There are various reasons you may have chosen to sell a record collection. In many cases, people sell off collections inherited from an estate. Whilst it may seem appealing to start selling on ebay, selling records online is quite a time consuming task and has many traps for the unwary. For example, would you know the difference between these two Oasis albums?
They look pretty similar don’t they? Yet the price difference is around £150, as the one on the left is the original produced on Creation Records and the one on the right is a much more recent re-issue of the album. That’s just the start, you would then need to grade the sleeve cover and the vinyl itself. Do you know your very good from your very good plus? These may seem like small details, but to a buyer they are key and to a seller they can be the difference between hundreds of pounds when it comes to rare records.
So, how should you sell vinyl records?
· Get in touch with a reputable record dealer
· Sell on ebay
· Sell on Facebook
· Sell at car boot sales
· Sell at a record fair
· Sell at a market
There’s various options open to you....let's explore some...
Get in touch with a reputable record dealer
Okay, I’m a little biased here, but as hundreds of my customers will tell you, selling via a record dealer is really easy way to sell your vinyl collection. Beware of those who simply want to cherry pick the best ones and leave you to deal with all the rest. I’m always happy to take a complete collection as I know in some situations people wish to move things on quickly. Give me a call today if you want to discuss moving your collection on and getting a nice and fair cash price for doing so.
Sell on ebay
Ebay is great but selling records on there is a minefield. As illustrated above, there’s all kinds of grading systems to get used to, as well as ensuring you are describing the record accurately. You must also know how to price your vinyl accurately, following what other sellers do might not be the best plan. There’s lot of hazards on ebay, so unless you know what you’re doing, it’s best avoided.
Sell on Facebook
Facebook marketplace can be a good way to sell records in a cheap and quick way. If you have items that are not in great condition, it a good way to move things on, just do not expect to get a great price for your items and put up as many photos as possible. Also people tend to haggle again when they arrive so leave some room in your pricing for that eventuality.
Car Boot Sales
Again, a decent way to get rid of stuff that is not so great. People here expect prices even lower than on Facebook Marketplace, so don’t expect to be getting more than a couple of quid per record if that, people here are looking for bargains.
Record Fair
If you have an interesting collection, a record fair can be a good option, as collectors do tend to come here. However, these days you’re most likely need to be able to take card payments as cash is less and less common at places like these. There’s also the hauling of the records from your car on to a table and back again at the end of the day. That said, if you have some rarities at a fair price you should be able to move them on at a record fair.
Market
A general market is unlikely to attract many record dealers unless it has a reputation for having good sellers there, so it would be a coin toss as to whether you can sell many records this way.