What to do with a large collection


I have thousands of CDs and records and am looking to get rid of most of them. i can’t possibly listen to them in my remaining years and my wife doesn’t need them. CDs, it turns out, are not very viable these days, and if you want to sell them to a dealer you can only get store credit!! And, if as in my case, the collection is 90% classical, it seems they will be impossible to unload. Since CDs are antiques these days, I can’t imagine ANYONE who would want them. The only alternative I can see is the garbage. When you consider just how much of an investment they were it’s indeed a sobering realization.
Records are indeed “in,” but how desirable are classical LP’s?

Any suggestions?

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@rvpiano 

”I have to decide if I want to sell in bulk or individually.  It seems a shame to have forked over so much money and wind up with nothing.”

 

Well, if you consider the hours, days, weeks spent searching for, buying, then listening to and appreciating the music on CD/vinyl you collected over a lifetime, that’s not really nothing.

I knew a guy once who used to collect little gummed pieces of paper used for postage in many countries before digitally-printed labels, another who collected rocks, “minerals, gems”. The value of a thing is what we (or a buyer) places in the thing, and we (most of us, anyway) don’t pursue our hobbies as a means of paying for our retirement.

I know what you’re saying though. The guy I bought my Thorens TD125 MkII turntable from several years ago got it from an estate sale. He also got about a thousand classical LPs he didn’t know what to do with. The deceased had been a conductor of a local symphony orchestra and had accumulated quite the collection of high-end audio gear.

None of which - obviously - would fit in his coffin. Imagine future archaeologists finding skeletal remains with remnants of (probably still intact and playable) LPs wondering what religious significance they held for primitive people.

I thought about offering him like ten cents an LP, but we discussed ways of selling on eBay, Discogs, a yard sale or at his antique shop over the next couple of years.

It could be worse for you though, it’s not like buying insurance that never pays off.

Good luck 

I’ve tried giving away Classical CDs as I burned them to a server.  As per the OP, even libraries and charities aren’t interested.  My heirs will be stuck with a few thousand.

I try to sell mine but the job asked for doing it was too much for me and at a ridiculously low price...

Those who are not streaming or listening files buy only vinyls...

Digital is immaterial, no fetichism here, a vinyl  album is a cult object and keep some value ...Even when it is on a wall and not playing ...

I dump all my remaining cd in bulk in a ONG for the poor ...many thousands ...😊

I now live with many thousands lossless files...

I owned an estate sale company for 27 years and LP records where a hot item at our sales. There where a dozen or so regular buyers that would swoop in and buy most on the first day. I would price most of them at $2.00, up to $4.00 or $5.00, then would go 1/2 price on Sunday, however most good ones would go on the first day. CD's $3.00 ea. where not as much in demand.