Forget what you paid for that record!

This is a tough one to learn - one I'm still learning myself. When you buy vinyl lps for resale, forget what you paid for each individual record as soon as you walk out of the store

When you go home to check them on eBay, you'll see ones come up that only go for $10. You're thinking, "But I paid $10, I need to charge $20 at least, maybe $25.". Forget it. Chalk it up to a lesson learned. Don't pay more than a buck for that Archies Greatest Hits. You need that money to turn over. Otherwise you'll be sitting on a pile on vinyl, hoping to get that $25 for that sealed Donnie Osmond...and having no money to put into the next buy.

If the completed listings is showing that lp selling for $10...people have multiple copies listed for $10 - $15, then you need to price it at $10. Maybe even mark it down to $5 to get your money out of it if it's a slow seller and there's plenty of copies out there.

List your items at the going rate, get your money out of them, and turn it over so you have the money for the next buy. If you're buying right, the mistakes you make will be far outweighed by all the records you picked up for a buck apiece and turned over for $25 each or more.

Consider it your vinyl tuition.

Don't Forget Back to Black Day, Next Friday, Nov. 26

Sorry for the late warning - this totally escaped me too!

A spin off event of Record Store Day is being held a week from today called Back to Black, a take-off on Black Friday, when traditionally stores start turning a profit for the year (not to mention being the #1 traffic day for stores.

This year's event features indy only releases from U2, Metallica, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen, along with The Ting Tings, Cee Lo Green, Dr. Dog, The Black Keys, Iron and Wine, Gaslight Anthem, MGMT, Roky Erickson and the Black Angels and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

It's probably too late to get product, but you might try. Of course, you know where to go

Record Store Day

If you're a US store and want priority allocation for next year's Record Store Day releases, deadline is Jan. 15, 2011.

Comedy lps selling for over $25

Selling comedy records is not a good way to get rich. The highest priced one went for 70 last week - it was Napoleon IV's "They're Coming to Take Me Away" featuring the novelty single of the same name. Another copy went unsold with an asking price of 40, which I think is more in line with the market.

The $50 Big Bambu was sealed, the others were unsealed, but contained the rolling paper. This one is still very findable at record stores, flea markets and yard sales. You'd be safe paying up to $10, as long as the rolling paper was included.

The 2 Buzzy Greenes are nudie covers, including one on the Fax label. This is always a good label to pick up - they're a solid bet to sell for at least $25.

The Ruth Wallis Ubangi Me is an aberration - most of her stuff goes for $10 or less. Ditto for the Bill Dana - if I could get $25 each for my Jose Jimenez records, I'd be writing this from the Bahamas.

The Eddie Lawrences don't come up very often, but I'm surprised at the $25 each they commanded - I would have guessed less.


Rudy Ray Moore - one of my faves - great covers and great stuff. Unfortunately, his lps have been dropping like a rock. If you keep an eye out, you can pick up gorgeous copies on eBay for 5 to 8 bux. You'd do better with these in a retail environment where you could show off the covers.

So here's this month's short list of comedy lps selling for more than $25. All items are in strong vg or better condition.

Napoleon XIV They're Coming to Take Me Away 70
Cheech & Chong Big Bambu 50
Conried,Hans & Pearce, Alice Monster Rally 50
Sacks, Sam Sing It Again, Sam 40
Greene,Buzzy Party Time 40
Greene,Buzzy Stag Party Special 35
Pryor,Richard Recorded Live at the Troubador 32
Katz,Mickey Katz At The U.N. Kleezmer 31
Wallis,Ruth Ubangi Me 30
Dotan,Dudu 30
Moore,Rudy Ray Below The Belt 30
Laff Skillet & Leroy 2 or 3 Times a Day 28
Kapp Dana,Bill Jose Jimenez in Orbit 25
Lawrence,Eddie The Side Splitting Personality 25
Lawrence,Eddie The Kingdom of Eddie Lawrence 25

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Strata East jazz lps sale prices for the last 2 weeks

Prices are bouncing back up for the Strata East records the last few weeks. Here's the top ten:

Weldon Irvine In Harmony $196
Heath Brothers Marchin' On 125
Mtume Umoja Ensemble Alkebu-Lan: Land of The Blacks 100
Clifford Jordan In the World 80
Ensemble Al-Salaam Sojourner 76
Larry Ridley Sum of the Parts 66
Milton Marsh Monism 57
Charles Sullivan Genesis 57
Charles Rouse Two is One 56
M'Boom Re: Percussion 51

All are vg+ or better, none sealed. Nice to see some prices over $100 again - the Weldon Irvine does not come up very often - I think this was a real deal. The Charles Rouse and the M'Boom are still down from their highs. If you have spare cash (ha! what's that?), you should consider filling in your Strata East collection before prices rebound more

top 25 78's on eBay last week

Here's this week's high priced 78's on eBay:

Columbia 14439 Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie When The Levee Breaks 3549
Victor 21066 Memphis Jug Band Beale Street Mess Around 1702
Paramount 12594 Dixieland Thumpers Oriental Man/Sock That Thing 1676
Gennett 6056 Tony Preer & the Cotton Club I Found A New Baby 1335
Okeh 8959 Charlie Burse w/Memphis Jug Insane Crazy Blues Go 971
Okeh 8889 Bo Carter Howling Tom Cat Blues 789
Melotone 07-06-7 George Noble Seminole Blues 783
Vocalion 1094 Henry Thomas John Henry 750
Vocalion 15728 Joe Mannone & Club Royale FareThee Well Foxtrot 750
Victor 221/222/223 Winnie The Pooh Winnie the Pooh Story Book 700
Victor 23342 Bennie Moten Kanas City Band Small Black – stomp 687
Columbia 14426 Peg Leg Howell & Jim Hill Chitlin' Supper 676
Okeh 45468 Walter Jacobs & Carter Bros. Dear Little Girl 622
Edison 52646 Eva Taylor West End Blues 611
New Bourbon Finocchio's World's Foremost Female Impersonators 562
Mercury A-22 Frankie Laine Wrap Your Troubles In Dream 537
Sun Elvis Presley That's All Right/Blue Moon 511
Vocalion 15819 Jimmie Noone & Apex Club Ain't Misbehavin' 500
JVB 34 Gales Killer 462
Victor 38145 Missourians Two Hundred Squabble 450
Columbia 14358 Johnny Dunn You Need Some Loving 450
USA Radio R Elvis Presley What I'd Say/Nothing 441
Columbia 14203-D Blind Willie Johnson Dark Was the Night 411
Meteor 5035 Wayne McGinnis Rock Roll & Rhythm 404
Okeh 8772 J.C. Higginbothan Higginbothan Blues 400

Look for my 78 rpm price guide coming out next month - based on sales figures...not "I'd like to get this for my record".

this week's roundup of the top ten selling 78's

Roundup of the top ten 78's on eBay last week...

1)Sun 184 Big Memphis Marainey Baby No No $3056
2)Paramoun 12955 Arnold Wiley Spider In Your Dumpling/Jumping Blues 2083
3)Okeh 45289 Carter Brothers & Son Old Jaw Bone/Fiddler a Dram 1252
4) Brunswick 7087Jabbo Smith Rhythm Aces Lina Blues/Croonin' the Blues 954
5)Okeh 8960 Memphis Jug BandMary Anna Cut Off/Memphis Showdown 954
6)Black Patti 8040 Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon Can't You Wait til You Get Home/I'm Gonna Steal You 811
7)Victor 40324 Grayson & Whitter I Saw a Man at the Close of Day/I've Always Been A Rambler 787
8)Brunswick 7132 George E. Lee OrchestraPaseo Strut/If I Could Be With You 750
9)Melotone 5.11.58 Buddy Moss See What You Done Done/Going to Your Funeral in a Vee Eight Ford 711
10)Sun 209 Elvis Presley That's All Right/Blue Moon 625


Speaking of Sun & Elvis, a lot of all 5 Elvis Suns went for a shade over $2000...prices have dropped. I sold a Sun 209 about 12 years ago for 2600 in excellent condition.

Also note, I have excluded classical 78s from the above list, as I know very little about classical 78s.

Top ten 78's on eBay

Since I'm always dogging '78s, here's a compilation of the top 10 78's sold on eBay in the last 2 weeks.
1)3000 classical 78's $3269
2)Robert Johnson Terraplane Blues 1276
3)Bix Beiderbeicke 1927 Okeh master 1259
4)Sam Kelly Ramblin' Around Blues on Von 1226
5)Frankie Yankovic polka on Jolly 515 915
6)Frankie Yankovic polka on Jolly 509 915
7)Elvis Presley Sun 217 900
8)Beatles I Want to Hold Your Hand (Phillipines)899
9)Beatles All My Loving (Phillipines) 899
10)Beatles Can't Buy Me Love (Phillipines) 899

A Sun Elvis of Mystery Train went for 850. Can't be surprised at the Robert Johnson, but jeez, the Bix? Yeah, it'a unique piece for sure, but it's Bix. Frankie's moving on up, Elvis- well, no surprise there. Of course, the Beatles 78's always do well for all you completists out there.

Happy Hunting!