Sleevebay guide
How much are my vinyl records worth?
A record is worth what someone recently paid for the same pressing in the same condition. Four things set that: which pressing it is, the condition of the record and sleeve, how many copies exist, and how many people want one. Most records sell for a few pounds or dollars; a small number sell for a great deal.
An honest start
Records were made by the million. The albums that sold best in their day are the ones that turn up in every charity shop, and plenty of copies chasing few buyers means a low price, however good the music is. Age alone adds nothing.
The valuable ones tend to be records that sold poorly when new and are wanted now: small-label soul, jazz, reggae, punk and psychedelia, private pressings, withdrawn sleeves, promotional copies, early pressings of albums that later became famous.
What sets the price
The pressing. A first pressing can be worth many times a reissue of the same album, and one country’s pressing more than another’s. So the first job is to find out exactly which one you have.
The condition. The difference between Near Mint and Very Good can be half the price or more, and the sleeve counts as well as the disc. Grade honestly, and lower when unsure.
How complete it is. Inserts, posters, lyric sheets, stickers and the original inner sleeve all matter to collectors.
Supply and demand. A scarce record nobody is looking for stays cheap. A common one that everybody wants holds its price only in top condition.
Where prices come from
There is no official price list. The only real evidence is what copies have actually sold for, so look at completed sales on the marketplaces where records change hands, not at what sellers are asking: anyone can ask anything.
Compare like with like: the same pressing, in the same condition, sold recently. One high sale is not a price; several sales in a narrow range are.
A price guide book or a dealer’s list is a starting point at best, and dates quickly. A local record shop will tell you what they would pay, which is less than what they would sell it for: that gap is how the shop stays open.
What Sleevebay does, and doesn’t
Sleevebay has no prices of its own, and we don’t invent estimates. For each record it identifies the pressing, keeps your grade and what you paid, and gives a link that opens the record’s page on Discogs so you can look for yourself. You can note your own estimate against a record, and the totals of what you paid and what you estimate are added up for you.
That is deliberate. An app that shows a confident number for every record is guessing for most of them.
If you are selling
Sort the collection first: pull out anything on a small label, anything in unusually clean condition and anything you can’t easily identify, and look those up one at a time. Sell the rest as a lot.
Clean the records, grade them honestly, photograph the labels and any flaws, and describe the pressing exactly. Buyers pay more when they trust the description.
Questions
Are old records worth money?
Some are, most are not. Value comes from scarcity and demand, not age. A common album from the 1970s in average condition usually sells for very little.
Does a record have to be mint to be valuable?
No, but condition changes the price sharply. A rare record in VG can still be valuable; a common one usually needs to be Near Mint to be worth much.
Can an app tell me what my collection is worth?
An app can only repeat prices from somewhere else, and only for the exact pressing and condition. Treat any total as a rough guide, and check the records that matter one by one.
Should I clean records before selling them?
Yes, gently. A clean record grades and plays better. Don’t use household cleaners, and don’t try to polish out scratches.