Vinyl Records buying policy
Buying Your Vinyl Records
When it comes to us buying your vinyl records basically condition is everything! How much is your vinyl worth? Before we even consider the value of your records, we must first consider the condition. We do appreciate that your records may not be pristine as they would have been played and loved but we only buy records that are in a decent resalable condition. The better the condition the higher their value.
Next, we have to consider how sought-after they are. How rare and desirable the record collection is. Many titles originally sold in the millions when originally released and most of them are still around, every charity shop is full of them. These titles would need to be close to pristine before we can consider them, whereas minor defects are okay with rarer and more sought-after records. The rarer it is the more defects are acceptable.
Please see our Most Wanted page for examples of the types of records that we are most interested in.
Even quite rare records aren’t worth much if they are in poor condition.
We are Vinyl Record LP buyers based in Blackpool, Lancashire. We travel to you in Lytham St Annes, Garstang, Preston, Blackburn, Lancaster, Lancashire, and throughout the North of England and even further for the right items. If you have less than 30 items please call us to discuss options, the value of the items will determine whether or not it is viable to travel to you. If not viable to travel we can agree on a price by phone, you post to us, and we will pay for postage. Various payment options are available.
Vinyl Record Condition Grading system
We use the following grading system to give you the fairest price possible when buying your vinyl records:
The first grade is for the sleeve and the second grade is for the disc. Eg. EX/EX means that the sleeve of the item is in Excellent condition and the disc is also in Excellent condition.
If you have any questions please get in touch.
Mint (M) is perfect in every way. We only grade M if still sealed.
Near Mint (NM) A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won’t give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly) that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should have no more than the most minor defects, such as no more than a couple of almost invisible wispy hairline marks caused by the paper sleeve or other signs of slight handling. The cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits, or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves, and the like. A record in Near Mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap.
Excellent (EX) Generally worth 50 percent of the Near Mint value. An excellent record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don’t affect one’s listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are “OK”. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The centre hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners or a slight seam-split. It may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation, or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.
Very Good (VG) Generally worth 20 percent of Near Mint value. Many of the defects found in an EX record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song’s intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them
We usually only buy records in the above conditions.
Only quite rare records would be considered if they are in the following conditions.
Good (G), Good Plus (G+) Generally worth 10-15 percent of the Near Mint value. Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear. A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear, or other defects will start to overwhelm the object.
Poor (P), Fair (F) Generally worth 0-5 percent of the Near Mint price. The record is cracked, badly warped, and won’t play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams, and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully seam split, crinkled, and written upon. We generally don’t buy records in this condition except for impossibly rare records or otherwise unattainable.
If you have a list you can email it via our contact page, don’t worry if you don’t, you can phone and speak to us, We are happy to discuss buying your vinyl records i.e. quantity, condition, and location.