Although we can listen to our favorite music right on our cell phones, vinyl records have made quite a comeback over the past few years. Many people have avidly collected vinyl records even through the eras of cassette tapes and CDs, but Gen Z has seemed to take a strong liking to building their collections of vinyl records. It’s not uncommon to see vinyl records in mainstream bookstores and local shops nowadays.
Before you part with your collectibles, uncover these 8 Genius Money Moves to Score $500+ in Free Cash This Week! Why sell when you can earn more effortlessly?
The earliest days of vinyl records happened in the transition period from the late 1800s to the early 1900s but the plastic version we typically recognize as a vinyl record today was born around the 1940s. Despite being almost 100 years later and having numerous music streaming apps to choose from, we’re still collecting, playing, and enjoying vinyl records.
There’s just something nostalgic about vinyl records that makes them timeless. And that’s a good thing for anyone looking to sell their collection of vinyl records. Just like selling comic books, there’s almost surely a lucrative sale on the horizon for vinyl records; you just have to know where to go to sell them.
If you’re past the point of collecting records, selling them is a great way to declutter your home while making some money and getting back at least some – or more – of the investment you made into your collection. This post includes numerous places to sell vinyl records online and locally.
👉 Related reading: Best Speakers for Vinyl
Where To Sell Vinyl Records
Where To Sell Vinyl Records Online
- Discogs
- eBay
- Bonanza
- Cash For Records
- Etsy
- Amazon
- DJ Records USA
- Vinylom
- VinylCollectors on Reddit
- Sell Your Vinyl Collection
- MusicStack
- Whatnot
Where To Sell Vinyl Records Locally
- Local Music Shops
- Facebook Marketplace
- Facebook Groups
- Craigslist
- Pawn Shops
- Garage Sale
- Flea Markets
- Vinyl Record Fairs
- Local Selling Apps and Sites
Where to Sell Vinyl Records: 12 Places for Successful Sales
Selling vinyl records online through marketplaces and online shops that buy vinyl records is one of the best ways to find a legitimate buyer for your collection. These places generally make it easy to sell your records, although some may offer more for your collection than others.
On that note, make sure you compare at least a few places to see where you can make the most money for your records.
Discogs
Discogs is the go-to place to explore music collections and sell your own. You can set up your shop on Discogs to sell your vinyl records. Think of it as an eBay, specifically for music collectors and sellers.
To set up a shop, you’ll need a verified PayPal account. Then, use the Discogs database to find the vinyl record or records you want to sell, add information about its condition, and use Discogs tools to see what your records can sell for. Finally, you can list them for sale and even set your shipping options and rates to ensure you get as much profit as possible.
Discogs fees for US sellers equal 9% of everything charged, including your listing price and shipping charges. So if your vinyl record is listed for $50, including shipping, Discogs’ cut is $4.50.
eBay
eBay is one of the oldest and most popular online selling marketplaces around, and you can sell just about everything on it, including vinyl records. You’ll get your own eBay shop to sell from, which you can add anything to, so you’re never stuck only selling vinyl records if you find something else you want to get rid of.
You’ll get at least 250 listings each month with no insertion fees. Then, eBay takes a cut of your final selling price. For vinyl records, the fee is 13.25% of the total sale up to $7,500 and 2.35% of the sale for the portion of the sale over $7,500.
eBay has lots of tools to make your job as a seller easier, like shipping calculators, sales templates, and promotions for customers.
Bonanza
Think of Bonanza as a more niche, smaller version of eBay. It’s similar in that you can open your own store on the marketplace to start selling virtually anything you want, but it has a more modest user base, so you may not get as many eyes on your vinyl records.
The good news is that some people looking for collectibles like vinyl records come to Bonanza for good deals from sellers, so you could still have the right person come along. You’ll also keep much more of your profits. Compared to eBay, Bonanza’s selling fees are much simpler and lower. You’ll have a $0.25 transaction fee per sale plus 3.5% of the final sale price for sales up to $1,000. For those over $1,000, there’s an additional 1.5% fee.
So, that hypothetical $50 sale I mentioned earlier? It comes with a fee of just $2 on Bonanza. It’s not a huge difference for smaller sales, but if you’re selling a full collection, the savings could really add up.
Cash For Records
Cash For Records is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company that buys vinyl records to resell. Its owner, Paul, meets sellers throughout Ohio and in multiple other states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, to buy their record collections. The company buys records in almost any music genre, but you can call Paul to discuss your collection, gauge the company’s interest, and negotiate pricing.
If Cash For Records is interested in your collection, they’ll travel to you to pick it up and pay you cash on the spot.
Etsy
Look on Etsy, and you’ll find lots of people selling vinyl records. It’s common for Etsy sellers to sell vinyl records to customers looking for records to use in crafting and decor, so it can be an especially good place to get a few bucks out of any records you have that are no longer playable.
You can start an Etsy shop for a one-time fee of $15. Listing fees are $0.20, and transaction fees are 6.5% of the listing price.
Amazon
Do you have sealed, unplayed vinyl records you’ve held onto over the years? If so, Amazon could be the right selling spot for them.
Years ago, Amazon was helpful in selling used items, but that’s not so much the case anymore. However, new items that haven’t been opened or altered in any way, including vinyl records, sell well.
If you have a lot to sell or plan on starting a business reselling vinyl records, consider buying a subscription for $39.99/month to save on fees. Otherwise, Amazon charges $0.99 per item sold.
DJ Records USA
DJ Records USA is an online buyer of vinyl records that accepts records from sellers all over the United States. Most genres are accepted here, including disco, Latin, blues, hip-hop, and soul, so you can probably have luck getting rid of your entire collection while making some extra cash.
To start the process, fill out the form on the website with some details about your collection. Then, someone will be in touch to ask more questions and set up an appointment to view and potentially buy your collection.
Vinylom
Vinylom is an online marketplace for all things media, including VHS and cassette tapes. However, vinyl records are among the most common items to buy and sell here. As a seller, you can sell your records for a set price or allow buyers to make an offer for consideration.
You can list your items on Vinylom manually after registering an account, but the site also allows you to upload your inventory from other selling spots, like Amazon or Discogs, to list your records in bulk on Vinylom. Listing is free, but Vinylom charges a 7% fee of your final sale price, including shipping charges.
VinylCollectors on Reddit
You can get some incredible insight into the vinyl record values, histories, and more by joining the VinylCollectors subreddit. Vinyl collectors share tips, ask for advice, and help each other through selling and buying vinyl records here.
And if you want to make a sale directly through the subreddit, you can do that, too. Sellers have a few rules to follow to sell directly in the subreddit, like being transparent about the selling price and not hosting auctions, but it’s an overall straightforward process. Sellers and buyers typically communicate with each other through Reddit messages to iron out all the details, but sellers can also provide payment links within their sales posts for buyers to purchase their listing.
Sell Your Vinyl Collection
The name says it all. Sell Your Vinyl Collection helps you do exactly that by visiting you to view and appraise your collection and potentially make a buying offer.
Sellers of most smaller collections should be located in or near the Los Alamitos, California, area. However, Sell Your Vinyl Collection has buyers willing to travel longer distances if you have an especially large or enticing collection. Virtually all musical genres are accepted, and the company buys records in very good, near-mint, or mint condition.
MusicStack
Don’t try MusicStack if you have 100 or fewer records to sell. You’re better off using Discogs or eBay for that.
However, if you own a record store or have a sizable collection to get rid of, MusicStack is a good place to try. It caters to a much smaller customer base than other online marketplaces but can be helpful when seeking niche buyers for rare records.
MusicStack takes an 8% commission on your sales.
Whatnot
Spend some time on the Vinyl subreddit, and you’ll see that vinyl enthusiasts are using an app called Whatnot to buy vinyl records. Because people are going there to buy records, you can likely have some success selling your records on the app.
Whatnot is a bit different from other selling apps in that it focuses on live streams to help sell your products. You can start a live stream to showcase your collection to prospective buyers and answer any questions in real-time to help you close deals.
You’ll need to go through a vetting process to get approved to go live, which you can help speed along by describing your previous online sales experience or current social media community.
Whatnot takes an 8% commission on the sold price and 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
Where To Sell Vinyl Records Near Me? 9 Places You Can Try
Selling locally is another option for vinyl records, especially if you don’t want to worry about the fees and shipping costs associated with selling online. Here are a few ways to do it.
Local Music Shops
If you have any nearby music shops that sell records, definitely try them first. Like the online vinyl record buyers I listed earlier, local music shops are often open to buying valuable collections from local sellers if they have the space and demand for them. But when you sell to local music shops, you can bring in your collection yourself rather than wait for an appointment with a buyer to come to you.
I suggest calling the shops in your area before lugging your records in with you just to get an idea of whether your collection has what they’re looking for and the estimated prices they’ll pay. Then, you can compare your options before settling on the best place.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is one of my personal favorite places to sell stuff near me, especially when I want to sell furniture locally. I’ve sold everything from baby clothes and children’s toys to tools and appliances using Facebook Marketplace, and the items I list usually don’t last for longer than a day or two on the platform.
Collectibles seem to do well on Facebook Marketplace, so most vinyl collections should sell without a hitch, especially if you live in a larger area. Take really good photos of your collection and leave a detailed description of what it includes, which helps avoid a lot of back-and-forth messages between you and interested buyers.
Extra Reading — Best-Selling Items on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Groups
Look for buying and selling groups on Facebook that are local to your area. Search for them by city or county.
These groups typically allow you to connect with potential record buyers by listing your vinyl collection directly in the group. Some also let you share your Facebook Marketplace listings with the group to get extra eyes on them.
Craigslist
Craigslist certainly isn’t as popular as it once was, but it’s still usable for selling. However, people living in or near large cities or metro areas tend to fare better as sellers on Craigslist than those in more rural areas.
Still, it’s free to use if you’re selling vinyl records, so there’s no harm in placing your collection there and seeing if anyone responds. But you’ll probably want to cross-post your collection somewhere else, too, like on Facebook Marketplace, to increase your sales opportunities.
Extra Reading — Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist – What’s Best For Sellers?
Pawn Shops
Pawn shops will sometimes offer cash for single vinyl records or entire collections if they think your records have enough demand. Vinyl that’s sealed or in mint or near-mint condition will have the best chance of getting you some decent cash.
Rare albums could net you more than you anticipated at a pawn shop, although you should get a private appraisal first if you think you might have one on your hands. For example, some versions of The Beatles’ Yesterday and Today album are valued at up to $25,000. A pawn shop without specific knowledge of vinyl records will likely give a much lower offer, but if you have a reputable appraisal for your collection, you could be looking at a lot more money for it.
Garage Sales
Don’t overlook a garage sale to sell your vinyl records locally. They take some time to set up and advertise, but you could find buyers for all your vinyl and whatever else you’d like to get rid of to declutter your home.
👉 Recommended reading: What NOT to sell at a garage sale
My most successful garage sales are the ones I advertised on Facebook on my personal profile and local buying and selling Facebook groups. I typically let people know about it at least a whole week ahead of time, which gives garage sale enthusiasts time to plan their schedule for that weekend. I also keep it open an entire weekend for 8-10 hours each day, opening early in the morning for early-bird shoppers.
Flea Markets
You might also know of flea markets as swap meets. Flea markets are helpful for people who sell one type of item, like vinyl records. If you have a large collection to get rid of, selling at a flea market could work.
Just keep in mind that you’ll need to pay a fee for your booth. Flea markets typically charge weekly or monthly, but some might have pricing for a weekend or one day.
Vinyl Record Fairs
If you didn’t know that vinyl record fairs and events were a thing, now you do.
Vinyl record fairs are where vinyl enthusiasts gather to showcase their collections to others, find records to buy, or just enjoy talking to other collectors. You can typically set up a booth for a fee to sell your records. It’s sort of like a flea market explicitly for vinyl records.
VinylTimes hosts a list of upcoming vinyl record fairs for the current year, so you can find one in your area.
Local Selling Apps and Sites
Want a mix of digital and local selling? Try local selling apps or websites for your vinyl records. They help you manage your listings online but allow you to sell your vinyl to people in your area, so there are no shipping costs to worry about.
Try these apps and sites:
Tips for How To Sell Vinyl Records
Now that you know where to sell vinyl records, I want to offer a few tips to help you get the most out of your collection when you’re ready to sell:
- Test Your Records. Vinyl records that don’t work won’t have much chance of selling. If they’re scratched to the point of no longer playing, consider tossing them or selling all unplayable records at a reduced price for crafters or decorators.
- Organize Your Collection. Separate your records into different musical genres and keep albums by the same artists together within each genre. This way, it’s easier for buyers to search your collection and potentially buy an entire genre or all albums from their favorite artists.
- Get An Appraisal. If you don’t have a firm grasp of what each record in your collection is worth—like if you inherited a collection and aren’t a collector yourself—consider paying for an appraisal or doing lots of research on your own. You’ll get a much better idea of how to price your collection to ensure you aren’t over- or underpricing.
- Vary Pricing by Condition. Weigh the condition of each album in your collection when pricing. For example, albums in mint condition are generally worth more than those in good condition. Having a general pricing list available can provide a quick reference when you’re selling.
- Take Quality Images. If you’re selling vinyl records online, take close-up images of the record itself and its sleeve to show potential buyers. Use good lighting, and be sure to highlight any scratches or defects visible in photos.
Final Thoughts
Before parting with your vinyl record collection, make sure you have ample time for researching, pricing, and selling your records. Each part of the process can take time, but it ensures you’re doing everything possible to get a fair price for your collection.
And once you do, you’ve successfully gotten rid of items you no longer need while making some extra money. If the mood hits, you could even use that cash to buy more vinyl records to flip and sell all over again.
If you ever feel stuck with valuing your collection or selling your records for the right price, I encourage you to look on YouTube. There are plenty of vinyl record experts there, like Too Many Records and Deaf Man Vinyl, with tips to help you make money selling vinyl records.
