Make money selling vinyl records

Teresa Etheredge 28th Feb 2020 5 Comments

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Have you ever considered selling vinyl records? Do you happen to own a old collection? Did you inherit them or are they simply no longer of use? You may not own a record player anymore. This creates opportunity to make a little extra cash by selling them to someone who’ll find them more valuable.

Selling vinyl records can actually be rather lucrative if you know how to go about it.

• How much are your vinyl records worth?

• Top five most valuable vinyl records

• Where can you sell them?

 

How much are your vinyl records worth?

Vinyl records are making a comeback, collectors are really getting into it as a hobby. They have become retro and vintage making this the perfect time to cash in. If you think you have some lying around then it may be time to go rummaging in the attic. Investigate those dark corners and see what musical treasures you may have hidden away.

Grading

Before selling, we’d recommend checking the condition of your old vinyls.

Most record collectors use something called Goldmine Standard. It’s worth familiarising yourself with this if you’re considering selling your old records.

Here’s how the system is classified:

Mint (M)

Think ‘mint condition’. This record is perfect in every way, in an unblemished, sealed sleeve and has never been played. Many collectors will only grade up to Near Mint in order to keep Mint condition as the unrealised ideal. These are rare, but by far the most valuable.

Near Mint (NM)

This is close to perfect but not quite. A record’s sound quality is still amazing, although it has been played a few times. The vinyl is glossy, unmarked and the sleeve looks pretty good. These also sell for a pretty penny.

Very Good Plus (VG+)

The sleeve and vinyl are lightly marked and it suffers from occasional faint audio blips, but otherwise there isn’t really anything wrong with it.

Very Good (VG)

There are a couple of minor problems like background pops and clicks or small visible scratches that indicate it’s had a few birthdays, but it is still enjoyable to listen to and look at. This is the most common form of record, but still worth selling.

Good (G)

To be brutally honest, Good means barely acceptable. It looks scruffy, may be missing its sleeve and the sound issues will be very noticeable. If you’re thinking of selling vinyl records, then these may not be worth it. Unless they are especially rare or celebrated.

Poor (P) or Fair (F)

The only records to be sold in this condition are the rare or vintage, where the privilege of owning them matters more than the quality of the piece. The record is badly warped, scratched or cracked, creating a listening experience that borders on painful.

Cleaning

When preparing to grade and records in your collection, first give them a good clean to remove any dust or imperfections. A gradual build up of detritus  causes the record to skip and click. Wiping it carefully will help with grading.

A proper vinyl record cleaner would be your best bet, but these can be expensive. Have a look at these 8 easy and affordable ways to clean your records here. How much you’re willing to spend on the cleaning process really depends on the records, their condition and how much you’re likely to make from them.

Once your record is clean, have a look at it under a strong bright light (ideally direct sunlight) with a magnifying glass, and then if possible, try it out. Although we appreciate not everyone owns a record player. Remember to be wary of grading as high as NM unless it really deserves it. Collectors know what counts as what better than you will, at least at first.

Identification

Now that you have an idea of what grade your record is, it’s time to work out exactly what it is that you have in front of you.

There should be a label or a serial number somewhere on the record or its sleeve, and if you check this against a catalogue or online, you can work out useful details like which edition you have in front of you. It could be a very special record and worth a lot of money.

Different editions of the same album can have huge variations in selling price, so it is very important to know which one you have. The album itself my be common, but the edition less so.

Pricing

If you’re new to selling vinyl records, then it’s always worth seeing how much other people sold them for. You can usually find this online by checking eBay or Amazon.

If you can find what more experienced sellers got for records identical to yours (in terms of edition and quality), then this will give you a good idea of what to set your asking price as. Try searching the historic selling data of sites like Discogs or Popsike.

 

top Five most valuable vinyl records

It’s likely that many of your records are not be particularly rare or exciting. But you never know what you may have, many a seller has had valuable treasure tucked away somewhere they didn’t know about. It’s entirely possible. Especially if your collection is large.

Just in case they happen to turn up in your attic, here are the five most valuable vinyl records.

Number five

Artist: Queen

Record: Bohemian Rhapsody/I’m In Love With My Car

Details: 7” single, 1978; it doubled as the invitation to a party, so came with extras like pens, a menu and an additional outer sleeve.

Value: £5000.

number four

Artist: The Beatles

Record: White Album

Details: Double LP, 1968

Value: £7000

number three

Artist: The Sex Pistols

Record: God Save The Queen/No Feelings

Details: Single, 1977; those with the original brown envelope and press release are worth £8000

Value: £7500

number two

Artist: The Quarrymen

Record: That’ll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger

Details: A 1981 private reproduction of the 1958 original

Value: £10,000.

number one

Artist: The Quarrymen

Record: That’ll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger

Details: the only known copy of the pre-Beatles disc recorded at a local electrical shop by McCartney, Lennon and Harrison with drummer Colin Hanton and pianist John Duff Lowe.

Value: £100,000.

 

Where can you sell them?

If just getting rid of records that take up too much space is your priority, you could sell them at non-specialist second hand stores or at a car boot sale. This is also good if your records aren’t particularly rare or valuable. You might be able to get a decent lump sum for a collection, but otherwise you’ll probably end up selling them for a decent profit.

Remember one persons trash is another treasure!

Sign Up – Newsletter