There’s a “wheel and deal” part of podcasting culture, perhaps coming from all the musicians who were among the first to jump on podcasting in the early 2000s, when there wasn’t any equipment being specifically made for podcasting, everybody was trying to figure out what “podcasting” actually was, and everybody was using what they had to make something happen.
Podcasting is a great “work with what you’ve got” format, so in the spirit of that, if you’re looking for a deal on a microphone, here are some resources and advice.
Note that if you’re looking for anything by Shure, especially the SM58 model, which is the world’s most popular microphone, know that it’s also the world’s most counterfeited microphone. The counterfeits are so good, it’s very hard to tell simply by looking at them.
For example ...
Note that counterfeit products are sold as both new and used. It’s very common to buy “used” gear online and be delivered brand new (and fake) product.
If you do buy used gear online, I suggest sticking with services designed specifically for used audio gear and musical instruments, such as Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange or Reverb. These companies, because they specialize in audio gear, are better at weeding out bad actors than general action sites like eBay. But regardless of where you go, always check the feedback of who you’re buying from before purchasing.
For something between new and used, Amazon has a section of “renewed” gear that is almost new, usually because it was immediately returned without ever having been used. And they have some great stuff.
Want to see a lot of options at once? Capital One Shopping is a free tool provided by Capital One that searches for available coupon codes and compares prices from different online retailers.
Here’s an example of what you get when searching for an RE20.
By the way, if your budget is really tight, check out my recommendations for a $100 podcasting setup. And if you’re looking for help making more money with your podcast, here’s some free podcasting advice.
Good luck on your search!
