Second hand vinyl - are prices for classic rock going up, down or flatlining?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by back2vinyl, May 27, 2018.

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  1. back2vinyl

    back2vinyl Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    London, UK
    What are the market trends in second hand vinyl these days, especially classic rock? I'd be interested to hear opinions. If I had to guess, I'd say two things would have depressed demand for original pressings: first, the many reissues now available, and second, a decline in demand from baby boomers who must by now have finished rebuilding their collections. But would that guess be wrong? Is classic vinyl as much in demand as ever, or even more so?
     
    Old Rusty likes this.
  2. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa
    shop by me are ********, their prices for even a basic zeppelin, or The who, fought, 9.99-13.99. complete rip off, many good internet sellers sell same lp for 1-3 dollars +3$ ship. no brainer for me.

    I just picked up Utopia POV and oblivion "sealed" Lp's for combined price of 11$ including shipping. good price for 2 new sealed LP's !
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 27, 2018
    quicksrt likes this.
  3. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    I think it depend on competition. I've seen dirt cheap at some places at thrift stores and rather expensive prices at record stores where there isn't much competition. I think they get away with it because new vinyl is around $25, so all they have to do is price used slightly lower. It seems like a lot record stores don't want to make the prices for used vinyl so affordable that you don't buy the new pressing. Myself, I'll hunt for the bargain. I still find records that in great shape for under $5. I don't see much in the dollar bins worth picking up.
     
  4. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa
    prices are still steep up here. years back, their prices were much better, i could walk in with 100$ walk out with 40-60 used Lp's in great shape. including our infamous tax rate.
     
    Rad Dudeski likes this.
  5. hominy

    hominy Digital Drifter

    Location:
    Seattle-ish
    Prices for the classic rock giants are still sky high, and they are still flying off the shelves. They still show up regularly at thrift stores though, sometimes marked way up, sometimes not. Luckily I already stocked up and can focus on the more obscure rock acts that fall through the cracks. There are a TON of used records flooding the market right now, at least in my part of the country.
     
  6. colgems1966

    colgems1966 PhD in Les Pauls and Telecasters

    Location:
    GA
    I find the prices for Beatles, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to be consistently high. The bargains are in the great bands that are not well remembered. Grand Funk, Steppenwolf, Vanilla Fudge etc.... many times I’ve bought desirable obscure titles cheap because the store doesn’t realize what it is when they price it.
     
  7. Bloom

    Bloom You're embarrassing me in front of the wizards

    They are way up. Brick and mortar shops have to sell those reissues from $25-30 , so used copies are in the $15 dollar range. Steely Dan has been that way for a few years, but now I'm seeing The Cars, Pretenders, and Blondie records sitting at $12.95 in the used bins
     
  8. sonofjim

    sonofjim Senior Member

    I should have gotten back into vinyl in the 90’s. I hesitated and waited until the early 2000’s. IMO, I got in on the very end of the golden age of finding great pressings at great prices. My local 1/2 Price Books used to routinely have under priced treasures. I don’t even go there anymore, pretty much all overpriced crap.

    For original copies, I would have to say take your chances on discogs now. Fortunately, I think reissues have much improved in the meantime so don’t rule out a new pressing of a classic.
     
    Rickchick likes this.
  9. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa














    they will collect a thick dust layer at that price.
     
  10. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    Competition and of course supply and demand.
     
  11. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    Used vinyl is definitely going up in my area (Fort Worth Tx). In the late 90's I could pick up a used album for $2 or $3 in our local record stores. I remember buying my gorgeous US TML Pink Floyd, The Wall album for $3 (crazy, I know). Around 2003 to 2006 there was a mini vinyl revival, and used vinyl prices increased slightly to $4 and $5. I purchased a lot of used vinyl during this period.......... Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, Yes, ELP, Genesis, The Who, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Traffic, Rush, Steely Dan, etc. From 2007 to 2012 I noticed a lot of new vinyl being reissued, but I kept buying used. It was a no-brainer for me.....$25 for new verses $5 or $6 for used. Vinyl has been on a steady increase since 2013, those $5 and $6 used albums have become $10 and $15. Clean Led Zeppelin, Floyd, and The Beatles fetches even more. Buyers don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
     
    wwright and 12" 45rpm like this.
  12. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    The prices will go down when the people who had 14 years between 1960 and 1995 will all be dead or too old to remain interested in record hunting ...the problem I see now is it's also more difficult to find copy in good shape on the second hand market. Those records have been sold and resold many times and it begins to show I think
     
    phillyal1, Christopher B and Lucca90 like this.
  13. Bloom

    Bloom You're embarrassing me in front of the wizards

    Oh no, per the owner they sell. How do you think they got that price to begin with? Because they were flying off the shelves at $5 and $9.

    You see a 80's copy of The Cars s/t for $14 and there isn't even a new copy in store, or maybe a reissue for $25...kids don't care.
     
    bootbox, 12" 45rpm and bekayne like this.
  14. vinylbeat

    vinylbeat Forum Resident

    I've found deals on 60's-70's American Rock vinyl that sometimes goes under the radar. On the other hand, most Classic British Rock is overpriced and that's for run of the mill US pressings.
    That said...... I'm seeing a lot more US Beatles vinyl sitting in the used bins, compared to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, which seems to still sell quickly. Even with all the re-issues over the last few years.
     
  15. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    A lot of places here in Alberta have an inflated idea of what their vinyl is worth. Their shops do not have a great deal of customers.
     
    jeffd7030 and ohnothimagen like this.
  16. back2vinyl

    back2vinyl Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    London, UK
    Maybe, paradoxically, the reissues have helped - the typically high prices have raised the bar for the original stuff.
     
    tensummoner likes this.
  17. Catfish Stevens

    Catfish Stevens Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anoka, MN
    I was shocked by the prices last summer when I went on a used records binge for the first time in nearly a decade. I was even more shocked when a salesperson asked if I'd like to check out the 'used $20 and up section'. I was like "sorry I'm having enough problem seeing used vinyl that costs more than $10".
     
  18. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    I agree. Experienced buyers aren’t fooled, though.
     
    jeffd7030 likes this.
  19. Partyslammer

    Partyslammer Lord Of The New Church

    I agree with this. Used vinyl in VG+ or better shape is getting not only more expensive but more difficult to find even for what would be typically called bargain bin records (lower tier late 70's-mid 80's rock/pop stuff). It almost seems that many of the recent inferior remasters/reissues have driven more discerning collectors back to seeking out quality condition originals.
     
    dbsea, Chrome_Head and vinylbeat like this.
  20. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Depends on two things, supply and demand. Supply for high grade better classic rock is low, demand for it is steady and exceeds supply.
     
  21. As has always been the case, 'classic' and 'classic rock' record prices are all over the map. I have seen and paid fairly low prices for some rare records and then seen some pretty common records go for unseeingly high prices. I get a weekly record price guide update from Jerry Osborne's "Cyberguides" service(of which I am also a named contributor) and about the only changes are additions to the listings. The value of my collection has not gone up appreciably. Just like anything, the actual prices are what people will pay for something. Over 20 years ago, you couldn't touch a copy of Tower Of Power's "East Bay Grease" for under $40., or anything else on Bill Graham's San Francisco record label, for that matter. The other day, I saw a couple of copies for under $10. in a record store. The prices started falling years ago, I think, due in part atleast to the album being released on CD. Those bargain volume deals at yard sales are still around. Less than 20 years ago, I was put into contact with a guy who was getting rid of his record collection, mainly LP's but there were also 45's. I was particularly interested in one of the 45's, "She Loves You" by The Beatles on Swan(a genuine copy in great shape). He said take them all or leave them all. He probably would have given them all to me but I insisted on him giving me a price. We settled on $50. and he helped me pretty much fill the back of my pick-up. All those boxes of records sat for a couple of years and one day, I decided to go through each box and save the records I wanted to keep. I inspected each album/record and while doing so found a stack of Canadian paper bills stuffed in, I think, a Beatles LP. I didn't know where the guy I got the records from went to, I think he moved. I took those Canadian bills to a bank and they amounted to around $175. USD. I also took the lot to a record show in the Bay area but only ended up making enough to pay for the space and my gas. A few years later, I ran out of room to store the records and a record store owner came over to my house and paid me $125. He didn't want them all, but I didn't want them and had him take them all. Overall, I made out like a bandit and remember, I got and still have that Beatles Swan 45.
     
  22. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident

    where in the world are Zep and Who albums 9.99 - 13.99 ? you can not touch them for $20+ anywhere i go ......I just posted this in another thread...out record shopping yesterday, and the guy in front of me checking out , had 10 Hall and Oates lps ...his total bill was $300+ , for lps , that 4 or 5 years ago were a $1 a piece ..
     
  23. Chrome_Head

    Chrome_Head Planetary Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA.
    My store is really fair with their prices, feel like they split the difference between low and medium values based on going rates on sites like Discogs. And they don’t put crap copies out in their bins.

    Occasionally will be able to find a 4.99 steal that’s dusty and just needs a cleanup. Other times, they get a little pricey with certain selections / artists (used Bowie in particular of late).
     
    Christopher B likes this.
  24. steveharris

    steveharris Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    I see prices for both used and even sometimes new all over the place.For example A UK Zeppelin II with some kind of misprint in one store for $200 and a RL Zep II for $6 in another store while a counterfiet Beatles Please Please me has sat in the same store for $40 at least several years now.
    Beatles Mono Sgt. Pepper $10 while the Stereo is $30.Scratched up vinyl with water damaged cover priced higher than the same pressings in Near Mint condition,in the same bins.Of course the best deals often are online.
     
    tensummoner likes this.
  25. lesterbangs

    lesterbangs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Indiana
    I couldn't possibly think of a bigger waste of money...
     
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