labels, tickets, posters, photos… anything & everything.

We also buy used turntables & receivers.

We are always on the search for quality turntables, receivers, speakers, etc. We like brands such as Technics, Pioneer, Bang & Olufsen, Thorens, Denon, Sony, Kenwood, Marantz, Yamaha, etc. These & more are all brands that we can have refurbished before we sell them. The cost of any necessary repairs WILL affect what we offer.

Our buying guidelines are as follows….

We generally pay 1/2 of what we think we can sell the item for, this is an industry standard. We still buy CD's & DVD's, as long as there is customer demand we will care a healthy stock. We generally pay $1 -$2 - more if they are out of print or much tougher to find. If they are scuffed but feel they could play we pay 50 cents and throw 'em in our ever popular buy 5 get 5 free boxes. True, a scuffed CD often plays fine, but to be resold with confidence, they must be visually perfect. We guarantee all off our goods. If we feel we can sell it & we don’t have it in stock we are interested.

Things to remember when selling Vinyl LP's, 7” & even some 78’s…..

Not all Beatles & Elvis albums are worth $1,000. Sorry. We wish they were, we would be retired, but unfortunately (for you) & fortunately (for them) they sold MILLIONS of records; meaning there's a lot of them floating around. But if you have a bunch of nice condition rock n' roll, reggae, vintage R&B and soul, jazz, blues, punk/new wave, indie, hip hop, modern composer/avant garde, old-school country & folk music from all over the world, by all means, bring 'em on down. We also like oddball records from tv, movie, baseball & game show personalities as well as spoken word records. *Most* comedy, classical, show tunes, 40’s-60’s crooners’ LPs are a tough sell. Condition is very important & they need to have their covers (for LPs, okay for 7”s & 78’s) All vinyl needs to be in "very good" or "like new" condition. Very mild, general wear is often okay.

I have a really big collection. Do you make house calls?

Yes we do. We define "big" as 400 pieces or more that sound like the kind of stock we are looking for. Distance & scheduling factor into this. You'll have to call to set up a time. (513-591-0123) Steps that make this process easier for all involved: Have decent lighting. Make clear distinctions as to what you want to sell and what you don't ahead of time. If they are in some kind of order that's just a bonus! We do not bring cash to house calls. Company checks only, no worries they're as good as gold.

But the”book” / “internet” said....

We don't go by what any price guide says. The internet has more or less rendered price guides useless. Selling prices are in constant flux due to demand, availability of reisssues on CD or LP, etc. Items can be $20 on a Monday & $3 on a Friday…. it all depends on who wants the record, when, and what that person is willing to pay THAT day. We go by the 50+ combined years of experience we have for what any particular LP can be sold for. We have a very well-earned reputation as straight shooters. You'll get the best deal we can offer given the circumstances of our stock at the time. If you have questions, give us a call – 513-591-0123

Do you have a newsletter?

Yes we do. We usually send it out on Tuesday's or Wednesday's. It contains new release info on music, books, DVDs, etc. recommendations, links to the jukebox on our home page, in-store info., etc.,etc

Do you sell gift certificates?

Yes! Made out in any dollar amount you request. They are also available on our website in pre-determined sums.

Can I listen to it before I buy it?

We have a post that you can scan the barcode & check out the vast majority of our stock. You can also check out the used cds …. Just do hog the player. Same goes with vinyl.

I'm in a local band & would like to bring my CD / LP for you to stock. How does that work?

It must be a commercially made – no-cdrs – too many problems in the past w/ defective, homemade burns. You must stop in & fill out a consignment form. It’s pretty simple. When we feel your release has run it’s course we will call you for pick up & payout. If not picked up in 30 days following the call, your stock will be donated to the public library.

Can I hold items?

Your name & date goes on the item and we hold your items for 7 days then out they go.

Do you sell imports?

We stock lots of titles that are now only available as imports. We will also bring in import versions of releases before they are available in the states if we feel there is a demand and as long as the U.S. dollar isn't getting slammed, or is the domestic release day is a long way off.

Do you sell turntables?

Currently we sell the portable Numark & Vestax Turntables as well as Numark TTUSB tables that enables you to transfer your vinyl to your hard drive & CDs. We also keep a nice stock of used turntables & receivers.

Do you sell needles/cartridges?

We always keep the Audio-Technica AT92E & AT90 Universal around. A selection of some others can be special ordered.

You guys do the occasional in-store. How do I find out who's coming up as well as other events?

Our Facebook page is always a good bet for up-to-the-day info. You can also sign up for our newsletter.

Do you do special orders?

Yes we do, all day long. There is no way that we can physically stock every CD, LP, DVD or book that we want. It's basic physics. So, if there is something that you are looking for & we don't have it let us know & we'll do out best to track it down. A lot of items we get in about a week or less, some imports & microscopic indies take longer. WE CAN ALSO GET TITLES THAT ARE NO LONGER MADE, SOME ARE VERY REASONABLY PRICED, SOME COST A BUNDLE, THE DECISION IS YOURS AND THEN WE'LL ACT ACCORDINGLY.  

I live out of town now, do you do mail order?

Yes we do. We love doing it & keeping in contact with folks who have moved on. Lots of folks who are signed up on our newsletter order new releases from that list. We get their order together & email them a total & folks usually send us payment via Paypal. We charge a flat $4.00 (in the USA) for shipping on any size order in the good ole’ USA.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We take CASH, Visa, Mastercard, Discover & Traveler Checks. We no longer take personal checks. THANKS LADY!