Selling my collection help wanted.

[Guest dicklincoln72]

Hi well I have come to a difficult decision and decided to sell my soul collection.  I won't go into details but I am now 68 and my children have long departed and are not keen to inherit so I would rather they went to a good home. Right I have 1300+ singles both uk and imports all from 60's 70's.  Most uk releases were bought new and others from mail order outlets in the uk back in the day such as Soul Bowl. Unfortunately at the time they were all put in cardboard sleeves so I don't have many in original sleeves as I did a bit of DJaying then and cardboard was easier to box.  So I need some advice on how to dispose of them, sell as complete collection or individually in batches. Also I have about 100 old albums and about 200 old copies of Blues & Soul magazine. Any advice would be helpful.

[Mixedangased]

Ask pete smith he will buy the lot,or you have to get some help grading every one and pricing up.

[Winsford Soul]

Or Chris Anderson at Midas Touch records. Good luck

Edited October 17, 2017 by Winsford Soul

[Dylan]

Do you know the values or rough values of what you have ?

 

a bit of time researching first might be good.

 

selling a collection off is hard work and time consuming.

[Lionelonthevinyl]

Easy to sell the big oldies. The other bits can be a pain but you can chance your luck on e.bay. If not sell the lot to a dealer and get the best price you can for your collection...good thing with dealers is they will pay by bank transfer and you have no fees, i-e....e.bay.....or put them on here! Lots of massive tunes selling at the minute on soul source...good luck matey......Rob

Edited October 17, 2017 by Lionelonthevinyl

[Thecivilservice]

If you're in a hurry sell to a dealer and get a fraction of their value.  If you have time to spend then research what you have, sell the expensive items on eBay and the mid range / low value items on discogs. Dont worry about the sleeves by the way, no ones bothered about single sleeves generally.

[Dylan]

Getting all your records typed up omto a word doc so you can copy and paste that info onto forums etc is a good use of time.  Graded and with brief descriptions if necessary.

 

Once its done once you have it forever so its not wasted time.

 

what are a couple of your more desireable easy to sell records just to get the ball rolling ?

[Alan Walls]

Hi Dick

I took the plunge to actually start selling last year, with a mission to ensure I raised as much as possible, so that meant selling in little lists of 10 or so every week/2weeks, via the Sales page here on Soul Source or the Rare Soul Sales group on Facebook, as there no charge for doing so. Prior to that, for a few years I maintained a loose database of sales prices of records that I knew I had (or imagined I still had - been sorely disappointed on occasion) to give me an idea of rates. That in itself hasn't been enough, as prices have taken on a life of their own in recent times, so I have to check sites like this daily. You will be astounded at what things that cost us £5 from Soul Bowl back in the day are going for now, and it just keeps growing! By all acocunts , selling on Facebook can generate even more, bizarrely expensive prices but it's something I've never mastered, and I'm reluctant to pay their fees.

It's been an incredibly time consuming exercise to do keep up, so if you haven't the patience or inclination then maybe selling in one go to a dealer will suit you best (and the two guys mentioned so far - Chris Anderton and Pete Smith - are known to be honest brokers). It might also spare you of the pain of parting with your collection - I've had a great time getting reacquainted with my records, with old pals and with the cut and thrust of selling, but it's been a heartache on occasion, parting with things that meant so much to me for so many years.

Best of luck mate

Alan

Edited October 19, 2017 by Alan Walls

[Zoomsoulblue]

Dick

    You're retired mate, do a back ground searches on price see what they go for and knock em out. Ask on SS for price if in doubt if you're 68 most if you're sounds would have been picked up back in the day for £5 , £15 anything higher that £20 was rare. You're quids in - I sold a few on here a few years ago - I paid £18 for gene Woodbury sold it for £360 and now it's £1,000 plus - it's mad - take ur time group a few rare ones together - if you've got TMG numbers the Motown numbers guys will love it - hope it makes you a million 

[John Hart]

Hi Dick ,

investigate, www.omegaauctions.co.uk,based in sunny warrington .Before you mock ,like you i had Lps { they dont sell all the big guns told me}.For their15% let them suffer the hassle they catalogued in sensible saleable lots and i got abetter than ebay price and cash in the bank for the lot in 7 days {malaga Spain} .They specialise in music ,Viny memorabillia.They achieved the highest price for an acetate  Seventy Seven Thousand ,Five hundred Pounds ! Forad  the soul Lovin  Beatles Hello Little Girl .Also as well as their advertising I made lists and  posted them in the Correct Forum { Sorry Again Mike} on Soul Source thereby alerting the most Knowledgeble audience on the Planet.  Beware as the Golden God DD says auctions can be strange places! All the best,Johnny Hart Malaga Spain.

 

[Zoomsoulblue]

Every record I've sold I took a picture - 

[Pete S]

16 hours ago, thecivilservice said:

If you're in a hurry sell to a dealer and get a fraction of their value.  If you have time to spend then research what you have, sell the expensive items on eBay and the mid range / low value items on discogs. Dont worry about the sleeves by the way, no ones bothered about single sleeves generally.

That's not quite fair, 60 to 75% is more than "a fraction" of their value

[Dylan]

1 hour ago, ZoomSoulBlue said:

Every record I've sold I took a picture - 

What to help the sale or for you to remember what you've had in the future ?

[Thecivilservice]

2 hours ago, Pete S said:

That's not quite fair, 60 to 75% is more than "a fraction" of their value

It's 2/3 which is a fraction - and that's the best price you'll get from an honest dealer.  Realistically most dealers will try and get records for as little as possible.  Anyway not knocking it as an option as I know a lot of collection sellers dont have the time or inclination to sell them all one by one.

[Zoomsoulblue]

16 hours ago, dylan said:

What to help the sale or for you to remember what you've had in the future ?

Both - you can save either into you picture album soul records sale - then list what you sold it for (I also put what I brought it for , where I purchased it, venues I've played it at, where I can remember - swapping for a deal of speed is acceptable) - that allows you to see what you had, 10 years from now after a few beers like a sad old Sod you can sit round with you're mates on one lap top going through and on another you tubing the clip - I guess for the £5 don't mean anything records I wouldn't go into detail.

[Dylan]

I’ve got a patchy history of the records I have had.  I think what you have done is a good idea.

 

when I was a lot more active I had all sorts of lists for buying and selling prices like you but I don’t keep any records now.

[Matt]

Dealers can be a great help at times as often they can get better values than you can by personally selling, as they have built up a trust with many people over the years, especially on more expensive records. It can be worth paying them a commission to sell. Also you take away the pain of actually selling the records. 

Edited October 19, 2017 by Matt
spelling

[Bbrich]

I keep a spreadsheet database of all records with artist/label/number/condition/price paid/recent sales price for that record etc...  & for any sold the price rec'd. Recently i managed to get decent insurance cover on them & they suggested i should take a picture of each one.  So i place the disc next to the cardboard cover which has written on it the condition/year/vinyl or styrene plus anything that proves it be original versus boot/re-issue. I pre-empt the file number the camera is going to assign to the jpeg and write this on the cardboard cover before taking the picture - that way when i record that number on my spreadsheet i can easily go from the spreadsheet to the scan on my computer file to the actual record and vice-versa.   (Mind you my wife thinks i am a sad B******d).

Although i have no plans to sell-up it would be very useful if i 'fell under a bus..' for my nearest & dearest to know what they have got and not get ripped off.

Edited October 19, 2017 by bbrich
missed a bit

[Twoshoes]

This is more a view of how you might feel after selling rather than any kind of advice, I have never been more aware of the prices of what I have or have had than I am now but for me the price of the record has never been a factor. I've sold records in batches over the years when circumstances dictated, new cricket bat for the son etc when money was really tight, later selling because they weren't getting played. The taking of pictures is a great idea, I'd love to be able to remember what I once had, the first time I sold anything it was to someone who I thought I was doing a favour thinking he had no idea like me of prices, turns out he was well aware he was ripping me off and got more than a few originals that now go for big money, if only we knew then what we know now . Second time I sold was to a good mate who only wanted British, I now wish I'd done the picture thing back though obviously the technology wasn't around to make it as easy as it is now. Third time was not that long ago to a very good mate, I wasn't concerned about getting market value as I knew the records were going to be used in his Dj's sets, I didn't actually look at what he bought because I knew I'd have emotional connection with certain tunes and go through the no I'll keep that scenario. 

        My only advice would be hold a few back, the ones with a strong emotional memory, time or place. You don't say whether you are still active on the scene, if you are be prepared for a tug at the heartstrings when you hear something played you once had. It might just be me but not an event goes by where I don't find myself saying I think I had that . I get the occasional wish I'd never sold anything but then again I never got a large sum to soften the blow, if you sell piecemeal you could end up sitting on a collection of stuff that no one really wants after all the good stuff has gone, with that in mind you might realise a better overall price going with a dealer as the will take the whole lot. I was once offered three grand for mine, baring in mind I didn't know prices and assumed most where worth only a pound or two I was quite surprised at the offer, he actually got the money out of the bank but a sleepless night had me changing my mind. I now wish I'd taken the money as I have going on for eight or nine hundred something or nothing records sat under the stairs which get an occasional airing consisting of general 70's chart soul, Motown, pressings plus a few worth forty quid or so.

   I don't envy you but I wish you well and hope you achieve a worthwhile sum from the sale, get a small keeper box for those tunes that hold something special in your heart, it will soften the blow in the coming months should you regret selling.

[Guest dicklincoln72]

Well I have started to list all my stuff but it is hard going, they have not seen a turntable for over 40 years. So far up to number 343 so only about a thousand to go. The next step will be to get them all cleaned (any ideas how?), then the problem will be pricing, is there a web site that lists current values?  As for grading that will need a lot of listening as well as a proper classification system. Another problem may be spotting the dodgy ones as I don't have the knowledge about second issues reboots and pressings so will bow to someone's greater knowledge when selling. I don't want to be selling in small amounts and would prefer to sell the lot in one go as it would just take up so much time. So when I have the complete list I will post it and try and answer any questions that arise.  So hope to be in touch soon when list completed.

 

PS I live in Cornwall now so coming to have a look might be a problem for most people.

[Dylan]

Getting a list up would be a good start.

 

maybe in batches and not all at once ?

 

but i appreciate you just want to sell the job lot.

 

But chances are 80% of the value will be in 20% of the records and the rest will gain little interest.

[Pete S]

1 hour ago, dicklincoln72 said:

Well I have started to list all my stuff but it is hard going, they have not seen a turntable for over 40 years. So far up to number 343 so only about a thousand to go. The next step will be to get them all cleaned (any ideas how?), then the problem will be pricing, is there a web site that lists current values?  As for grading that will need a lot of listening as well as a proper classification system. Another problem may be spotting the dodgy ones as I don't have the knowledge about second issues reboots and pressings so will bow to someone's greater knowledge when selling. I don't want to be selling in small amounts and would prefer to sell the lot in one go as it would just take up so much time. So when I have the complete list I will post it and try and answer any questions that arise.  So hope to be in touch soon when list completed.

 

PS I live in Cornwall now so coming to have a look might be a problem for most people.

The two main places for pricing are Discogs and Popsike - the latter features auction results though and the former is full of chancers selling records at double their value.  I sell 100 or so every week and the best price guide is actually here, on Soul Source, I just do a search and see what things have been selling for and adjust prices accordingly.

[Zoomsoulblue]

1 hour ago, dicklincoln72 said:

Well I have started to list all my stuff but it is hard going, they have not seen a turntable for over 40 years. So far up to number 343 so only about a thousand to go. The next step will be to get them all cleaned (any ideas how?), then the problem will be pricing, is there a web site that lists current values?  As for grading that will need a lot of listening as well as a proper classification system. Another problem may be spotting the dodgy ones as I don't have the knowledge about second issues reboots and pressings so will bow to someone's greater knowledge when selling. I don't want to be selling in small amounts and would prefer to sell the lot in one go as it would just take up so much time. So when I have the complete list I will post it and try and answer any questions that arise.  So hope to be in touch soon when list completed.

 

PS I live in Cornwall now so coming to have a look might be a problem for most people.

Dick

    Not sure what you're looking for, as top prices will take time to assess, original, condition, research etc you've got 1,500 even at a lowly £5 a pop - that's £7,500 in your pocket - either way if you brought them back in the day you're quids in.

top money will take longer or you sell the lot to a record dealer , quick sale - have fun either way 

[Pete S]

47 minutes ago, dylan said:

Getting a list up would be a good start.

 

maybe in batches and not all at once ?

 

but i appreciate you just want to sell the job lot.

 

But chances are 80% of the value will be in 20% of the records and the rest will gain little interest.

Good point there - if you are selling as a collection, don't let people cherry pick, tell them it's either everything or nothing.  Otherwise all you'll be left with is £3 Ric Tics

[Kenb]

i do the similar thing as bbrich. i use (un tech i know) access db with A&R, lable, pics, writers, etc. One day i'll migrate it to SQL or some such thing and maybe 'webize it'. Anyhow, should i ever decide to sell, i'd most likely give the db away with the sale of my records.

[Soundsokeh]

I have been buying again this year and added my collection onto discogs to catalogue it , plus I have a word doc with a list that I keep updated too, also printed out from a pdf file

I have used ebay , discogs , soul nights and friends etc to acquire records , and some people on here have posted stuff and collections in the FOR SALE section

I would say its either put the effort in and sell at "reasonable" prices like some sellers and traders on here do, or sell in one go to one dealer for an agreed sum , I dont think there is a "middle ground" because you will be left with unsold records even if you try to get rid of them all individually, or as PETE S says , left with the dross to get rid of

I think that many people expect to sell for the highest prices possible, whereas those who ask a reasonable price tend to find they sell more and more quickly too. Its a balancing act between getting a reasonable return and not letting them go too cheaply , plus condition and originality etc is everything (as can be seen in the thread about DARKEST DAYS by Jackie Lee on ABC)

when I posted my wants list on here I was getting pm,s with silly prices that I definitely will not pay, so I put restrictions on the prices and also have said NO many times when I consider the price to be too high (and there are usually postage and packing costs on top too). I have still managed to acquire the records I want at reasonable prices and not been disappointed with any purchase from here

I agree that some of the prices on discogs (and ebay too) are ridiculous so having reasonable expectations should aid you in selling up in full

Most people wont be able to just call round , so postage and packing and organisation will be factors in selling individually or in packs

as records are extremely heavy then selling over 1000 discs and posting them is not a good idea either

I acquired a dj collection , took what I wanted out of it and then put it on gumtree, some people came round and cherry picked the reggae and oasis etc , the rest went in one go after a few false starts and timewasters (mainly eighties and nineties stuff in picture sleeves)

but I am in Manchester which has a high interest and millions of people concentrated in the north west , so nothing like cornwall

so the choices are yours but at least you have some idea from all sides of the topic , buyers , sellers and traders etc

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2017 by soundsOKEH