Selling a large vinyl record collection

[Steve Carlton]

A friend of mine passed away recently, and I'm trying to help out his widow (also a friend) sell it off. She was going to list and sell records on eBay, but doesn't have the time for all that. There's probably up to thousands of records and I suspect most of them are mint, knowing my friend. There's also a lot of new speakers that he bought to compare them to speakers he had that have been used maybe once. He had a tube type high end system, of course.

Is there a trusted source who can liquidate this collection, or maybe go through a specialty auction of some type?

[ErVikingo]

Don't know anyone in particular but have hear of a store ( Home ) that sells vintage stuff.

I could be interested in some components and or speakers

[bivenator]

The closest thing I could find for a reference on used vinyl is Discog. Poke around on there and you may find something.

I have a small collection and am on vinylcollectors reddit group. Most sales there are smaller or individuals trying to get beer money.

Do you know what years spanned or genre the collection is focused?

[Steve Carlton]

Here's some speaker examples. Let me know if anyone here is interested.

[Ayles]

I am friends with a record store owner in Seattle. He will travel to buy the right collection.

Used records to a dealer will be about 50% percent of what you will see on ebay. But, you wont have to deal with it… shipping and selling records is a specialty service and you are going to have to deal with people not happy about the condition, how they were shipped etc… plus you will need an inventory of supplies like various sizes of lp maillers for 12” and 7” records and sleeves etc.

Shoot me a pm and I can connect you.

[pwd72s]

I'm sure in an area as large as the bay area, there must be stores dealing in old vinyl and stereo equipment. Since she doesn't want to go the ebay route, may be the best way to go.

[Steve Carlton]

I appreciate the responses. I think all she's looking for is a fair price for hassle-free transactions. It needs to be someone you can trust or a reputable action which is transparent.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Ayles

I am friends with a record store owner in Seattle. He will travel to buy the right collection.

Used records to a dealer will be about 50% percent of what you will see on ebay. But, you wont have to deal with it… shipping and selling records is a specialty service and you are going to have to deal with people not happy about the condition, how they were shipped etc… plus you will need an inventory of supplies like various sizes of lp maillers for 12” and 7” records and sleeves etc.

Shoot me a pm and I can connect you.

OK .... this one is a "no brainer" ... and what I would do .... in a heartbeat

Oh yeah .... I suck as a businessman...

But that's just me....

[aschen]

Those Warefdales are very well reviewed. I need another set of speakers like a need to be kicked in the nuts, but a good pick up for those looking for some budget friendy good speakers.

[KFC911]

Who doesn't need a good kick in the nuts if the opportunity presents itself?

[ErVikingo]

Interesting collection of speakers!

The Airmotiv have sweet (air motion) tweeters

I will look at the audio sites I visit to see if there is info a someone that could pick up all the albums.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

I'm sure in an area as large as the bay area, there must be stores dealing in old vinyl and stereo equipment. Since she doesn't want to go the ebay route, may be the best way to go.

Originally Posted by Ayles

I am friends with a record store owner in Seattle. He will travel to buy the right collection.

Used records to a dealer will be about 50% percent of what you will see on ebay. But, you wont have to deal with it… shipping and selling records is a specialty service and you are going to have to deal with people not happy about the condition, how they were shipped etc… plus you will need an inventory of supplies like various sizes of lp maillers for 12” and 7” records and sleeves etc.

Shoot me a pm and I can connect you.

I think a local record store would provide the most convenient solution for the vinyl and perhaps the equipment. As Ayles said, you won’t get the most value, but it should provide the simplest transaction. If she is not in a hurry, she could get more money through others options.

I would be curious about the other system components.
Good luck.

[Steve Carlton]

She's going to keep the stereo together, but she has some "random parts" lying around. I'll ask.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

She's going to keep the stereo together, but she has some "random parts" lying around. I'll ask.

Great, she will still enjoy music.

[stevej37]

I remember when I made the decision to sell all my LP's in the late 70's. Cassettes were the future and I packed them all into the back seat of my 4 door Cutlass. Standing up, they filled the back seat, door to door and I had to use one footwell for the rest.

The record store gave me $1 each and they were all well kept and like new.

[ramonesfreak]

I’m a collector. The shops in my town with travel as far as a few days drive. They take their vans and look at the records and make an offer and bring them home. I’m lucky to have 4 big vinyl shops here that do this and keep their inventory hot. Any decent shop will do this. Call around and discuss with them. They will want to know generally what is in there….recent reissue series, original jazz, blues, 60s, rockabilly, rare punk and metal, krautrock, prog etc….they may also want to know if he collected particular labels…blue note, impulse, etc….

Maybe call Mike at The In Groove in Arizona. He buys a lot of big collections, though 1,000 pieces may not be worth it to him to travel. Or call Acoustic Sounds. You’re gonna need some info though. If an inventory (even just basic artist and title- not pressing details) could be made, you will have better luck getting anyone interested. If it’s classical, unless you now for sure there is rare stuff in demand, don’t bother. All audiophile pressings will be of interest, regardless of genre.

A local shop with have no issue driving over to look without a detailed inventory.

Maybe the guy kept an inventory on Discogs. Not sure how anyone would know but worth asking her if he did

[ramonesfreak]

Also you need to understand that generally, used original good condition jazz and blues and most popular rock titles are selling at around $15 to $20 per record these days, often more, rarely less unless it’s a dollar bin record. A dollar or two per record is not a fair deal.

So assuming the collection is well curated and in good condition, 1,000 records is worth $20,000 in future sales to a shop and it is their bread and butter despite all the new releases available these days

If you know there are jazz titles (50s and 60s) and get me a list, I may be interested in buying them.

[ErVikingo]

A buddy writes:

Chad Kassem at Analogue Productions has been known to acquire large/well curated private/previously owned (is how they put it) and resell them: https://store.acousticsounds.com/c/158/Preowned_Vinyl_Record?_gl=1*1g7q4p8*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuo3KltzriAMVoyCtBh1b6gTVEAAYASAA EgLmDPD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAAD_pEb827RYWpJJ64EoJKC6Dz_6jO

[ramonesfreak]

The speakers he had indicate to me that he probably was picky about his vinyl selection and that it is of some value. I have similar and you won’t find any junk in my collection. People with nice stereos do not like noisy records but rather, are looking for the best example of a record. So, good sign

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by ErVikingo

A buddy writes:

Chad Kassem at Analogue Productions has been known to acquire large/well curated private/previously owned (is how they put it) and resell them: https://store.acousticsounds.com/c/158/Preowned_Vinyl_Record?_gl=1*1g7q4p8*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuo3KltzriAMVoyCtBh1b6gTVEAAYASAA EgLmDPD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAAD_pEb827RYWpJJ64EoJKC6Dz_6jO

That is acoustic sounds I referenced above. I don’t think you’ll get Chad on the phone but they do buy and sell collections and used vinyl. I am a longtime customer