Many others have said it, do your research. There are many websites that will give you a range of prices for what your record(s) might be selling for.
Some of your old records (if they are in good shape) could be worth quite a chunk of change. Sadly, it can be a little time consuming, but it's fun and worth it if you have a little time. Often, if it's a rare record in great shape, you will get the best return by putting it up for auction on eBay but this is also time consuming. If you just want to get rid of them quick and want a little money, give your local record store a call and see if they want to buy them.
If you do decide to auction, pay attention to the record grading, carefully clean the records well and take good photos of the record and the sleeve. If you have something special; like a promotional copy, colored vinyl or a first pressing, make sure to mention this in the description. If you have additional information about the artists or the release, include that as well.
Good luck!
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
We have quite a few of the old vinyl records. I have thought about selling them on eBay, but I am mostly concerned about them warping them in the shipping. I envision a very large box with lots of padding, standing the record on edge, but the cost of the postage would really cut into any profit, or all of it.
Hi karencurtisquilts,
Selling records on eBay or any online site is a bear and a half and I strongly do not recommend it...even if you have very valuable albums...there are too many risks--more of breakage than warping. as many of the old records (at least the really old ones) get brittle and break.
While buyers pay shipping on eBay at least (unless the seller is going to jack up the price and then offer "free" shipping (because then shipping costs come off the value and lower the profit), if an auction has a high shipping cost, potential buyers fuss with you, OR they skip over the ad and move to the next one.
I suggest taking them to a local shop and save yourself the time and aggravation online sales. Half Price Books takes them (if you have one in your city, or Google LP sales and your town to find the nearest location.
While yard sales (at least where I am get poor crowds the past few years), the flea market still gets a great crowd and people are always looking for records, CDs, DVDs, and books at the fleas in Pittsburgh.
Depending on the cost of entrance (ours is $20) you will want to make sure you have enough to sell to make a profit after your entry fee. Knowing they will not all sell at one time is the challenge with that venue. Sometimes it take 2-3 trips to the flea to get rid of your inventory.
So my "food chain of sales" which I do with all things media (albums, books etc.) is first take them to Half Price Books, they will by and pay cash for the best of the best. Then I take the leftovers to the flea market (several times), then when I am sick of looking at them, I donate the leftovers to Goodwill or Salvation Army. It works for me and usually by the end I only have a few left to donate.
Most (and I will say this with full disclosure that there are a few of value), but typically MOST records sell for $1-$5. They have made a slight comeback, but the buyers don't want to pay a lot--especially if they can't test them pre-sale.
Now if you have something like this Bowie album, you may want to find a professional eBay sales person to sell it for you so there is no risk of it getting damaged...it sold for almost $1,500
www.ebay.com/
Wishing you all the best in your ventures!
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
