When to sell your expensive records? What's your logic

I'm currently thinning the herd, which can be quite hard. Recently, I've sold a few pretty expensive records and have, so far, had zero regrets about it. Fortunately, it's for the best of reasons - I don't have any financial need to do so. I felt I had enjoyed them and that it was better to make room for some new records to have new memories with (I'm running tight on space).

I'm defining some personal boundaries around what and when constitutes identifying a time to sell something and just my belief systems around materialism in general.

It has me wondering..... what are your boundaries around this subject?
What logic do you use when deciding?
Do you not overthink it?

Thanks for sharing.

 

When you obtain a duplicate copy of a record...

How is “duplicate” defined...?

YMMV

 

I have to be pretty damn sure I won't regret it. Money is just a means to an end. For me, music has always been a very very large component of that "end."

 

When in doubt, hang on to it.

I’ve regretted selling records over the years.

What you don’t care for now could be a great listen a year or two (or more) down the road.

And vinyl isn’t getting cheaper, or in many cases, better.

 

I'm somewhere between two of the choices: if a record is no longer sparking joy, that means I've gotten my money's worth out of it, and either I give it to a friend who wants it or it goes out on the sidewalk.

 

My reasoning is, look at what an album sells for. Now consider if I didn't have it - would I pay anywhere near that price for it? If the answer is no, time to sell it.

 

I sold my German round cover vinyl of Bowie's Man Who Sold The World. My wife asked "Are you sure you won't regret selling that?". She was right. I do regret it.

Be careful what you let slip through your hands.

 

This guy Marie Condos.

 

I almost said this but if I'm being honest it's not true. I think it's because it's infinitely easier to miss something you had than something you didn't.

 

That’s been a pretty significant guiding principal for me in this (and with vintage guitar gear). That should have been an option in my poll.

 

I disagree as a large reasoning for not selling things to me is the value in the fact that I got this “thing” that’s extremely valuable for next to nothing.

I see the logic but hardly ever sell anything for this reason.

 

Surely that only makes sense if you don't like the album, right? Or you really need the money?

I mean, I have a clean early Parlophone pressing of Help! (to turn this into a Beatles thread) that could sell for $50-$100 according to Discogs. It's virtually silent and sounds amazing. Why would I sell it? I would never spend that much on a Beatles record, but I happen to own this one, so I'm not going to cash it in unless I need the money.

 

I keep what I love and I'm selling what I only like (check me out on Discogs, vinyl still waiting to be listed)

 

They’re not duplicates, they’re twins.

But you will definitely listen to Help again. Beatles technicality.

 

Or you want / need the space.... happy to report money is not a factor in this right now fortunately. I might be moving and has me thinking about it....

That’s where I’m trying to draw a line too.

What constitutes love with a record?.... Does it have to have meaningful significance to a time in your life, evolution as a fan of music?

It appears volume limit is a popular answer, was among my reasons.

What’s your volume limit? (anyone).

 

THE HORROR....THE HORROR!

 

I'm thinning out the collection, partly to raise money, partly because I realised I don't need 20+ copies of some albums in different international variations.

 

I am planing to plan to plan to thin the herd. When I hesitate to check any boxes it becomes all the more clear that "something is happening here but I don't know what it is". It will happen. I am planning to plan to plan it.

 

When I want to buy something else. Options 1 & 3 have just paid for my new amp. Stuff gone that I won’t miss...

 

I have a "sell pile" of dupes. I don't sell much. I will be purging when I retire. Sizing down for a move to a smaller home.

 

Ha! Relax, I lean them next to the lamppost when I take the dog out for his walk and they're invariably gone by the time we get back.

CDs we literally can't give away, but vinyl is gone in minutes.

 

Never
I have sold stuff before, and regretted it .... never again, unless I am on the verge of being destitute.

 

Back in my days of buying hardcore singles, there was one store in town that still sold records (this was early 2000s) that I used to visit. It was mostly a punk/dance store, with a small second-hand section.

Went in one day and someone had just dropped off the record collection of some guy who was a huge collector who’d died. He was a huge fan 70s and 80s rock, but his kids just wanted to get rid of his stuff without checking what it was so they dumped it at this store and got pennies for each album, even though there were hundreds of them.

Even the clerks didn’t know what they had, but through my old man (who is English and grew up on that stuff), I knew there was some good finds in there. The only ones I remember now were some really weird Stones promo or radio albums, and some English psych records by bands like Comus and Mellow Candle. As you can imagine, stuff like that isn’t common in Alexandria!

Long story short, I bought the entire thing, and flipped it through a broker for a decent amount, which allowed me to set up my own label for the hardcore and feminist punk bands I loved, and still have some left over for a decent hi-fi rig, and a full-sleeve tattoo.

I kept one or two LPs out of curiosity and because they remind me of make out sessions with my first proper girlfriend (and because I was surprised that this guy had a white label copy of London Calling), but I regret not listening to and keeping more of them as I’ve got older and moved onto wider musical tastes. But I can still stream them, so everyone wins.

 

I love happy endings.

 

I have a white label "London calling." And sounds like you sold them and used the money wisely. Nice work!