Re: My eBay classical LP auctions: first results

Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 18:41:45 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.music.collecting.vinyl
Size: 2,860 bytes

In article <email-address-deleted>, Pea Hicks <email-address-deleted>
wrote:
> ok, but what sort of percentage of CD re-issues would you say are
> generally considered by the classical *vinyl* collecting public to be
> superior to the original vinyl releases?
You are talking about a fringe element there...
Vinyl collectors are a tiny fraction of classical music buyers. If you
read the posts in the classical music newsgroups, you will quickly
realize that almost all of them have relegated their turntables to the
trash can. The CD format is ideally suited to classical music because
of its small size and long running time.
Add to that the fact that classical music collectors comprise a tiny
fraction of music listeners as a group, and you have to admit that
classical LPs basically appeal to "a tiny fraction of a tiny fraction".
The supply of good classical records far exceeds the demand. This
drives prices WAY down.
Every day on ebay large batches of classical records sell for between
25 cents and a dollar a disk. Media mail shipping is dirt cheap. As a
classical vinyl collector, it just makes sense to bid low on large
batches, rather than bid high on individual titles. Recently, I got 50
classical records from the early 50s for $15 plus $10 shipping. When
they arrived, half of them weren't of any interest to me. I donated
those to the Goodwill. The balance added up to about 20 hours of music
for the cost of two CDs.
There are "audiophools" out there who have theories about vinyl
sounding better, and in some cases, they are correct. But for the vast
majority of classical releases, both the vinyl and the CD sound fine.
With the conveniences of the CD format, the main reason to collect
vinyl is the low price. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has put 2 and
2 together on this.
If you want to sell classical records at ebay, the best way to do it is
to batch up 10 related records into a single lot starting at $5.
Describe them thoroughly and shoot a single picture of all ten to
illustrate the lot. Give a specific shipping price based on media mail
postage and offer to give a discount on shipments to buyers of multiple
lots. If you do that, you might have me and others like me bidding on
your records, and the market will find the value faster than Canfields.
If you put each record in a separate lot, use a price guide to set the
reserve, talk up your records with unreasonable puffery, and have "no
exceptions" priority shipping charges. I'm going to roll my eyes and
move on to someone else's auction. That's just the way it is.
See ya
Steve
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