Where to sell vinyls

[Hounddog409]

I am looking for info.

I have come into possession of thousands of albums. Most are water damaged and in bad shape, but some look to be ok.

Lots of stuff i never heard of. Lots of classical. Some cool stuff.

Like a unopened thin lizzy black rose from 1979. Same as a unopened Any which way but loose soundtrack.

Where in the heck can I sell these? I will not do ebay. Any suggestions?

 

[Michedelic]

I am looking for info.

I have come into possession of thousands of albums. Most are water damaged and in bad shape, but some look to be ok.

Lots of stuff i never heard of. Lots of classical. Some cool stuff.

Like a unopened thin lizzy black rose from 1979. Same as a unopened Any which way but loose soundtrack.

Where in the heck can I sell these? I will not do ebay. Any suggestions?

Please, please, please…I don’t know how or why this stupid unnecessary trend started, but don’t call them vinyls. They are albums, or records, or discs, plural, but they are made from the plastic material vinyl. When you buy tires for your car, do you ask for rubbers? Anyway…you say that many are water damaged? Those you can give up on. Once the cardboard covers get wet, they are no use to anyone and mold will most likely set in. Separate out all titles that are unscathed, and start organizing. Are all still sealed? Just a portion? If many or most are open, then you have to deal with appraising condition. There are guidelines. I’m not going to get deeply into it here, but I will point you to Goldmine Magazine…
Collecting 101: Grading Your Records
Then there is Discogs…
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Both are avenues to sell online, since you don’t want to deal with Ebay, but you will still have to do your research, grading, pricing, and shipping even if you are going to do a set sale. Now, if you just want to make a quick buck, and move it all with minimal involvement, be prepared to pay what’s called the “convenience tax”. That is, if you advertise locally for a collector to look this stuff over, or take it to a retail establishment that deals with acquiring ‘pre-owned’ recorded media(AKA a record store), you are not going to get anywhere near full value. Time is money, and anyone that’s going to take in this collection is taking a chance on the saleability of these titles. Anything that is truely rare, and might fetch a high price, more than likely will not get you any big money, as that sort of thing is gravy for the reseller to cover expenses. Not only that, but not everything is going to be desirable; either they’ll pass on what they don’t want, or offer a pittance(or less)on the the remainder. Where in Ohio are you? If you are near a major metropolitan area, there should be at least a small handfull of specialized collectors shops, or often they can be found in college towns. The best thing for you to do to get started is to assess what’s damaged, pull out the survivors(smell check everything for a musty mold aroma; if you get it, even if they ‘look good’, keep those away from everything else)and start alphabetizing(by artist)and be prepared to possibly make lists. Don’t worry too much about genre, but if it’s obviously classical, movie soundtracks, blues, or jazz, keep those in separate piles. Get some fresh cardboard boxes or wood crates. Store them vertically.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

... Where in the heck can I sell these? I will not do ebay. Any suggestions?

First off, read @Michedelic's post above, if you have't already. It's great info. I would recommend going through a specialty dealer.

That being said....

I've had good luck selling all kinds of things with the eBay Kleinanzeigen, which is a want ads service here in Germany. It's not eBay, despite the name. More like Craigslist.

So. About want ads services. If you're looking to make max profit, and sell them yourself, rather than through a dealer, be prepared to spend weeks (if not months) sorting, researching, and cataloging.

You'll also be storing those LPs for a considerable period before they sell. Unless you have something very special, people will not be beating down your door to get at these. Some may never sell.

You'll also have to deal with the low-ballers. Ignore them at your peril, they can be petty and vindictive.

It basically comes down to (quick and easy with smaller return) vs (long and tedious with larger return). Your call.

 

[knumbskull]

Discogs

 

[turf3]

Look for guys with skinny arms, tattoos, flannel shirts, and giant beards.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Call them vinyl (singular), vinyl records, LPs, albums. Anything but vinyls.

I know a private collector who buys and sells. Once a week he runs a small classified ad in the newspaper (yep) that says simply "I buy vinyl records" and a phone number. He gets a lot of calls from estates trying to unload collections. Usually they have no idea what they have or its value. If it's a large collection there's no way he can go through everything so he might make a conservative offer for everything, knowing a lot of it will go to Goodwill.

Occasionally he finds something rarish. If the seller has no idea and asks too little, he'll offer them above their asking price. For example he recently scored a bunch of early Beatles albums. Original pressings, Capitol rainbow labels (except Hard Day's Night on UA and the VJ album), all excellent condition. He offered more than they were asking.

The most successful used record store here is run by a very savvy guy. Appraisals are by appointment. He has no use for junk and won't buy it. I've seen him separating a box of records into No and Maybe piles so he can come up with a reasonable figure on the Maybes. He has a store and employees and expenses so I'm sure he needs to make back at least double what he pays, if not more.

Good luck.

 

[Michedelic]

Look for guys with skinny arms, tattoos, flannel shirts, and giant beards.

At this point, that describes every mook on the street.

 

[Gorn]

You can sell your big plastic cd’s here.

 

[sonojono]

This thread should’ve came with a “Trigger Warning” sign for the record enthusiasts that cringe from the word “vinyl”

 

[MultiScaleMale]

If you call them vinyls and angel might not get their wings, but everyone know what you're talking about. Nobody yells if you have a BluRay instead of a BluRay disk. Selling individually might take a very, very long time and people that buy vinyl now usually want tip top condition. Some record shops will buy old vinyl, but they know that out of a thousand, 990 are going to sit in the bins for years. So they are going to want to pay as little as possible and they also know that you want to get rid of them. This is almost a gift that is a curse. I had a ton of CDs and just listed them as freebies on FB. Went with a friend of a friend so that at least there's a decent chance they didn't want my kidneys.

 

[Alkali Ike]

The vinyl grading systems are very precise. If you grade something inappropriately high when selling on Discogs, expect repercussions.

I think your best strategy is to separate out all the obvious "problem" albums (like water damaged) and give them to Goodwill (if they'll take them). Take the rest to a reputable vinyl store and see what they'll give you.

It'll take forever if you try to sell albums one by one.

Calling them "Vinyls" identifies you as inexperienced in the hobby and maybe a "mark" to be taken advantage of by less scrupulous buyers.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I am looking for info.

I have come into possession of thousands of albums. Most are water damaged and in bad shape, but some look to be ok.

Lots of stuff i never heard of. Lots of classical. Some cool stuff.

Like a unopened thin lizzy black rose from 1979. Same as a unopened Any which way but loose soundtrack.

Where in the heck can I sell these? I will not do ebay. Any suggestions?

I would sell them as a lot if they are water damaged. I would find a local record store that is willing to visit (most will if a huge quantity is involved). They'll either cherry pick the ones they like or buy the whole thing. That said, think of a reasonable offer (imagine Rick from Pawn Stars looking over them). Good luck!

 

[Hounddog409]

This thread should’ve came with a “Trigger Warning” sign for the record enthusiasts that cringe from the word “vinyl”

Yeah, i dont get it. I still hear a new "album" is released, but its a CD.

 

[BobKos]

I'm going to be that guy.... Throw them all in a dumpster. If you are lucky, there are $400 worth of good albums in the whole pile. You will spend hundreds of hours researching, grading, advertising, and selling them. Most will end up in the dumpster anyways. You will make <$5 / hr for your efforts. Even if you have nothing better to do you could find something better to do.

Alternatively put them on Craigslist take ALL for free and get out from under them.

 

[Richland123]

 

[Hounddog409]

The vinyl grading systems are very precise. If you grade something inappropriately high when selling on Discogs, expect repercussions.

I think your best strategy is to separate out all the obvious "problem" albums (like water damaged) and give them to Goodwill (if they'll take them). Take the rest to a reputable vinyl store and see what they'll give you.

It'll take forever if you try to sell albums one by one.

Calling them "Vinyls" identifies you as inexperienced in the hobby and maybe a "mark" to be taken advantage of by less scrupulous buyers.

The only stuff i have is what i listen too. I do not buy/sell albums as investments.

Back in the day, I had a hundred record shops within an hour or 2 drive. Now not so much. Hell, i dont know of a record store within 2 hours of me.

Just trying to figure out what to do with these. I estimate 5,000 vinyl. But like i stated, most seem to have water damage.

I bought 100 acres in West Virginia. Old house on the property is loaded knee deep with records. The structure will be burnt as nothing salvageable. Probably just keep anything unopened.

I will spend a day or 2 to see if anything is worth saving, then the rest will be fuel for the fire.

 

[Hounddog409]

I'm going to be that guy.... Throw them all in a dumpster. If you are lucky, there are $400 worth of good albums in the whole pile. You will spend hundreds of hours researching, grading, advertising, and selling them. Most will end up in the dumpster anyways. You will make <$5 / hr for your efforts. Even if you have nothing better to do you could find something better to do.

Alternatively put them on Craigslist take ALL for free and get out from under them.

This is where i am leaning. Well, exchange fire for dumpster.

 

[Richland123]

You can contact John George at George's Song Shop in Johnstown, PA and he can tell you if you have anything worthwhile. I have known him for many years and a band I was in called Lickety Split used his Moxie Record label to record a 45 record in 1978.

He is a very nice guy and extremely knowledgeable about records.

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[Deleted member 165050]

Unless you can play each and every one of them on a decent deck and check them out individually don't even think of putting them on fleabay or discogs as loads will likely come back at your expense. Best is take them all to a vinyl dealer who will assess them and make you an offer. Water damage is bad but not always fatal, and anything good will still have a value even without the sleeve.

Btw I grew up with vinyl - yes I'm from before CDs and even cassettes - but I still use the term "vinyl". It's just a word. My father's generation had bakelites I guess.

 

[DwaynieAD]

"don't call them vinyls" that's gonna be a big get over yourselves from me.