What Are My Old Vinyl Records Worth? How to Get the Best Price when Selling Old Vinyl Records

Question: How can I improve the assessed value of my vinyl record collection?

Answer: To enhance your record collection's assessed value, ensure each vinyl is stored in its inner liner within its sleeve, preventing fine scratches that lower value. Additionally, segregate records in good condition from those that are damaged to present a curated collection. Remember, quality trumps quantity, and presenting well-cared-for albums may result in a higher valuation. For accurate assessment, reach out to VinylRecords.Pro serving Ontario locations.

Here are two (2) simple things to do and/or avoid doing, to help make your record albums present as well cared for; and help improve their assessed value.  Poorly cared for records are effectively worthless and unlistenable, and should be properly recycled.

Prior to Inviting an Assessor to Evaluate your Record Collection

1.  Make sure that your vinyl record albums are each placed in their innerliners, within their outer sleeves.  When assessors view record albums that have been placed in their cardboard outer sleeves without inner liners, it is immediately noted that the records are incomplete, they haven't been well-cared for, and the record's surface has been abraised (fine scratches) by the cardboard.  Worse than a record being absent of its inner liner, is when the inner liner is present, yet the record is stored outside the protection of the inner liner - this signals a lack of care, disregard, and indifference to any care about the record's condition/value.

2.  Separate your better condition record albums from your poorer condition record albums.  If some of your record albums are in poor condition; meaning scratched, have their sleeves held together with tape, have mold/water damage, or other negative attributes; don't intersperse them among your better condition records.  When record albums in poor condition are interspersed among good condition records, it lessens the appearance of the whole batch; and will likely result in a lower offered price for your collection.  The value of records is in making an impression of quality not quantity.  Be honest; keep the 'poorer' condition records aside the better, this helps to highlight your better records.

Manage Your Expectations

Most old/used vinyl records: pop, rock, jazz, r&b, among other genres are of some value and some very rare records can be worth hundreds, even thousands, of dollars; however, most 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s common pop records (of which millions of copies were made), unless they are in extraordinarily terrific condition, still sealed, or autographed by the recording artist, will be measured in dollars, not millions.

There are many records that are essentially worthless: for example, most Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Nana Mouskouri, Donny Osmond, Jim Nabors, Elvis, Roger Whittaker, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, country music, classical music, and big band music typically have no value, unless there is something truly and extraordinarily special about the particular record.  Also, most copies of common classic albums that are currently available from retailers, remastered as mass-production re-issues on high quality 180gram vinyl, now compete against prestine audiophile quality new records.

Stay Calm, Don't Freak Out

Everyday, we receive a phone call from someone that is in a state of hysteria because they found some records.  These persons have heard that vinyl records are a collectible interest and seem to believe that any vinyl record found on planet Earth immediately turns the finder into a Zillionaire worth more than the Net Product of all combined civilizations throughout human history.  If you act like Will Farrel in the movie Elf, we must discontinue the intake/phone call.  Frankie says: "Relax".

Only about one-in-twenty (5%) vinyl record collections encountered are worth more than a thousand dollars.  There are billions of vinyl records on planet Earth.