Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
How to make money from your old CDs
Reading Time: 4 minutesTo keep you clearing out your clutter we’ve shared articles on how to sell your old VHS tapes and Cassettes. Well, know it’s time to make money from your CDs. Whilst they are still somewhat popular, many people have moved fully to streaming. Negating the need for physical copies of their favourite music.
But keen collectors are still out there, looking for their old favourites or limited release CDs that they missed out on the first time around. Keep reading to find out how to sell these old CDs and where to look if you’re thinking of investing.
Where to sell
There are so many options out there to sell online as well as selling in person so we’re giving you a rundown on where to sell your collection.
eBay
eBay is a good choice when it comes to online selling, they let you sell almost anything on the site and it reaches thousands of people globally. At present there are over 5,300,000 listings for CDs on the site, so taking a look through and judging the price of your collection could be a great start.
Amazon
Amazon lets you list your items through your own personal store. They sell both new and used CDs on the platform. However, listing through amazon does involve seller fees so it might not be worth it for you.
Car Boot Sales
Car boot sales are a great place to pick up bargains so why not try selling your CDs there. You might not get as much there as you might on eBay but if your main goal is to make a little money on the side – this is a great option.
Should I invest?
Research done by the bpi shows that the drop off in CD sales has reduced from 27% annually between 2018 – 2020 to just 12% in 2021. Sales were boosted by global superstars such as Ed Sheeran, Adele, and Abba so it looks like the CD boom might be happening soon.
If you’re in it for a bit of nostalgia then definitely get investing in your favourite CDs. To some, it feels much more satisfying to own a physical copy than it does to simply stream online. Physical CDs also often sound better than online streams as they can be played through better speaker systems.
Big Spinners – The Most Expensive CDs Sold
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Coil – Live Box
This is a collection of 6 CDs, released in 2003 just 23 copies were made of this edition. The boxes are hand-drawn and illuminated. No two are alike with each being singed on the outside by Ian Johnstone and Peter Christopherson. Each box has a new title given to it by Jhonn Balance and also included a card signed by him on the inside. One can be yours for the small price of $3,226.
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Various – Woodstock: Back To The Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive
Woodstock – Back to the Garden
Released in 2019 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Woodstock a limited run of 1969 numbered copies were released. Alongside these, 238 promotional copies all numbered #0000/1969. Consisting of 38 CDs, packaged into 3 books, 1 for each day this is a mega-collection for a Woodstock fan. The collection came with a Blu-ray disk, a book and more all packaged in a wooden box wrapped in a guitar strap. But at $2,891.57 is a big investment for most, but if you’re lucky enough to have one in the loft it might be worth cashing in.
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Michael Jackson – Smile
Michael Jackson’s Smile
You might be smiling if you find a copy of this in your draw especially with its price tag being $2739.73. However, the CD was never released with most CDs and records being destroyed just before the release date. Some did manage to escape making it one of the rarest items in the Michael Jackson discography.
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Bob Dylan – The 50th Anniversary Collection
This 4-disk collection was a limited release of 100 copies only available selected shops in Germany, England, France, and Sweden. If you’re lucky enough to have one you could cash it in for $2,657.
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Heather Nova – South
Released by V2 Records Japan Inc., the Japanese release of Heather Nova’s South could be worth a whopping $2,025. It’s worth checking your albums just in case.
Now you know how to make money from your old CDs, maybe it’s time to check out those junk drawers and dusty attic piles. You may be sitting on a fortune.
Why are values in dollars we use pounds sterling in our country.