Recent used vinyl price increases: what are the most surprising titles?

I know there have been lots of "Can You Believe Used Record Prices These Days??!" posts and I don't mean this thread to be just another one of those.

But rather, I'm interested to hear what are the most surprising, formerly cheap, currently expensive records or categories of records out there? For example, a lot of people cite Rumours as a formerly bargain-bin album that now goes for (relatively) big bucks. What are some others in the same category?

 

Who's Next, any 80's metal. Tons. The under 25's eattum all up regardless of price.

 

It's still not an expensive record but I used to see Tracy Chapman's first record quite often being sold for something like $4 here in Denmark. It was a very common record. Now can easily be sold for $20 if not more.

 

Not vinyl, but this is a shocker (I know it's because of the "Stranger things" connection, but still

Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love - Cassette Tape Album - XDR - Stranger Things - 1985 | eBay

 

I swear it’s all over the map. From store to store I see great bargains to laughable high prices for junk.

 

If you're selling the Tracy Chapman for $20 in a U.S. store, it's either in G condition or that owner doesn't know what the Internet is.

 

Saw a Billy Joel - The Stranger recently for $45, condition was VG+. I’m guessing it was an RL version but even so, that price is much too high for an incredibly common record.

 

Mine didn't, N/M -5 bucks a few years ago.

 

Good God!

 

Steely Dan's first seven records.

 

In the 80's or 90's I would have been surprised to hear that If I Could Only Remember My Name (David Crosby) would become valuable eventually.

 

This.

It used to be a dollar bin album. The zoomers eat this one up.

 

I feel like there's a whole category of record that shows up in used shops at crazy prices, but that are still available on Discogs for much cheaper. I'm seeing the Crosby record for $6 and The Stranger for $5.50, both VG+.

 

Here in the U.K plenty of big selling 80's chart albums are creeping up in value.Definately the Tracey Chapman as mentioned,but also Sade and Human League's Dare to name just a couple.The caveat is they have to be really clean copies.Anything below ex really doesn't fetch much above £5.

 

Post-COVID???
I checked prices the summer of 2020, Tracy Chapman was hovering around $50 for VG+ copies on Discogs. It's only gone up since.

That said, I got some killer deals pre-2015, when a lot of local stores didn't know or care about Discogs pricing. An original Pearl Jam Ten for $12? Yes please!

 

Pre- Rich.
Luckily my locals don't give a rat's-a$$ about mid to late 80's titles, today even.
Nice find on Ten!
Off hand, I think the only 90's I've come across for dirt cheap locally was Roxette-Joyride (Germany)/Yes-Union and a Karl Bartos 12.

 

You can still get The Stranger for cheap, depending, especially if you're okay with a VG+ copy on Discogs (i.e. kinda noisy). But NM copies are going for some money now. And if it's an RL, you probably CAN get $45 for a NM copy. That seems to be the going rate for an RL on Discogs that isn't low VG+ or worse.

 

Anything vapor wave. Weird music at insane prices.

 

I recently gave an Edie Brickell album away now it's worth $15 good thing I checked the price on Tracy Chapman.

 

Yeah, my friend and I swap notes about all the insane deals we got from this one store.... which eventually DID start marking up their rare finds accordingly, around 2017-ish... and then went out of business last year. Metallica Megaforce Ride The Lightning.... original Queensryche Empire.... original Garbage S/T.... All $12.99 records. Still have the 2-eye Kind Of Blue mono I picked up there for $25!

I currently have a local owner who's one of those young guys with a YouTube channel, active on IG, always promoting his biggest finds. And he gets some good stuff! Multiple Zeppelin RLs, a banana peel VU, all priced accordingly. (The other day he got the US marbled original press of Hounds Of Love, which didn't last the morning, and I believe it was priced around $200?) So you won't get any deals on that stuff.
You have to look for the titles that slip through the cracks, the less flashy ones.... Like the super nice early mono of Take Five that I scored a couple months back. Only $20. That's probably the best bargain I'm gonna find these days....

 

Nah man, see above. That's still a $5 record. Send it my way, I'll throw in another $5 for shipping!

 

Not vinyl, but I never thought I'd see the day when new age cassettes would sell for big bucks. And to people under 30, no less.

I used to regularly see Floyd, Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, et al in cheapo bins. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought every copy I saw. Could probably retire on it now.

 

Whatever the last record was I looked to purchase, basically.

I haven't seen a "good deal" on vinyl in ages; I'm in too dense of an area w.r.t. population. Plus, that internet and its ever-reaching tentacles! Curses! Tough to get away from it these days...

In fact, it's gone so far the other way from reasonable that almost all vinyl I look for is decidedly not worth it in any way. I may buy it anyway, knowing it's me being impulsive, foolish, and ascribing some ineffable "magic" quality to vinyl that isn't based in fact even though it makes me happy. I mean, I recently saw how much my OG Radiohead OK Computer LP goes for now, and I just know it's not worth it. (I mean, it sounds good, but please... It simply cannot be justified except as a piece of art. And maybe that's legitimate...)

That being said, if I were rich, I'd probably buy loads of records daily and love every minute of it. As it is now, I'll continue to buy the odd LP for too much and kvetch about it on SHF and to my partner de vez en cuando. C'est la vie.

 

This was going to be my choice. It's bizarre, that album sold millions, it's not rare by any stretch of the imagination. I have no idea what's driving it up.

 

A friend who has a stall in a nearby market cites Rumours as having a high demand for a number of years now.