Record Prices

Just wondering if anyone could recommend any sites which would give me an idea of what some of my old vinyl was worth on the secondhand market?

Cheers,
BL21DE3

 

You could try searching amazon and see what the used stuff is going for on there.

Not much help sorry but just wanted an excuse to post something to try the new smiley :mo:

 

Cheers for the suggestion MO! Nice smiley by the way.

 

Or you could save time and PM me a list and I'll make you an offer.

-- Ian

 

Hi,

You could search GEMM

This will give you lists of people selling copies from around the world.

Also try looking at Ebay for prices.

A good starter is the Record Collector Rare Record Guide which is a big book on prices of collectable items. Also the monthly mag, Record Collector is worth a look.

Bear in mind that prices can change & vary wildly.

TBH alot of records are only worth few quid or less. It all depends on the item in question & the demand for it.

SCIDB

 

Ian, thanks for the offer . I've still to sort out what I'm keeping and what's going up for sale. But when I've done that they'll be in the Buy & Sell section.

SCIDB, thanks for the reminder on GEMM (had bookmarked it ages ago and forgotten about it). Found a few of the titles on there so far, and I'm actually suprised what some of the records I have are worth i.e My Mercury Mouth EP ~$50-75 , Trumpet Giants ~£20. Though you're right that the majority are only worth a fiver or so. Mind you I'd rather they were with someone who would actually listen to them as they've been sitting around for 20+ years without being played. And I can put the money to more hifi .

 

Take GEMM prices with a big pinch of salt – where eBay is truly accurate indicator of what real people are prepared to pay for an item GEMM simply highlights what some sellers wish to charge. There is nothing stopping a seller sticking a copy of say Abba's Greatest Hits up on GEMM for 150 quid; obviously it wouldn't sell, but neither will a great many records listed on the site at inflated prices.

Tony.

 

Another good site here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kennethdrury/price-guide.htm

seems to be updated regularly, & whilst not as detailed as the RCRRPG, is probably more up to date.

EBay is the real decider though...if you are going to sell to a dealer, I would expect less than if you put them on eBay...but then you need to spend the time listing them...

 

Ebay is stupid for example take the book price of Joy Divisions Love Will Tear Us Apart original 1980 release on 12" vinyl the book price is £5, this what I paid for it. However on ebay they often go for £20.

The thing is I know why they go for so much because there is no way I would part with that record for that money. Unless I had two copies I would want £100 for it even though its worth nothing like that. I think a lot of people treasure that record making it rare being on the open market which means the book value is wrong?

I've noticed pop stuff is virtualy worthless where as indie stuff seems to go for a fortune on ebay.

 

Hi,

I agree that some of the prices on GEMM can be over the top but so can Ebay. Records will sell for what people are prepared to pay for them. Demand for certain records can change quite rapidly & prices can go up or down. There is nothing to stop anybody trying to sell things at high prices. It's up to the buyer to decide if it's worth the money.

I use the RCRRPG as a good first port of call. Then I check other sources to see what they are offering for the items. The downside of the RCRRPG is that parts of the book are well out of date. The current version, 2004, came out in 2002. The rise of Ebay has also had an effect. If you have an item with more than one person wanting it, then the bidding can go through the roof.

For example a copy of Iron Maiden's Twilight Zone on a brown 7" single had a book price for £150. It was sold on ebay for over a £1000 recently. A first pressing of the first Lep Zeppelin album with the Turquoise lettering has a book price of £80. There is one on Ebay currently at £470 & another at £103.


Hi amazingtrade,

That Joy Division record can go for range of prices depending on where you buy it. I have seen it in shops for over & under a £5. I picked up a copy for less than a £1. 'Love will tear us apart' was their biggest single. It made the top 20 so it isn't that rare. Try the "An Ideal for living" EP which has a nice book price of £200.

This is not strictly true. Lots of artists records are worth very little. You will find the big names on the pop market will have records of value. Artists like Beatles, Elvis Presley, Queen, Madonna & Michael Jackson have released loads of records & some will go for good money. I have a load of Indie stuff which you can't give away.

It depends on the demand for the record at the time of selling. This demand is created to fame of the artists or the style of music. For example, there has been big prices for Spice girls records in the past but the demand is a lot less now, so prices are lower. The same can be said for Oasis as well. Styles like Northern Soul & rare funk will go for sky high prices on a regular basis.

SCIDB

 

There are many items that always do well on eBay, and the above are good examples. To me it clearly makes the RCRRPG wrong as mint examples of these items will always double or treble book value, it is not a isolated incident. Other examples are a mono blue/black label of Floyd's Piper, a mint example will make 500 quid plus (book value 160), pink scroll Charisma copies of the early Genesis albums with always treble or quadruple book value, as will many Vertigo Swirl label items, and many, many Beatles LPs go through the roof. Condition is everything, if it is genuinely rare and in near mint in condition and sold by a credible seller with good feedback it will fly.

There are also a great many items in the RCRRPG that will not get even close to their book value on eBay. It works both ways.

One of my friends has a fully signed one of them! He got it signed at one of the Eric's gigs in Liverpool. God knows what it is worth now…

Tony.

 

I bought a Joy Division "Attompshere/She's Lost Control" 12" single for £1 from Mr Sifter how much would this be really worth?The sleeve is a bit tacky but the record is like new.

Also this is a random one but I have no idea where to find its price, its my dad as a velvet copy (the sleeve is made of velvet) Bee Gee's oddesea LP. He reckons the velvet sleeve one is very rare.

 

Try me

 

Hi

The BeeGees Odesea with the felt cover in mint condition has a book price of £30. There are a couple on ebay at £8.99 & £9.99. Both have had no takers yet. Not sure about the demand for this. There are afew on GEMM with a wide range of prices.


The Joy Division track is not listed in the book, so the price is rated at less than £8 for a mint copy. I have seen these for well under £10 for mint copies. Rare, promo or import copies are what you should look for if after a good investment. Get looking.

SCIDB

 

Mine says a Factory Records (U.S) Inc Product (Re-released in the United Kingdom)] does that mean its worth somthing or is just an american version for the same British one? Its probably worthless anyway due to the bad sleeve.

 

how much time to up the insurance value of the vynal i thinks,ok its not mint,but still in good condition,hate to think wot some of the other stuff ive got is worth

 

The US issue had She's lost control as the A side and had black labels instead of white, its also a far more dynamic cut – it really is an great sounding record, the drums on Atmosphere are simply astounding and leap out of the speakers in a way the UK copy misses. It is very rare indeed, I've only seen a handful of copies(one of which is my own), and I've known about it since it came out so have always been on the lookout!

The UK issue of Atmosphere was originally pressed on the 'accidental' dark red vinyl that the first pressing of Unknown Pleasures was; both look black unless you hold them up to a strong light where they glow dark red / purple. (I have one of each, both purchased when they came out).

I'd say a UK first press was worth a tenner in good shape, the US one well over 20-30 to those in the know.

Tony.

 

I'm very envious! Piper is a superb record, and the mono mix is definitely better than the stereo. I've just got the 1970 first stereo reissue with the black/silver label, its still got a flipback sleeve, but is worth a fraction of the price of the blue/black - they still tend to make 70 quid-ish on eBay though...

It's always worth keeping rare stuff with real care, I always stick collectable stuff into plastic outers to protect the sleeve and stick the record in a Nagaoka or equivalent poly inner – always keep the original inner with it though as the correct inners are necessary to get top dollar when you sell, especially if they are branded in any way (i.e. EMI advertising or EMITEX ones).

Tony.

 

I'm not sure what mine is then, it says Factory US INC on it, but the labels are white and Attompshere is the A side. Actually I've just it also says Facus UK on it. I guess it is the british version then. Oh well still a bargain for £1.50.

 

Hmmm. Not sure there is a right or wrong here. The RCRRPG prices are supposedly for the items in mint condition and are what you should expect to pay for them from a record shop or dealer. They may be more or they may be less, but they will always be out of date and fashions can change fast. Two or three issues of RC or Mojo featuring a late sixties band can see a rapid increase in the ebay value of their record.

Remember two things about ebay

1) a lot of the buyers on ebay don't actually know what they should be paying (or could be paying at a dealers) and sometimes get a bit carried away.

2) ebay buyers are only a subsection of the record buying/collecting public and as a collective are not necessarily representative of the whole market. As a result ebay buyers (as a whole) regularly overvalue certain types of record/band (late sixties psych rock being a prime example) and undervalue others (minty first issue early sixties Johnny Cash records for less than a fiver anyone?? - actually not anymore since the great man died).

Having said that it really is a case of things being worth what people will pay, so ebay in that sense can be considered properly inidicative, with the RRPG giving a reasonable ball park. It'll be interesting to see how much the next issue of the RRPG actually takes it cue from ebay.

PS. In my opinion paying £500 for a record is very nearly as dumb as paying four figures for a power cable, but at least its unlikely to devalue. the MOST I've ever spent was £18 on a mint first issue copy of Dusty in Memphis - and that was worth every penny.