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

Probably not Down Under, but probably cheaper than they once were, and usually it's something to see, make an offer, a few months later, it's still there, point that out, offer again.

 

It's honestly crossed my mind. But I doubt it.

 

What perplexes me is that I’ve seen folks buying VG copies of albums that have been reissued and the reissue is very good. As an example a used US copy of almost any Pink Floyd album will have a premium price while the current reissue will sound much better.

 

I wouldn't stoop to a VG normally but I would much prefer to own the original release than a reissue if I can afford it. I appreciate what you say about the sound quality, it's entirely sensible, but for me the original issue is the real thing.... something to be pursued.

 

It's certain group think that is on display in many threads here. But, some of that insight is borne from experience with 50s60s70s80s vinyl, so i guess let them figure it out, just as we did.

 

Absolutely, I love period authenticity!

 

For most people new reissues are probably the best choice to obtain excellent sounding copies. Paying the same price for a used US copy in only VG condition doesn't make sense in most cases.

If we're talking early UK pressings or something really rare in only VG shape. The $25 asking price might actually be a bargain. But all the artists whose original vinyl is becoming ridiculously over priced is usually available new for the same price or less. This might be the best option for the casual listener and collector.

Of course if you get lucky and find some great used stuff cheap or buy a collection for only a buck or two each, then that's pretty awesome as well. But there's more competition out there than ever before, so good luck!

 

Go back in 6 months and I bet you'll find it in the discount bins.

 

I pick up lots of ELO, Boston, ELP, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Styx, Rush, James Gang, Traffic, Steve Miller Band, Boz Skaggs, Ten Years After, Elvin Bishop, Steve Winwood, etc. for next to nothing. Those would be examples of what I consider "classic rock". What I see grossly overpriced are a handful of "classic rock" bands that it seems the 20 and 30 something buyers feel that they have to have. That would be Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, and the Grateful Dead. Who am I leaving out? What I don't understand is why they limit their collecting to these few artists. For every 1 LZ album they buy they could easily have picked up 5 to 10 equally good albums from a variety of artists and genres.

 

Crazy. I see some of it too. Those places will eventually figure out that the market isn't what they think it is and either slash their prices or try to sell them all in bulk to a collector / flipper who will turn them down. Then they will do what used record stores do and either carry them to the dump or a charity thrift. I don't know how many records I've bought at charity thrifts for $1 or 25 cents that have a $30 price tag on them. And of course I'm passing on 99 percent of what the charity thrift has in the bins. I probably should say here that I have a table at one of those antique / crafts shops where I sell all my records for $4 and clean and play grade before I put them out. What this folks you mention don't seem to understand is the steps up the ladder to the buyer.

 

I'm sure you are right. It gives them a ballpark figure and like you said, they know their customers. Even the guy at the a thrift store I buy from a lot will pull out a few from a stack I bring to the counter to make sure they aren't selling for very high prices. But if he sees that I record might be averaging $10 there he also knows I'm standing there with cash in my hand ready to buy 30 albums from him, 25 of which I'm the only person within 30 miles of his small town shop that is going to walk in here in the next six months to buy. So I'll get it for significantly less than $10.
Which Raleigh shop do you frequent? I've been buying from Recordkrate a lot lately, also go to Soundoff Hifi .

 

If there is a current reissue for Dark Side of The Moon for $25 available (is there) at a record shop or Amazon then one of the dozens of later pressings in VG shape shouldn't be prices more than half that price. IMHO. Of course that isn't how it is working these days is it?

 

Amazon has a 2016 reissue for $26.01 w/ free shipping. Discogs shows used copies from 73, 81, 83 mostly higher than that VG+. If I had to have DSOTM I would just buy the new one.

 

This is a great point but it speaks more to the state of rock & roll nostalgia in the 21st Century than it does to record prices specifically. The thing to keep in mind is that we're talking about music from 40-50 years ago. When I was a teenager buying records, the equivalent would have been Glenn Miller or Bing Crosby, so let's appreciate the fact that millions of people are still listening to this music at all.

As to the specific question of why young people are snapping up records by Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin but not Traffic or the Who or whoever... you really have to look at the whole convergence of cultural influences (the "lattice of coincidence", if you will) that affects whether someone is exposed to an old song in the first place, and what other (similar) artists and material they have available to them. That has to do with a huge number of factors that have nothing to do with how good or bad the artist's recordings are. And that's only part of the picture, yadda yadda yadda...

My favorite is Nice Price Books. I pretty much only look in their "new arrivals" bin for used records, but I usually find something tasty in the $2 - $10 range. I also like Sorry State Records, who are a little pricier overall, but who also have a good new arrivals bin and good bargain bins under the regular racks.

 

i'll check those two out.

 

You’re absolutely right, it was WF - to be fair the “record guy” was not actually there but because I’d pulled out a whole stack of stuff, the guy holding the fort got hold of him on the phone. They then did this whole process of trying to explain what I’d picked out, before he called the shop back to give me a price. Maybe I’d have had more luck talking to the main man in person.

Sad news for you, too- I managed to catch Monkey Music on its last day of opening, as the owner is moving to Amsterdam. He’d taken out all the really good stuff to take with him, so the shop was mostly full of £1, £3 and £5 bins - still managed to spend £65 though!

That’ll be a big loss to Brighton’s record shopping- it was easily the best shop around.

 

Oh no - Monkey Music was definitely the best s/h vinyl shop in town . Nice owner as well - had a few good chats with him over the years. Though it must be said that Amsterdam is probably a good place for him to be......

Ah well. I had 3 excellent days record shopping in Amsterdam the week before Christmas last year (and Berlin the year before that), will be 'free' the same week again this year (as an IT contractor we get 'kicked out' early at Christmas for a compulsory 3 week break) - was thinking of maybe trying Barcelona for a few days this year for a change but maybe I'll do Amsterdam again - great shops, prices seem fair and everyone happy to speak English. While I like the 'feel' of Berlin and shops are good - prices seemed a bit higher, shops a bit further spread out and not quite so relaxing a place to spend evenings on your own.

WF has always been good for stock - but I just find the layout in there a bit 'tight' if there's more than 5 people in the shop. The place that does surprise me every now and again is 'The Record Album' up by the station. I've not been in since old George Ginn retired (at 88 years old!!) - lovely man - so will have to see what new owners make of it. Because he specialised in soundtracks he often had a few gems in there that were underpriced e.g. originals of 'Laid' by James and 'Quadrophenia' that I picked up in there for £12 each a few years ago, and he then threw in a couple of James 7" singles as well.

 

Don't Leave NC, as someone who travels with his job , in 70% of the country and hits record stores daily NM Fleetwood Mac, Boston , Journey , Rush , are $25-$50 albums---it would be stupid for any shop to sell these for less

 

even Steve Miller , ELO , Traffic , are creeping up---the only real do on your list is ELP--they are dead everywhere in the country

 

Can I just say that I've spent way too much time in Massachusetts this year and you're absolutely correct. All that stuff is ridiculous around here (Boston area), even the ELP in some shops.

 

the problem is , that in 2019 , running a retail shop , just has such extreme costs. If they were only selling for $5 or less , for the majority of nice grade lps , these stores would all close. No doubt the vinyl boom has allowed most stores to remain in business. Every store I talk to , will tell you the same thing , the costs of running a store have doubled in the last 10 yrs. (and before, that doubled from 2000 to 2010)

They all tell me the same thing "Thank God, for the Vinyl Boom"

 

The last time I was there, the record guy was out getting a haircut and I had to wait for him to come back before I could get any prices on the records I had pulled.

Definitely sad news. I haven''t been back to England in years but was hoping to hit up Monkey Music on my next trip. Not sure I'll bother with a Brighton record run without them around.

 

No vinyl boom, no stores. A lot of stores are commons, beats, duffers (I love that U.K. expression) eBay & Discogs rejects, museum prices.....the good stuff goes online. "Getting prices on records pulled". I hear that, I'm the roadrunner out the door....beep beep!Speedy Gonzales.

 

I was in Monkey in May and the owner said he was moving to Amsterdam. I was hoping he’d change his mind and still be around when I’m in Brighton next year. Such a great shop and I preferred spending my cash there than the London shops. He had one of the best kraut rock sections I’ve seen anywhere. I asked if he was planning to set up a shop in Amsterdam and he said no but he’d be doing some record fairs and markets over there.

 

I seldom see used record shops posting a grade on their records. I can think of one out of the dozen or so I've visited this year. Even then it is a visual grade which of course is an educated guess at best. I see all of these records with price tags like $5. $10 $15, $20. But I also see those same records in the $1, $2, $3 bins. And I'm not talking about the difference in a very good playing record and one with a ton of surface noise. I'm talking about records of equal playing condition. Now granted the jacket might sometimes be damaged.

You mention NM and that would mean possibly never played and when played it is flawless. NM are few and far between though there are plenty of people calling VG records NM and VG+ on DISCOGS and e-Bay. Remember VG+ are suppose to play just as flawlessly as NM, just not visually perfect. Reality is that most records are VG when you listen to them, some close to VG+ some edging toward G+. That of course is if you adhere to Goldmine standard.

I don't know if the NC market demand is different from the places you visit in your work. I doubt it. If a person has a particular album they want, say Boston's self-titled debut and they walk into a shop in Raleigh, or Philly or El Paso they are probably going to come out with one for about the same price. But I'd also guess that if they shopped around they could find a copy that plays just as well for $5 or less. Now if they walk into those same shops searching for something interesting in the classic rock vein but nothing in particular there are tons of records they will pay little for, including Steve Miller, ELO, 10 CC, Traffic. The key is to be patient.