Browsing used vinyl records for sale at a yard sale is like going on a real-world treasure hunt. There are countless prizes both great and small lying in wait, and you never know what you’re going to discover:
- Vintage music from your favorite artists.
- Original presses of famous or beloved albums.
- Music you’ve never heard and don’t know anything about.
This idea of vinyl records as a “treasure hunt” turns out to be surprisingly helpful as a guide to buying used vinyl records for sale. Today in the Yard Sale Radar Blog, let’s take a look at why old records are some of the most popular yard sale items and what you can do to find vinyl records. Yard sales have offerings you won’t find anywhere else, making them a great place to encounter little-known music.
The Problem with Filtering Our Playlists
In our modern culture, we often practice extreme filtering of the media we consume. If it’s unfamiliar, it gets ignored. That’s why, when we’re browsing used vinyl records for sale at a yard sale, we generally pass over most of it without really even looking at it.
What this means is that, when we listen to new music, it tends to sound a lot like the music we were already listening to. This kind of filtering causes us to miss out on a lot of great music, great albums, and even whole genres—simply because we’re not looking for them!
If you’ve run into this problem yourself, you’re probably wondering how to fix it. That’s where a vinyl records yard sale comes in: Used vinyl records for sale offer a great and affordable way to experiment with old classics, random finds, and incredible artists you would have never thought to listen to before!
The Power of Randomness
Randomness is one of the joys of listening to the radio—live radio with real DJs who curate music for listeners to discover. It’s not random in the mathematical sense since DJs are very deliberate about what they pick.
The collections of used vinyl records for sale at yard sales are a lot like a DJ’s playlist. This music was curated at one point, by the person who bought the records to begin with. The collection reflects their tastes, and odds are you’ll recognize some of the albums but not others.
It’s the perfect setup for you to discover the unknown and expand your musical tastes!
How to Choose What Records to Buy
Yard sales are a great place to find vinyl records: Yard sales have obscure music that doesn’t get playtime on any radio station, and they feature used vinyl records for sale at incredible prices—way better deals than you will find almost anywhere else!
You can use our search tool at Yard Sale Radar to browse yard sales in your area that feature used vinyl records for sale. Once you’ve found a good vinyl record yard sale, the next question is how to choose what music to pick out.
Don’t Filter
Don’t limit yourself to your favorite music genres. As some of the best yard sale items, old records warrant going through everything. Pick out some albums to try purely on the merits of the label. That’s right: Judge that book by its cover! You like the album name or the song titles? Give it a try. You like the art? Give it a try. Heck, pick a couple of records that you don’t like the look of! You never know — by essentially choosing music at random from a vinyl record yard sale, you’re giving yourself a chance to encounter this music and expand your preferences.
With this technique, you will definitely find some music that doesn’t suit you — just like scrolling Spotify, it can be hard to find vinyl records you like. But that’s what makes yard sales so appealing: The used vinyl records for sale there are an inexpensive, low-risk purchase. You’re paying a small amount to have a potentially revelatory musical experience.
Turn Your Filters Back on and Make a Second Pass
After choosing some albums this way, it’s time to make a second pass—this time with your personal filters turned back on. Now you can experience the same yard sale all over again in a whole new way.
Use your phone to look up artists (and records that may be worth money!) Text your friends for advice. Ask the yard sale hosts if they have any used vinyl records for sale that match your tastes. This way you’ll find vinyl records that are much more likely to build on the kinds of music you already know and like.
Check Out Old Classics
While following your heart at a yard sale can lead to fun, new finds, discovering classic, iconic albums is another exciting way to experience vinyl records at yard sales.No matter your tastes, keep an eye out for these vintage vinyls that have timeless appeal (and may be a yard sale treasure worth more than you think!)
- Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde
- David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust
- Fleetwood Mac, Rumours
- Joni Mitchell, Blue
- NWA, Straight Outta Compton
- Led Zeppelin, II (or IV!)
- The Beatles, Abbey Road
- The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
- Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
- Bruce Springsteen, Greetings from Asbury Park
Give Great Music a New Life
The 20th-century had some amazing music which, for various reasons, didn’t live in our popular consciousness. The used vinyl records for sale at a yard sale are an amazing opportunity to find vinyl records you would never have known about otherwise. Give them a listen and maybe you’ll find your musical tastes changing for the better!