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

I guy I work with sold me most of his records about 15 years ago. All VG+ original pressings of Kiss, The Runaways, Lou Reed, Television, Ramones, Alice Cooper, etc....He has great taste. I ran into him at work a few weeks ago and guess what he has been up to....trying to buy back all of those great records he sold me and it is costing him a fortune!

 

Logic tells me to sell my copies of Petty's Wildflowers and Springsteen's The Rising before the inevitable reissues come out thus greatly reducing their value. Just cant pull the trigger!

 

when one can get the highest price...very simple...sell it!

 

I have an example for a CD that I almost sold a few years ago. The Sony Mastersound for WYWH. It is not the best sounding mastering (imo), but it's getting to be worth a lot of money, and I still have the heavy stock sleeve that came with it, and I have the original hype stickers in with the CD too. I can't remember how, maybe even through SHF somehow, but it was a Russian guy. We settled on a price, and then I wanted to throw in shipping and insurance, and the deal fell apart. In the end, I was glad that I didn't sell it. I think my modus operandi now, partially based on that, is to sell nothing of value, until either I need to, or just never. Also partially based on that experience too, I have sporadically started to pick up special editions that I didn't already have (because they also aren't the best sounding), but just to have them. (for collectibility, I guess)

With that said, I do have a crapload of discs that I do need to unload, just because they are taking up space, and I could use the space, but I'm a little lazy to actually do it! For some of the discs that just aren't worth much, sometimes I gather up a batch, and just donate them somewhere.

 

My guess is you've listened to Wildflowers more than once in the past 5 years. #keepit

 

Not on your list is if the record is digitally sourced.. If it is, I have little interest in owning it. I can get better sound quality from streaming, youtube or the CD..

 

If that's a deal breaker for you, then why would you have bought that record in the first place?

 

I've been collecting for 20+ years and most of that period I was unaware of digitally sourced vinyl. I only learned about it maybe 10 years ago. Then I was in denial for many years and felts it's probably a minority of records that are digitally sourced. Only last year or two have I come to terms that digitally sourced vinyl is A LOT more prevalent than I imagined.. So now I am trying to thin my collection of digitally sourced vinyl since I can hear better quality on Spotify or even YouTube..

 

My logic? I've had 'em long enough. Time to let others enjoy them.

 

I've been selling a lot over the past few years. It's a process. First time you go through things you say "No I'll keep that" then by the third cull, you think "It's time for it to go". For me, that happened with a lot of stuff even within 6 months of first saying no and then saying yes.

Ultimately, I felt I had a lot of records that were just sitting there unused. I didn't think there was any point in keeping them. Really, it felt like I was keeping them just to keep them. I had a few hundred records to sell and from that lot I'm doing to about 60. But I have so many records to file, I know once done, I won't have space on my shelves anymore. So it's only a matter of time before I have to do another cull and it'll happen soon in the new year.

It does make it easier that it's a really good time to sell.

So far, I have not regretted one sale. I chalk that down to the fact that I sell when I'm ready to sell. I don't force the issue.

Really, I still have access to a lot of the music in some way. I have the album on cd, I can stream it...so hearing the music is still possible.

One thing I do remain conscious of is stemming the tide of purchases. I am actively trying to keep purchases low these days, focusing on my biggest wants and if I don't like enough of the album, I don't buy it. I need to keep my collection manageable.

 

And in many cases, the highest price is just after the artist dies!

 

When I need money

 

Upon upgrade.

 

yes...sad but true.

 

I would sell if I no longer want to listen to the record or if I have duplicates. Everything else should not matter although one may want to find the right time and avenue for the sale to obtain the best pricing.

 

When you are approaching 70 and you go to an estate sale and see the guys record collection being ravished and plundered for a dollar each. You know you have hundreds or thousands of records you will never play again in you life and you envision this happening to them.

 

...after you're dead.

 

......and my wife, kids and grandkids are still here. No thanks! I'll move them out now and have some fun with the family while I'm still here!