What do record stores actually pay for your records?
Not what a rare pressing sells for online — what a shop hands you across the counter. We pulled the real payout figures from 116 record stores across the country, in their own words.
Most record stores pay a quarter to a half of what they expect to resell a record for. For the common titles that make up most collections, that lands around $1 to $4 a record. Rare and in-demand records earn more — sometimes half of resale value or better — but they're the exception, not the pile. Store credit almost always beats cash, usually by 20–30%.
01Why stores pay a fraction of what records are worth
A record store is a business, not an appraiser. When they buy your collection they take on the cost of storing it, cleaning it, pricing it, and the risk that some of it never sells. So they pay a share of the expected resale price and keep the rest to stay open.
Across the shops we surveyed, the most common formula is simple: they offer roughly a third to a half of what they think they can sell a record for. A few pay less on common stock, a few pay more for something they can move fast. The number you're quoted isn't a lowball — it's the margin that keeps the doors open.
02In their own words
We asked stores directly, and read their published buying policies. Here's how record dealers describe what they pay — each linked to the shop that said it.
“I never pay more than $5 a record unless there is something I personally know is crazy valuable & desirable - it has to be both, since if I can't move it, it doesn't matter how valuable it is.”
“Most shops pay fairly, but you'd be lucky to get 40-50 percent of what the collection is worth. Everything has assigned value.”
“Retail value is what someone is willing to pay - but dealers will only pay a fraction of that, anywhere from 10% to 30% on average.”
“Just because you see a record sell on eBay for $100+ doesn't mean you're going to get rich off this.”
“We do buy 45s, but except for rare exceptions we sell them for a quarter apiece and only pay pennies for them.”
“We'll offer roughly 50% of the price we'll sell it for as store credit, and a cash offer is 50% of that - so about 25% of the store price.”
“I always pay at least 50% of the current value, and most of the time about 75% if they're clean and in great shape.”
“If you know the Discogs market price of the individual records, you can expect to sell them for approximately half that price.”
“We generally offer a third of what we plan to price the record for in cash. For store credit, we double the cash offer.”
“We offer about half of what we think we'll sell the vinyl for as trade - and the cash value is half of that again, about a quarter of our selling price.”
03Cash vs. store credit
Nearly every shop offers more if you take store credit instead of cash — because credit costs them inventory, not money out the door. If you're going to spend it on records anyway, credit stretches further.
Cash
Of resale value, on average. Immediate, no strings — the right call if you just want the collection gone.
Store credit
More than the cash offer, typically. Some shops double it. Worth it only if you'll use the credit.
04What stores told us they pay
These figures come straight from the stores — their published buying policies and their own words to us. Sort by any column, or filter by state to find shops near you.
| Store ▲▼ | Location ▲▼ | What they pay ▲▼ | Credit bump ▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acme Records Instead, they evaluate each record individually, offering up to 50% of the resale value, with the possibility of higher compensation for particularly high-end items. | Milwaukee, WI | — | — |
| Amoeba Music - San Francisco We generally pay an extra 33% on the cash price in store credit for good used LPs. | San Francisco, CA | We generally pay an extra 33% on the cash price in store credit for good used LPs. | We generally pay an extra 33% on the cash price in store credit for good used LPs. |
| Amoeba Music Holywood If we expect to resell an uncommon title at the $40+ range, you could expect about 50% of that value in cash or 67% in store credit. | Holywood, CA | We evaluate titles primarily for store credit, and cash payments would be 75% of the credit total. If we expect to resell an uncommon title at the $40+ range, you could expect about 50% of that value in cash or 67% in store credit. For example, a title we expect to resell for $15 might come with a $5 credit offer, and very strong sellers could get $7 in credit. Titles that we expect to resell for around $8 might receive a $2 credit offer, as these are considered less sought-after titles. | We evaluate titles primarily for store credit, and cash payments would be 75% of the credit total. If we expect to resell an uncommon title at the $40+ range, you could expect about 50% of that value in cash or 67% in store credit. For example, a title we expect to resell for $15 might come with a $5 credit offer, and very strong sellers could get $7 in credit. Titles that we expect to resell for around $8 might receive a $2 credit offer, as these are considered less sought-after titles. |
| Analog Record Shop One record may have little to no resale value, while the next could be worth $20, $50, or even more. | Tustin, CA | — | — |
| Atomic Genius Records and More Our used vinyl sells (retail) for $5 to $20 each, depending on title / artist. | Puyallup, WA | — | — |
| Atomic Records On average, for records that we can sell, we pay between $1.00 to $10.00 each. | Los Angeles, CA | On average, for records that we can sell, we pay between $1.00 to $10.00 each. | — |
| Autumn Records Store credit is generally 20-25% more than the cash offer. | Winooski, VT | Store credit is generally 20-25% more than the cash offer. | Store credit is generally 20-25% more than the cash offer. |
| Bay Vinyl Records We buy records/cds for $1-$4 each usually. | Sturgeon Bay, WI | We buy records/cds for $1-$4 each usually. | — |
| Bird & Beckett Books & Records Trade toward used books and records is twice the cash offer. | San Francisco, CA | Trade toward used books and records is twice the cash offer. | Trade toward used books and records is twice the cash offer. |
| Bluegrass Bicycle Company As with most record stores and purchasers of vinyl collections we tend to offer 25-33% of the "retail" value or going rate online via Discogs/Ebay/etc. | Brownsburg, IN | As with most record stores and purchasers of vinyl collections we tend to offer 25-33% of the "retail" value or going rate online via Discogs/Ebay/etc. | — |
| Bookmans East Entertainment Exchange We offer about half of what we think we'll sell the vinyl for as trade-in value. | Tucson, AZ | We offer about half of what we think we'll sell the vinyl for as trade-in value. The cash value offered is then half of the trade value, which equates to about a quarter of our expected selling price. | We offer about half of what we think we'll sell the vinyl for as trade-in value. The cash value offered is then half of the trade value, which equates to about a quarter of our expected selling price. |
| Breakaway Records Generally, we aim to pay between a third to a half of what we believe the items can retail for in our shop. | Austin, TX | Generally, we aim to pay between a third to a half of what we believe the items can retail for in our shop. | — |
| Brooklyn Record Exchange What percentage of the selling price do you typically pay for music items?: We pay around a third of what we anticipate selling an item for. | New York, NY | We pay around a third of what we anticipate selling an item for. | — |
| Bump 'n Grind Most of the time we pay around $2/record. | Silver Spring, MD | Most of the time we pay around $2/record. | — |
| Cameron Records For store credit, we offer 50% of the retail cost. | Billings, MT | For store credit, we offer 50% of the retail cost. | For store credit, we offer 50% of the retail cost. |
| Carolina Soul Records After reviewing a provided list, the store identifies records of interest and proposes an offer of approximately a third of the potential resale value. | Durham, NC | After reviewing a provided list, the store identifies records of interest and proposes an offer of approximately a third of the potential resale value. | — |
| Celina Music Store Percentage-wise, I offer between 30% and 70%, cash or trade. | Celina, OH | Percentage-wise, I offer between 30% and 70%, cash or trade. | Percentage-wise, I offer between 30% and 70%, cash or trade. |
| Champion Sound Records If they're records I can sell I pay approximately 30% of the value when buying a collection. | Oakland, CA | If they're records I can sell I pay approximately 30% of the value when buying a collection. | — |
| Classic Collections If I think I can sell something fast (within 1 week), I will offer you half of what it's worth. | Pottstown, PA | If I think I can sell something fast (within 1 week), I will offer you half of what it's worth. | — |
| Clinton Street Record & Stereo I generally pay half of what I expect to sell the records for, which is usually less than Internet prices. | Portland, OR | I generally pay half of what I expect to sell the records for, which is usually less than Internet prices. | — |
| Corner Record Shop For most common records we see all the time, you're looking at about $1 a piece. | Grandville, MI | For rarer records, we try to pay anywhere from one third to a half of the record's value, depending on how badly we want to buy it. | — |
| Cratediggaz Records I usually pay around 50% of what I'm going to sell them at. | Philadelphia, PA | I usually pay around 50% of what I'm going to sell them at. | — |
| Crazy Rhythms Vinyl Records We generally pay up to a third of the price we value the items at. | San Antonio, TX | We generally pay up to a third of the price we value the items at. | — |
| Criminal Records We offer 30% of what our expected retail price would be. | Atlanta, GA | We offer 30% of what our expected retail price would be. | — |
| Daddy Kool Records On Tuesdays, we offer 15% off our used selections. | St. Petersburg, FL | On Tuesdays, we offer 15% off our used selections. | — |
| Deadly Wax We typically pay about one-third of the retail price for records, with potential for higher offers for rare or highly sought-after items. | Los Angeles, CA | We typically pay about one-third of the retail price for records, with potential for higher offers for rare or highly sought-after items. | — |
| Dig! Records and Vintage What are the payment options when selling records?: For example, $50 cash or $60 in store credit. | Leesburg, VA | For example, $50 cash or $60 in store credit. | For example, $50 cash or $60 in store credit. |
| Disc Replay After testing and inspecting your gear for condition and resale potential, you'll receive a cash offer or 30 percent more in store credit. | Crest Hill, IL | After testing and inspecting your gear for condition and resale potential, you'll receive a cash offer or 30 percent more in store credit. | After testing and inspecting your gear for condition and resale potential, you'll receive a cash offer or 30 percent more in store credit. |
| Disc-Cover Records They offer both cash and in-store credit, with store credit giving 40% more than cash. | Nampa, ID | They offer both cash and in-store credit, with store credit giving 40% more than cash. | They offer both cash and in-store credit, with store credit giving 40% more than cash. |
| Drop To Pop Records and Curio For most common records in good condition, we typically offer about $4 each. | Denver, CO | For most common records in good condition, we typically offer about $4 each. | — |
Figures are what each store has stated and can change at any time — always confirm directly before you sell. Showing the 30 shops with the most specific numbers; 128 stores in total have shared pricing.
05How to get the best offer for your records
A few things move the number in your favor, and they're the same everywhere:
— Lead with the good stuff. Sort your rock, jazz, soul and any originals to the front. That's what makes a buyer clear time for the whole collection.
— Condition is the offer. Clean covers and unscratched vinyl can double what a record's worth to a shop. Water damage and split sleeves sink it fastest.
— Get two offers. A carload is easy to take to two shops, and their tastes — and prices — differ more than you'd think.
— Don't chase the eBay number. One sale at $100 doesn't set the price for your box. Shops pay on what moves, not on the outlier.
06Common questions
How much do record stores pay for records?
Most record stores pay roughly a quarter to a half of what they expect to resell a record for. For common records that make up the bulk of most collections, that works out to about $1 to $4 each. Rare or in-demand titles can earn half of resale value or more.
Do record stores pay cash or store credit?
Both. Nearly every store offers more value in store credit than cash - typically 20-30% more, and some shops double the cash offer. Cash is immediate; store credit is worth more only if you plan to spend it there.
Are my old records worth anything?
Some are, most aren't much. The majority of records in a typical collection are common titles a shop will pay $1-$4 for. Value concentrates in original pressings, in-demand artists, and clean condition. A single record selling online for a high price doesn't set the price for a whole box.
How much are 45s worth?
Most common 45s are worth very little - many stores sell them for around a quarter each and pay only pennies to buy them. Rare 45s in genres like regional soul, R&B, garage and rockabilly can be worth far more, but they're the exception.
What's the best way to get a good offer for my records?
Lead with your strongest genres, keep records and covers clean, and get offers from more than one shop - their tastes and prices differ. Condition affects the offer as much as rarity does.
Selling a collection?
Tell us what you have and roughly where you are, and we'll point you to the shops nearby that actually buy what you're holding — and pay fairly for it. Find record buyers near you →