Those old records you may have collecting dust down in the basement are worth more than you think. Sound Warehouse in Fayetteville buys and sells records. They’ve been in business for 30 years.
Back in the day, vinyl records were the thing, but CDs and digital downloads put a big dent in business. But lately, the old records are hot once again.
“A lot of older folks have a lot of old records laying around the basement that they don't listen to anymore and they're trying to get rid of them,” said Michael White, the store’s manager. “[There are] a lot of younger people who have never seen a record in their life. So it's a real novelty for them. The convergence of people wanting to get rid of vinyl and to buy some vinyl and they're coming here.”
They still have the hottest releases on CD, but there's an interesting mix of people that are interested in the record business once again.
Your old Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen albums may not be useful to you anymore, but in the right condition they could be worth cash.
Some music lovers feel like the old albums ''sound better’’ than the digital records.
“I think it's more the whole process, the feel, the shopping for it, the size of it,” White said. “There's a whole lot more to it. It’s not just the sound quality.”
Sound Wearhouse employees will let you listen to a record on the turntable up front and make sure it's not scratched. They'll even sell you a new turntable.
White says the Beatles and Zeppelin albums are the most popular and easiest records to sell. But they've got some hard to find stuff that is worth much more.
“Price wise we've got 25 cent records up to some that are $30 or $40,” White said. “It's the rarity and the quality of the record and how good of shape it's in. It depends how badly somebody wants it really determines the price.”
Here's the great thing about price. It’s almost like bartering with your friends back in the day. You can try to get a better offer. In this case, new technology has helped the ‘rock n' record’ debate.
“The internet has really leveled off some of the pricing,” White said. “You can see what an album is selling for all over the world and show it to me on your iPhone and haggle over the price right there.”