Records, Cassettes & CDs

Records etc

Is it worth rehoming vinyl? What about audio cassettes? Are CDs passe? If the content is interesting enough, and the albums in reasonable condition then there could be collectors out there who are interested. Ebay, dealers, special interest email mailing lists, Charity Shops, Stalls at fairs, Freecycle and, Give And Take days at least all have their place in rehoming this sort of stuff.

If listing on Ebay it may be worth including more rather than less detail about the item. For example, if known, the full track listing and the names of all the performers featured on the item. With compilation albums, it may also be worth specifying, if known, which performer is singing on which tracks. You may find that a web search about the album could reveal a website where someone has already listed these details. Although if you do copy and paste the details, there is no need to include reviews of the said album. For many widely available albums Ebay now has stock photograph and track listing information you can use in your listing (although you may find the format of this does not suit your particular auction, or the details a little limiting – and therefore you might still want to input the information yourself). Before listing a widely available album on ebay it is well worth doing your research (a search of past auctions) first, to see if this item is likely to sell and if so for what price.

If you have a lot of Records, Cassettes or CDs to give to a charity shop (for example a boxful) then it may be worth asking the charity if they can send someone to collect it specially, Oxfam and The British Heart Foundation are among the charities who may be able to oblige.

Categories

78s / Shellac Records – Because it is so brittle it may have value as a rarity. Some record dealers will actively specialise in shellac. If you only have a few records, particularly if they are unusual items that have not been reissued since (for example rare folk song recordings) then you might want to try putting them up on Ebay. Even if a record is of something that was reissued as a 33, or later on CD, it is still possible there may be collectors out there.

16 rpm Records – This was used for spoken word poetry, there is very little of it around, therefore it is possible it may have some rarity value. So Ebay is a possibility (to find that specialised market)

45 rpm Records - These short playing records were often used for singles, which may well have some value as memorabilia. If you have only a few then putting them on Ebay might be worth a try (to find that specialised market), a dealer may be able to advise you better. Where these short playing records were used for cast album recordings of films and shows they have probably been reissued in extended versions as LPs or more recently on CD, and therefore of less interest to collectors (except completeists); however a charity shop, a stall at a fair, or Freecycle may all be possibilities.

33 rpm Records – So much of the good stuff has been reissued on CD. However, there are still rarities, little known gems that have not, for example if a record was done as part of a ‘Limited Edition’ then it is unlikely to have been legitimately issued on CD. There could well be collectors interested in it. Also some records were merchandising tie-ins for TV shows (for example The Muppets, Spitting Image, or, Star Trek) and these items can have value as memorabilia; besides which although tracks from them may have been issued on CDs, they were not necessarily issued as exactly the same albums. For this kind of stuff it may be worth listing on Ebay (to find that specialised market), or contacting a memorabilia dealer. For collectable but less valuable items, to try and find that specialist market, it may also be worth offering via an appropriate forum, for Show music and operetta suitable forums include the Dress Circle Messageboard, Savoynet, and, Castrecl. There are however, an awful lot of LPs around; a good number of which have been reissued in remastered form on CD. However, Charity Shops and stalls at fairs still sell these sorts of LPs. There is also a market on Freecycle, amongst DJs starting out, or people interested in retro record decks, who then need something appropriate to play on them.

Audio Cassettes – If they are in a reasonable condition it is still possible to find people who want them. Some audio cassettes may have value as memorabilia, in which case they can be sold on Ebay or Amazon. As listing is free on Amazon, it may be worth a try, as long as the price you can sell it for is sufficient to cover the costs. As a general rule if the going rate for a given item on Amazon is less than about £1.25 then it is not worth selling there, as this will only just cover the fees charged. Some cassettes may also be part of a set, perhaps issued or sold with a magazine (The Readers Digest albums are a good example); some of the most unlikely items of these may be of interest to collectors, and therefore worth selling on Ebay. None of these are likely to sell for much, but it is a way of finding the specialised collectors market. However, if listing on Ebay or Amazon you will be more likely to find a buyer if you have the original packaging (if the original plastic casing was broken then putting into a different case is ok, as long as the original sleeve is with it). For collectable but less valuable items, to try and find that specialist market, it may also be worth offering via an appropriate forum, for Show music and operetta suitable forums include the Dress Circle Messageboard, Savoynet, and, Castrecl (However, if offering on a forum, do make it clear your items are legitimate boughten cassettes with original packaging, and not bootlegs as many forums have rules in place to ban bootleggers). Charity shops, Stalls at fairs, and Give And Take days are also possibilities. Some items, such as talking book tapes, and children’s cassettes may also be worth offering on Freecycle.

Newspaper Free CDs – There has a trend for newspapers to give away free CDs; these days it is more likely to be DVDs; though some are still giving away CDs. It may be possible to dispose of these to Charity shops and stalls at fairs. However, a number of charity shops, such as Oxfam are not accepting these types of CDs; so one should check with the Charity Shop first. A better option is Freecyle (where there is sometimes demand for them); but the best place for these are Give And Take Days, where they are very popular.

CDs (Bought from shops or through magazines) – This is a large category. There are many CDs that may be of great interest to collectors, for example early CD reissues of film soundtracks that have never been reissued since; or others with limited pressings that have since gone out of print. These may be worth selling on Ebay or Amazon. As listing is free on Amazon that may be a particularly useful option, although for popular rarities Ebay may obtain a higher price. If listing on Ebay it may be worth researching past listings to see if similar items have sold. Some CDs may also be part of a set, perhaps issued or sold with a magazine (The Readers Digest albums are a good example); some of the most unlikely items of these may be of interest to collectors, and therefore worth selling on Ebay. However, you may want to do some research on this matter. Some such CDs (such as a number of those in The Musicals Collection) were subsequently issued mainstream in more complete forms, and therefore unless someone is trying to complete the set, and/or you have the magazine that goes with them it is less likely to find a buyer on Ebay. If listing any CD on Ebay or Amazon you will be more likely to find a buyer if you have the original packaging (if the original plastic casing was broken then putting into a different case is ok, as long as the original sleeve is with it). For collectable but less valuable items, to try and find that specialist market, it may also be worth offering via an appropriate forum, for showmusic and operetta suitable forums include the Dress Circle Messageboard, Savoynet, and, Castrecl (However, if offering on a forum, do make it clear your items are legitimate boughten CDs with original packaging, and not bootlegs as many forums have rules in place to ban bootleggers). Buyers on forums may well be interested if they can obtain a CD for considerably less than the new price in the shops. For CDs which are not easily saleable via the web, then a charity shop, stall at a fair, or a Give And Take day is a very good place give them too. Indeed there are still some CDs which while a collector probably would not pay very much for, let alone postage and packing, they might buy it if they found it in a charity shop.

Faulty Items That No Longer Play – It may be worth trying a recycling organisation