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Subject:
From:
Dave Lampson <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Moderated Classical Music List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 5 Jun 2008 16:27:27 -0700
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I have nothing at all to add concerning the current state of the used
classical LP market, but I can tell you that LPs are far from being
"dead" in the sense that sales of new LPs and turntables has increased
steadily in recent years, so the numbers of vinyl-lovers out there has
been increasing.

   http://tinyurl.com/6eryum

What I can relate is my own experience selling my collection on the web.
I sold my 500 or so LPs (about 330 "albums") though a link from Classical
Net:

  http://www.classical.net/lps

No opera, nothing terribly obscure, nothing historical, as you can see
at the site.  Using PayPal's shopping cart system for payment, I as able
to get an average of over $5 per LP, which I thought very good.  But
then my LP collection was in pristine condition, so mileage my vary
considerably.

This was a long process.  It took about 3 years for me to sell all
of my LP collection, though 60-75% of it went in the first few months.
Most of the "audiophile" LPs (some unopened) went immediately.  It took
perhaps 12-15 hours for me to photograph the entire collection, which
may not be necessary but assuredly did.  I was further assisted by having
a database of my LPs, so all I had to do was to dump the recording info,
format it with some simple HTML, and add a PayPal link for each album.
Though I had a number of buyers just interested in a few, a couple of
buyers came back again and again.

This entire process was time-consuming.  I double boxed all my shipments,
and shipped worldwide (I sold quite a few in Asia).  I had exactly two
complaints - one was a skip, so I refunded the $5; and the other was a
gentleman who bought an unopened LP, opened it, and then decided to read
the label.  This last did not get a refund as the LP was exactly as
advertised and in perfect shape.

Though this approach obviously isn't for everyone, the effort was worth
it to me personally on two counts.  First, I got the feeling that the
cherished collection I hauled from coast to coast and back again was
going to collectors who would appreciate it.  And, second, I did manage
to recover quite a bit of my investment (even made a healthy profit on
the audiophile LPs), so the time was worth it.

Dave
http://www.classical.net/

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