Foo - Need help with selling a bunch of records.

My GF inherited a large collection of records that she'd like to get rid off. They're safely in her basement, and she's got hundreds of them. Maybe even 1,000. They're all lp's, and are mainly rock and roll with some kids, classical and show tunes. She'd like to get rid of all of them, what's a good way?

Fling them in the air at a Skeet Shoot.

Group them by artist, if it's convenient, and sell bundles on c-list or ebay? I would recommend grading them on sight, as well. Look for fingerprints and obvious damage. It wouldn't be possible to test for skips without listening to each one.

I'm not sure how well an LP would do shipping, as you would want to avoid excessive heat. But it may be worth researching.

Here are a couple of things to look for:

1) spindle marks: if a record has been played a great deal, or hasn't been taken care of properly, you will see a lot of marks near the center of the label. When I shop for LP's I don't bother with anything that has been played a lot (as per the spindle marks) regardless of the condition of the vinyl, unless of course it is a very valuable LP.
2) pressing defects: these show up as tiny little bubbles in the vinyl. This makes a little hiss or popping sound when you play them.
3) scratches: If the LP's have big scratches, set them aside. Audiophiles won't be interested in them, but I know of people who use damaged LP's for making bowls. PM for suggestions. run the side of your hand or fingers over the record to remove dust and make the surface easier to inspect. If you see a tiny scratch, run your fingernail over it lightly. If you can feel it than so will the stylus. If you can't feel it then those minor scratches might not affect the sound.
4) If you can find a copy of the Canfield guide or know someone who has it, you can get a rough idea of the value of the records. The Canfield guide mainly has classical stuff. There's a separate guide for rock & roll but I don't recall the author at the moment, although if you PM this weekend, I can give you a name and title.

If you live anywhere near NJ or NYC, I might take the classical.

I'm not sure how well an LP would do shipping, as you would want to avoid excessive heat. But it may be worth researching.

LP's will warp if exposed to excessive heat, yes. However shipping via media mail is relatively inexpensive and they will do just fine. I've shipped LP's across country many times in the past with no difficulties. The only problem you will have is when you go to the post office, they will ask you what's in the package if you are sending it via media mail to get a cheap shipping rate. you might have to explain a couple of times what a "record" is. I ran into a couple of postal clerks who didn't know what I was talking about...

There is a record store in my neighborhood that buys vinyl. You might have one in your area.

Fling them in the air at a Skeet Shoot.

Not being Texans, we don't use tanks for that up here.


LP's will warp if exposed to excessive heat, yes. However shipping via media mail is relatively inexpensive and they will do just fine. I've shipped LP's across country many times in the past with no difficulties. The only problem you will have is when you go to the post office, they will ask you what's in the package if you are sending it via media mail to get a cheap shipping rate. you might have to explain a couple of times what a "record" is. I ran into a couple of postal clerks who didn't know what I was talking about...

Do you wrap them in anything special? The plain brown wrapper doesn't seem like it would be enough.


There is a record store in my neighborhood that buys vinyl. You might have one in your area.

We're looking into that.