Has The Bottom Fallen Out Of Cheaper Record Sales?

[John Moffatt]

Hi All,

I hope I've got this in the correct forum. Lately I've tried selling off a few of my cheaper records, to fund a couple of more expensive wants, mainly on Ebay, but also on SS and Facebook, as well as carrying a sales box around to just about everywhere I go. Nothing new in this, of course, except that, of late, I'm having very little success, with no sales on SS or Facebook, or from my box. As an experiment recently I posted six records on Ebay, that would normally fetch between £5 and £10 each, with a start price of just 99p. The listing was for ten days. Three of the records attracted no interest at all, while the other three went for just the start price, 99p. Is anyone else suffering from the same problem? Is there just a glut of cheap records about at the moment, or is there really a serious decline in sales generally? I notice many higher priced items seem to be becoming cheaper as time goes by. I've also noticed a number of long-term collectors who are selling up for various reasons. Any comments would be very welcome.

Thanks

John

 

[Spacehopper]

was chatting about this at the weekend with someone....i think there are a lot of us doing the same thing as in selling cheaper tunes to fund others..or trying to

 

personally its down to the economic climate..or recession  ....6 years back i wouldnt be selling some of those i am and would probably be buying more 'not bad' tunes rather than just wants....cost of living continues to rise and have lost all bonus's and inflation related pay rises so before i buy too many i have to sell on a few that dont get much turntable action instead of just adding to an ever growing collection as id like to

 

dean

[Kev Cane]

Great topic John, really hard to pin it down to exact reasons, its subjective really and there will be many opinions on this, for what its worth I reckon its only the so called big stuff that holds its value these days. Some records will have a "demand" shelf life and fetch inflated prices, once the shelf life is up the price plummets, you know the scenario, "so and so is playing it" so for a while up goes the price, pathetic really, but, thats the game we are in. It saddens me to see genuine fantastic soul records going for 99p, and then you see some average at best stuff going for big money because of the exposure certain DJ's bestow on them (not their fault by the way) great news though for the soul collector who can pick great stuff up for the price of a pint. Even rarer collectors records or records on the periphery (limited exposure) are not holding their value, got my opinion, there isn,t enough demand for the cheaper (all be it some great) records, the volume of genuine collectors isn't there any more and the cash is going towards the higher end "trophy" stuff, not enough "thinking mans record" collectors anymore.  I'll get my coat

 

Kev

 

 

[Pete S]

Fell out 4 or 5 years ago from my experience..

[grant]

cant sell fook all on here now selling most of mine on ebay

[Harry Crosby]

Really good thread, was thinking of raising the question myself. So we`ve been told that these records are rare soul records, can someone explain to me what the word rare means, because I fail to see how records that turn up on lists e-bay etc every week, and have done for the past how many years are considered rare!!! A bloke who I know has no idea about rare records and has been on the scene 5 minutes and has spent over £40, 000 on records. Ok so he`s obviously far too much money, but he`s put a collection together in less than two years. Whereas others have spent a lifetime putting together collections. So these so called rare soul records are available. I believe there is a handful of rare records that are out of the reach of most of us but the rest is readily available, usually at the mere click of a button, if you have the funds. IF I SEE ANOTHER JACKIE WILSON-BECAUSE OF YOU priced at £100 I`m gonna scream!!!!    

[Quinvy]

When I was going out to nighters every week I couldn't believe the amount of very average records that were for sale. There seemed to be a hard core of people that were at every event with the same cheap records, and they just sold them to each other.

 

There are loads of collections that have nothing in them of value. When money is plentiful this is something for people to do as a hobby, but in a recession I think that people have tried to sell these collections and had a shock when nobody wants them.

 

In a recession people are looking for something to invest their money in. Interest rates for savers are crap, hence the high price of gold/silver, trophy records, classic cars etc.

 

It's even harder to sell the £200 to £500 stuff that isn't very good. Plenty of these. 

[Harry Crosby]

When I was going out to nighters every week I couldn't believe the amount of very average records that were for sale. There seemed to be a hard core of people that were at every event with the same cheap records, and they just sold them to each other.

 

There are loads of collections that have nothing in them of value. When money is plentiful this is something for people to do as a hobby, but in a recession I think that people have tried to sell these collections and had a shock when nobody wants them.

 

In a recession people are looking for something to invest their money in. Interest rates for savers are crap, hence the high price of gold/silver, trophy records, classic cars etc.

 

It's even harder to sell the £200 to £500 stuff that isn't very good. Plenty of these. 

Hi Phil hope your ok, I agree with this. But are they an investment?? . I fear as we age and people start cashing in on there investment, the market will be flooded even more and prices must fall,

[davidwapples]

Got rid of most of my rarer stuff a few years ago , didnt have many but they went and now i only buy up to £30/40 records

concentrated on a few labels that i have the majority of tunes on and started a few others.

will buy stuff i like that is cheap enough but still lots of people trying it on because they paid big money for tunes that were £10/20 before they got played

[Northernjordan]

Personally, I have stopped buying the 5-10 quid tunes that are decent at best, in favour of spending a little more say £30-50 on higher quality soul sounds. By being more selective, my collection has more quality and having more quality gives me some more options when I do the occasional DJ set. Rather than just having a box of filler items. Though thats not to say you cant pick up great tracks for £5-10, you can, its just that the vast majority of those tracks can be a little more average.

 

Something I find really frustrating when I put a want out and I decline certain records based on price and condition, I quite often see them on sales lists in the coming week at as much as 30% reduced! If people offered the records at those prices in the first place, I would have bought them!

Edited December 3, 2013 by NorthernJordan

[Modernsoulsucks]

A couple of observations.

 

Been selling some of my collection and others belonging to a mate.  I have sold quite a lot of them as you can see from my last Sales list. Some of those went at clubs though.

 

However compared to 70's to 90's, when I was more active, the interest seems minimal.

 

At Burnley other week and I had less than 10 people even look. I did sell just over £300 but to Phil T so I'm guessing there were some good 45s in there for the going rate. No other sales. And not many selling either. At a Mecca revival no one selling and I left box in the car. At Radcliffe, though lots of records, dealer I sat with didn't do that much compared to how much stock he had.

 

I'd also question the demand for big ticket items. Whenever I've sold such in past 18 months [such as Tomangoes, Clinton, Professionals, Eddie Daye] the response has been limited to one or two people.

 

A lot of this I assume is down to price.

 

As Quinvy points out just because a 45 is cheap doesn't mean you get a bargain. Those I see are, as he implies, lacking. Kind of thing you see in that price guide for anything up to £100 but on playing are average at best. Or they are poor condition.

 

ROD

[Upthejunction]

Well the Internet has had a massive influence on what's readily available,  It's connected people on a global basis, also the folks Stateside are much more clued up on what's wanted and what they think it should sell for,  I sell records at what I consider a realistic price and generally don't have a problem shifting stuff, I wonder how much unsold/unsaleable stuff the Main dealers are sitting on      !!!

[Dobber]

evryone has got or had the bottom end stuff and probably wants the more middle to top end records,so you aint got much chance of selling the bottom end stuff really, unless new collectors come in and start off with cheaper stuff!

 

sell them as packs for dead cheap money...that will appeal to all the greed in us all...haha

[Quinvy]

That is very true, look at how many copies of 45's that were thought to be 1 or 2 copy records have turned up on ebay and Manship's auction. Like others have said, if you have the money now, you could have an incredible collection in a couple of years and I mean with all the big hitters in there.

 

Well I know of a couple of people who have actually done so.

[Guest Matt Male]

Personally, I have stopped buying the 5-10 quid tunes that are decent at best, in favour of spending a little more say £30-50 on higher quality soul sounds.

 

 

You're saying the more expensive they are the better they are? A £50 record is better musically than a £10 record? Seriously?

 

I think Phil's right that a few years back people were snapping up cheapies, playing them out and the price went up beyond their true value based only on demand. I was lucky enough to sell on a few I bought cheaply for 3 or 4 times the price just because they were popular, but I think the bubble has burst now and I don't think people will pay as much for a quality indemander which isn't particulary rare any more. That novelty has worn off a bit.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Matt Male

[Modernsoulsucks]

They shouldn't be Matt but IMO hard to find a decent 45 for £5-10 especially on sale in clubs. Usually some TMG with centre knocked out or similar !

 

Trawling the net or other sources obviously different.

 

ROD

[Davenpete]

Have to say I've been surprised at what has sold and what hasn't at the cheaper end of the stuff I've been offloading - I think it's largely the traditional eBay-itis - if something's well know to be rare and valuable it goes silly (I got £330 for one of my records that though it's a great record I consider common - a £30 sound at most, though currently in demand) whereas other really rare things that aren't widely known as 'something to have to impress your mates with' have had little or no interest.

Dx

[Northernjordan]

You're saying the more expensive they are the better they are? A £50 record is better musically than a £10 record? Seriously?

 

No, I am not saying that a higher price makes tracks better musically at all. There some fantastic and really cheap tracks, but they are the exception IMO. You've got to wade through masses of average tracks at the £5 marks to find the gems, however, that is part of the fun too. I think my point is a bit poorly worded. What I was trying to say, is I have stopped just punting fivers here and there on stuff I think is good, but not superb. And now, being more selective in my wants and if that means spending say maybe £30-40-50 pound on sounds that i think are pure quality so be it. I dont own any big ticket items so can hardly be desribed a trophy collector.

Edited December 3, 2013 by NorthernJordan

[Guest Paul]

 

It's about demand more than rarity (or perceived rarity) because too often many records are way overpriced and increasingly there are great soul records which a lot of people don't seem to want at any price.

This situation has existed for a long time but not to the extent that it does now. I used to sell records in the 1970s and '80s, mostly US 45s which retailed in good quantities at £1.25 or £1.50 each and some which were priced as high as £5.00  Many of those records are considered to be very rare today but I remember how difficult it was to sell copies of Guitar Ray, Stephens & Foster, Jesse Fisher etc. It took years to sell half a dozen copies of Sam Dees on SSS International at £5.00 each because there was no demand.  Even things which were far more obscure, such as Steve Dixon on Spotlite or The Outa Sights on Saru, were hard to sell for much fore than £5.00, especially if they didn't have "the right tempo" or if they hadn't been played by any of the top DJs.

It gradually reversed so that it became far easier to sell anything obscure at higher prices but much harder to sell a great record no matter how cheap it was. In fact, it got to the point that some people wouldn't even want to hear a record if it was priced low - as if they assumed it must be a poor record or far too "common".  The reality is that many of today's expensive 45s had once been obtainable for 15p each in soul packs so it was assumed (often incorrectly) that they were all "common" and unwanted.

The 'modern soul' boom and later the 'crossover' boom changed a lot of things because suddenly you could get good prices for a lot of 45s and LPs which had been hard or impossible to sell.

I remember in 1987 I imported 400 or more copies of Shirley Johnson on Diamond Gem (a new release with a dated sound) and I sold them all quickly, some were wholesaled to Record Corner and Voices etc.  Most copies retailed at £1.50 but it was very obscure and I had all the stock so if I'd had any brains I could have been greedy or lazy and just sold a handful at £50.00 each and put the others away for a rainy day.  It had become easier to make more money by selling less copies, even if it meant pretending that only a few copies were available, but why distort reality and lie to your customers?

I'm not sure if dealers created the situation or if they just responded to the demands of customers who only wanted expensive records.  And can I blame them?  One well-known dealer told me in the 1990s that if he priced a record at £10.00 it wouldn't sell so he'd price it at £50.00 or more.  A crazy situation.  More recently, another dealer confided that he had more than 400 copies of a record but he sold just one copy for a very high price so he had to pretend the other copies didn't exist - at least for a while.  Knowing those kind of things explains why I don't take the prices of rare records seriously.

 

It's obvious (sadly) that the price of some 45s will suddenly rise astronomically if a certain DJ plays them but what's difficult to understand is why so many people don't show any interest in records which aren't priced high or which aren't on the playlists of top DJs.
 

I think more soul fans used to follow their own tastes and were more interested in the musical merits of a record than its perceived value.  I've stayed that way not just because I'm only interested in the music but also because I can't afford to buy rare records anyway.  And no disrespect whatsoever to anyone who has a different perspective.

A final point is that at least it's a good time to buy a lot of great soul records at low prices.  Look at how often you'll see a mint copy of a great Annette Snell record, for example, listed on ebay at $5.00 or whatever and it won't get any bids.

Sorry I rambled on so much but it's a very interesting topic.

 

[Len]

That is very true, look at how many copies of 45's that were thought to be 1 or 2 copy records have turned up on ebay and Manship's auction. Like others have said, if you have the money now, you could have an incredible collection in a couple of years and I mean with all the big hitters in there.

 

Well I know of a couple of people who have actually done so.

 

Ain't that a fact - Where's the fun in that aye?....The internet has made it all too easy, which to some I know is seen as a good thing, but I see it as a bad thing. I liked the fact that lots of 'work' went into buying records - whether you are a man that went over to the States when Alan Wicker was the only other person on the plane, or one who traipsed through tapes, going to places, asking about stuff, and then pestering the dealers at dead on 9.00am, after the list came through the post!

 

Ref the topic - As we all know, people are skint - I haven't bought a record in ages (for that reason) choosing to 'regurgitate' and enjoy what I already have on the shelves. I expect people are now also less likely to be in the record bars at events because of the internet, so socialise / dance instead when they are out 'n' about - Shame that, as seeing a 'buzzing' record bar was an important part of the night.

 

All the best,

 

Len  

Edited December 3, 2013 by LEN

[Mal C]

I'm very happy to buy these so called Cheap records, I dont already have, and I was very happy to off load quite allot of very or lesser expensive records, that I simply did not listen to this year, made sense, they were good tracks but 'Collectors records", I bought 3 times that amount of better records in my opinion, that they were reasonably common wasn't a deciding factor...

 

As for the bottom falling out, happened some time ago didn't it, but yes i suppose it has felt more acute at the moment, it will climb but we will have to wait a while for that to happen again, ultimately records are a luxury for most, so that spending wont increase till people have the spare cash to spend at the end of the month, add the extra dimension that the folk  buying these records are simply getting older, you cant really see the future clearly, but I always remember what Ive read about 1982, closure of Wigan and all that, what those guys selling up didn't  realize is there was an army of kids like me at school buying Kent LP's who would take this forward, and today there is a small but devoted army of Youngsters here, and over seas doing the very same.

 

Relax folks, Northern Souls future is in good hands...!!

 

Mal.C

[Kjw]

At one time I would say most of my sales were bought by people within the UK

 

Now it's more likely to be the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Japan or back to the USA

[Marc Forrest]

I said this (ON HERE) more then ten years ago...cheap records will become almost un-sellable. Classics between 150 - 500 GBP will stay where they are unless some get re-activated (= price hike). The big tunes  - say from 750 to a grand and upwards - will continue to rise.

 

All my points haven been proven right.

 

The price hike on the big tunes though has come faster, heavier and with much more impact than I at first estimated. Mainly because of all the hot-boxing "collectors" and of course the continuing growth of new DJ`s all over the world (mainly US, UK and rest of Western Europe) who all want to have and play the very same big records...BUT...who at the same tiome do not start a proper own collection and limit themselves to just say 200 - 500 playbox records. As a result cheap records (they used to be called collection-builders once...) have become almost unsellable. 

 

Think this will continue until some sort of a "big bang" = crash will hit our collecting scene. That may already start in about in 5 / 10 years from now when many of the first generation Soul collectors will sadly start to join the parade up above and as a result their records will flood the market.

 

Marc

[Pete S]

 

 

Think this will continue until some sort of a "big bang" = crash will hit our collecting scene. That may already start in about in 5 / 10 years from now when many of the first generation Soul collectors will sadly start to join the parade up above and as a result their records will flood the market.

 

Marc

 

It'll be much sooner than this; people my age and older, the 50 to 65 bracket, they are realising that they've spent thousands of pounds on records and nobody will give them what they paid for them, and their kids don't want them, so they're realising it makes a lot more sense to have a sh*tload of money than a sh*tload of records so they are offloading while there is actually still a market.

[Guest gordon russell]

You're saying the more expensive they are the better they are? A £50 record is better musically than a £10 record? Seriously?

 

I think Phil's right that a few years back people were snapping up cheapies, playing them out and the price went up beyond their true value based only on demand. I was lucky enough to sell on a few I bought cheaply for 3 or 4 times the price just because they were popular, but I think the bubble has burst now and I don't think people will pay as much for a quality indemander which isn't particulary rare any more. That novelty has worn off a bit.

satisfactions,four pros

[Modernsoulsucks]

I think Marc's analysis is over-optimistic really though I'm not sure what definitions he is using when describing cheap records or classics.

In my experience classics in that price bracket have fallen unless reactivated. Particularly when comparing to say 2005/2006.

Lots of big ticket items have fallen too. You only have to look on here to see a price stated and then after a few days offers invited. Not always to do with first price being OTT.

I think there is a market for cheap 45s but they have to be good. The cheapness should depend on such as rarity and condition rather than being poor also-ran records which I find is the case when looking through club sales.

Personally Pete I'd rather have the 45s than the money. Roll on the day when they're all £2 each. Provided I'm still here to buy them.

ROD

[John Moffatt]

was chatting about this at the weekend with someone....i think there are a lot of us doing the same thing as in selling cheaper tunes to fund others..or trying to

 

personally its down to the economic climate..or recession  ....6 years back i wouldnt be selling some of those i am and would probably be buying more 'not bad' tunes rather than just wants....cost of living continues to rise and have lost all bonus's and inflation related pay rises so before i buy too many i have to sell on a few that dont get much turntable action instead of just adding to an ever growing collection as id like to

 

dean

Yes Dean, no doubt, cash is tight all over for the reasons you state (I'm certainly no exception). Might have to rein in for a while. 

[paultp]

I still occasionally buy records for me but have stopped buying records to sell on (unless I spot an absolute bargain) because they are so hard to sell these days. There is some truth in the fact that some people will pay £50 for a record but if you price it at a tenner nobody wants it. The arse fell out of the market for low priced records when people decided that good records were expensive and records that anyone could own weren't worth having.

 

Good rare records tend to be expensive, but the "in-demand" factor inflates the price of many common records, it took me a while to learn to sell the common records whilst they are in demand and buy a copy back when the inevitable avalanche of copies occurs. Ace Spectrum at over a ton? Betty Swann, Kiss Your Arse Goodbye at £250? Sell!

 

I wouldn't dream of paying £1000 or more for a record, I'd have to win the lottery before doing that as I'm too tight and it is just a hobby, I think there is only a relatively small number of collectors who do this with any regularity. There is another small group who are just buying their way into DJing but they tend to end up paying top wack for records as they are not prepared to wait and have no depth. The top records will always be a high price as they are good, rare and in-demand.

 

Top high value records that hold their value are also extremely good for hiding money as unless you know, one 45 looks the same as another. Expensive records can be used in money laundering too - buy them cash, stick them on ebay, payment by paypal, paypal to bank account = money laundered. All will keep prices high.

 

I still think JJ Barnes - Please Let Me In is one of the best records about, I ought to upgrade my copy whilst it is still cheap

[Orotava]

 I think there is a market for cheap 45s but they have to be good. The cheapness should depend on such as rarity and condition rather than being poor also-ran records which I find is the case when looking through club sales.

Personally Pete I'd rather have the 45s than the money. Roll on the day when they're all £2 each. Provided I'm still here to buy them.

ROD

 

I for one am very interested in buying those sort of records - I came back to the music last year after a 32 year absence having sold my previous collection back in the day.  So I`m looking to build a half decent collection a bit at a time, on a limited budget and would be in the market for quality 60s stuff < £10 in excellent condition (label & vinyl) and the cheaper the better please - I sure ain`t loaded!  

Edited December 3, 2013 by Orotava

[Kjw]

I still occasionally buy records for me but have stopped buying records to sell on (unless I spot an absolute bargain) because they are so hard to sell these days. There is some truth in the fact that some people will pay £50 for a record but if you price it at a tenner nobody wants it. The arse fell out of the market for low priced records when people decided that good records were expensive and records that anyone could own weren't worth having.

 

Good rare records tend to be expensive, but the "in-demand" factor inflates the price of many common records, it took me a while to learn to sell the common records whilst they are in demand and buy a copy back when the inevitable avalanche of copies occurs. Ace Spectrum at over a ton? Betty Swann, Kiss Your Arse Goodbye at £250? Sell!

 

I wouldn't dream of paying £1000 or more for a record, I'd have to win the lottery before doing that as I'm too tight and it is just a hobby, I think there is only a relatively small number of collectors who do this with any regularity. There is another small group who are just buying their way into DJing but they tend to end up paying top wack for records as they are not prepared to wait and have no depth. The top records will always be a high price as they are good, rare and in-demand.

 

Top high value records that hold their value are also extremely good for hiding money as unless you know, one 45 looks the same as another. Expensive records can be used in money laundering too - buy them cash, stick them on ebay, payment by paypal, paypal to bank account = money laundered. All will keep prices high.

 

I still think JJ Barnes - Please Let Me In is one of the best records about, I ought to upgrade my copy whilst it is still cheap

 

I wouldn't call that money laundering - HMRC can get access to your Ebay history, Paypal account and banks account(s) whenever they choose to

[davidwapples]

It would help if some of the dealers priced the things correctly in the first place , just lately i have seen stuff listed on here that can be bought from other dealers or on ebay for alot less than they are asking , this is not manship selling but other pro dealers. everyone should check ebay before clicking the pm button to compare prices and also the completed items so you can get an idea what the title is selling for on there should you decide to move it on soon.

 

most of the records on labels like rictic curton tamla etc should be dirt cheap , there are that many around but because of the price guides listing them at £10 people want near that for things that should be in soul packs / 3 for a tenner type offers

 

There are still the same amount of records out there as there was when the price guides first came out , they have not got any rarer just more in demand or hyped

 

The records would sell if they were priced correctly in the first place , its just that its less work to sell one record for £50 than 10 for a fiver

Edited December 3, 2013 by davidwapples

[Seano]

As others have said, really interesting thread. Most people posting seem to be very comfortable with the buying and selling, but I suspect there's a fair few of us who've built our collections via the old soul packs, junk shops, hunting around for a record shop whenever visiting a new town or going abroad, and not spending big money at all.

Then we hang on to all of them, so the current value becomes somewhat academic, as most of us are highly unlikely to get out there on eBay, take a box along to the soul nights, or find other routes to sell some of them off. For me it's a mixture of not being well enough versed on current prices to know what I'm doing (goes for buying as well as selling), but also just loving the records themselves as objects as well as sounds.

That said, none of us could have the scene we have if it wasn't for you guys out there making the effort to turn up and sell records, push new discoveries, and add that special edge to what makes a northern event as opposed to just another disco. I think the way it sounds like the big ticket items are holding value but the much larger number of less well known or less commonly played records being a struggle to sell echoes the art world - with massive prices for works that are hyped up and where a buzz of rarity develops around the sale, whilst the majority of people making artworks can't sell them and find it hard to even get opportunities to show them.

[Mal C]

It would help if some of the dealers priced the things correctly in the first place , just lately i have seen stuff listed on here that can be bought from other dealers or on ebay for alot less than they are asking , this is not manship selling but other pro dealers. everyone should check ebay before clicking the pm button to compare prices and also the completed items so you can get an idea what the title is selling for on there should you decide to move it on soon.

 

most of the records on labels like rictic curton tamla etc should be dirt cheap , there are that many around but because of the price guides listing them at £10 people want near that for things that should be in soul packs / 3 for a tenner type offers

 

There are still the same amount of records out there as there was when the price guides first came out , they have not got any rarer just more in demand or hyped

 

The records would sell if they were priced correctly in the first place , its just that its less work to sell one record for £50 than 10 for a fiver

Its kinda always been like that though, if you want something on the day, best to shop about all the main dealers, and alot of times there will be various pricing... dealers charge what they have historically got for a track dont they, so buying modern from Mick Smith say, makes sense...

[Guest drewid]

Hi Phil hope your ok, I agree with this. But are they an investment?? . I fear as we age and people start cashing in on there investment, the market will be flooded even more and prices must fall,

i agree Harry , 20 yr ago a sound investment, I remember a certain guy blowing a fortune on em, and I thought he were barmy , he saw the eBay / internet coming and sold up ( most of them) about 5 yr ago and made a killing. But I can't for the life in me see them as an investment now as no1 , no new blood ( and if there is , very low in number , no2 if there is they won't have the disposable income ( what with the price of a house nowadays) and no3 , refer to no1

[Guest drewid]

What I can't get my head round is ,I saw a dealer who had a pile of Jesse James " love affair" 3ft high , and as the stack got lower he started to raise the price . I thought about this and thought ,well they haven't got rarer they've just gone in to collections , if they'd have sold out in say a couple of days he probably wouldn't have put the price up. ( maybe he would have, will never know) I suppose it's capitalism in its glory. But what Pete Lawson had to say about it was ( silly prices etc etc) was so so true .just one more point if some people are regarding them as an investment , then as an investment they must be sold ! But to who ?

Edited December 3, 2013 by drewid

[Chalky]

Sold quite a bit of cheap stuff lately. Some remained unsold. Some went from lists that were few months old and the records found when the buyer did a search and came across my old lists.

Nighters are a waste of time or fast becoming that way for buying or rather selling. Most do their buying from their arm chair these days.

Edited December 3, 2013 by chalky

[boba]

i don't care enough to get involved in the nuances of this discussion, but one very specific point is that if you're selling trying to sell a single cheap record (say on ebay), the postage costs come into play as they are often more than the cost of the record. it's easier to sell them in real life. also, quality rises to the top. i'm having the most trouble selling records that are decent but not great, in all price ranges.

[Guest drewid]

I wouldn't call that money laundering - HMRC can get access to your Ebay history, Paypal account and banks account(s) whenever they choose to

yeh you wouldn't get a job with the mafia if that's how you'd launder money using paypal , think you'd soon be " redundant":)

[Missgoldie]

i don't care enough to get involved in the nuances of this discussion, but one very specific point is that if you're selling trying to sell a single cheap record (say on ebay), the postage costs come into play as they are often more than the cost of the record. it's easier to sell them in real life. also, quality rises to the top. i'm having the most trouble selling records that are decent but not great, in all price ranges.

Bob has hit the nail on the head regards postage. When I buy cheaper records I'm more likely to buy off someone like Moerer, I may pay a bit extra but I can get a half dozen 45's and the postage cost is better. I don't want to buy a £10 record and pay £10 postage.

 

It's also  that "old fashioned" collecting has given way to collectors starting with high end items rather than working towards rarer stuff and of cause hot box DJ's

[Mal C]

I dont get out much, but whats a 'Hotbox DJ" ?

 

M

Edited December 4, 2013 by Mal C

[Missgoldie]

I dont get out much, but whats a 'Hotbox DJ" ?

 

M

Someone who has an expensive collection that can fit into a 200 count box

Edited December 7, 2013 by missgoldie

[Mrtag]

Only seems to be 4 & 5 figure sum records that sell fast!

Edited December 4, 2013 by mrtag

[Orotava]

I think there is a market for cheap 45s but they have to be good. The cheapness should depend on such as rarity and condition rather than being poor also-ran records which I find is the case when looking through club sales.

 

 

 

I for one am very interested in buying those sort of records - I came back to the music last year after a 32 year absence having sold my previous collection back in the day.  So I`m looking to build a half decent collection a bit at a time, on a limited budget and would be in the market for quality 60s stuff < £10 in excellent condition (label & vinyl) and the cheaper the better please - I sure ain`t loaded!  

 

Anyone want to PM me with their sales as above??  Thanks!

[Barry]

I've dripped numbers of my collection out over the last ten years or so and we all must have had the big % purchase/sale windfalls;

 

eg

 

Terry Callier - LAMN (2 of) - paid £1 - sold £350

 

Ron Henderson - GL - paid £8 - sold £400

 

Frank Dell - HBYGWO - paid £2 - sold £280

 

Jewel - Paradise - paid £6...etc etc

 

...so losing the odd couple of bob on other sales must have been balanced out by the fact the maj of us on here paid relative pennies for the maj of our collections by being canny or just plain right with our early purchases * EDIT and turned them over years on for a massive profit.

 

Not ever being in a position to have to have stuff when it is in demand is a God send really - I don't think I've ever sold a record for less than I paid for it or bought one knowingly as it's in demand.

 

Strikes me some people either bought badly or are believing the hype on the realistic monetary value of their own records...whereby not getting what it is deemed worth these days is deemed a loss maybe??? 

Edited December 4, 2013 by Barry

[dean jj]

I think, well sometimes, that: 'hotboxing' is a choice for some, and those people always get hit on price because they are buying records at the height of the demand; I occasionaly bid on auctions but only to an amount I think currently fair so I only occasionally win; since Feb., with 20000 records upstairs I've been trimming the collection [i like the phrase giving it a haircut] and have sold rare and less rare equally relying on the fact that if thery have been sitting on a shelf for 25 years , then their in good nick [mainly] , I don't need 'em if I don't play them, somebody else can enjoy them, I pay off the car loan. Profitable re-homing you might say. I better say two things: quality black music-not just northern, and as a wise old soul boy said to me 'Its not in the selling....It's what you bought in the first place'. Always plough your own furrow my jolly chaps.

dean

[Glynthornhill]

Great topic to start John , and there are some interesting comments along the way. It's always been about supply and demand. When to sell and when to hold - record dealing is akin to playing a set of cards on the poker table.

 

Many will know that ' big ticket ' items that cheque book Charlie' s scurry for eg Flowers ' For Real ' , Charles Jackson , ' Never Had A Love' as two examples were around in large quantities when no one wanted them. Honestly they were £8 items  not now.....

What constitutes rarity ?

That's all an individual opinion.

Records generally find their true price eventually. Personally when selling I would rather pass a record on for someone else to enjoy than hold out for ' book ' prices. Most collectors realise those book prices are highly suspect when selling . The record collecting circle is lottery at the best of times ..Sometimes the dice roll in your favour.

As Dave Thorley said when John Anderson gave him a great piece of advice - sell the record move on and do it all over again - don't worry what someone else has sold a record for - do your own thing....

[Chalky]

Trouble is many expensive records aren't rare just tucked away in collections, many no rarer than many of today's cheap records. Many of today's indemand expensive records were around in quantity in the 80's and when these hit the market when those who returned bought big the market for them will be on it's arse.

Edited December 4, 2013 by chalky

[TOAD]

Charles Johnson £1.25 when it was a played newie

[Glynthornhill]

Charles Johnson £1.25 when it was a played newie

Yep remember buying it from Pep in Wolverhampton . Was on a well known dealers list at that price as well. Lot's of those early 80;s late 70's 45 ' s were around in quantity.

The rarity perception is a myth on many tunes.

And remember for every rare Northern of Funk 45 listed on Ebay - that has ten watchers the equivalent rare classical album or rare Blue Note 60's RVG pressing will have over 25 / 30 people watching and bidding.

The rare soul scene of collectors  is a minuscule market  when pitched against  the rare classical , jazz , and heavy metal genres -

[Colsoul]

Someone who has a rare collection that can fit into a 200 count box

yes and when you ask them next time you hear them dj, for a request  they played last time, they have sold it on, col