Is there gold in your garage? Watching the vinyl revival develop, you might have wondered whether your old record collection is worth good money. The answer is ... maybe, but don’t necessarily expect it to be easy to realise.
The best bet in your collection – and the area where prices have increased the most in the past decade – is likely to be records from New Zealand. In a 2020 article for AudioCulture, Simon Grigg ran through some of the most valuable local releases, including the Bluestars’ 1966 proto-punk single Social End Product, which has sold for $3000, jazz pianist Judy Bailey’s 1965 album My Favourite Things (“thousands of dollars – if you can find it”), and the Pin Group’s second single on Flying Nun Records, Coat, a copy of which went for $3998 on Trade Me in August 2019.
“Prices started to creep up in the first decade of this century,” Grigg writes, “and have now gone into hyperdrive. Records that were a few dollars just six or seven years ago now seem to double in price every few months. Records I paid $20-$30 for a few years ago are sometimes elevated by bidding wars into hundreds or even thousands of dollars.”
The Pin Group record is a good example of what contributes to a high price in the collector market. First, international interest in the Flying Nun catalogue has been strong for years – the music itself is regarded as important and influential. Most early releases were pressed in small quantities, which means buyers are competing for an even smaller pool of surviving discs.
But records like Coat offer an additional level level of desirability: the 7″ single came out in at least eight colour variations in 1981, each hand-screenprinted by the band’s friend (and now lauded New Zealand artist) Ronnie van Hout. The dizzying top prices associated with releases like these rely on the condition of the sleeve as much of the vinyl itself. The survival of comics and posters that came with early Nun releases also has a bearing on value.
The market can be farcical sometimes. At the time of writing, a copy of Solid Gold Hits Volume 36 is being offered for sale on Discogs for $269. Not because it’s a good record – about 25 minutes of music are squeezed on to each side and it consequently sounds terrible – but because it was released as the Solid Gold Hits franchise was failing and relatively few sold. The number of completists who will pay that kind of price is clearly limited.
The easiest way to check what price your records have sold for is to check on Discogs, the global record catalogue and marketplace. But don’t get too excited by what you see: Discogs isn’t necessarily the real world. An old record is worth only what a buyer will pay for it, and finding those buyers isn’t necessarily easy. Most of the market on Discogs is overseas and that means arranging transactions (usually via PayPal) and shipping. It’s less complicated on Trade Me, but in either place, you’ll need to know the condition grading system and expect buyers to be fussy about it. Getting the best possible price for your records is hard work.
There’s also a cultural dimension. The best price for a sought-after New Zealand indie release may come from a foreign collector – but that sale takes the record out of New Zealand, probably for good. Record trader Brian Wafer, who is behind many of the record fairs in regional centres, isn’t bothered by that (“The National Library probably has a copy of each anyway, so they’re preserved”), but it’s an issue for some sellers.
Unsurprisingly, then, many people choose to sell their records to local retailers. Record shops prefer to buy whole collections for an assessed value – it spreads their risk and it’s more straightforward for both parties – but many will let you walk in with half a dozen discs and price them on the spot. Some, including Real Groovy Records, will offer a better price if you’re trading for store credit rather than cash.
There is another option: if you feel you have something special, get someone to sell on your behalf. Some stores will do this and there are individuals who will take it on for a commission.
The most fun way to sell records is at the record fairs proliferating around the country. There’s a Facebook group that updates members on fairs as they’re announced. These events charge sellers a modest fee for a table and sometimes an entry fee for buyers. You’ll need to price your records in advance – remembering again that Discogs is not the real world – and be prepared to lug most of them home again afterwards. Buyers are looking for bargains and won’t necessarily be carrying hundreds of dollars. Be realistic, even generous, and you’ll have a much better time.
Below the exalted level of the most collectible releases, it’s still entirely possible that your records are worth selling. Real Groovy owner Chris Hart says the store is always happy to see classic rock and pop records in good condition – the store can sell a copy of Dark Side of the Moon for $60 after cleaning it and putting it in a new inner sleeve – but will also pay good money for quality jazz and classical releases. The exact value relies on some fairly arcane factors – a British World Record Club club release is worth a lot more than a New Zealand version – and comes down in the end to what the store thinks another customer will come in and pay.
While some local releases in your collection may be worth hundreds of dollars each, most old records fetch nothing like that. At best, you’re looking at tens of dollars for records in very good condition and often a good deal less. Still, every dollar you make selling a record is a dollar you can spend buying another one, right?
Buying records
There are far fewer record stores than there were in the heyday of vinyl – it’s simply not how most people consume music in the age of Spotify – but the list on the Vinyl Directory website shows that there’s probably one in your town, even if it’s just a second-hand shop with a couple of crates.
New records are, in general, lovely objects. Most have been remastered for vinyl (mastering is the art and science of tweaking the sonics of the master recording to optimise it for a given medium) and pressed on heavy, deep-grooved 180-gram vinyl. Lavish covers and sleeve notes are generally part of the deal, too, especially for re-releases.
That, and the fact that many releases for sale in 2023 have been imported by the stores themselves, means new records are expensive. Expect to pay anything from $40 to $120 for a new album. The best way to avoid disappointment, at least at first, is to buy something you already know and love. Retailers are also used to customers coming in with their phones and earbuds.
But buying records should be fun, and for a real record fancier, there’s nothing to beat “digging” in search of gold in a pile of old records. The fact that you might have to dig through 100 James Last records to find the nugget is part of the deal. (If you’re going to buy a James Last record, by the way, let it be Well Kept Secret, the surprisingly groovy album he made with LA session musicians in 1975.)
As Simon Grigg notes in his AudioCulture article, the dig is traditionally undertaken in a dusty second-hand store or an op shop, but those destinations are well picked over these days – and some shops and market traders have begun to price unrealistically. The auction houses beginning to enter the market may also have unreasonable expectations. Did we mention that Discogs isn’t the real world?
You’ll have a more reliable digging experience at a record fair or store. Real Groovy offers the biggest digs, and the fact that it ships in large lots from the US means that it’s a chance to find records that were never released in New Zealand. That also means a weird old disco 12″ that sells for $1.50 on Discogs might be $15 in a NZ shop, simply because it’s the only one in the country for sale.
Any good store selling second-hand records should have a turntable available to audition them before buying, to check condition and find out what the music actually sounds like. Note that you can only do this with second-hand records.
At record fairs, it’s perfectly okay to try to negotiate if you think the asking price is too high. The seller might say no, but every record sold is one he or she doesn’t have to carry home, so it’s worth a try.
Most big record stores also sell online, both lots and individual records are always on Trade Me, and there are plenty of international vendors who’ll sell both old and new records to you. Just be aware that the cost of freight can be more than the cost of the record itself.
In the end, a good deal of the fun of getting into records is that it brings us together with other people who love records. In that sense, visiting a record store isn’t just about spending money, it’s about being in a cultural space.
Finally, bear in mind that there is a lot of music in the world and if you buy everything on vinyl, you will soon run out of money and space. Most collectors set themselves limits, which might be around particular genres or scenes, or specific purposes – playing out at bars, for example. Buy what you love, and play it.
Playing and caring for records
By the time the vinyl revival began in 2007, most households had thrown out their old turntables and radiograms. Buying a new turntable in 2023 isn’t cheap – and in fact you should avoid the cheapest ones. Crosley and House of Marley products might look fun, but they’ll be bad for your records and your ears.
Viable turntables from the likes of Audio-Technica and Sony start under $350 and the next step up is to the likes of the Czech company Pro-ject, from around the $500 mark, then Rega models from around $700. (Be aware that some people regard the $1500 Pro-ject Debut Pro as “entry level”.)
Note that these are all belt-drive turntables, which are appropriate for high-quality home listening, but if you want to play DJ, even at home, you’ll need a direct-drive turntable – well, actually, two of them and a mixer. They start around $800 each with models from Audio-Technica and Pioneer, while the industry-standard Sony SL-1200 will set you back $2000.
If you’re on a tight budget, look for the best cartridge you can afford and for the ability to adjust tracking force, anti-skate and cartridge alignment. There are many YouTube videos that walk you through how to do the adjustments – and it will make a difference.
If you’re buying second-hand records or refreshing an old collection, you’ll want to clean them. The most basic way is to do them in the sink with warm water and a little dishwash liquid (you can rinse with distilled water if you’re feeling fancy). Dry with a microfibre cloth – after letting them stand in a rack, if you have one. The next step up is rotary washers like the Spin-Clean and the Record Pro, which make it much faster and easier and can be found for as little as $150. From there, it’s vacuum machines (about $800) and ultrasonic cleaners ($1000 and up).
If you’ve got that far, you may want to replace the dirty old inner sleeves with fresh anti-static ones. Most record shops sell these in 7″ and 12″ sizes and they’re not expensive. You’ll also want a carbon-fibre brush to skim for dust before playing.
Store your records upright! They’ll warp if you stack them flat. Cube shelving from Ikea and its emulators is a good option. Specialist record boxes and crates are surprisingly expensive, but it’s easy enough to find cheaper options somewhere like Storage Box. Many DJs happily store and tote their records in the classic plastic crates from Bunnings and Mitre 10, which are about $12.
Community
Half the fun of records is that they can be a group activity. Shop with friends and family, get to know the people at your local store, and join the crowds at record fairs because they’re fun.
You can join the local Facebook group Vinyl Lovers of Aotearoa New Zealand, which has nearly 10,000 members, and ask for advice or just share pictures of your latest finds and most-loved items. There’s also usually something going on at the Record Fairs in New Zealand group.
You might also want to get along to open-decks events at small bars, especially if you love 7″ singles. These are a great way to meet other record nerds and play your best selection. Just be sure get there early to get your name on the board to play your 15 or 20 minutes. Regular nights include Spin Class at Auckland’s Cupid bar every second Wednesday, Dominion Road Vinyl Club (which is now actually at the Corner Store in Mt Eden Rd) and Singles Going Steady at Red Bar in Pitt St. Singles Going Steady founder Justine McLisky now runs her event at Bedlam & Squalor in Wellington, and the capital is also home to Vinyl Tap at Havana Bar.
If your town doesn’t have one of these nights, you can always approach a small venue and offer to start your own. Go on!
