We get asked all the time about where is the best place to sell those dusty old records everyone seems to have in their attic, basement or garage. While everyone wants a definitive answer, it really depends on what you are looking for. Here are your best options:
1. SELL TO YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE
If you are looking for the easiest way to unload your vinyl for a decent price without having to spend hours on the internet researching their value, writing descriptions and packing and shipping - then this is your best option. Almost every record store these days has a used vinyl section and is happy to take your entire collection off your hands in one easy transaction. However, they will usually only take records that are in playable and above average condition. They also will not take a copy of a very common album that they already have 15 of, or they will factor this in to the overall offer price they give you. The downside to selling your vinyl to a store is that they need to make a profit and will usually offer you less than market rate for your collection. However, most people are happy to trade the lower selling price for the ease of this method. I recommend selling your collection this way if you would like to sell it fast, but don't mind a lower selling price. If you are in the Los Angeles area and you want to sell your collection, we are happy to take a look, just email us and we will get back to you!
PROS: Easy, Sell Entire Collection At Once
CONS: Lower Profit
2. SELL ON EBAY
Selling on eBay is a great way to make the most money off your collection if you know what you're doing. If not, it can be difficult and costly. Setting up an account and listing a product on eBay is easy enough. They have an simple step-by-step process where you select a product category, fill out your title, upload some images and write a description of the record. You can then decide if you would like to sell your LP auction-style or for a fixed price, and how long you would like the item to be listed for. Overall, eBay is easy to use once you have listed a few products and get to understand the process. However, the listing process can get very time-consuming if you have a large quantity of vinyl.
In order to increase the odds of your LP's selling you will need to write a brief description of the album in which you list the grade of the cover and vinyl record. You will also need to take high quality photos, edit them and upload them to their website. To do this properly takes a lot of time. Once your item sells, you will need to package the record in a way that protects it from damage until it reaches the customer. When it gets there, the customer may not agree with the way you have graded the record and may dispute the transaction. In which case you will need to find a way to resolve the issue through eBay's system. As long as your listing is accurate and you are conservative in the grading of your records, you should very rarely, if ever, have this issue. However, it happens from time to time even to the most careful sellers. There are also seller fees for all of the items you list (even if they don't sell) to consider. I only recommend selling your vinyl on eBay if you are a somewhat experienced collector and know how to grade vinyl and package records for shipping. If this is you, then eBay is the way to go.
PROS: Higher Profit
CONS: More Work, Higher Fees, Customer Service Issues
3. SELL ON DISCOGS.COM
Discogs.com is a relatively new online database and marketplace for researching information on music releases of all kinds and buying/selling music media. If you ever need to find the value of a vinyl record in your collection, Discogs is the place to go. You can look at the listings for any vinyl release and see what a comparably graded record is selling for right now. They also list the low, median and high price that every release in their marketplace has sold for and the last date it was sold. Overall, it is a great resource for pricing out your collection.
Setting up a sellers account on Discogs is also somewhat easy. You fill out your contact information, seller policies and payment information. Once finished with the registration process, you can be up and running instantly. To list your records, you search for the release you would like to sell by it's name, barcode or other unique identifiers and set your price and enter the grade. The process is very simple and their back-end makes it easy modify, remove or update your listings. If this all sounds great, there is a catch. The marketplace is pretty competitive, which means you will usually get a lower selling price than eBay. It also has a lot less buyers using it, which means your vinyl may sit for a long time without being sold at the price you are looking for. You may also run into the same customer service issue as I mentioned in the eBay section and you will need to pay a percentage of the selling price in fees. I recommend selling your records here if you are not in a hurry to get them sold and are OK with a slightly lower price than eBay.
PROS: Higher Profit
CONS: Seller Fees, Customer Service Issues, May Take A Long Time To Sell
In my experience, the three methods I have outlined above are the best ways to sell your record collection depending on what is most important to you. However, none of these options are perfect and all have their pros & cons. If you have any questions, feel free to email us and we will be happy to help you out. Good luck!