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So in my search for the "perfect" copy of Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream, I came across this on eBay. It's not in very good shape - the record is listed as "looks brand new" but the cover is a mess - but as I type this there are 9 bids, topping out at $35.

At first this doesn't seem *that* unreasonable - it was released on a small label (Ampex) and was never issued on CD, nor reissued on LP to my knowledge. However, since I've been looking for it (since May), I've seen at *least* a dozen copies on eBay, plus others on GEMM and private web sites. I've scored 3 myself, all in better shape than this. And I didn't pay anywhere close to this. One was in a lot of 5 LPs, all in decent shape, which went for $24.36. Another was a promo, which went for $9.51. The third was NM and still sealed, which went for $12.62.

Not only that, but there are no fewer than 3 other copies up on eBay *right now*, plus two more in the Buy It Now section (no pictures, but both are listed as being in better shape, and both are under $35).

Am I missing something? Are people just that stupid?

So the third copy felt California, but looked Minnesota? Interesting.

I guess it isn't just eBay. Used stores seem to have no idea how to price vinyl. Half Priced Books is a chain around here, and I've picked up some great vinyl for under $5 there. Yet anything that says "Beatles" is priced into the stratosphere. The other day they had copies of AHDN, Rubber Soul and (IIRC) the red LP. All were the US versions, all were pretty beat up. RS even had a bunch of writing on it. AHDN and RS were $20, while the red LP was $30. $20 for a beat-up, written-on, US stereo copy of Rubber Soul? Give me a break.

lukpac wrote:I guess it isn't just eBay. Used stores seem to have no idea how to price vinyl. Half Priced Books is a chain around here, and I've picked up some great vinyl for under $5 there. Yet anything that says "Beatles" is priced into the stratosphere. The other day they had copies of AHDN, Rubber Soul and (IIRC) the red LP. All were the US versions, all were pretty beat up. RS even had a bunch of writing on it. AHDN and RS were $20, while the red LP was $30. $20 for a beat-up, written-on, US stereo copy of Rubber Soul? Give me a break.

Exactly, simply because of the magic word: Beatles. Except here in Cleveland, you can add the Stones, some Who, and some current bands like R.E.M. and the Cure.

It can fluctuate from store to store too. There's two Half Price Books close to me and while the one in Rocky River will put a primo price on used vinyl, the one in North Olmstead (literally a five-ten minute drive) will put stuff out for a buck or two.

One thing is for certain, there must obviously not be a huge market for Led Zeppelin used because you can get stone mint copies for around $2.00-$3.00, if your patient.