Record collection disposal

[BrotherBrian]

I'm sure most of you have decent collections of 45s and LPs collected over the course of your radio careers. Aside from selling them on eBay or having a yard sale, what are some alternate ideas for getting rid of old records where they can be put to use for enjoyment, research, profit(?) by new generations, educational institutions or non-profits? My records are important to me, and I'd like to hang onto many, but I don't want to think of someone throwing hundreds of oldies in a dumpster when I move on to the great control room in the sky! All suggestions welcome! Thanks! Jeff Hunt, Roanoke VA

 

[firepoint525]

Leave them to someone in your will. Specify in your will what you want done with them.

 

[willdav713]

I'm sure most of you have decent collections of 45s and LPs collected over the course of your radio careers. Aside from selling them on eBay or having a yard sale, what are some alternate ideas for getting rid of old records where they can be put to use for enjoyment, research, profit(?) by new generations, educational institutions or non-profits? My records are important to me, and I'd like to hang onto many, but I don't want to think of someone throwing hundreds of oldies in a dumpster when I move on to the great control room in the sky! All suggestions welcome! Thanks! Jeff Hunt, Roanoke VA

Contact KSYM (San Antonio College) out of San Antonio, or Trinity University just google them. I am sure they could use them!

 

[johnbasalla]

Show key people in your family the valuable recordings you have. Tell them not to throw things in a dumpster. That has occurred, of course. In fact I got a fairly rare doo-wop record, and an original Sun label Rock-a-Billy disc just that way.

 

[hornet61]

Show key people in your family the valuable recordings you have. Tell them not to throw things in a dumpster. That has occurred, of course. In fact I got a fairly rare doo-wop record, and an original Sun label Rock-a-Billy disc just that way.

E-bay may still be the best way..i've tried craigs list, but the responders are too much of the "Swap Meet Mentality(they want them for a quarter)" ...things are too tough right now. this year the Austin Tx record convention, one of the premier shows in the country was cancelled.

 

[firepoint525]

If anyone has any tips or tricks for selling items on Ebay, let me know (privately, if necessary). I have acquired (from my brother-in-law) quite a bit of items from my sister's estate. None of it is particularly collectible (certainly no Sun records or anything like that), but at the same time, I am not driving any hard bargains, either. I recently sold a like-new 45 (with the picture sleeve!) on E-bay for just a dollar. I saw this one on E-bay from other sellers priced much higher (although some of them may have been imports). Unlike some of the others, I cannot afford to offer free shipping, but I try to price these items as low as possible, and still sell them.

Everything that my sister had was from the '80s or '90s, and it includes 45s, cassettes, cassette singles, VHS tapes, and even a couple of her college yearbooks. I have already given to Goodwill some cassettes that I knew that I could not sell because they were missing inserts, and one cassette, even though it had the insert, the tape with it was a home-recorded tape. ??? Don't know what happened to the original cassette tape. I will probably eventually be forced to donate the remainder of the tapes (particularly the cassette singles) to Goodwill. We are having a townwide yard sale in September, and I may donate whatever I have not sold by then to that yard sale.

I have a feeling that the lousy economy is why this stuff is not selling. :'(

 

[hornet61]

If anyone has any tips or tricks for selling items on Ebay, let me know (privately, if necessary). I have acquired (from my brother-in-law) quite a bit of items from my sister's estate. None of it is particularly collectible (certainly no Sun records or anything like that), but at the same time, I am not driving any hard bargains, either. I recently sold a like-new 45 (with the picture sleeve!) on E-bay for just a dollar. I saw this one on E-bay from other sellers priced much higher (although some of them may have been imports). Unlike some of the others, I cannot afford to offer free shipping, but I try to price these items as low as possible, and still sell them.

Everything that my sister had was from the '80s or '90s, and it includes 45s, cassettes, cassette singles, VHS tapes, and even a couple of her college yearbooks. I have already given to Goodwill some cassettes that I knew that I could not sell because they were missing inserts, and one cassette, even though it had the insert, the tape with it was a home-recorded tape. ??? Don't know what happened to the original cassette tape. I will probably eventually be forced to donate the remainder of the tapes (particularly the cassette singles) to Goodwill. We are having a townwide yard sale in September, and I may donate whatever I have not sold by then to that yard sale.

I have a feeling that the lousy economy is why this stuff is not selling. :'(

i have never sold on e-bay..goldmine has , IMO, the best record collector's guide, to assist you in pricing, it is huge and only about $25.. bucks.... a 45 with picture sleeve is usally worth more than most LP's be careful there. the economy is definitely driving the situation.. my collection that I am selling is a pleasure item and not a necessity..so i am having a hard time selling them.hope you have better luck..

 

[Silkie]

Many moons ago I had a store. I had a boatload of LPs and 45s that I replaced over time with CDs, so I put them in the store. Someone who owned a record store eventually bought them. There are places that buy used records, tapes and CDs; or you could donate them to a church bazaar or thrift shop.

 

[TheFonz]

If anyone has any tips or tricks for selling items on Ebay, let me know (privately, if necessary). I have acquired (from my brother-in-law) quite a bit of items from my sister's estate. None of it is particularly collectible (certainly no Sun records or anything like that), but at the same time, I am not driving any hard bargains, either. I recently sold a like-new 45 (with the picture sleeve!) on E-bay for just a dollar. I saw this one on E-bay from other sellers priced much higher (although some of them may have been imports). Unlike some of the others, I cannot afford to offer free shipping, but I try to price these items as low as possible, and still sell them.

Everything that my sister had was from the '80s or '90s, and it includes 45s, cassettes, cassette singles, VHS tapes, and even a couple of her college yearbooks. I have already given to Goodwill some cassettes that I knew that I could not sell because they were missing inserts, and one cassette, even though it had the insert, the tape with it was a home-recorded tape. ??? Don't know what happened to the original cassette tape. I will probably eventually be forced to donate the remainder of the tapes (particularly the cassette singles) to Goodwill. We are having a townwide yard sale in September, and I may donate whatever I have not sold by then to that yard sale.

I have a feeling that the lousy economy is why this stuff is not selling. :'(

First, I would suggest that you pretty much ignore the printed record collectors guides that are on the market. Most of those guides were written when collectable records could only be found at record shows. Now, thanks to eBay and the internet, many of those "collectable" records aren't quite as rare as they once were. eBay has a "Completed Auctions" section. Check that section to see what other records like yours have sold for. And remember, condition rules! Records need to be in top condition to sell for top prices.

 

[hornet61]

If anyone has any tips or tricks for selling items on Ebay, let me know (privately, if necessary). I have acquired (from my brother-in-law) quite a bit of items from my sister's estate. None of it is particularly collectible (certainly no Sun records or anything like that), but at the same time, I am not driving any hard bargains, either. I recently sold a like-new 45 (with the picture sleeve!) on E-bay for just a dollar. I saw this one on E-bay from other sellers priced much higher (although some of them may have been imports). Unlike some of the others, I cannot afford to offer free shipping, but I try to price these items as low as possible, and still sell them.

Everything that my sister had was from the '80s or '90s, and it includes 45s, cassettes, cassette singles, VHS tapes, and even a couple of her college yearbooks. I have already given to Goodwill some cassettes that I knew that I could not sell because they were missing inserts, and one cassette, even though it had the insert, the tape with it was a home-recorded tape. ??? Don't know what happened to the original cassette tape. I will probably eventually be forced to donate the remainder of the tapes (particularly the cassette singles) to Goodwill. We are having a townwide yard sale in September, and I may donate whatever I have not sold by then to that yard sale.

I have a feeling that the lousy economy is why this stuff is not selling. :'(

First, I would suggest that you pretty much ignore the printed record collectors guides that are on the market. Most of those guides were written when collectable records could only be found at record shows. Now, thanks to eBay and the internet, many of those "collectable" records aren't quite as rare as they once were. eBay has a "Completed Auctions" section. Check that section to see what other records like yours have sold for. And remember, condition rules! Records need to be in top condition to sell for top prices.

album cover condition is now rated higher, than the vinyl..but the better both are the more you get, certainly...e-bay is probably a good indicator of the current price sold, if you have an extensive collection, the guides have much more data and are a guide line..in the the end the eonomy and the supply/demand will determine the final price. the guide will tell you if are in possession of a valuable item..if you don't know the value of a butcher cover and you put it up on e-bay for $100 , I expect it will sell very fast..and you just lost out on about 38K -75K,depending on what you had..,,.at one time a mint butcher went for 87K for stereo and 47.5K for a mint mono, according to Jerry Osborne author of the Collectors guide to LP's and 45's. because of the Butcher cover it flipped the value of the cover, where collectors are concerned. E-bay can only tell what they sold for not what they are worth..the guides also stay very current and are revised constantly. Ignore the guides at your own risk..e-bay is more of a guide of the economy than the value of the item sold.

 

[TheFonz]

E-bay can only tell what they sold for not what they are worth

Could you explain this in a little more detail, please??

 

[hornet61]

E-bay can only tell what they sold for not what they are worth

Could you explain this in a little more detail, please??

you mean like the line in the movie Philadelphia..

 

[voicetrack]

Heres what you do:

You bundle all that crap together in a single lot and price it on Ebay for the cost of shipping. If it doesnt sell, take it to the dumpster.

If you just want it out of your house, great. If youre looking to make money, thats probably not going to happen. Hate to be such a downer, but the market just isnt there anymore. You may find the occasional piece of vinyl that someone is willing to pay for, but most of it should probably be recycled.

No matter what some collectors guide says, if no one wants to buy it, its worth $0.

 

[hornet61]

Heres what you do:

You bundle all that crap together in a single lot and price it on Ebay for the cost of shipping. If it doesnt sell, take it to the dumpster.

If you just want it out of your house, great. If youre looking to make money, thats probably not going to happen. Hate to be such a downer, but the market just isnt there anymore. You may find the occasional piece of vinyl that someone is willing to pay for, but most of it should probably be recycled.

No matter what some collectors guide says, if no one wants to buy it, its worth $0.

If you are used to dealing with a heap of scratched 25 cent lp's and cd's you bought down the street with or without jackets at a yard sale..there, you are 1,000 % percent correct, sure the market is down, but there are plenty of avenues for quality collections to be sold at and it will take time. Don't generalize a quality collection with trash..you see, i own a quality collection of Lp's and Cd's with which I programmed 3 stations...I sell at 2 annual record conventions i own 5 different record guides both Osborne and Goldmine of which i would be lost without, I look at E-bay to gage the market.. It's just my preference not to use e-bay..I might in the future, to tell you the truth I prefer to sell at the record conventions because i encounter my peers, not someone empting out a garage,they probably are at home selling a butcher cover, or a copy of stormy weather/5 sharps, or Elvis "Aloha from Hawaii" with the chicken of the sea sticker for a quarter a piece..

 

[TheFonz]

I prefer to sell at the record conventions because i encounter my peers

If I'm not being too bold, could you give us a few examples of records you've sold recently at conventions and the prices they sold for?

 

[TheFonz]

E-bay can only tell what they sold for not what they are worth

Could you explain this in a little more detail, please??

you mean like the line in the movie Philadelphia..

Actually, I didn't see Philadelphia. What I'd like you to explain is how YOU determine a record's "worth".

 

[hornet61]

E-bay can only tell what they sold for not what they are worth

Could you explain this in a little more detail, please??

you mean like the line in the movie Philadelphia..

Actually, I didn't see Philadelphia. What I'd like you to explain is how YOU determine a record's "worth".

When I sell at the Record convention you are dealing with collectors and will realize a higher sale price. All my posting on the subject has been what tools I use, primarily the guides, and yes I do check e-bay to gage recent trends. a couple of examples are most of my top40 stuff 70's thru late 80's range in price from 8-12 in the guides.. depending on condition I go the middle of the road and price them at around $10 and will allow the buyer some haggle room, i sell a bunch of those. 50's thru 60's are going to book on average somewhat higher, specifically I sold my J. Frank Wilson LP "Last Kiss " on Josie vg+ for $50 which is what I paid for it several years ago.. I was happy to get my money back. I sadly sold my 8 louie Prima on both capitol and Dot to a single buyer for $15 each again pretty much what i paid for they book a little higher. money is tight so the last few years we go with what we can get..I am selling all my cd's ..those are easy to price .. I go to amazon and gage what they are going for less the standard $2.98 shipping and handling , i add alittle extra for imports , alot for out of print...forget what I paid for them, the records and cd's have been recorded, expsensed on my tax returns (against my mobile DJ business).

How do you determine it's worth ..artist,original or re-issue label, generation of re-issue(capitol has about six generations of re-issue) era, condition both LP and cover, demand (beatles are still the hottest seller)...what to price it is a different matter then you use the guides, amazon and e-bay for the current trend....I am sure you can find on this amazing thing called the web where my J Frank Wilson sold for $12 on e-bay , well what shape was it in , was it on josie, did the cover have record ring , was it a cut-out..many factors.. but what i get on a specific date, in my home town, is what i got. This just a small part, all the Lp's are miles apart in value and demand..it's hard to cover so much in this space.

 

[TheFonz]

When I sell at the Record convention you are dealing with collectors and will realize a higher sale price. All my posting on the subject has been what tools I use, primarily the guides, and yes I do check e-bay to gage recent trends. a couple of examples are most of my top40 stuff 70's thru late 80's range in price from 8-12 in the guides.. depending on condition I go the middle of the road and price them at around $10 and will allow the buyer some haggle room, i sell a bunch of those. 50's thru 60's are going to book on average somewhat higher, specifically I sold my J. Frank Wilson LP "Last Kiss " on Josie vg+ for $50 which is what I paid for it several years ago.. I was happy to get my money back. I sadly sold my 8 louie Prima on both capitol and Dot to a single buyer for $15 each again pretty much what i paid for they book a little higher. money is tight so the last few years we go with what we can get..I am selling all my cd's ..those are easy to price .. I go to amazon and gage what they are going for less the standard $2.98 shipping and handling , i add alittle extra for imports , alot for out of print...forget what I paid for them, the records and cd's have been recorded, expsensed on my tax returns (against my mobile DJ business).

How do you determine it's worth ..artist,original or re-issue label, generation of re-issue(capitol has about six generations of re-issue) era, condition both LP and cover, demand (beatles are still the hottest seller)...what to price it is a different matter then you use the guides, amazon and e-bay for the current trend....I am sure you can find on this amazing thing called the web where my J Frank Wilson sold for $12 on e-bay , well what shape was it in , was it on josie, did the cover have record ring , was it a cut-out..many factors.. but what i get on a specific date, in my home town, is what i got. This just a small part, all the Lp's are miles apart in value and demand..it's hard to cover so much in this space.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...3eFQP8IHA3o2mvSiknM1E%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

It's my understanding that price guide values are determined by the types of private sales you describe (collector to collector). The problem with a private sale is: there are only two witnesses to the sale...................the buyer and the seller. How can we be sure that the sale actually occurred? On eBay, the entire world can witness the transaction. Let's let record buyers and sellers decide which method is the most accurate for determining value.

 

[hornet61]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...3eFQP8IHA3o2mvSiknM1E%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

It's my understanding that price guide values are determined by the types of private sales you describe (collector to collector). The problem with a private sale is: there are only two witnesses to the sale...................the buyer and the seller. How can we be sure that the sale actually occurred? On eBay, the entire world can witness the transaction. Let's let record buyers and sellers decide which method is the most accurate for determining value.
[/quote]

Congratulations, I knew If I gave you enough rope you would hang yourself...and double thank you for the E-bay link..it's there thanks to you, for all of us to see....Let's see, I knew you could find a cheaper version of my Last Kiss sale, and you did for $9.99....this I believe/guessing is a Josie re-issue thus the label JOZ-4006 probably a 70's or 80's re-issue, which means it is not the original JM-4006 or JS-4006, this lp sold for 13.98 new, maybe. His description is VG+, well i'm sorry It ain't, first he states light scrathches, vg+ does not have light scratches...secondly double click on the photo to enlarge..obvious cover tear in the upper left top, that de-values by 50% ..so the price is a rip-off at $9.99, worth maybe 2 bucks...you didn't stop there you proved my pricing point look the $39.00 version double click on the cover it has cover rip on the bottom seam..this devalues it by 40% the label is clearly Jm-4006, it is probably woth $40 beacuse Jm -4006 designates mono and JS-4006 designates stereo...which if would have referenced a guide you would have known that. finally the $55 example on your link show's a flawless cover , its JM-4006 mono which the 55 bucks is a pretty fair price...the one I sold by the way the cover was flawless and the recod was excellent and it was JM-4006 mono thus the $50 I got for it...The Stereo JS-4006 NM goes for $100...finally it's your turn to tell me where you got your information that the guides are based on indivdual to individual sale..that is a part of the equation , there is more to publishing guides than that..I have been doing this for a long time, I have made so good buys i have made some bad buys..but if you have experince they even-out I have found in the long haul..

 

[hornet61]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...3eFQP8IHA3o2mvSiknM1E%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

It's my understanding that price guide values are determined by the types of private sales you describe (collector to collector). The problem with a private sale is: there are only two witnesses to the sale...................the buyer and the seller. How can we be sure that the sale actually occurred? On eBay, the entire world can witness the transaction. Let's let record buyers and sellers decide which method is the most accurate for determining value.

Congratulations, I knew If I gave you enough rope you would hang yourself...and double thank you for the E-bay link..it's there thanks to you, for all of us to see....Let's see, I knew you could find a cheaper version of my Last Kiss sale, and you did for $9.99....this I believe/guessing is a Josie re-issue thus the label JOZ-4006 probably a 70's or 80's re-issue, which means it is not the original JM-4006 or JS-4006, this lp sold for 13.98 new, maybe. His description is VG+, well i'm sorry It ain't, first he states light scrathches, vg+ does not have light scratches...secondly double click on the photo to enlarge..obvious cover tear in the upper left top, that de-values by 50% ..so the price is a rip-off at $9.99, worth maybe 2 bucks...you didn't stop there you proved my pricing point look the $39.00 version double click on the cover it has cover rip on the bottom seam..this devalues it by 40% the label is clearly Jm-4006, it is probably woth $40 beacuse Jm -4006 designates mono and JS-4006 designates stereo...which if would have referenced a guide you would have known that. finally the $55 example on your link show's a flawless cover , its JM-4006 mono which the 55 bucks is a pretty fair price...the one I sold by the way the cover was flawless and the recod was excellent and it was JM-4006 mono thus the $50 I got for it...The Stereo JS-4006 NM goes for $100...finally it's your turn to tell me where you got your information that the guides are based on indivdual to individual sale..that is a part of the equation , there is more to publishing guides than that..I have been doing this for a long time, I have made so good buys i have made some bad buys..but if you have experince they even-out I have found in the long haul..
[/quote]

I was guessing that JOZ-4006 was a re-issue., i still haven't figured why they reference this number, maybe some catolog designation....I have to concede that the $9.99 version maybe in fact an original and not a re-issue... and based on standard grading procedures ,based on the record cover damage condition, and the light scratches on the record the value of $9.99 is probably correct and not a rip-off as I said..... but my point again is that the asking prices for the other examples shown on the link are in line with the guide....... and then you factor the standard grading practice ..which are not evident when examples of E-bay sales are thrown out there, without complete knowledge of how that price was arrived using the combination of guide and grading. the book gives you the max price ranges and then you grade you record and see where it falls in those ranges ie,, poor, fair, VG, VG+ and NM....... the intent of the response by fonz to my post, was to compare my $50 sale to various other sales on E-bay as if they were eqaul and they are not.......I need to get off this site, its driving me crazy