Selling or otherwise disposing of CDs - suggestions

[Frances_iom]

I supply (on a v small scale) CDs of Manx related material with most going overseas to the Manx diaspora - I use a small envelope with a thin card insert with the CD in a paper sleeve - so far over 10+ years only had one reported breakage in post and that when a US postie folded the envelope to push into a US mail box - the recipient got both a free replacement and later compensation from USPO

[bluestateprommer]

I have more CDs now than I really need. I have options:

Dump them
Take them to charity shops
Try to sell them.

I try to sell on Amazon when it's feasible. This perhaps falls into the category of "time rich, money modest", since you do have to be willing to play the long game and wait it out for as long as it takes to sell your product. Unfortunately, Amazon has recently instituted weird rules where some items require you to request "Popular Music" approval, and you have to have receipts/invoices/documents within 6 months of the current date as proof of purchase. This is complete nonsense for individuals like me, who don't have businesses and have had some of these selections for years before selling, so that receipts aren't an option.

Other times, there are some local used music shops which are willing, sometimes, to take some of my used stuff. I did recently unload a few CDs at a Half Price Books store, which does things differently in that they don't give store credit, but simply pay modest amounts of cash for what they're willing to take. So I got very little $ for those CDs, but at least they're out of the house and hopefully someone at that store will buy them. A long shot, to be sure, since this is classical.

OTOH, if you have a list of what you want to unload, maybe it's worth sharing, either here if you want others to see, or maybe by PM. (Granted, from the US, if you had stuff that I might be interested in, funds transfer is an issue.)

[cloughie]

OTOH, if you have a list of what you want to unload, maybe it's worth sharing, either here if you want others to see, or maybe by PM. (Granted, from the US, if you had stuff that I might be interested in, funds transfer is an issue.)

Hello, bsp. I hinted in #2 that there maybe an internal market amongst the many collectors on these boards, and exchanging our unwanted discs may be an option. Funds transfer may well be an issue between UK and US, but if wecare trading discs then the barter system should work. Also shipping costs can be reduced if jewel cases are removed and packaging kept to a minimum. I have a list which I can be PM! I have stopped selling on Amazon for the reasons you state, and they are a little greedy with their cut!

[LMcD]

By giving my unwanted CDs to a charity shop (and volunteering twice a week) I can feel less guilty about automatically binning the charitable appeals which regularly pop through my letter box - sometimes from outfits (ZANE = Zimbabwe A National Emergency, for one, and a horse sanctuary in Norfolk) that somehow got hold of my address....

[cloughie]

By giving my unwanted CDs to a charity shop (and volunteering twice a week) I can feel less guilty about automatically binning the charitable appeals which regularly pop through my letter box - sometimes from outfits (ZANE = Zimbabwe A National Emergency, for one, and a horse sanctuary in Norfolk) that somehow got hold of my address....

...and maybe you’re in poll position for acquisition of stock from the shop!

[Mal]

I've found Music Magpie good for buying :) They fight hard to keep top spot on Amazon so they often incite a race to the lowest price, and then beat their Amazon price on their own site (with 2 for £2 offers and the like...) So why not sell them to Music Magpie? You get a pittance but it makes off loading easy, and you are supporting an efficient seller!

[Stanfordian]

I've found Music Magpie good for buying :) They fight hard to keep top spot on Amazon so they often incite a race to the lowest price, and then beat their Amazon price on their own site (with 2 for £2 offers and the like...) So why not sell them to Music Magpie? You get a pittance but it makes off loading easy, and you are supporting an efficient seller!

From my experience when using Music Magpie and some other sellers I often feel that the condition of the CD that arrives is less than that described. This seems an increasing trend in my view.

[Bryn]

From my experience when using Music Magpie and some other sellers I have often felt that the condition of the CD that arrives is less than that described. This seems an increasing trend in my view.

It can work both ways. I have fairly often found that a CD described merely as "Good" had turned up to be brand new and still in its film wrapping.

[Stanfordian]

It can work both ways. I have fairly often found that a CD described merely as "Good" had turned up to be brand new and still in its film wrapping.

That's not my experience, at all!

[LMcD]

...and maybe you’re in poll position for acquisition of stock from the shop!

I do pick up some great bargains, but they tend to be boxed sets of TV dramas, such as Secret Army' series 1-3 for 5 pounds (for some reason, I can't switch to a UK English keyboard when posting)

[cloughie]

That's not my experience, at all!

Quite correct,Stanfordian, their merchandise varies between barely acceptable and unplayed in original cellophane, but is all advertised as very good. In their defence their prices are usually very competitive and any complaints re condition are sorted immediately. So yes OK to buy from but for what they offer as a buyer I would rather give away to a local charity. But I would still say there’s a trading market within these boards where we can do swaps or sell to each other at ultra-bargain prices via PMs.

[LMcD]

Quite correct,Stanfordian, their merchandise varies between barely acceptable and unplayed in original cellophane, but is all advertised as very good. In their defence their prices are usually very competitive and any complaints re condition are sorted immediately. So yes OK to buy from but for what they offer as a buyer I would rather give away to a local charity. But I would still say there’s a trading market within these boards where we can do swaps or sell to each other at ultra-bargain prices via PMs.

That's good to know, because I've just notified them about a defective DVD! (My previous order - a CD of music by Sullivan - was delivered promptly and in perfect condition).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

From my experience when using Music Magpie and some other sellers I often feel that the condition of the CD that arrives is less than that described. This seems an increasing trend in my view.

It can work both ways. I have fairly often found that a CD described merely as "Good" had turned up to be brand new and still in its film wrapping.

That's not my experience, at all!

Quite correct,Stanfordian, their merchandise varies between barely acceptable and unplayed in original cellophane, but is all advertised as very good.

FWIW, my experience with Music Magpie is the same as Bryn's - excellent second-hand CDs, usually described as "Good" or "Very Good". I've only once (in several dozen transactions) had a faulty disc - the final track of the Belart Boult RVW 3 & 5 - which they instantly refunded and replaced. Their delivery times are usually speedier than most of their competitors, too. "Some other sellers" are, indeed, less reliable.

[Mal]

It can work both ways. I have fairly often found that a CD described merely as "Good" had turned up to be brand new and still in its film wrapping.

When do Music Magpie advertise anything as Good? They seem to advertise everything as "Very Good" on Amazon, and "Used" on their own site.

Bryn is right, often the CD is less than very good. I've had some bad luck recently, getting some "hardly acceptable" disks. This has put me off Music Magpie for now. Their basic system is good, but they need to do some work on quality control. I reckon 2 out of 3 disks they've sent me have been Very Good; they need to filter out the 'orrible stuff. A forumista complained about MM not paying for disks that are less than VG... they just discarded them and didn't pay the seller 1p. Good! They need to get stricter.

I'm experimenting with buying at least Like New on Amazon at the moment, just received a "LN" book that's yellowed, bent, and badly wrapped. VG would be a stretch. At least I can hammer his Amazon rating in revenge .

As there is no rating system on Music Magpie site it might be safer buying from Music Magpie on Amazon, because you can rate them there. (Their rating on Amazon is quite high so perhaps they send out the better stuff to Amazon buyers...) Anyone any experience there?

Best experience recently was at my local car boot sale, 4 sealed CDs for £2, including the rare Hogwood/Haydn 76, 77 (the CD that wasn't in the box set...) So why not try selling at car boot sales? You can advertise ones your going to on here and some forumistas might get along to swell the vast crowds of classical music lovers that attend these sales.

[Bryn]

When do Music Magpie advertise anything as Good? They seem to advertise everything as "Very Good" on Amazon, and "Used" on their own site. . . .

The message I quoted and responded to referred to "Music Magpie and some other sellers", not just Music Magpie.