Selling vinyl records? – What to know!

Considering selling your LP collection? With over 40 years of experience buying and selling vinyl, ATMV can give you the most accurate and honest assessment of your records.  We are happy to offer sellers free evaluations of their LP collections.   We will grade, sort, and appraise your LP’s as our time permits.  ATMV will give you the best price possible for LPs that have some value.  Collections of less than 50 units can usually be handled on the spot, however if you have a large volume of records, say 100 to 1,000 units, please make an appointment as we may need 12-48 hours to properly evaluate your collection.

 

We see an average of 500 to 2000 records weekly, not all of which we are we prepared to purchase, so we ask sellers to have cautious expectations about their value.  Frequently, we see the same records week to week, multiples of the same records you may be selling.  We accumulate so many low-value duplicate records that we periodically recycle or donate to area thrift stores.  However, we’re always seeking quality LPs that may turn up, so we are grateful for the opportunity to evaluate your records, it’s what we do.

Typically, your records will be sorted into groups labeled here A to F

 

  • A – Collectible – Generally highest demand, good condition Rock to include Metal, Indie, Punk and some Hip Hop / R&B-Funk-Soul-Blues & some Jazz /some Mexican titles (minimum retail value $10 or more)

  • B – Strong – Moderate demand A records (retail value less than $10)

  • C – Common – Low demand – Rock or R&B Records (1-3 dollars retail)

  • D – Common – Little or No demand –  Most non Rock categories including most Country, Classical, or most 40’s-60’s pop artists

  • F – Recycle – garbage, poor condition, missing sleeves, heavy dirt & wear, junk labels

 
 

Generally, as little as 15% or less of any collection may yield records in the A & B categories.   Every collection is different.  Some collections are 1-5% per cent, others as high as 20-40% quality records.

Once your items have been sorted, we can offer you our best bid.  With a few exceptions, EZ listening, soft rock, Country, Classical, Spiritual music are grouped in the D category.  

You have several options on the albums in the C, D, & F categories.

  • They can be returned to you for your own garage sale or donation possibility
  • We can offer a token or nominal bid to accept the records.
  • You can choose to let us liquidate & recycle as needed at no obligation for the both of us.

Record value in part can be correlated to stamp & coin collecting standards.  That is, the better the condition the better odds the item will have any value.  Although you may have A & B records, if the LP’s were played and enjoyed frequently, chances are the album has suffered moderate to serious wear & tear to include heavy groove-wear, scuffing, fingerprints, tattered jackets with broken seams, ring wear, corner wear, writing, etc to name a few negatives that will can seriously impact the valuation.  Our bid will always reflect the condition of your items. Like a used car, lots of miles, lower the value.

We recommend that you keep any records that have emotional or sentimental value.  We expect a reasonable negotiation with sellers especially on A & B records, which contingent on current market demand, may be worth $2-$25 at wholesale.  Common in-demand LPs may be worth 25-cents to two-dollars.  Common, low-demand albums may be worth pennies, nickels, or dimes at best.  Thanks for considering All That Music for the most honest and fair appraisal of your LPs!  Hope you’ve gotten a better understanding of the process.  Again, be cautious and realistic with your expectations.