Make Money Selling Vinyl Records

When I was a little boy there was a moving sale in the house across the street from us. My Dad and I went over to check it out and in the basement was a crate of vinyl records. The only records I already owned were children’s story albums and what I was looking at were not made for children. Probably because they were so different and grown up looking I begged my Dad to buy me some. He gave in and said I could pick two. The mysterious, shadowy cover of “Meet The Beatles” was my first choice. Maybe to counter the mood on that first cover my second choice was “Beach Boys’ Party!” I excitedly rushed back home to play them, over and over again, beginning my life long love affair with music.

Over the years I accumulated hundreds of records. I bought them new at the store and used at garage sales and flea markets. One guy gave me several dozen that had survived a house fire and a former coworker gave me a crate he found in the attic of a house.

Looking through my collection recently I had to admit to myself that there were some records I most likely would never listen to again, and some I had never listened to, mostly among the ones given to me. I have decided to pare down my collection and have been brainstorming on the most profitable way to get rid of my unwanted records. Here are my ideas so far:

Sell to a record shop. There are a couple of record shops in my area that buy vinyl. I am thinking of putting together a list and emailing it or taking it to the shops. This might be the easiest route.

Sell at a garage sale. We are planning on having a garage sale this year and I might put some out just to see if there is any interest.

Sell online. The usual sites are possibilities. I have had pretty good luck selling about anything on Craigslist, and I think once I have my list assembled I will check out eBay for pricing ideas. I found a couple of other sites, including:

Gemm - Register yourself and your products for free. They say that “other than 13% commissions, there are no risks, fees or obligations. All GEMM services are absolutely free to you.” I would rather not pay commissions, but I will keep this one in mind for what I can’t sell locally.

Princeton Record Exchange – This huge record shop in New Jersey buys used records, as well as CDs. Prices offered depends on what you have, age and condition. You can call to speak with an appraiser or fill out their online questionnaire. As for shipping expenses they say for collections they offer $50.00 or more for they will reimburse you ten cents per item. I don’t want postage to eat into my take, but it is another online option if it comes down to that.

I’ll write a follow up and let you know what I decide on and how it goes.

In the meantime I would love to hear any ideas you might have or how you have sold your records.

PS I still have those first two records, and I'm keeping them. 

Related Reading:

Five Alternative Sites to Sell Stuff Online