Britmusicsoulfan

Anyone charging $25.99 unless it is express mail is ripping people off.

@Chalky, LPs have always been expensive to post overseas, but the most noticeable bump in postage costs is for the single 45. The LP rate was much less dramatic.

@Martin P. - unfortunately, the cost of postage went up dramatically on 27 January, especially at the single 45 rate. It really costs $12-$15 to send one 45 these days from the States to overseas. I wish I had control over it, but I'm not the US Post Office.

As a US seller, I'm more than cheesed about the postage increase. It's absolutely cratered my sales. I do have shedloads of $10-$20 45s, with some higher. I've been running 50% off or best offer this month, and sales have been barely a blip. Nobody is going to buy 45s that will cost them more in postage than the cost of the item. I've added 300+ new titles in the last 6 weeks and have 10 more 160-count boxes I will hold off on listing any more and will continue to run a sale through the end of March and see the results. Meanwhile, I'm continuing to dig in boxes and am finding some real gems.

It all started in a storage unit in central Texas in December 2007. I spent three days transferring records from nearly 90 banana boxes into boxes to ship home, bringing records to sort back at the hotel so I could bring some records back with me on the flight home. While there were records from just about any genre, the soul ones stood tall amongst all the others. I wanted to say to the records "Where have you been all my life?" After going to SoulTrip Chicago 2009 (where I was only able to stay for about half of it due to a trip with my better half), seeing the live acts and making many new friends followed by Orlando SoulTrip 2011 where I was able to stay the entire time and meet even more new friends, I was hooked. A chance table at a record show in August 2009 where I ran into a collector selling shedloads of Northern Soul, 60s and 70s soul, unplayed 60s Motown/Tamla/Gordy 45s fueled the 45-collecting obsession that still continues today. Incredible music, amazing friendships. Good stuff indeed!

Prior to the big postage increase, I used to sell a lot of records that would work out to be about 10 Pounds/10 Euros with P&P. Now, it's almost that much just for postage. Sales have completely cratered since the increase, and I completely understand, because who wants to pay more postage cost than the cost of the item? I have thousands of $10 soul 45s I would like to sell, so as the previous poster says, if you can find a bunch, the overall cost isn't bad. Cheers.

Hi Chris, When I'm putting certain records up, I include a full clip of the preferred side. There are times when I'm completely shocked at what something brings. About 2 years ago, I put up a VG- copy of Bobby Sheen's Dr. Love, figuring $20-$40 maximum, but it brought $114...blimey!

I have an eBay store with loads of 45s averaging $10, but some ranging from $20-$100. This recent increase in postage costs is very frustrating. How does everyone feel about it? Would you give a bunch of items a miss since postage has gone up so much, or would you be more apt to buy 10-15 records (if you can find that many in someone's store) at a go because it decreases the average postage cost? Cheers.

I keep them in a spare garage. There's no room in the house. I'm sorting out the 45s and only keeping 60s/70s soul bits, so loads of 70s/80s chart hits, some country -- out it goes.

I collect records in perhaps a stranger fashion that some. I bought a massive (250,000)-count 45 collection 5-plus years ago, and when I find something that's in there that hits my fancy (60s or 70s soul 45s) and it's in good nick, into my collection it goes. I also have a few mates that buy and sell records that I do swaps with to get the records I want. I also buy things when all of these options don't exist. Cheers.

I only want to hear records in the manner recorded, i.e., stereo or mono. Something "processed" to be something it isn't is like drum machines and fake synths on soul music. (I like synths and drum machines, just not on soul music.)

It's the seller's responsibility. As echoed before, it's the cost of doing business (and is a business deduction). I do have a chap that's bought some bulk 45 lots from me where I have a 60-minute round trip drive to drop them off (he lives out of town, so I drop them at his sister's house). I do ask him to send any payment through PayPal as a gift to offset the petrol costs.

There might be a lot of people out there that think there wasn't much that came out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA that was Northern Soul, funky or particularly soulful, but watch this mini-documentary and make your own mind up. This mini-documentary profiles Secret Stash Records and the Twin Cities Soul-Funk All-Stars.

I fall into the A camp, trying to always get a "keeper copy." I hope to someday catalog my records and have notations next to records in a spreadsheet/database that indicates where I need to do an upgrade. Sometimes, it just comes down with some records that I have a "clean," playable copy that doesn't skip or play with background noise. With some records being so rare, I just accept that some of the records may be as good as I find. All of that said, it comes down to what I can afford. Cheers.

Here is a Mad Lads video and a mention: https://www.staxmuseum.com/video-images/videos/view/mad-lads-don-t-have-to-shop-around

According to the Stax Museum of American Music Facebook page and a posting below from the Soulful Detroit forum, Julius Green of the Mad Lads passed away yesterday in Amsterdam. https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?7627-R-I-P-Julius-Green-(Original-member-of-The-Mad-Lads) RIP.

@Martin Coleman, it's Tim, but yes, still turning up tons of 45s!

Today's record fair yielded on 45: Chet "Poison" Ivey and His Fabulous Avengers - Shake A Poo Poo (Tangerine) Van McCoy - It Ain't No Big Thing (Rockaway) Stevie Wonder - Down To Earth 6-song jukebox EP w/sleeve (Tamla) Sly and The Family Stone - Life 6-song jukebox EP w/sleeve (Epic) and a shedload of quality original soul LPs I'll try to list soon!

As someone who's still fairly new to soul (5 years), The Snake was the first "Northern Soul" record I heard. I had a chap from Fargo, North Dakota who'd moved there from the UK buy a copy of of me about 5-6 years ago, and sell every single copy I come across (except mine). Blimey, it's been a $10 record as far as I can remember, but lately, it seems like it's bringing closer to $20-$30 if it's a minter.

On the plus side Al Wilson did make one of the greatest records ever made in Show and Tell. Too true. Show and Tell is one of those 45s you hear and think, "Why is this only worth $5?" It's quality soul all the same.

@Jim, It's been fun, but a lot of work. There have been some real gems in the store stock such as Bobby Sheen's Something New To Do (which I sold on rather than keeping, which I regret). There are tons and tons of Atlantic 45s in there, loads of Ray Charles, Impressions, etc. The biggest time is spent sorting the chaff from the wheat of the collection. Cheers.

@RobbK, he says it's the globes label, but he could be confused. I'll borrow it from him and give it a spin on the turntable. The only recent Motown 45 I went bigger on (because it was a swap and no cash was in play) was The Supremes' Buttered Popcorn, which is in great shape, and I know is one of the scarcer titles. Cheers.

Thanks guys, The guy that has the record uses a Goldmine price guide. He said it "books" for $180 and would let me have it for $100. It sounds like it's between M- and VG+. I'd say $25-$30 or he can leave it. Cheers!

A mate in Australia says no more than $50 for a minter.

Many thanks, read this earlier today, but is $100 a good deal?