Selling Used CDs

selling used CDs

Selling Used CDs for Cash

 

12 Year veterans selling used CDs on eBay and Amazon teach internet sellers tricks of the trade and which high value CDs to look for at garage sales, yard sales, thrift stores, and other second-hand locations.

When I first got into internet selling from home 15 years ago, I thought it would be easy to make cash selling used CDs.  Everybody had CDs and everybody is looking for music to add to their collection.The problem with selling used compact discs is that many popular CDs sold millions of copies, so there is an overabundance of used CDs that are available on eBay and Amazon.

Making substantial money on used CDs is not easy.  You cannot just buy any pile of used CDs at a garage sale and make money on them.

 

Selling Used CDs for Profit: Tips and Guidelines

 

  • Condition is very important. You can sell CDs with no cases on Amazon, but in order to get full price, CDs should have only very light surface wear, cases should be whole with no cracks or broken hinges and there should be no paperwork inserts missing.
  • It’s hard to make money on popular CDs as there were millions sold. Look for rare CDs.
  • Know what the hot collectible and niche genres are on eBay.  Some genres to look for:  Punk Rock, Metal, Blues, Classical (not pop classical like Boston Pops, Bernstein, etc), Audiophile CDs, CD box sets.
  • Grab any CDs that you can find for free. Also save empty cases for replacing broken cases that you may find later.  If you find free CDs, but the CDs are badly scratched, save the empty case.
  • DO NOT SELL SCRATCHED CDs! It’s not worth the couple of dollars in sales to receive a negative feedback, when a customer receives a CD that will not play in their player.

    colorful CDs

    Selling Used CDs without Cases is OK on Amazon

  • Make sure that you have the supplies and packaging necessary to process your CDs for resale.  We have a selection of products that we use available by clicking the products at the bottom of the page.
  • Be careful building a large inventory of used CDs. In my opinion, this is a dying niche.  Fewer and fewer people are buying CDs, as the digital MP3 format is making CDs obsolete.  Music collectors usually opt for vinyl over CDs.

 

Money for Used CDs at Garage Sales

 

yard sale photo

Selling Used CDs: Yard Sales Can Yield Many  Free CDs to sell on Amazon

Garage sales, yard sales, and estate sales can be the best locations to find CDs at low costs, or for free.Often, the yard sale host is not the owner of the CDs, so there is no emotional attachment.  Do not pay more than $1 for any CDs that you find at garage sales, unless it is still new and sealed.  It is common to find large lots of CDs for 25c or 50c.  You can usually make an offer that lowers the cost further.  Offer to buy a bunch of CDs at a lower cost per item, or offer to buy the whole lot.

 

Cash for Used CDs at Thrift Stores

 

Be careful buying used CDs from thrift stores like Goodwill.  They often have their CDs overpriced, and leave re-sellers no room for profit.  Many Goodwill stores have their CDs priced at $1.99 a piece, or higher.   Other thrift stores will have their CDs priced at $1 or more.

Here are some tips to finding quality CDs to sell at thrift shops:

  • Buy CDs on their 50% off days at Goodwill (Colored Stickers indicate 50% off)

    taylor swift cd

    Taylor Swift CDs May Look Good to the Beginning Seller, but They are Low Return CDs, due to Millions Being Sold.

  • Know how much the CDs are worth BEFORE buying them.  Use a smart phone with a bar code scanner to pre-price CDs before buying.  This is the ONLY way to know for sure if you will make money on the CD, when you are talking about spending $1-2 a piece for them.
  • Look for genres that sell (See above)
  • CHECK THE CONDITION OF THE CD’S BEFORE BUYING.  It is very common for other customers at thrift shops to steal the CDs, and leave the case.  Make sure that the CD that you are not paying for an empty CD case!
  • Find the thrift shops that sell CDs for $1 or less.  Salvation Army stores often sell their CDs for $1 a piece.  Some smaller thrifts will sell CDs for under $1.
  • Look for CDs still sealed in original shrinkwrap
  • Look for rare CDs and CDs with small pressing numbers (not mainstream).


Buying and Selling Used CDs: eBay and Craigslist

 

  • Making consistent money by buying CD lots on eBay and reselling single CDs on eBay and Amazon is possible, but it is difficult to make real money doing it.  There are a ton of used CD sellers that you are competing with for inventory.  You are not going to get a large lot of CDs at a low enough bid price that you can make a lot of money, but you can make some money if you are able to win auctions at a low price.
  • You can find some local deals on Craigslist.  Just be careful about spending too much on lots.  People usually think their CDs are worth more than what they really are.

 

How to Sell Used CDs Online

 

CDs and other media items are very manageable products to deal with.  CDs are small and easy to package and ship.  They do not take up much storage room.You can store thousands of CDs in a small closet or bookshelf.

You can also package them easily in padded envelopes or b-flute cardboard packaging.You can also ship CD Lots on eBay via USPS Media Mail, making them affordable for bidders.  Here are some options for where to sell used CDs on the internet:

Selling Used CDs on Amazon:

selling used cds on amazon

Selling Used CDs on Amazon Allows Sellers to Build a Large Inventory with No Fees

Amazon is easily the most productive and efficient website when selling used CDs online.  They have a HUGE customer base and you can list items for FREE.  You do not get charged until your item sells. We have an entire webpage dealing with how to sell on Amazon.

  • It is an outstanding investment to set yourself up with a smart phone, and then download Amazon’s free Price Check Application.  You can scan bar codes on CDs, and see instantly what they are worth before you buy them.
  • You can list a CD in less than one minute, especially if you are listing a bunch of CDs at once.  Use a description like: ‘Complete CD in case, with artwork. Light general wear to CD. FAST 1st Class shipping, with tracking #. International orders welcome.’  Then all you have to do is find the CD title’s sales page on Amazon.  Then, you copy and paste your description, with only quick modifications for condition differences in the CDs.  I can list 50 CDs in about 15-20 minutes.
  • No listing fees (Much better than on eBay).  You do not pay a dime until your item sells.
  • You are given a $2.99 shipping credit, which covers your shipping and packaging cost. Most CDs should be shipped USPS 1st class mail.  It is about the same cost as Media Mail, usually a bit less.  Your customers will get their CDs in a couple days, instead of 7-10 days.
  • Describe the condition of the CD surface, the case, and specify if the CD has all of the interior artwork (booklet inside the CD, and the back art/song titles).

How to Sell Used CDs on eBay

Making cash for CDs can be faster on eBay than on Amazon.  You can list a CD and sell it within 3 days, if you choose.  eBay also allows you to list media items for .05c for a 30 day fixed price listing.  More and more people are getting away from bidding on auctions on eBay and buying items through fixed price listings.  That way, you can have the item quicker.  You don’t have to wait for the auction to end several days later.

  • eBay is good if you want a quick turnaround, or you want to sell a bunch of similar CDs in one lot.  You can do really well selling lots of CDs in certain categories like Metal, Punk, Blues, Christian Rock, etc.  Pop CDs are still hard to sell, unless you have a lot of them.
  • CDs are easy to list as Fixed Price items.  You can either find your CD title from the lsiting page, or find it in the active eBay listings and click on ‘Sell one Like This’.  That way, you use pre-filled details and a stock photo.  You just type in a short condition description.
  • Do your research.  Look through ‘Completed eBay Listings’ to see what genres of CDs are selling well.

Selling Used CDs: SecondSpin.com

SecondSpin is a website that gives you cash for used CDs at set rates.  You just type in your UPC number or CD title.  Their payout is displayed.  If you choose to sell, you ship them the CDs that you have selected and they pay you via Paypal.  SecondSpin is a nice alternative to Amazon, if you want your money immediately.

 

Summary
Article Name
Selling Used CDs
Description
Selling used CDs can be very profitable, IF you know what types of CDs to look for and where to sell them for maximum profit. Hint: It's not eBay. Author Eric MIchael of Passive Income for Life offers many free tips on selling CDs for profit.
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