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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Cristina <wirehangerlobotomy@gmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: Lookig for advice: Selling a CD collection |
| Date | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 19:39:52 -0400 |
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Since the early 00s, I've bought and sold thousands of CDs on Ebay, and also
sold to a number of online cd stores. If you have a couple of months to
research and type-up titles, then you can get rid of most of your cds
through online services.
Although CD lots seem to be doing ok, Ebay is really lagging in sales at the
moment. You're probably better off waiting till at least late September to
get started. Lots of 200 or less cds will usually get you from $2-5 per cd,
depending on their popularity and relative merit. (You can separate them by
genre, but you can do all right if you mix popular acts like Madonna, U2,
Metallica, Tori Amos, etc. Just be sure not to sneak in too many unloved
cds, like EMF, Jesus Jones, Deee-Lite's 2nd cd, etc., or you'll end up with
no more than $.50 per item.) Expect $1-4 per cd for small lots (10-30 cds)
comprised of specific genres (Alt-Country/Americana, Indie Pop, Industrial,
Techno, Jazz), a good chunk of a single musician's complete output,
promos/rarities, or magazine cds (ex. CMJ). For bigger lots of 500 or more,
you'll probably just make $1-2 per cd, regardless of what you include. Do
your research. Buyers are moody.
Secondspin.com <http://secondspin.com/> and
Cashforcds.com<http://cashforcds.com/>offer pretty fair prices for cds
-- $5 tops. (I have some issues with how
SecondSpin has changed over the last 6 years, but I'd still recommend
them.) Secondspin doesn't accept cds with light lines, scratches, or
pinholes. No (obviously stamped) promos either. And, no more than 2 copies
of the same title. They're very picky with cut-outs, too. All inserts and
cases must be included. $.50 will be deducted for each case with a crack, so
pack carefully. They don't reimburse you for shipping. (Always ship Media
Mail with Delivery Confirmation.) If you're selling more than 200 cds, they
prefer to be contacted first. Don't bother selling them box sets, you'll get
a pittance for them. Still, they have a huge index of titles that they
accept, so you'll be able to get rid of a lot. They offer store credit,
check, or Paypal.
Cashforcds.com <http://cashforcds.com/> expects a minimum of 6 cds per order
and only two copies of a single title. They accept scratched cds as long as
they are not brutally mutillated or riddled with pinholes. No promos. Both
inserts must be included, but the case is unneccesary, unless it's a
digipak. You receive emails at every stage of the transaction. They'll send
you an envelope, directions, and paid postage, or you can print out a paid
postage label, if you don't want to wait a week. They pay through check or
Paypal. (One annoying thing about them is that you don't see the total until
you've added six cds, so you really don't know how much you're getting for
each one, and won't know unless you add and remove cds from the total.)
Spun.com <http://spun.com/>, which was mentioned earlier, is one of my last
resorts. They often don't take the crappiest of titles and only pay a couple
of dollars for "good" ones. I haven't sold to them in a couple of years, but
I remember that they didn't accept scratched cds or promos. They were ok
with cut-outs. Inserts and cases had to be included. Cracked cases might
warrant a penalty. If you sold them over a certain dollar amount or traded
your cds for theirs, they would pay for Media Mail shipping. They would only
include the shipping materials, if you were to do a partial trade. (They
send you the cd in a box, then you send yours to them in the same box.) I
don't know if that has now changed. I think that they use Paypal.
Thecdexchange.com <http://thecdexchange.com/> pays a couple of dollars per
cd. They're a bit selective with titles and have the same strict rules about
cd conditions as the other stores. They'll only cover shipping if you sell
them more than $25 worth. Store credit or checks.
I don't know if Hardtofindcds.com <http://hardtofindcds.com/> buys used cds
anymore. They paid the best prices and took care of shipping, too. I sold
them a cd for $8, which is the most that I've ever gotten for an
individual cd from any store.
And, there's Half.com <http://half.com/>, if you have the patience. I read
that you can get more for a cd there than on Ebay.
Personally, I would gather up the most mainstream cds, compare the prices on
Secondspin, Cashforcds, and Spun, and sell them to the stores that pay $3-$5
for each cd. That's assuming that they're decent, desirable releases. Take
$1-2 for really crappy cds. (If you have an oop release, import, etc., it's
good to check Ebay, too. Don't give them over to the stores too quickly.)
Then, I'd wait till October to research and sell off individual cds or small
lots of the "good", wanted indie, promos, singles/eps, or hard-to-find
stuff. (Be aware that unless you're selling a collection of a
specific artist's singles/eps or some "special" singles/eps, you won't get
too much for them. Most people don't want a box full of
singles.) Whatever unsellable junk that you have left can be sold together,
mixed into a decent lot, or divided by genre.
Just remember to research everything on Ebay before you even think of
listing. A couple of weeks ago, a copy of Marion's Sparkle ep sold for over
₤70. I've seen it *not* sell for $5 on so many occasions.
(There are also sale message boards and mailing lists to consider, but this
post is long enough. I apologize for the length.) If you have any other
questions, let me know.
cristina
On 8/19/07, Jim Cox <jimcox63@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'm hoping the Audities braintrust can help me. I've got a pretty
> huge number of CDs (maybe 2,500 or so), and I'm going to do a massive
> liquidation. Everything must go! For the most part, I've got the
> music that I want digitized, and I just don't have room for all the
> CDs.
>
> So what they heck do I do with them? How would you sell a whole
> collection? I don't have time to sell them a few at a time, I don't
> think. Has anyone tried to buy or sell a collection on eBay (as a
> whole entity)?
>
> Are there any stores that will still pay anything for these (or even
> accept them)?
>
> Any advice woudl be appreciated.
>
> Jim Cox
>
> PS: I'm in Seattle, so if anyone fro the PacNW wants a shitload of CDs
> for cheap, contact me. Lots of good pop in there!
>
--
www.weheartmusic.com
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