I am also a vinyl hound, but most of what I buy are USED vinyl, which sortof exists outside of the marketplace in a sense (local retailers make some coin, but not "the music industry" per se). Though of course there are also high priced collectibles (and the availability of used copies probably effects reissues etc.), so it really is a secondary competing marketplace. (In fact it does sometimes seem like a "drug market" -- I have a couple regular "vinyl connections" that aren't listed in the yellow pages!)
In terms of collectoritis, I've got a pretty serious case, but for me the best thing is finding some great album and paying less than $5 for it ($1 even better). Also if you dig deep enough, there are lots of records that have never been CD-reisued and probably never will be, so there is also the "un(re)discovered" factor (double plus good because the undiscovered gems are usually considered trash and therefore dirt cheap). In recent years my favorite bins are the "easy listening / pop vocalist" sections (not yet deemed trendy and hip by the internet generation).
I have started buying new vinyl again. Still trying to get used to the idea that $20 is a reasonable price for a single LP, but then again when I was paying $10 for new ones that was (ulp!) more than 20 years ago, so I guess with inflation that's probably about right.
I have hardly ever purchased a 21st century vinyl repressing (think I have an Anthony Braxton reissue on some French label which I bought used; and the reissue of Sonic Youth's first with a bonus live LP which I also bought used). I generally don't see the point (in fact a lot of the high profile reissued for $30 are records I already bought years ago for a fraction of the price so I already have them. The only album I've ever bought in more than one format is DSOTM -- the LP as a teen, and the 5.1 mix CD when I got the equipment to play 5.1, which I almost never listen to in fact. However I do own multiple LP's of some records that are iconic perseonal favorites -- if I see a used record I love in good shape for $1, I'll pick up an extra copy.)
Artefact-fetish is a major part of it. My xmas present to myself was "Bish Bosch" on vinyl ($33). I had already heard a promo CD, but it *IS* even better on vinyl (with the booklet and the starkness of the cover and the fat 180g LPs, it is easier to "get into" somehow). As a silver disc with no booklet (or folder full of mp3's) it doesn't "command attention" the way the compressed cartoon sounds of Lady Gaga and The Kids From Glee do. (If Scott was hoping to sell ringtones of tunes from his new record, I think he will be disappointed).
I want a bunch of recent Neil Young records on vinyl, but his stuff is always $40+ and that's just too much. I figure I'll find them used eventually!
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