The price of used LP's.


Am I just lucky in living in an area with a lot of little record shops, where I regularly find LP’s from the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s in Near Mint condition, priced from as low as $3 to $10 (occasionally above, but anything above $10 I usually already have)?

I ask because in today’s email from Audiophile USA, the following Kinks (amongst my very favorite 1960’s UK Groups) LP’s were included in the offerings:

 

- Something Else By The Kinks, this copy with a small "cut-out" rivet installed in its’ cover. Listed price $95. By the time I had opened the email, the LP had already sold. Luckily I still have the 3-color/steamship label Reprise copy I bought new in 1968 for $2.99.

- Face To Face (mono U.S. pressing), with "some crease wear on top and spine, hence price", which is $140. I don’t need it (I have an original mono UK Pye Records copy), so it’s all yours.

- Face To Face (this copy stereo), with cut-our rivet, $125.

 

What I DO know is that I started buying LP’s (I don’t like calling it "collecting") early enough that I already own most of the LP’s that are now selling for these kind of prices. How ’bout you?

128x128bdp24

Yes, you are lucky. Keep prowling. You can take chances on unknown artists at those prices. See something interesting, look it up on your phone in the store!

I grew up with the Kinks, a favorite of mine also. I had too many Kinks, sold some on eBay.

I saw the Kinks live at the Beacon, NYC. Not the loudest, that was Dylan and the Distorters, wall of amps ’living in clip’ (as Ani Difranco came up with).but Holy crap, playing Lola, every guy thinks he can dance, up, bouncing the mezzanine and balconies like a rolling Stones concert.

Still have my original collection I started when in high school, about 150 lp’s all in mint condition. They include Donald Fagen nightly, al dimeola a night in San Francisco, police ghost in the machine, etc etc all original copies as they were all bought when they first came out. Now, I have most likely 3,000 lp’s....and growing. Record stores are generally nil in my area, but I do have several thrift stores where I occasionally strike gold (subjective). I mostly buy my stuff through eBay and discogs. I’m also a regular customer at Audiophile USA and Better Records. It does seem that the records for sale at Audiophile USA, the ones in the mailers, do not last very long. It’s as if someone receives insider info...

@bdp24  I haven't been searching out any local to me used record shops, or heard of record shows coming here, but being able to purchase albums for $3-$10 apiece, that is amazing! The guys selling at those prices must be getting huge liquidated album collections from people ignorant as to vinyl value. Not sure this will be long lived phenomenon, once the baby boomers gone and large unliquidated collections inherited by ignorant relatives ends cheap vinyl will end.

 

I thought prices of new vinyl had impacted used vinyl? I've had occasion to check values of some of my 3500+ vinyl collection, mostly purchased in 1980's, certainly some not worth much, but there are some hot stampers and other rarities with much higher values. I don't know how usual I am, but my collection has not been documented as to values, it would likely be sold off for pennies on the dollar without that documentation. Still, to go through 3500+ albums and document values for each one, quite an undertaking!  I'd be interested in hearing what others have done in my situation?

@sns: Having traded in some LP’s at the shops I patronize, I know how they can afford to sell them for $3-$10: they pay only $1-$3 for trade-ins!

Vinyl Community member Norman Maslov ("Mazzy") posted a new YouTube video yesterday talking about his ongoing project of cataloging his LP library (like myself, he doesn’t like the term collection) in the Discogs database. Check it out if that sounds of interest to you.

I too have about 3500 LP’s (and the same number of CD’s, on the opposite wall of my music room), and as Mazzy says, trying to read all the small scribbles in the dead wax (the blank space between the last groove and the center label) of LP’s is a real pita. There are little magnifiers with LED lights listed on Amazon, which I am planning on including in my next order.