How do you avoid buying CD's you already have?

I remember them 

Even though I run a digital library and it is so easy to check on what I have or don't have I have on a couple of occasions still ended up buying a title or version I already have of a CD to rip to file.  There is nothing worse that realizing how stupid you can be for a particular moment...

I've never found a foolproof way, and I'm a fool over music so...

I just give away the duplicates.

don't buy them ?lol?

On 11/7/2020 at 11:26 AM, davide256 said:

Thanks! Just tested after downloading the iOS app, all I had to do was say yes for camera permission when first clicking the barcode icon

in search window and it recognized the CD. Now I just have to spend time scanning my stored CD's

 

Discogs delivers what I needed!!!

Yep, I use them for meta data and I always (ok, mostly) remember to add it to my library as well when I am ripping a CD.

Discogs is supposed to be the way to do it but, I find entering the discs too much of a PITA.

Since I already rip them all into Apple Music on a Mac, if I think I am about to buy a dupe, I search for it on Apple Music My Library on an iPhone in the store. But it is easy to miss one as Apple sucks at search or, mistype one letter and, it is missed. Sometimes, the dang thing will not work on cellular in the store so, I have to take a guess.

However, even if it all seems OK, I still end up accidentally buying a 50 cent/$1-$2 CD sometimes. Many are good so, I relegate them to being in my car. But a few, ugh, like a recent Stanley Clarke, are not really second copy worthy and, I did not realize I had it! So, those will either be sold one day or, donated back into the system.
I find that over six months, I usually have about 20 CDs I got that I ended up hating or, already had. Mostly, just albums I do not like but, gave em a shot. Some great Jazz artists had a bad 1980s and 1990s period where they did smooth Jazz. Almost all are back to better stuff by 2010.