This Week on Ebay: Miles, Clifford, Trane

We haven’t been very active selling on eBay lately: Just life getting in the way. However, this week we found some time to clean and post a bunch of items. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a few nice ones, including:

Miles Davis, Blue Haze, Prestige 7054. This is an original New York yellow label Prestige. It’s in VG+ condition, and sounds quite nice. We put a start price of $30 and it’s already received a bid, so we expect there to be some action.

We also put up a nice-sounding original copy of Clifford Brown, Jam Session, Emarcy 36002. This also has a start price of $30. It’s a great record, with a lot of positive energy. 

As you may have noticed on the Jazz Collector site, we’ve been going through some old Downbeat Magazines, looking for collectibles (we’re even giving one away). We’ve put a few up for sale in our eBay story, and we put a very interesting one up for auction yesterday. It is:

Read more

Ebay Watch: Prices are Down, Another Cycle?

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines on eBay waiting for prices to come down, now may be the time to jump in. I don’t have any hard data, but I’ve been watching eBay almost every day for a while and it’s clear that prices for jazz records are down quite a bit from where they were 12 months ago, six months ago, even three months ago. I see it less in the highest-end collectibles, and more in the second-tier records, which either are not selling at all or are selling at lower prices with fewer bidders. I’ve seen these cycles come and go many times before and just when you think, uh-oh, the bottom’s going to drop out of the market, there’s a resurgence. And, given the state of the worldwide economy, it should be no surprise that prices of collectibles would go down. Still, there’s always the concern: Will the market come back again this time, or is there something more fundamental going on? What do you think?

Ebay Auction From Jazz Record Center

I’m on an email list for the Jazz Record Center in New York and they ping me every time they have a new auction on eBay. I got such a ping the other day. They have some interesting records and autographs on eBay now, closing next week. You can click here for a peak. This is not necessarily something we would do all the time, but if you’re posting some interesting items on eBay, feel free to let us know, either by commenting on the Jazz Collector site or by sending an email to al(at)jazzcollector.com.

Today on Ebay: Fuller, Parlan and McCoy (For Sale)

SHHHHHHHHHH. It’s so quiet on eBay today we wouldn’t want to disturb any of the sleeping buyers and sellers. I have a sense that the economy is starting to wreak a little havoc on the jazz collectibles market — not on the high-end collectibles — but in the mid-tier. We’ll see. These things tend to go in cycles. Perhaps it’s a good time to be buying. Anyway, it is quite quiet on eBay today, but there are a few things worth noting, including:

Curtis Fuller, Bone and Bari, Blue Note 1572. This is an original pressing in M- condition, both record and cover, and it features an autograph by Curtis Fuller. Not to mention the presence of Sonny Clark on piano. The opening bid price for this record is about $140 and, as of now, there are no bids. In the Jazz Collector Price Guide we’ve seen this record sell for nearly $700 in M- condition without an autograph. So maybe it is a time to be buying.

Read more

Catching up With a Few More Warhol Covers

We’ve been watching prices for albums with covers by Andy Warhol. Here are a few more that sold recently on eBay:

Johnny Griffin, The Congregation, Blue Note 1580. This was an interesting one in that the record was listed as in only G+ or VG- condition, which means it is probably something most of us wouldn’t put on our turntables. The cover was listed in VG+ condition. It sold for $311.

J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding and Bennie Green, Trombone by Three, Prestige 16-4. This was an original pressing and a very rare 16-RPM LP. It was in VG++ condition, both the record and the cover. The price was $290.

Read more

Today on Ebay: Trane and Mr. PC

We’re back watching eBay after taking some time off. It’s actually good to take a break every once in a while. Gives you a perspective that there are things more important than collectible jazz records. But not at Jazz Collector, so here are some items to watch:

This one’s from our friends at Euclid Records: John Coltane, Lush Life, Prestige 7188. This is an original yellow label pressing in M- condition. The current price is about $120. One of the things I’ve always liked about this record is the opportunity to hear Trane in a trio setting. This was around the time Sonny Rollins was playing with a trio and it seemed that Trane was emulating his friend and peer. Not the case, however, if you review the liner notes by Joe Goldberg, who asked Trane about why he was playing in a trio setting. Trane’s response?

Read more

Free Advice For eBay Sellers

From the archives:

Here’s advice I gave recently to someone looking to sell jazz records on eBay:

1.     Buy a professional record cleaner and clean every record before you grade it and sell it.

2.     Grade your records accurately/conservatively. You want to develop a good reputation and leave your customers satisfied so they’ll feel confident buying more from you.

3.     Have a no-questions-asked return policy. If someone is not happy, pay to have the record shipped back and refund his money. If a buyer is consistently unhappy, politely stop doing business with him.

4.     When you ship records, package them professionally and carefully and don’t scrimp on using high-end boxes and packing material.

5.      Be accurate in your descriptions and include as much information as possible. Learn about the details that are important to buyers, such as the address on labels, colors of labels, distinguishing characteristics such as the deep groove and anything else that will make your listings clear and informative. Include the label and number. Try not to be too wordy: English may not be the first language of many buyers, so keep your listings concise and uncomplicated.

6.     Get a good camera and take clear pictures, showing as much detail as possible.

What do you think? Do you have any other advice for sellers of jazz records on eBay? 

Catching Up (In Key West): Lee Morgan, Kenny Drew

I’m posting this on a porch overlooking the beautiful, turquoise Atlantic Ocean in Key West, Fla., where I am vacationing for a couple of days. Actually, it’s a much-needed vacation for Mrs Jazz Collector and I get to go along for the ride. Anyway,  despite my adventure in paradise, I’m still keep tracking of eBay for my dear devoted followers on Jazz Collector. Here are updates on some of the items we’ve been watching, from Kenny Drew and Lee Morgan.

Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note 4059. This was an original West 63rd Street pressing with one side DG, which I think is how this record was first produced. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $631. Also from Kenny Drew was: 

Read more

Catching Up on Some More Blue Note LPs

Here’s an update on some Blue Notes we were watching last week. All of these have already been entered into the Jazz Collector Price Guide. 

Donald Byrd, Byrd in Hand, Blue Note 4019. This was an original pressing with the West 63rd Street address in M- condition, both record and cover. It sold for $364.99.

At Blakey, A Night at Birdland Volume 2, Blue Note 1522. This was an original pressing with the original cover and the Lexington Avenue address. It was in VG+ condition, both record and cover, and sold for $332.

The Amazing Bud Powell, Blue Note 5003. This was an original 10-inch pressing. The record was VG+ and the cover was M-. The price was $199.

George Wallington Showcase, Blue Note 5045. This was also a 10-inch LP.

Read more

1 24 25 26 27 28 45