Joe Theobald, aka DJ Captain Wormhole, Looks at all things vinyl 

SELLING records should be easy. In an uncertain world where the sterling in your account can plummet in value at the reckless whim of a foppish old Etonian, the reassurance of owning music on a physical format is as pragmatic as it is alluring.

No physical format can compete with the trusty vinyl record. Recent global sales figures reinforce this and anyone acquainted with the big black discs rarely picks up a MiniDisk player or eight-track cartridge ever again.

Despite the superiority of vinyl, and inspired by my anticipation of another new record store opening in the town, I thought it would be sporting to share a few tips on purveying records.

Years of being the customer and my own limited experience selling vinyl through Discogs have gone into this:

  • Condition is king - Record collectors can be an extremely discerning crowd, particularly collectors of Prog and Psychedelia, who are mainly nerds.
  • Learn the difference between a Near Mint and Very Good Plus disc - as soon as possible, then price accordingly. It will save you a lot of bother, particularly when selling online to a man called Vlad from Estonia.
  • Scarcity - sells, DJs in particular love to own something no one else within a 100-mile radius has (for some obvious reasons and other deep-seeded psychological complexes). The best way to flip a record is to tell someone it’s the only one you’ve ever seen, in years of selling, swapping and collecting.
  • If you really want to seal the deal, tell your mark that the object of desire isn’t even for sale - that one is bound to get them bee-lining to the nearest cash machine.
  • Re-up on the reg If you’re making a business out of pushing wax I think the most important thing is to keep your stock fresh.
  • Regularly replenishing the shelves will keep customers coming back and, as collectors are a competitive bunch, you’ll benefit from one-upmanship and rivalry between local “heads”.

     Next week: Through the keyhole at RPM.