Selling Vinyl Collection Tips

I’m exploring some options and considering selling my complete vinyl collection. I have about 400 LPs and am thinking about selling them in bulk rather than individually. I haven’t made a decision yet, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has sold an entire collection before.

Has anyone done this? If so, how did you go about it — where did you sell them, what was your experience like, and what did you learn from the process? Any tips on pricing, platforms, or pitfalls to avoid would be greatly appreciated.

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I would contact Mike at Ingroove in AZ. He has been buying huge collections.

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Thanks, I’ll check with him

yup, I did that mistake! but it was my mistake for my reason!

I replace my collection with Disneyland travel, that my kids, even as grownup remember forever! Yup my Vinyl paid my expense for a Disneyland experience with wife and kids!

On the down side:

problem 1: most of the album I had back then, now worth, since I am old and they were original from Japan and USA and some were first generation of analogue record! So it mean, were not remastered. so no more original recording, gone by selling it.

out of subject: “[I am a fan of original engineer and artist choice, if they made it to sound that way and choose those song, it mean, they estimate it was there best and gave you a sort of history perspective. That`s the problem when you read G. Orwell 1984:robot: , you don’t like when history is erase and replace]”

Problem 2: Since I listen them a lot, it`s hard to listen some modern redone on streaming and all compression that is done so tiny earphone to trick you that it is sound amazing.

Problem 3: all original mastering of the 60’ 70’ 80’ have burn in the King Kong :gorilla: :fire: fire at universal. That’s why they invent the remastering, it is to cover the copy of the copy: you cut the top, you cut the low and you boost there rest. Nobody, will ear it come from a k7 tape or an old vinyl. Except you, you hade the original, you will know what missing.

Problem 4: Bad Sound :persevering_face: for modern version of old record and for modern recording to less and less engineer no how to record dynamics

Dynamic on a record is loudnessed!

Problem 5: Since It is an old album, often, it is not on streaming services :face_with_spiral_eyes: and used copy are in bad shape and cost the price of a house.

Problem 6: streaming services goes with demand :cyclone: , so as old People that are there listening music and that will approach or pass after there “best before :skull_and_crossbones: ” date! It mean old People will stop listening music, and move to heaven HiFi store Record Store [:innocent: St-Peter, do you have some Nirvana record, no but we have Nirvana show tonight, wow even better :innocent: ]. New generation will increase and modify the algorithm by there choice of listening! So in my time, it meant more “Madona” on the readio, now it’s more “Beyongt’sé” and “Swift knife” singer on Streamer. [those poor girl, someone should tell them how bad there music is recorded]. So more crap for old People that had not left for paradise or are on Highway to Hell! :wink:

Problem 7: Person who buy as a lot, it is for resale :alien: :shark: :money_mouth_face: , so the price offer will be, half the market value, minus all the degradation he could find. you will be lucky if you get 1/4 of the market value.

On the plus side selling it:

A- you could needle drop, your best album before selling them :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

B- take time to check current value on Discogs :face_with_monocle: , and get the best value you can.

C- Forget your old music and memory, go with new generation music, plenty of old-new sound artist in Jazz and Classical, like they said a mind is like a parachute it work better open! be part of the new Algorithm!:partying_face:

D- start new with a streamer + integrate amplifier + and speakers :sign_of_the_horns:

E- Memory is in your head, like nostalgia, not in things :exploding_head:

F- Normally, when you sell, it is before you are prepare to move, to another part of life!

G- If you don’t sell, to gave an heritage, well, not a good idea, widow :money_mouth_face: :money_mouth_face: :money_mouth_face: will invade market with your old record, don`t bother giving them to our kid, they have a iPhone and pay per used and value will go down down down. Kid living in the now, an already took what they loved or needed without often telling you

H- CD in Europe are gaining popularity, frankly i don’t know why

So it`s a 50/50 decision!

Why a turntable? For my parts, since cartridge and turntable, could change sound :exploding_head: :partying_face: by the match, i have return to Turntable.

For CD, I have ripped them and told streaming services where my music is, not to play them, but to have a algorithm that is influence by my 40000 songs and play the kind of music I like [don’t tell anyone, but work the best with Azon illimited :face_with_monocle: ]

For my CD storage: I discard my Jewel case and buy CD Carrousel :face_with_hand_over_mouth: player [400 cd storage]. I use it like a jukebox for when i am to lazy to choose music: I “Just Push Play” the CD carrousel choose a CD, play it`s integrity and than randomly choose another one [that’s the function, that is missing in streamer services that made me come back to CD Carrousel and Vinyl

Good luck

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Hi,

I have sold a full collection before and going bulk can be much faster than selling individually but you’ll usually get less per record. Options include local record stores, online marketplaces like Discogs or eBay, or specialized vinyl buyout services.

catalog everything first, note any rare or valuable LPs separately, and be realistic about pricing — stores often offer 40–60% of market value for bulk lots. Patience helps if you try selling individually, but for a quick sale, bulk is the way to go.

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I’ve got thousands of lps and decided to start thinning the herd this year to those I’ll actually listen to. You have to choose between ease and speed of selling vs. maximum return. Unless you have a seriously refined collection of valuable pressings you’re probably unlikely to find anyone interested in purchasing hundreds of albums for their own collection. You’re going to get offers from resellers and they are going to offer a very small percentage of their eventual retail. That said, there are still meaningful differences in offers from resellers, at least here in central Florida. One well known long time shop in Tampa is insulting they offer so little. I’m talking .25 for records that sell for $10-$20 on Discogs. In the end, I sold a batch of about 145 albums to another shop in an adjacent town for $330. The albums were a mix of rarities and common rock and jazz from the 70’s and 80’s in very good condition. Classical music is about valueless there’s so little interest in it now. If you want to maximize return, you usually have to make a lot effort to market the collection on Discogs, Ebay etc. and wait for a long time to sell the collection (if ever.) For most vinyl purchases except the rare collectibles, it’s best to think of those purchases as an expendable like any good meal, movie night out, or other diversion that comes and goes without expectation of lasting value.

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“it’s best to think of those purchases as an expendable like any good meal, movie night out, or other diversion that comes and goes without expectation of lasting value.”

With the exception of maybe 30 - 40 of my albums, that best describes what I have. I don’t want to invest the time moving the bulk of them individually so my expectations are low.

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I have been culling my collection over the past year. Having cataloged my collection on Discogs it is now very easy to estimate the market worth of each LP which has helped me decide what to sell on an individual basis through discogs and what is not worth my time. Furhter, I have had some luck bundling 10-20 LPs together and selling the lot on ebay - this requires a bit of work, but again with the help of my already catalogued collection on discogs this has made listing them pretty straight forward.

I realize that your question was related to selling the collection in bulk and not individual LPs. I guess the tradeoffs are either getting rid of the whole collection quick and easy but with a small fraction of the actual value or then taking plenty of time and effort to catalog each LP and then selling those with the highest value one by one = better return but long and tedious process.

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Personally, I started to listen, my album one by one [CD and Vinyl] and discard those with more than 2 songs, that i don`t like.

What i do, is I trade them, for other record or for a CD player, An amplifier, so Equipment! Better luck this way.

but now the marker is very spooky here in Canada, every one are waiting the storm to pass! the Audio-Mart is full of beautiful stuff, that haven`t seen for sale for decade at sometime very affordable price.

I don`t know but here, everyone keep there money and spend on necessity only. I saw ad from company that never does that. The Post pandemic hit hard on the marker!

So if expectation are low, sell or trade. I saw someone exchange his bike for a HiFi system au audio mart, so if you don’t try, you will never know, but a listing is a pain in the bucket, but will get you more offer on Ebay/Kijiji or AudioMart.

Enjoy

Ps, you are not the only one who sell his collection. Lot`s of Condo People does that, so there more offer on the market than buying! in 10 or 20 years. Boomer will hit the best before date will move to there final destination and we will have to much condo for sale!

So if you`re lucky a collector, or average guy who start and calculate is purchase by the number [800$ for 400 record, so an average of 2$/album, cheap, i will buy it].

I did that for a real good Classical collection and real good Jazz collection, after listen all that: the rule of thumb, 1/3 is wasted and discard. So final account is: 800$/ [400 x 2/3]= 2.99$ per album for 267 album on a lot of 400. So a reseller, goes for 1/4 of the value, it will make a price for 267 record on a lot of 400 for a 20%value to cover his rent, is unsalable, his staff and make a profit. you will end up at a 250$ value, so any offer that is upper than that is good!

of course if you have, a 5-10% of collectable record that sell for 100$ piece, those 40 record, will get you at a guess price of 50$/unit a 2000$, that the payback and patience will get you if you a payback. That the guess a reseller take when he buy a lot.

When I was purchasing vintage, I always ask, if they have Lp`s, since he get a good price on turntable, he more willing to discard records for cheap, as he don’t have to waste 25hours of his live to get 2000$

Stuff use to be money, money use to be time, time use to be life!

I prefer, instead of buying expensive beer, I buy record and dispose them to charity in exchange of a tax credit! Or I do a get yard sale in the spring and you end getting more for your record and meet your Neighbors!