Second hand record prices rising well over inflation?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by babaluma, May 31, 2022.

  1. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    No longer do people walk into record stores and say, "here are my records, I'm switching to cds.". The stores have to pay more for good used stock now. Some things are more in fashion now than they once were. That usually boils down to a generation or particular knowledge surfacing. A lot of soul, disco, and other beginning of modern hip-hop are certainly going to be more desired than they once were. A lot of people have finally shrugged off stigmas about certain kinds of music.

    We also have to keep in mind that a brick and mortar store has to also pay more for the building they're in, keeping the lights on, and having knowledgable staff. Everything costs more than it did ten years ago.
     
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  2. Leugi

    Leugi Forum Resident

    Location:
    DC
    It’s tempting to say all used records are going up but it’s really just the ones people want

    I mean try selling Elvis or Nat King Cole!

    If you have the right records in the right condition you will do ok but most records you might as well donate to o goodwill
     
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  3. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Yeah, but if you take in 10 cds and they only sell two of them within a reasonable time, it's not that big of stretch for them to not give that much for a CD. A store has to account for things that won't sell. Then there's always the chance of someone buying a cd and saying it doesn't play. The same goes for a vinyl record. There's a certain gamble involved.
     
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  4. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    I get a lot of "all vinyls are worth a lot now" kind of people. I'd realistically say less than 1% of all vinyl has 'made a comeback.' For every Rumours, there's probably a thousand albums no one cares about.
     
  5. Leugi

    Leugi Forum Resident

    Location:
    DC
    absolutely

    I sell records and most of mine you can’t give away…. I am thinking of just giving up on a lot of them and focusing on the more desirable ones
     
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  6. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Blues and Jazz records are always more valuable. A combination of not many being pressed and the steady popularity of those genres. Folk, Bluegrass, Country tend to be cheap, though there are some exceptions. Try buying a Tony Rice record for less than $50 if not $100. What scares me is all those great records being thrown away because the demand isn't that great at this moment.
     
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  7. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    It's funny when the old owner comes in and we're clearing out stuff that's just been sitting. He gets all puffy thinking we must be morons. He just doesn't get that no one cares about that stuff anymore. Maybe in a city setting, some things would move quicker, but not in a dying college town in southern Illinois. Plus it allows the diggers to actually get a deal on some clean records.
     
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  8. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    And then one day just the right person walks in and buys The Cowsells, Neil Diamond and Marty Robbins records and you're glad you didn't.
     
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  9. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    You putting them in the $1 bins?
     
  10. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    I buy the Cowsills! The best part is finding one of the later albums because most stores wouldn't figure they go for more than a buck or two.
     
  11. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    80% of all records out there are worth somewhere between $1 and negative the cost of hauling them to the dump.
     
  12. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Sometimes. Most of them are in a $3 bin at the moment. The ones that don't sell there will find their way into the $1 bin. The other guy is more prone to throw good stuff into the dollar bin without checking. I have to sneak behind him. But yes, there is a dollar bin that sometimes gets decent things in there.
     
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  13. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I have one sitting in the bins for the last two years with no takers. $5 and it's yours. :tiphat:
     
  14. Telemark

    Telemark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Calgary
    I sold a Burton Cummings record today, so there’s always hope!
     
  15. DVEric

    DVEric Satirical Intellectual

    Location:
    New England
    There are many many formats to listen to music. All of them were sold at gauging prices at one time.
     
  16. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I said it a couple of years ago when I shifted my buying habits and I'll reiterate again: IMO the best vinyl values right now are new AAA reissues, even with the recent price increases. A lot of the good reissue campaigns are happening in the jazz world, but there's also rock/blues/soul titles. You just have to look for them. And it doesn't have to be crazy-priced stuff - there are many excellent reissues in the $20-40 range that sound fantastic that I think are real buys, especially considering what NM originals cost, and considering how often the AAA reissue can sound as good or better than the original - and considering how, after inflation, this is about what new records almost always cost. Limited pressing plant capacity virtually ensures that if you get in on these at the retail price, you'll probably not have to worry about losing money if you need to sell because even those not intended to be in limited quantities could take awhile to repress, if ever.

    I've largely scaled back my purchases of used vinyl and focused my records budget on getting as many of the high quality reissues that I can, especially when there is a large difference between the price of the reissue and the price of an original in excellent shape.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2022
  17. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    That's why I don't understand why there isn't some kind of vinyl recycling program. I wouldn't feel so bad throwing records into the dumpster. Sometimes though... it's a real good devilish feeling (especially if it's raining).
     
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  18. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    A lot of what I sell these days comes from a collector with a warehouse full that sells me his $3 records for $2 when I buy 100 or more at a time. That's how I get all the common classic rock albums that sell so well. I couldn't keep the table stocked with what people want otherwise. I just don't get enough collections (and yard and estate sales dried up during the pandemic) to keep it going.
     
    JoeRockhead likes this.
  19. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Right, but what % of "all records out there" are titles that get discussed on a forum like this? Even if you take the *entire catalogs* of every band mentioned in books like "1000 albums to hear before you die" and Rolling Stone 500 lists, that's still just a drop in the bucket of "all the records out there." But, those are the records people still care about.
     
    lazydawg58 likes this.
  20. Andy Wye

    Andy Wye Forum Resident

    Yes.....I very much agree....prices on ebay are totally inflated.......£650 for Hawkwind's first.....I don't think so...

    I live in a rural part of England and so don't have to suffer the high prices that retailers in the cities demand.

    Last week I was fortunate enough to pick up Led Zep II, Led Zep III, Led Zep 4 and Physical Graffiti
    all mint and first pressings for £200 ($250) ......a very good price indeed. I have been vinyl buying from
    the same local guy for about 15 years....he got lucky and didn't want to rip me............

    ...........and no I am not 'flipping' them.......!
     
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  21. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    People gotta expand their horizons.
     
  22. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Depends. I'm to the point of just upgrades now. If it's IIxII or On My Side, those are actually kind of collectable.
     
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  23. Steve62

    Steve62 Vinyl hunter

    Location:
    Murrumbateman
    The prices ultimately reflect what people are prepared to pay but I think they have been inflated by Discogs. Here's an example. A year ago I was browsing in Canberra's only store devoted to second-hand vinyl and CDs and found the Beasts of Bourbon's debut album, The Axeman's Jazz. It's a great album, and long out-of-print, but it was priced at $A120 (about USD 85). I told the guy I wanted it but he was asking too much - he replied "that's what it's worth on Discogs". So I'm no longer just competing with the two or three other people in town who might be interested in that record - but with anyone in the world who might want it. And if he's prepared to wait an extra 6-12 months to sell it at the higher price I guess that's what it's worth.
     
  24. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Not necessarily. A friend has a store in one of the "hipper" local neighbourhoods and it's surprising how much great stuff he's still being offered from walk-ins that simply want to get rid of their records.

    In fact I was wondering if I should open a used store myself - :whistle: - because getting good stuff from the usual sources - markets, fairs, stores, Discogs, Ebay - is getting increasingly complicated. Well maybe not "complicated" but definitely more expensive.

    Now I don't mind putting down money for something worthwhile but I'm increasingly annoyed by people trying to ask a premium for everything. I certainly miss those days when one could find great stuff going digging. It's still possible. But it definitely became harder. And more frustrating.

    On a more positive note I looked up certain records on Discogs yesterday and was stunned. Supergrass eponymous album for example:

    Supergrass - Supergrass

    I mean... wow. And this is just a random example. Prices like that have to come down eventually, don't they? Because I'm not selling.
     
  25. gkella

    gkella Glen Kellaway From The Basement

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I have been visiting a Orlando, Florida fairly regularly since my daughter moved there.
    There are two very cool record stores there, love looking around. Can’t buy anything..
    Their used vinyl prices are absolutely insane.
    I find myself buying more CDs than vinyl..
     
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