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

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

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Flaming Torch

    Flaming Torch Forum Resident

    In the UK my impression is prices may not be going up much more but they are not yet on their way down. I certainly think prices for the big 3 mentioned along with the Stones, The Clash London Calling are still high and more than I want to pay. I keep thinking the vinyl craze will end but so far I am wrong.
     
  2. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    You can still do it in the good ol' US of A, which is where I enjoy getting a lot of my used records when on holiday.
     
    ohnothimagen likes this.
  3. hardknox

    hardknox Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth
    I'll tell you what's even still crazier, at least in my experience/observations/interactions in B&M stores. At least 50-60% of the people buying these (IMHO) over-priced records don't even bother to take the record out of the jacket to check the condition. They just see a title and they grab it/buy it. :crazy:
     
    Trace, nosliw, Rad Dudeski and 4 others like this.
  4. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    What I said doesn't seem to me nonsense at all. The interest in classic rock stays perhaps persistent in the youth of today but the interest in music has decreased a lot (Humble pie, Supertramp and Traffic sold by millions in the seventies; the interest for humble pie, supertramp or traffic now doesn't represent millions of buyers, that's what i wanted to say) , so the youth of today drives the market but not in the same way as the demand was in the years 2005-2015 when the classic rock guys from the classic rock era were rebuilding their collections they had sell for cd in the late eighties and during the nineties...Now we can assume that the generation 1960-1995 has already rebuilt their core collections, so the demand, even if drive by the youth of today, will decrease...The problem is the remaining stock is drying...So the prices will stay robust in the next years...
     
    zphage likes this.
  5. Scroller

    Scroller Hair Metal, Smooth Jazz, New Age...it's all good

    And this is a good reason why sellers are getting away with the overpricing. And, of course, It also indicates that it isn't the serious record collectors, like most of us who are posting here, who are paying the inflated prices. I guess at the end of the day, if the buyer is fine with paying that much and enjoys the record, and the seller makes a nice profit then everybody wins and the market is "working" like it should. I'll be damned though if I can't stop mindlessly railing against cloud formations...now, where's that overused meme of grandpa Simpson yelling at the cloud... :D
     
    telepicker97 likes this.
  6. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    I have lost some interest in browsing in the bins in the used record stores in Belgium . What disappoints me the most is not the overpricing (it happens ) but the fact there is no turnover in the stock. You stay three months without going and if you come back, it's always the same records in the bins...There was a time I had spasm if I didn't go to check two times a week in the lunchtime in every record store in my town. Now, I go once a month and the bins with the new arrival is not refilled from one time to another visit...that can also be a reason why the prices stay high...If you go to a store, it means you will be happy to spend you cash on a record...if there is plenty to buy and you have 100 dollars in your pocket, perhaps you will buy 10 to 15 long players at an average price of 7 to 10 dollars. If there is nothing to buy or if you have already a lot of records, perhaps you will begin to buy that savoy brown Uk first press that is hanging on the wall and you always have find to be overpriced at 50 dollars...
     
    Sprague Dawley likes this.
  7. I don't see very many bargains on 'classic rock' LPs anymore, be it at a record store or at a record-show. The only exception I see is for 45rpm singles. I'm loading-up on 45's lately due to 2 things: sellers give 'em away for a buck or less & I love the mastering on singles. They're usually cut nice & hot, have great mixes be they stereo or mono, and have bags of bass.
    Just yesterday I scored 10 minty 'classic rock' 45s for $15 at a local record-show. Any LP worth having was $15 and up, regardless of condition.
     
  8. Six String

    Six String Senior Member

    Maybe some of those people not checking condition buy into the idea that snap, crackle, pop is part of the vinyl experience. :crazy:
     
  9. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    Have to travel the less worn path to Classical haha. Outside of the few that appeal to the Far East customers the greatest performances can be picked up by the box for a few dollars. And unlike non classical, 90 % are in Ex condition.

    As for rock etc shop hard and you can find relative bargains, but it takes patience. All I can say is that back in the 90s I never ever dreamed this day would come. I had to endure endless mocking but here in 2018 I am standing proud with my records!!
     
    Bigbudukks and Old Rusty like this.
  10. vinylbeat

    vinylbeat Forum Resident

    Wonder if those same people are disappointed when they buy and play new vinyl that's a "dead quiet" pressing? Maybe they think it sounds too much like a CD or digital?
     
  11. back2vinyl

    back2vinyl Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    London, UK
    Same here. That's what was underlying my question, really, but there's no evidence of any downturn in this thread, that's for sure.
     
    Flaming Torch likes this.
  12. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    I just found an original mono pressing of Strange Days by the Doors in VG condition for $34. Have to give it a good clean
     
  13. e.s.

    e.s. Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Depends on what and where you're buying, but given that I started rebuilding my collection in 2009 with $1 copies of things like Rumors, it seems like the logical answer is "up." I have dozens upon dozens of pristine albums I bought for under $10 a piece, and they are all going for at least double that now, in way worse condition. It was a buyer's market up through around 2013, but everything good has gradually gotten more expensive or disappeared from stores altogether.
     
    Old Rusty and Fender Relic like this.
  14. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
    I find it interesting that dealers/sellers use Rumors, for example, when buying from you and me with the line....oh, that's a $1 item they're everywhere,they sold a ton of those...but then put them out in their stores for $15-20 and sell all they can get their hands on. I've experienced that deal personally, my selling price (to them) just went up too.
     
    Rad Dudeski and colgems1966 like this.
  15. Bloom

    Bloom You're embarrassing me in front of the wizards

    They totally do but look at it from this angle: unlike the 70's, the access to crisp clean digital versions are a few button touches away on spotify, 24/7. If a younger person is already buying records for a nostalgia, aesthetic reason, then it's not too far off if someone considered the "campfire" as acceptable.

    I mean, considering the amount of producers that have gone back and added a "campfire" like affect to albums to replicate spinning an old LP, I'd say the acceptance of it is out there
     
  16. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    So, I gave it a thorough clean. I’d still rate it VG, but it still sounds pretty good. I usually don’t go for records in this type of shape, but how many times am I going to find an original mono pressing of Strange Days for $34.00? The price was very fair. In MM condition, I’m fairly sure this would cost upwards of $200.

    I also found a late 1970s or early 1980s UK pressing of Zeppelin’s Houses of The Holy for $33 in VG++ condition. I was happy with the playback.

    I skip the shops that overprice/overvalue their inventory. The stores that I frequent are very fair with their pricing.
     
    vinylbeat likes this.
  17. gillcup

    gillcup Senior Member

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC, USA
    I have found prices are somewhat dependent on the location of the store. Go to places like NYC, London, Bay Area and prices are very high and the supply is very low. In places like Raleigh I can still find interesting albums at reasonable prices. But the days of getting mint condition albums in the $1 bin are mostly over unless you find a very naive seller (yard sale, thrift store...etc). Most stores seem to consult Discogs to determine selling price.
     
    Fender Relic and Old Rusty like this.
  18. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Actually, there are a number of genres that don't sell and where you can get great classic records for next to nothing, including folk and country. Outside of a few big names, much of the deep catalog in these genres--including some great and scarce/rare titles--goes for pennies.
     
    Fender Relic and Mr Bass like this.
  19. Chew

    Chew Casual Stalker

    The record shop near me wants $33.00 for a blue label KISS - Dressed To Kill. Pass...
     
  20. Sax-son

    Sax-son Forum Resident

    Location:
    Three Rivers, CA
    I have really wound down my vinyl and CD purchases this year. I am still buying, but only those titles that are really blowing me away, and there aren't that many of those right now.
     
  21. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    I've been selling almost as much as buying; it's a good time to sell...
     
  22. vinylbeat

    vinylbeat Forum Resident

    I'm pretty satisfied with my Classic Rock vinyl collection. Over the last 15 years I've acquired just about everything I'm really interested in. All of the re-issues released helped fill in quite a few gaps in my collection as well. I was also lucky to get some nice 60's-70's UK vinyl before prices got crazy.

    Import Classic Rock vinyl is all I really look for these days. Outside of some select RSD releases or a special anniversary edition. Most of my purchases are becoming less frequent, more selective and at times costlier.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2018
  23. Cronverc

    Cronverc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn,NY
    That is pretty much my story as well.
     
    e.s. likes this.
  24. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Yeah, I would say that prices are extremely high (e.g. $10 for a VG/VG+ Yes album) but they don't seem to be *rising*, at least not over the last few years that I've been actively buying LPs again.

    I've found a couple of shops with reasonable prices -- they seem to be more interested in selling volume than getting top dollar for every LP -- and sometimes I'll find a real gem in the $1 or $2 bin.

    I guess the sellers in my area haven't caught on. I've been buying tons of late-70s/early-80s New Wave for $2 or $3 all day. Pretenders, Squeeze, Graham Parker. Blondie and the Cars might be $4 around here. I'm catching up on a lot of stuff I never bought the first time around.
     
  25. 12" 45rpm

    12" 45rpm Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    If you want bargains than buy collections from individuals on Craigslist and such. I recently got rid of this 120 lot collection for less than a $1 each. It took me 2-3 months to get rid of them. 80% were in VG+ condition:

    Peter Gabriel Glenn Frey Chicago Glen Campbell the birds Joan Baez T Bone Burnett Donna Summers Barbra Streisand Vangelis Suzanne Vega Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Bonnie Raitt Emerson Lake and Palmer Dan Fogelberg Emmylou Harris Amy Grant Winston Churchill Tanya Tucker Rickie Lee Jones Linda Ronstadt Warren Zevon Pat Metheny group Once Upon a Time in the West soundtrack Toto Al Stewart Doctor Zhivago soundtrack some Christmas records Carly Simon sneaker Don Henley I can't stand still John Michael jar Jefferson Starship Katrina and the waves Patty Loveless Little River Band Kathy Mattea John Denver The Doobie Brothers Steve Farley Earth and Fire Electric Light Orchestra Crosby Stills and Nash Destiny's Child Madonna true blue Billy Ocean greatest hits go west Steve Winwood back in the High Life Eurythmics Steve wariner Kenny Rogers The Gambler the Alan Parsons Project Laura Nero Mike Oldfield Dolly Parton Elvis inspirational songs Steely Dan greatest hits 60s Brazilian Samba
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine