How Much is That Used Album Locally?

Always curious to take the retail temperature on the price of used LPs. I’m interested to see what others are finding/paying locally.

For instance, anectodally, how much are you seeing an average-condition Born to Run or Thriller going for? (Approximately $9 and $14 respectively here in Madison, WI). Dark Side? ($15-ish). Huey Lewis’s Sports? ($2). Velvet Underground & Nico? ($20) Supertramp’s Breakfast in America? ($7)

Just estimations, just curious. Feel free to add your own questions, obviously this is not an exhaustive list!

 

A few years ago I managed to get thriller, sports and breakfast for $2 each at different times locally. Good copies too.

 

Ive yet to see Thriller or Dark Side in my neck of the woods. Born to Run usually $4.99 for VG+. Sports can run 2.99 or so. Got a lot of Billy Joel around these parts too (Northeast) for cheap as well.

 

In my area, the big ticket items are always rare Americana, Tejano and vintage jazz albums. Rock music is a dime a dozen.

 

'Round these parts even crappy pressings or so-so condition copies of albums can run you a pretty penny nowadays- especially when it comes to the "legacy" acts (Beatles, Zeppelin, Stones etc). When I got into collecting jazz records a few months back I was dismayed to find that the prices for those records seem just as ridiculous as for the rock stuff. I actually boycotted my local used record store -which, to give them their due have a pretty decent stock/selection- last time I was in there when I stumbled across a copy of Live Evil by Miles Davis for $70 (an album I was looking for at the time). I didn't check the actual LPs but the cover wasn't in the greatest shape...I was shocked: "Seventy bucks? That's crazy!" I ended up finding a copy for about $15 (plus shipping, of course, which practically doubled the price but I didn't care) on Discogs. It used to be, for me, when it came to buying used records "Can I find it cheaper in my local store than I can through Discogs?" Now it's the other way round...

 

Here, I've seen Thriller go for 10 bucks, my copy of Dark Side cost me 22 Euros (waaay overprice probably, I just wanted it so badly), Sports for 4 Euros. Unfortunately some stores around here confuse "old album by a famous artist" with "rare and expensive" far too often - a used 1st of MJ's Bad for 25 Euros? Certainly not what it's worth regularly!

(Same store had a polish copy of Odessey and Oracle for 10 € - I still can't get over the fact that I didn't buy it )

 

I forgot to add: what's really cheap around here are some rather curious Schlager LPs which never, ever go above 50 cents. In the same cheapo bin, I managed to find a VG+ "Smallcreep's Day" and the Yma Sumac Xtabay/Inca Taqui 2-fer in NM condition. Talk about some messed up record store

 

Thriller has shifted so many copies that it should NEVER be expensive second-hand.

 

Localy here, prices are all over the place. It just depends on where you go. I’ve paid $17 for a good condition second state Yesterday and Today Butcher cover, dude didn’t know what he had. Ive paid $20 for Aerosmith’s Pump, near mint condition, opened but shrink still on. $20 for a near mint late 80’s Capitol “Rubber Soul” C1 catalog number. $15 for an original Rolling Stones “Some Girls” LP.

One the other end of the spectrum, I’ve paid $1 for a near mint Donald Fagan Nightfly double RL, I’ve also paid 33 cents for a VG+ Beatles Again LP at a Salvation Army. All of these purchases happened within the last 3 years.

 

The days of cheap vinyl are pretty much gone in my neck of the woods. I haven't seen a copy of Thriller in years, and Born To Run I've seen recently for $8. My local shop had a US Wally cut, probably a mid 70's issue with no posters for $30, and it was gone the next time I came in (crazy). Anything Led Zeppelin is at least $20, and the cheapest of the cheap are $6, such as....Huey Lewis, etc.

 

Right there is a pet peeve of mine. Any store using that phony ".99" for used product should be reminded at each visit how this cheapens everything they want to sell. Especially if,after roaming in the stacks,you are leaving empty handed;let them know why there is no sale today. If the places you visit are in Delaware,bring two rolls of pennies, open both before sale,minus the penny(ies) to complete the sale,dump them on the counter and maybe they will catch on. Let them know that the tactic taints the entire process. Do they use that ".99" crap when buying? Yeah,I don't think so. Attention used places!-round it out to the penny;twofers OK. I understand MSRP with new product and following in line with other retailers,especially online places in competition,but please don't try to label customers as "dummies" before they come into the store. Wait until after they leave...

 

Still waiting for Mitch Miller to shoot up in price.

 

Indeed, but we may be seeing some regional differences at play here. There are plenty of copies up my way, I may have my kids' college paid with $15 -$20 copies of Thriller.

 

Excellent copies of "Thriller" are £15 here and sell quickly, I think DSOTM is £15 or £20 and they sell just as fast, "Rumours", "Graceland", Tracy Chapman's first are all £15 for great copies and all sell quickly. The Velvet Underground is probably £20, Huey Lewis £4 or less, not sure about Supertramp probably also £4 or less, a lot of eighties pop seems to have come up in price and demand over the last 18 months.

 

Interesting! There’s a very nice copy of The Kinks’ Lola vs The Powerman at one of my locals for $30. Does that seem reasonable in your town?

 

In Berlin both can be had for 10€ used.

 

Hastings sold almost all used vinyl for $2.00. I got Thriller and Sports but never saw the Supertramp.

 

What prices are people seeing on Prince LPs?

 

A friend, and great Kinks fan, gave me $40 for my really clean one. He's happy as it was the last Kinks he needed to complete his collection.

 

Really nice copies of the easy ones £15 and up, the last "Black Album" I saw in the racks was £80 and sold straight away, actually "Around The World In A Day" is probably £10 or £12, I guess there's not much demand for that one.

 

A few years ago, I got Parade and Purple Rain for $2 each, I also saw an Around The World In One Day, but it was Sans Record. Never see anything now locally, and what I would find in Vancouver in the proper stores would be a lot more than those prices.

 

I travel for my job, and always try to visit local record haunts. I always ask the proprietors what is moving and what what is collecting dust. It really varies from one place to another.

 

Between 4.99 and 10. This is from the last couple years for titles up to Around The World.

 

My local instrument shop has
Kraftwerk 1, 2 and Ralf & Florian each priced around 60
Last fall I picked up a N/M 1980 Japan cut of Steely Dan's-Aja for under 10

 

And here's me thinking my local record store is expensive. Correction, it is expensive for used CDs, but used LPs appear more reasonable. No wonder the shelves are looking a bit thin. I think I paid 75p for Tracey Chapman's debut.