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The last few weeks have seen more than their share of casualties buying online, so I thought I might share some of these, to allow fellow collectors to experience vicariously the misfortune of others. They call it schadenfreude, such a good word that it has … Continue reading
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View full screen Sponsored by the The Jazz Festival of San Seriffe LJC says: Thanks for looking. Good Luck.
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Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware. An occasional post on collecting life on Ebay: a case study The story begins two weeks ago with a seller who claims to be a collector of rare Blue Notes, forced to sell some gems … Continue reading
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Two more second-hand record shops I frequent regularly in London are in the process of closing their doors due to rent increases. The story is the same each time: the business is moving online as the only way to survive. We … Continue reading
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Tips for buying records online Health Warning: I can only offer my opinion based on my own experience as a buyer of over 250 jazz vinyl online purchases, with about a 5% catastrophe rate, which I think is probably better than … Continue reading
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With only a few hundred copies of Blue Note 1568 Hank Mobley in existence, and few people inclined to or able to spend around $5,000 on a record, there is a very exclusive club, The Mobley 1568 Owners Club. They should meet every … Continue reading
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No.3 or possibly No.4 in an occasional series on Life on Ebay Idle Moments BN 4154 near-mint Yesterday a record that is probably the Number One of my Twenty-Blue-Notes-to-own-before-you-die went under the hammer, for $731. Not to me I hasten … Continue reading
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Track Selection 1: Johnny One Note London 2012 bonus! Track Selection 2. First Eleven Artists Freddy Logan (b) Allan Ganley (d) Gordon Beck (p) Tubby Hayes (ts,ss,vib) Jimmy Deuchar (t) recorded live at The Ronnie Scott Club, London on 17-18th … Continue reading
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(click to view full screen) Top Twenty records – highest prices achieved Popsike is a popular source for historical record values but doesn’t offer any statistical search facilities – at least not in the free version – and reported mean values are … Continue reading
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Occasional snapshots of life collecting on eBay Ebay record buyer 2008soolynn from South Korea has had a run of bad luck. He is not happy and he is letting sellers know it. Sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. … Continue reading
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Ahoudori1947, the bidder anonymised as a***4, is the Ebay identity of the Tokyo group of vinyl record stores “Disk Union”. I estimate they spend over $1,000 a day every day buying premium collectible jazz vinyl on eBay: That is four wins … Continue reading
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It occurred to me of late, it is all very well bragging about your latest scores, relishing everyone being consumed with jealousy, oh that’s sooo nice, but what gets very little airtime are the near-misses, and the downright failures. So I’m launching eFail, the … Continue reading
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エスクァイア 誌は、非常に、英語はありがとうございました Two dozen or more very desirable UK Esquire pressings of some of Prestige’s most collectible titles from the Fifties came under the eBay hammer in the last few weeks, from the respected US seller of collectible jazz Roverd-90, Harry Hasbun of Gainsville Va . … Continue reading
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After a long run of bids I thought were “realistic” being trumped, I was curious and decided to do a little research as to who are these jazz collectors putting in “premium bids”on collectible jazz, in some cases £50 to 100 more than … Continue reading
Ebay record auctions are a measure of the world’s pulse on collectible jazz. Three or is it now seven trillion people on the planet, and only a few hundred collectors and traders in the whole world set the current “going rate” and confirm how desirable some of these records are.
Ultra-rare records have always earned their premium – the mint Mobley 1568, or 1538 Jutta Hipp whatever, and other entries in the famousJazz Collector $1,000+ bin. Cheap compared to a Ming vase or Picasso, but expensive to us ordinary mortals. I am more interested in the going rate for “bread and butter” collectible jazz, Blue Note being among the most collectible. I am usually interested first in the home UK sellers to avoid postage premium, shipping delays, customs charges, or problems with dispute returns.In the last week I have noticed a new benchmark for these “mid-field” collectibles:
A handful I was bidding on all went through the roof. What would have sold for £100-175 a few months ago seems to have risen to now £200-275.
Ebay allows you to check back on the location of auction winners via the feedback listing of sellers. In the past when I have followed up high prices in Blue Notes the South East Asia connection has been strong. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. This time my interest picked up, in addition to our German friends (lots of “Musik” in the history) an unexpected number of Russian Federation buyers, and damn it, UK audiophiles (buying history includes lots of tubes and components) . I guess if you are going to spend £20,000 on a turntable, £250 on record is no big deal.
While the whole world is downloading and sharing for free, those of us who want “the real thing” are going to have to tighten our belts, remortgage the house, or just turn our sights on the “less collectible”.
