Optimistic Charity Shops Vinyl Prices?

[CambridgeWorks]

Today, in Stamford I browsed several charity shops vinyl selection.
I was amazed at ticket prices.
Top of the Pops LP, £5
South Pacific on MFP or similar budget label, £4.
Genesis, Invisible Touches in grubby sleeve £15.
Most shops had nothing less than £3 for even the usual mundane cheap imitation label lps that nearly all ignore.

Seems that they are all trying to take advantage of the vinyl revival. But at these prices I feel It is a joke.

Anyone else seen this trend?

Rob

[paulsherwin]

It varies a lot. Some are cutting prices for less desirable items.

Charity shops are fundraisers for their charities, so you can hardly blame them for trying to get the best prices they can.

[Nickthedentist]

Yes!

The classical LPs I usually buy typically used to cost a quid or two each. But as you say, there are loads of shops asking £5 or more for records that I honestly think would struggle to sell for 50p.

Conversely, classical CDs have become super cheap, with full price releases going for a pound or two.

[paulsherwin]

Many charity shops have no idea what a realistic valuation of their items is.

[lightning]

Also they haven't been tested. There's a local used record store here and the guy plays every record and grades them, the poor ones he won't sell at all.

l bought a couple of LP's from a Charity shop last month and they were pretty much unplayable as they were completely worn out.

[OldTechFan96]

Which charity shops have you been going to?

Around here, records are mostly £1 an LP (sometimes 50p, but that's rare now) no matter where you go. It's the usual charity shop stuff though, I don't mind as I like looking for Jim Reeves albums.

I did notice that BHF and YMCA shops are individually pricing records. Their selection did seem to be a cut above other shops as they had more popular music.

I imagine that most of the pop and rock stuff is sold online rather than in the shops.

[CambridgeWorks]

Three shops at least, not BHF as were closed.
Must admit the only one of interest was Genesis. But I already have it, plus virtually every other LP of theirs. All CDs were 50 p or £1
Around here, there are a few traders who are offered first pick at all new donations
I hope they are generous.
You will never find likes of Pink Floyd or many other well known rock among charity shop stock.
Rob

[emeritus]

A few years ago I manged to get "On the threshold of a dream", "Long distance voyager", and "Wish you were here" for 50p each from local charity shops, all immaculate, but I haven't seen anything of similar desirability recently. Local prices do vary, some are still 50p to £1 for an LP, but others are optimistically higher. One had CDs at 5 for £1 before Christmas.

[Ted Kendall]

One chain appears to have a policy of "check the online auction average and double it", with consequent slow turnover...

[kirstyd]

i saw some in our local Sue Ryder shop .they were asking £15 for a crappy KTEL compilation Lp .Looking at what was on it dated it to the mid 70s .I told the guy behind the counter that it only cost £3.99 when it was new and that was daylight robbery even then .He was only about 25 so the funny side of that went completely over his head

[marqueemoon]

Yep, the vinyl revival means that charity shops around here are all doing this... the bargains that are to be had are all in the CD format; a 4 disc box set of Topic folk recordings at £2, and a Lightning Hopkins disc for 50p most recently. I can't remember the last record I got from a charity shop.

[The Philpott]

All the prices are on the up, i've seen a few 'window' items at 4 times their market value.

The little charity shop as we know it may be the next victim of 21st century, all the signs are there. Those that have or manage to acquire larger warehouse type facilities, are better equipped to survive.

Dave

[Martin Bush]

I still find odd things at acceptable prices, but I get excited by TOTP LPs and stuff by Demis Roussos.

What annoys me is finding singles and very good condition 'company' sleeves which the shop then puts a sticker on. I know they have to price them, but after 60 or so years it's a shame.

All that said, I also see too much stuff at prices that are beyond optimistic.

[emeritus]

I use a tin of label remover spray I got from RS to remove sticky labels without damaging the record sleeves.

[Dickie]

I have volunteered at the local charity shop for a number of years and my shop manager knows the value of most stuff accurately, After all it's her job to maximise income for the charity. A few years ago any LPs that were donated went straight out to the shop floor at £1 each with no checking. For the past year or so all donated LPs are checked individually and any with an average Ebay sold price of around £5 go to an online auction. The rest go out on the floor at £2 each.

[Paul_RK]

I've bought a few CDs in our Sue Ryder shop - five for £1, my last haul were mostly organ recitals - but haven't tended to notice LP prices locally, beyond seeing collections sell usually for very little at the auction and observing that one outlet in town offers pot luck brown paper packages of LPs by genre at £1 for ten.

Paul

[red16v]

Our local council dump has a tin shed with all sorts of stuff in it for sale including records, always worth a look and most LP's are dirt cheap. Perhaps your might be the same?

[CambridgeWorks]

Removal of anything from our council sites is forbidden unfortunately.
Please do not comment further on council policies or the thread will most likely get closed.

For quite a few years all of our charity shops locally have rarely had any records worth buying. I don't think I bought one in say 15 years. However, maybe bought a dozen or so cd over the same period.
Often quantities of mfp lps, classical, or copy artist types are all that is offered on vinyl.
When asked about some specific rock bands,at one shop, they told me all incoming vinyl was kept back for a dealer to have first pick. He often bought quite a lot they told me.
Although I browse these shops quite often, for anything really, not just vinyl, it is rare anything is remotely interesting. Cds seem to be the post 2000 bands.
Seems a lot of stock is difficult to sell, so hangs around a while.

Around 6 or 7 years ago one shop had a sale at the back street yard entrance.
Quite successful with many items being sold, often a fraction of ticket price and buyers could haggle. They cleared a lot that day.
There were boxes of vinyl, but just all the same old stuff that nobody wanted.

Rob

[Valvepower]

Hi,

Ah, the vinyl revival…

Saw this about a year ago… Pinky and Perky Christmas LP £20…

Recently, I got lucky and someone had just putout some LPs 'unchecked' and I bagged a couple of LPs at a 'sensible' price. The chap on the check-out realized what had happed and what was left later got 'sorted'...

Terry.

[Nickthedentist]

The Oxfam in the centre of Oxford has a big stiock of classical LPs at about £2 to £10 each, box sets much cheaper. But the stock sticks around and there is a lot tat and good stuff in poor condition.

Sometimes they put an everything £1 box on the pavement outside and it all gets snapped up.

Wish others would follow suit in that respect.

They sell prerecorded cassettes too but generally for more than they’re worth to me. I wonder if their model relies on selling a small proportion at a high price and binning the rest?