iron666monkey Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Hey guys and gals, I've hit a bit of a wall as of late and I need some opinions. My collection is nearing 3,000 records and I'm beginning to realize I have some stuff I should let go of because it never gets listened to, but it's always hard for me to let go of records. As an example, do I really need 5 Billy Joel albums, 6 Elton John albums, and 12 Charlie Daniels Band albums when I listen to those artists so infrequently? How do you decide what to keep and what to let go of? I need to cut some fat and am curious how others have gone about doing so. I tried searching for this topic but couldn't find anything, so if it's a duplicate I apologize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkenney Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I've been in the same boat in and out for the past six months or so and it usually boils down to this for me: When's the last time I listened to said record, and how often do I listen to it in general? How hard is it to come by the record; if I ever feel the need to acquire it again. How much could I get for the record and is it worth my time and effort to sell it for the amount? It is tough and there are points where I am stubborn beyond all get out, but when you step back and think about it, they're just things. I see it as an investment really. Selling off pieces of my collection have saved me countless times over the past few months. Just don't think about it too hard and once you see some money coming in, you'll realize that cash in hand is better than some records on a shelf. Hope this helps and good luck to you! Daniel Dopp and jipc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_vinyl_junkie_ Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Have to agree with the above, I try no to be too sentimental over records. Replacement cost is the only real consideration - if I get a hankering to listen to something that I sold I would be gutted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron666monkey Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 I've been in the same boat in and out for the past six months or so and it usually boils down to this for me: When's the last time I listened to said record, and how often do I listen to it in general? How hard is it to come by the record; if I ever feel the need to acquire it again. How much could I get for the record and is it worth my time and effort to sell it for the amount? It is tough and there are points where I am stubborn beyond all get out, but when you step back and think about it, they're just things. I see it as an investment really. Selling off pieces of my collection have saved me countless times over the past few months. Just don't think about it too hard and once you see some money coming in, you'll realize that cash in hand is better than some records on a shelf. Hope this helps and good luck to you! This is great advice and what I needed to hear. Most of what I need to get rid of are common records you can pick up for $1 to $5. I have a ton of gems that are there for good reasons that I don't want to let go of unless I need the cash. I too look at my collection as an investement that I can enjoy listening to but would sell if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasj182 Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Sell the one's you can flip easiest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youspinmeround Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 This is great advice and what I needed to hear. Most of what I need to get rid of are common records you can pick up for $1 to $5. I have a ton of gems that are there for good reasons that I don't want to let go of unless I need the cash. I too look at my collection as an investement that I can enjoy listening to but would sell if necessary. I recently started doing this. I dont need all the cheap trick disco on vinyl when I can download their entire catalog in 5 mins. When I started downsizing, the classic rock stuff that I rarely listen to was the first to go. Just gave them to a store for a few bucks and did not care about making money. I am slowly going through my collection listing stuff here and on discogs for stuff I have not listened to in years and I really dont need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron666monkey Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 I recently started doing this. I dont need all the cheap trick disco on vinyl when I can download their entire catalog in 5 mins. When I started downsizing, the classic rock stuff that I rarely listen to was the first to go. Just gave them to a store for a few bucks and did not care about making money. I am slowly going through my collection listing stuff here and on discogs for stuff I have not listened to in years and I really dont need Ha, funny you mention Cheap Trick, I have 6 or 7 of their records that are on the chopping block. Do you keep a favorite album of theirs or when it's something that's easily accessible and downloadable let them all go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Ha, funny you mention Cheap Trick, I have 6 or 7 of their records that are on the chopping block. Do you keep a favorite album of theirs or when it's something that's easily accessible and downloadable let them all go? Everyone should own the first four Cheap Trick records + Live At Budokan — or at the very least Dream Police and In Color. They're one of the best American rock bands ever. imaxcowboyx and Metal Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicondevil Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Throughout the many years I have been buying records I have purged my collection twice by selling off 1/3. There are only a few things I regret selling. I like the fact that my collection is mostly condensed down to records that matter the most to me and not a bunch of filler that only takes up more space in our small house. I usually put up an ad on craigslist and set a date and time for all the buyers to show up. Then I just sit back and watch the frenzy while collecting cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjkenney Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 FACT: I found out about Cheap Trick thanks to The Simpsons. The episode where Apu is washing his car and singing 'Dream Police' haha. That and the song 'Surrender' was on the Small Soldiers soundtrack, which I had when the movie came out. Cheap Trick AND The Cult on a soundtrack, mmhmmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexH. Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I recently started doing this. I dont need all the cheap trick disco on vinyl when I can download their entire catalog in 5 mins. If you're going down this road, you might as well throw all your records in the garbage. Why own any media if you can download the entire history of everything in about an hour. And why keep any records if you're going to get rid of Cheap Trick, one of the greatest bands of all time. scottheisel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 As an example, do I really need 5 Billy Joel albums, Yes. 6 Elton John albums, No. and 12 Charlie Daniels Band albums when I listen to those artists so infrequently? No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron666monkey Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 I feel like I should call Moonbeams and go through my collection artist by artist. Our conversation would consist of band names and yes/no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_vinyl_junkie_ Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 That sounds like a good idea.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I feel like I should call Moonbeams and go through my collection artist by artist. Our conversation would consist of band names and yes/no. If you've got a list, I'll do a yes/no checkoff for you. jipc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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