Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    Purchased a CD player this Christmas (a "share" gift for/with my
    wife). We had something over 600 albums together.
    
    Around 500 albums were sold en masse to a used record store. I took
    payment in trade for CDs and got credit.
    
    Around 50 were "rare" or collectors items. I negotiated a special
    deal on those individually, and made about the same amount as the
    en masse deal. Again, taken in CD credit.
    
    In both cases I was more interested in unloading albums that were
    taking up room and collecting dust than in getting "my" price.
    
    So, we've got about 50 left, which we couldn't bear to part with.
    None of which we've listened to since we bought the CD player. In
    fact, the turntable hasn't been turned on since we bought the CD.
    
    ... and it probably won't be.
    
    Fred

    Re/ .1:
    
    Can you tell us which used record store you dealt with?
    
    I have a few hundred albums, a few of which I know are collectable, and
    a few of which I suspect are.  I'd be glad to get rid of most of them,
    but I want to make sure I'm getting fair prices for any valuable ones.
    
    -pd

    The records that I duplicated on CD are put away.  The others
    are still taking up shelf space, even though my turntable is
    put away.  I don't plan to get rid of any of them.

    
    How much can one expect to get for a "normal" record in 
    good condition?  I don't have to many collectors.  I am
    curious if I would be trading 50 records for only enough 
    money to buy one or two disks.
    
    Ken
    

    I have had a CD player for about three years now. When I get a
    new CD, I pull that record from my collection, and usually give
    it to a friend. I wouldn't think of just dumping all my records!
    Many of them have one or two good songs on them that I like.
    They are worth the $2-$5 I paid for them, but not $10-$15 to
    replace them on CD (i.e. Jay Ferguson's "Thunder Island", just
    as an example), or are not available on CD.
    
    Alan S.
    Owner of 200 CDs, but still have over 2000 LPs!

                                                  
    When I got my CD player many of my friends who already had one said 
    that I never use my turntable again.   I had over 300 lps many of
    which I haven't played in long time and more than likely never will. 
    So last month my wife and I carefully went through and demo'ed our 
    collection and sold about 220 of them.  Because we recorded most of 
    the stuff we had on Lps when we first got them, the ones we kept are 
    still very good condition and are played.  
                                                               
    Lately, I've been buying at least one new CD a week and so far none 
    of them is a replacement for an LP we've sold.  In addition, I still 
    buy a few LP's or 12" singles, mostly groupes or artists I'm not
    familiar with or when I'm unsure about an album itself and can't
    justify $11-14 for it.  So for me both the LP and CD work together.   
    True, I don't use my turntable as much as before, but I still use it.  
    And you know, it still sounds damm good.  I think alot of people
    who go CD only are missing out on some good stuff, and my friends,
    well, think they made a mistake....
 
            
    Daryl B.
           

    
    
    I don't think I could ever part with my LP's. I've got well over
    2500, along with 3000+ 45's, 60 7" reel to reel (3 hours apiece) and
    approx 30 cassettes. I've accumulated 120 CD's to date, with another
    30-40 more slated to be purchased by the end of summer (I won a
    bet).
    
    I do get a lot of reissue stuff on disc, along with as many
    compilations as I can find with 50's, 60's music. No matter what,
    these could never replace my investment in records. I felt a knot
    in the pit of my stomach reading the entry by the person who gave
    his record collection to the kids (mine are gonna have to be around
    for the reading of the will). I can imagine the collectables. I
    hope they're at least close at hand. (Geez, Johnny Preston's "Runnin'
    Bear" !!)
    
    If anyone's curious how popular the record still is, they oughtta
    check out the records notes over on COMET (??). We're a bunch of
    die-hards over there. Some of us just kind of "dabble" over here.
    ')
    
    				The Cruiser
    
    

    I'd say about 25% of the CD's I buy are upgrades from vinyl.
    Generally, what I do with the replaced album is offer it to
    either of my nephews (their tastes are different enough to keep
    them from fighting over any one). If neither of them wants it,
    it gets offered to one of my housemates. If he doesn't take it,
    it gets put in a box which will eventually find its way to a
    used record store.
    
    I doubt that many of the LP's I've replaced are real collectors'
    items. The ones that come readily to mind were the Beatles albums,
    many of which were original issue (all but one or two of the 45's
    had picture sleeves, too). These I presented to my older nephew
    as a birthday present, as he's a hardcore Beatles fan, and he
    almost died (he confessed that he faunched after my collection
    for years).
    
    I'd just as soon get rid of all of my LP's (they're too bulky and
    heavy), but there are too many that are not likely to be reissued
    on CD for a good long while, if ever. I still have a turntable,
    but I may use it about once a month. I haven't bought a new LP in
    a loooonnnngggg time. For some of the smaller_press_run stuff,
    such as folk music, I'm more likely to buy it on cassette (partly
    because cassettes are cheaper to produce than LP's for small runs,
    so most of the "vanity" folk albums are issued *only* on cassette).
    
    --- jerry

    
    I've found that the majority of "upgrades" have been failures, my
    Yes CD's are for sale, along with Steely Dan, vinyl has it's merits!
    
    Andy (with 400 irreplaceable vinyl recordings)

    When I get the CD version of a record I already have, I only give away
    or sell the record if the CD version duplicates the original packaging:
    including lyrics, pictures, and whatever else was stuffed somewhere in
    the LP package.

    Personally, I can't part with my LPs and generally don't duplicate
    on CDs. BUT, an individual that i worked with a few years ago used
    a very interesting way of disposing of his LPs. He donated them
    to charity and claimed $5 per on his 1040. Don't know if that would
    work under todays new tax laws - but something to check with your
    CPA.

    RE: .2 
    
    Rockit Records in Nashua, NH. I found them fair and honest. It's
    best to call and arrange a time to come in than to just show up 
    with your albums.
    
    RE: .5
    
    >How much can one expect to get for a "normal" record in 
    >good condition?  I don't have to many collectors.  I am
    >curious if I would be trading 50 records for only enough 
    >money to buy one or two disks.
    
    My experience has been an average 50 cents to a $1.00 cash, 
    especially if the record is still readily available new. If 
    you're willing to take it in trade credit, you'll probably get a
    little more. So, imho, the answer to your question would be 
    "Probably."
    
    Fred

    re .11
    
    Claiming $5 per LP is just as legal :-) now as a few years ago.
    We claim 15% on good clothes.  I wouldn't want to sit in front on
    an IRS guy and explain how my old records were worth $5, when the
    used value if sold to a store is about $1.25.
    
    If you got'ta be a crook, don't be a cheap crook - - - Do something
    B I G !
    
    Jeff   
    

    
    re .13
    
    Yes, the used value if sold to the store is $1.25, but the store
    could easily sell the album for $5.  The IRS guy should have no
    problem with that.  
    
    Bruce, not a tax lawyer, so don't call me into court with you

       Hopefully I have learned a lesson from my uncle who held on to
    and collected 78's some years ago. He has retired on some of the
    proceeds and still has a Crosby collection worth over $200,000.
    Now that LP,s are in their sunset years because of CD,s there will
    be some that will greatly increase in value. Now is not the time
    to sell if you have some collector or investor blood in you! There
    is now a market for reissues of oldies and this makes original issue
    even more important. As an example, I was resently offered a nice
    price on my Complete James Bond Soundtrack collection which I turned
    down. If they are original issue and you have a collection of an
    artist, check it out. 
    
    Dennis
    
    

    Now there's a new outlet for used lp's and tapes. Now thru Saturday
    you can get 3.00 off on any new cd 10.99+ at Lechmere. This seems
    like a strange promotion for a large chain. According to an employee
    I spoke with they are just going to throw away all items traded
    in.

    re: .-1
    
    Lechmere isn't giving anything away.  $3 off a $15.99 CD, for example,
    is less than a 20% discount.  It is fairly common to find them offering
    20% certain labels and, on occasion, all labels.
    
    Scott

    re .2
    
    Great!  Now I know  why I've been saving all those non-functional
    cassettes all these years (broken or stretched, sever oxide shedding,
    whatever).   $3.00 is better than throwing them in the trash, which
    is what I should have done years ago when they broke!
    
    		George

    To clarify the Lechmere offer, you can get the trade for $3.00 off of
    any CD whose price is $10.99 or greater.  I explicitly asked if the
    deal included the CBS selections that are already 20% off this week.
    They said it did.  This means you can get 20% off a $15.99 CBS CD and
    then get another $3.00 off it if you trade in a record or cassette.  So
    $15.99 CBS CDs are available for $9.79 for the rest of this week at
    Lechmere! 
    
    The bad news is that you really can only trade in one record or
    cassette per TITLE, not per CD.  This means you can only trade in
    one record on a 4 disc set, not 4 records for $12.00 off.
    
    B
    

    Gee, I never dreamed that they would allow layered discounting.
    I guess I'd better throw some of my old LPs in the car...
    
    Scott

    Re:  Lechmere $3 trade-in
    
    It looks like Lechmere is trying to maintain competitive cash-register
    prices for price-conscious consumers, without reducing their "standard"
    prices.
    
    This is the same basic marketing trick as the "$$ back" deals from
    car dealers and the Leica "buy a $23K lens and get a free Jetta"
    deal.  There is always serious reluctance to cut the list price.
    
    It minimizes the loss of market share among people who price-shop,
    while still allowing them to make a high margin from those who are
    unaware of competitive prices, or who just don't care.  God forbid
    they should "leave money on the table".
    
    Newbury Comix, for instance, has reduced their regular price, and
    additionally has been printing coupons for further discount.  This
    fits with predictions of price declines in the CD market as capacity
    builds.
                                       
    Lechmere (and presumably Tower) will have to go along eventually,
    but tricks like this, along with an increased level of sales and
    specials, will allow them to postpone the inevitable and make
    money doing it.
    
    dq