Vinyl so expensive rant

I've gone back to CDs the last several years...

 

Vinyl prices have definitely gone up during the pandemic. A lot of people seem to have discovered the hobby in the last two years, and that's raised demand on online marketplaces like Discogs considerably. New vinyl is going up because, I guess, inflation and supply chain business, but for my own tastes, there are so many great-sounding reissues coming out these days (e.g. Blue Note Tone Poet and Verve/Impulse Acoustic Sounds series) that they're worth every penny. I'm not likely to spend $30-$40 for a Rolling Stones reissue, but for great sounding acoustic jazz records, sign me up.

In local stores, I've found that prices on used vinyl have gone up a little, but there are still gems to be found for $5 or less, and lot more available in the $5-$10 range.

 

Fortunately, I haven't seen anything like that, either in NC or in New England. All the used record stores I go to still allow you to examine the vinyl and prices at most stores are maybe 10% - 20% higher than they were five years ago.

 

I see Steve Perry's album from 1984 or so hugged by teen girls at record stores for about $8. No value. Here in Denver you can put $12 on Billy Joel, Abba, Cars LP's not even mint and they sell. Police, Steely Dan, Madonna, Duran, etc LP's have empty divider cards all the time.

 

Man alive! $20 for Lionel Richie albums? Where I live I can still pick up nice condition second hand copies of great albums for anywhere between £5-£20.
I'm seeing rediculous pricing for ultra common records,but usually this is in certain charity shops and on line with chancers and those who don't know what they are doing.The majority of good second hand record shops know how to price pretty accurately I find.

 

Turntables and young children don’t mix well, no matter how hard we try to protect them (the turntables AND children).

 

They are also becoming more like baseball cards, collectible colors, and limited editions. The music is secondary, as the object is collectable for its own sake.

This Spin article from 2014 predicts that the record labels would make vinyl prices more like what CD prices were in the 90s.

Did Vinyl Really Die in the '90s? Well, Sort Of...

 

I have been a record collector for many years. Problem I constantly run into is folk who want to sell their collections, but have a very inflated idea as to what the collection, or individual album is worth. I always run into folk who think their VG condition vinyl is all worth big $$! Because they have heard that LP's are in vogue and there is a market for them. For example, I recently looked at a 200 thousand LP collection ( which the seller had been collecting for decades and which spread over both floors of his house!) After a few hours of going through it, I realized that the collection was basically worthless to me...not only were all of the albums in VG to VG- condition, but the selection of albums was nothing that special..and IF there was one album that had any minimal value, the vendor priced it at a number that really wasn't realistic. ( he failed to consider condition and rarity without fail!) I have run into this far more than the folk who are selling their LP's...and have researched the condition/rarity/desirability and priced the albums accordingly.

 

Most collections are going to be stale musically and "used up" condition. How many people really knew how to handle their records?

 

I can't even imagine a collection that large. Most of it must be unplayed or at played, at best, once.

 

Add at least 50% for vinyl prices in Australia. The tyranny of distance.

 

I know it's awful for Aust buyers. But I still get sales to the country. So I guess some of those folks have a lot of money.

 

I deal with this all the time. The Elvis people are the best.

"That blue vinyls goes for thousand dollars on Ebay."
"Sure it does. Good luck!"

 

Actually almost all of the albums I looked at were in VG to VG- condition. Typically a collection this large is acquired by someone who has bought larger job lots through time. This is definitely the case here. As such, the records were in almost all cases played to death with poor equipment and were now incorrectly stored and handled. This is what i typically will witness with the larger collections that come to the market. Like @cwitt1980 stated above, we deal with this sort of thing all the time...( although I think the Elvis an Beatles (both, lol)people are the worst offenders).

 

A local store has done that with their used stock, every one regardless of price. They use those sleeves with the adhesive. If you want to check condition you have to take it the counter, where they open it for you. If they see you doing it where the records are, without permission, they get annoyed. There were a bunch of records I was interested in but the last thing I wanted to do was bring 5 record to the counter and go through each one so I didn't bother. No idea why they started doing this as they never did. I'd give them a pass if it was only their expensive records, like they used to, but $20? Not worth the hassle so I never go, even when I am in the area.

 

There is a bit of a self perpetuating inflating feedback loop between Discogs and stores. If you need to go to Discogs for a pressing "they gotcha !" . Cause there either isn't one where we live or we may not be patient enough, or willing to do the footwork, so we buy it, which reinforces the prices. Stores then look at the prices on Discogs and either use them as a guide or don't, and just trust what they know for their store.

 

I actually do like the vinyl resurgence and the general appreciation that has resulted. The other day, I was in a small used record shop, i was joined by a lady who was clearly a newbie in the hobby. She was on the phone with someone who was telling her to buy this and that record. The lady spent well over $200- on records that I have no idea why anybody would want...BUT that's the thing, the vendor sold $200 of records to this customer that in the old days he would have had no chance of doing.

 

Billie's latest is $20 on eBay. Maybe people are realizing that higher priced albums like the biggest selling vinyl album in the past 6 months are being dumped.

 

I think I know the blue vinyl you're talking about.

I think I paid a buck for mine. Maybe two.

 

Seems prices here are still very high but I am seeing a lot more Zeppelin, Floyd, zappa, Stones, etc that I did not see 6 months ago. Don’t know if people are selling or losing interest in classic rock. For a long time they just were not seen in the used bins.

Most prices here are at highest Discogs sold price and often above that. Only worth that usually if they are dead on near mint in my opinion and then at times I will bite.

 

I found that the used bins were pretty picked over even by 2001-2003. Prices had already gone up a bit, but pickings were not so hot. I combed stores in LA. NYC, and London as well. A part of my problem is I had a large collection already. So I was in search of things I did not have already. It got harder for me as the years went by. I love vinyl but moved to DVD-A and SACDs for the surround and high rez stuff.

 

I'm wondering if those classic rock bands of the 70s are going to start to come down in value due to so many reissues, the original fans dying off, and interest fading. Maybe the later bands from the late 80s, 90s, etc. (you know who they are) are going to become the real collector's items, and Stones, Dylan. Floyd. Zeppelin, etc. will finally begin to fade? I can see the day when interest is still strong for Bowie, and Floyd, but too many copies are out there and copies are being offered for sale due to dead collectors? Steely Dan are only starting to pick up in demand and value because there have not been any reissues in ages (other than the first album on Speakers Corner).

 

They can and often do sound very good. I'm selling them on Discogs and doing really well.

 

How bout pancakes? I hadn't been to the International House Of Pancakes in years til today.....the prices were insulting and pathetic, I ran out of the place. Vinyl is moving that way.

 

I've never had any luck at used vinyl bins but have found Discog to be quite good and getting Alums that I really want for my collection in the condition I seek which is pretty high up on the food chain but am willing to pay a premium for high condition stuff.