What's Worth More on the Open Market - Your Records or Your Audio Gear


Have anyone of you actually calculated this ?

What's your personal ratio ?

I have not looked into this in any detail, and have if anything, only recently.....

Told family members (not my wife) 8^0..........something along the lines of ........." this piece of equipment is worth ......this (xxxx) ......." 

I have, told all family members that they could probably start an Ebay Record Selling Career; if their own career doesn't pan out.... with what is contained in the house. I don't think they are buying this idea ......right now.

This has me a little concerned.  

I assume the good records will only go up in value.  

Some gear I own, I believe is in this same state of fluctuating upward values.

Interested in your opinions, and findings on the subject.    Have you crossed this bridge yet ?  

128x128ct0517
This is an interesting subject.

I can see some specific genres fetching more than a Bruce Springsteen album or a Dave Brubeck’s Time out. I’m curious if the buyer was a reseller paying $10 an album, with visions of doubling his money(at minimum) with a 2000 record collection?

What at the heck did that guy have? Were they ALL period stampers in pristine condition? I’m sure there are some among us who do have that kind of collection, but they are unicorns.

Lewm’s friend must be one of them? Was the buyers name Tom Port?

That is easy, (For myself personaly) my record collection. For two reasons.
First, the quality of condition and pressings of near 9000 lp,s. I worked part time in a record store and obtained most that way with many imports . I bought many more later on for pennies on the dollar in the late eighties. Kept the valued and clean copies only from whole collections and gifted the rest to sally ann type stores. Also my father kept and maintained some very good and sought after blues and jazz records.
The second reason, what would all the analog front end be worth in my system with nothing to play on them?
Its more about personal perspective than opinions in absolutes. We all have different bias when it comes to these types of questions. No need to shade others. I have some blue notes and quite a few others i could easily sell for way more than my whole system..... based on current values......But....i paid little for them when i got them so I'll enjoy them. If they end up worth how little i paid....so be it as i enjoyed them for little and kept them in shape for someone else to do the same or as they wish...
I can see how some would think little of some value for record collections between the condition and the content within and the pressing #... that and how current , popular and valuable the actual individual audio pieces are worth.



Rbstehno.

I don't think anyone was saying albums are worthless and I am really happy you are averaging $10 a pop for yours.

However that's individual, make no mistake if you had to sell them all urgently to a wholesale buyer they would realize far less.

Tomic has excellent point with discogs.
I started using it just to catalog all my music in one handy place so I did not buy duplicate albums as much as anything.
But the valuation which is supposed to reflect actual recorded sales on discogs only is useful.

I agree that the medium value is probably what you could hope for unless you know your copy is exceptional.
I was just listening the CeeDee, and curiosity steered me to Ebay.

If you had an S load of stuff like this, along with the usual R&R, Jazz, Classical etc. maybe you can make a couple of bucks for a long week in Tahiti?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Soundgarden-Superunknown-Unopened-Original-1994-Release-Colored-Vinyl/22371...
I just went through all this due to a sudden move/downsizing.   I sold my 2600 LPs relatively quickly through a variety of means: my high-dollar items (about 40 LPs) on eBay, another 1500 between two record stores and another 1000 donated to Goodwill to be claimed on my taxes.  Most of the records were flea market finds so I was not to concerned with making lots of money.  However, curating everything in Discogs allowed the dealers to know I had a collection they might be interested in and helped set a negotiating base.  Ebay helped me determine a reasonable price for my turntable and record cleaner.  And Craigslist help me sell my Kallax shelves.  I got everything out in one week, with enough to buy a Node 2i, HiFiMan headphones and subscribe to Qobuz for about 60 years.