Hunting from Home — Online Record Auctions
There’s some risk in letting readers know about this next discovery—the online record auction. I am not sure how common they are because I have only frequented one. And, by telling others about it, it is conceivable that there could be more competition for the records I want when I visit this auction.
However, if I did not share this knowledge, I might feel I was keeping secrets from others who love record-hunting adventures of their own.
I bring this up as a side benefit because it is a great way for record shop small business owners to market to customers outside their local area. This creates additional revenue they may not consistently see in-store foot traffic. I call myself a fan of these people, who make classic albums available to music fans and collectors but face the same real-world economic challenges as any other small business.
I have previously mentioned Rock this Town Records, a nearby record shop in Gilbert, Arizona. I have been following them on the book of faces (or Facebook, if you prefer) since I started frequenting their store. First, let me just mention that I have found the store’s inventory to be of a decent size, but the quality of the records I have bought there has been consistently high. And I have found their pricing to be reasonable. I expect to see higher costs for rare albums or ones in exceptional condition, but I also frequently find records that are in outstanding condition for under $20.
A few months back, I saw a Facebook event for RTTR announcing a live record auction. I hadn’t heard of such a thing, so I figured I would check it out. The host and store owner, Malcolm, brought out two or three milk crates of records and flipped through them for as long as it took. Most sessions I have attended have lasted about an hour. I find the broadcast entertaining, and it reminds me of albums I may have forgotten about.
There seem to be a few different “modes” to these broadcasts. There are new records that have a set price and can be reordered if they sell out. There is also an assortment of resale vinyl, typically priced for store sale — which happens if the records don’t sell during the auction. Sometimes, these records go first come, first served, with the first person mentioning they want a record at the offered price, earning the win. But, if there is interest from multiple parties, auction mode kicks in.
This is where the fun starts. Recently, Malcolm took a copy of Bob Dylan’s Unplugged off the wall, telling a story about how, with a $99 price tag, it has lingered in-store for months with no interest. For this session, Malcolm put the price at $29, and all of a sudden, there were multiple takers, with the record getting bid up and up and up. It wound up going for over $100, proving that the original sticker price may have been a good deal after all.
I had yet to take part in a bidding war until tonight. I have seen albums I want hit $300 in the past, and there are not a lot of albums I would add to my collection at that price. Tonight, they had a Japanese pressing of Steve Perry’s Street Talk, a Journey-related find I have yet to re-add to my collection. I have it on CD, but was happy to claim this favorite first at the price of $24. Bad luck for me, though, because five other people were interested in this disc. I tapped out early, knowing I have other records to shop for this weekend. The record wound up going for $60.
The auctions take place Wednesday through Friday in the evenings — 8:00 PM ET. As I understand it, they will send out invoices after all three auctions are done and ship out the items at once. I made my first three broadcast purchases this week, scoring $9 copies of Who’s Next, Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is, and The Firm’s Mean Business.
If you want to check out the auction, follow Rock This Town on YouTube, or hit their Facebook page. A quick shout-out of congratulations to them as well, as they are celebrating their second year of doing business this weekend!
In some rudimentary searches, I have found comparable auctions aplenty. One, by CollectCo, I found by searching YouTube. Their auction was over five hours long and was much more like a traditional auction—speedy introductions and then on to the next item. They must have gone through hundreds of items in that time.
Other collector sites look to be in a “silent” auction style. I won’t go into much depth on these unless I get some first-hand experience.
I recommend seeking out at least one of these online auctions if you are casually collecting like me. Whether you purchase anything or not, you will see many records quickly, which may add to the list of what to look for the next time you visit your favorite local shop.
I’m still seeking responses to my poll… click HERE! Thanks for reading!
