The CD Collection
Yours is probably worth less than you think.
I have collected over the years approximately 1000 CD's. But I think the last CD I bought was probably close to 15 plus years ago, and since then they have been taking up space in the basement untouched.
It was time to go. I am never going to use them again because: streaming services. I'm a bit of an audiophile but sometimes comfort and convenience wins over total audio bliss these days. I have taken the tests on streaming quality and I can't tell the difference in quality most days anyway, so goodbye CD collection.
Some say records are the way to go and I do believe in this to a point but again - who the heck has the time for that? I am currently listening to music through the crappy speakers in my laptop and it's not great, but it's fine. I can keep an ear out for the child.
And now that I can talk to a smart speaker and it will play what I want? Ya. Goodbye Cd's.
About a month or so I decided it's time to get rid of these things. I can live without hearing Sussudio in high fidelity - or at all. That's another thing, Some of the music I like sounds like crap regardless due to the time or technology or equipment it was recorded on.
Thankfully this is less of a job than selling all my Dad's Cars where I had to figure out what the heck it was, and then take photos and box them all up. Selling CD's is easier because they have a bar code and I can scan that and with a few clicks of buttons on my phone, I am done. I start the auctions at $1 and save for a few exceptions of maybe five bucks a disc most have been going for a buck, if at all.
Making Money Selling CD's
This really hasn't happened. I have made maybe $100 for the 500 I have listed so far. This will not make me rich it seems
If I sell a CD for a buck, you would think that you would get the buck but eBay is sneaky with the fees. They charge on the total order, so 15% of about six bucks equals about 13 cents a disc profit after the fees. Then there's the cost of the envelope and the label printer I bought and the labels. I am sure I am operating at a loss with this little venture.
About half sell I have found. Nobody needs another copy of Thriller so that one's going to the Goodwill. I could have realized a bit more but I graded these as good as far as condition goes and for the most part, they have been better than that and I have had no complaints from the buyers on quality. It's better to under promis and over deliver in this case I have found.
I had thought about saving them for the child in case she might be interested but by that time iPhone 29 will be out, so the thought of having to skip songs to get to the one you want will not be that attractive by then I would think. I can only imagine what the technology will be like then.
I really won't miss the record stores and the searching and then being able to only afford one CD purchase - if that - and then getting it home to find out you wasted 20 bucks and back then 20 bucks could buy a lot of jos louis instead.
Now I just pay less than that 20 bucks a month for music for all of us, and I get storage for my current collection as well as a selection of others including new releases and I even get an ad free YouTube experience which is a much, much better experience.
It's been 42 years since the first CD player came to market and that silly Phil Collins song was released 3 years later. It's time to let go.
All this to say that with few exceptions, you're better off just dropping your CD collection off at Goodwill. You won't be missing much but I bet somebody else will be thrilled with your Thriller CD.
I am going to miss the lasers though.
