Prices for early Victor 78's rising on eBay.

[1923VictorFan]

Hi All,
I'm just wondering if anyone out there buys a lot of their early Victor 78's on eBay and if they have noticed prices rising fast?
Over the last few months I have noticed fewer and fewer sellers listing old accoustic Victor 78's for less than $2 each. My guess would be that there really is no money to be made on a 99 cent record sale after eBay & PayPal grab their cut. The result seems to be that nearly all of the old Victors (regardless of age, genre or condition) begin with starting bids at ridiculous $3.99 or more per record.
Do you guys buy many records or do most of you focus on the machines and just keep a few records handy for demonstrations? I'm sure there could be more chances of finding early 78's if one lives in a large metropolitan area but I currently live just across The Arkansas state line on the Missouri side of The Ozark Mtns. Yes, the home of the Beverley Hillbillies. In the early part of the 20th century the locals were doing good to have shoes thus there's not much in the way of antiques of any kind to be found. (The use of shoes has however caught-on, electricity is now fairly common and one would be hard pressed to find possum stew anywhere on a menu.)
Do any of you have any favorite sources of reasonably priced records that you can recommend? Any leads would be appreciated.

[Guest]

Have you looked at any of the 78 rpm geared auctions, such as Nauck's? I can't say if they are "reasonable" but you aren't bidding against the world generally as you are on Ebay, and the value for money is probably better, as is the accuracy of the condition descriptions. How about flea markets? Any record collecting clubs out that way? (We have that here in PA with the Keystone Record Collectors and an 78 specific club in Baltimore). Is it true that there have been more UFO sightings in the Ozarks region than anywhere else on a per capita basis? John

[EdiBrunsVic]

There are some reasonably priced records available on E-bay, but prices for some "rare" records are not as attractive. Looking at a record on the computer (an internet source) is just not the same as finding and early Victor 78 in a box or stack in an antique store, at a garage sale, or even an auction where you can at least preview items that are of interest before bidding. There are few sources in my area, but occasionally records do turn up for sale, but I am now more selective.

The phonograph shows that are mostly annual events are great sources of reasonably priced Victor 78 rpm records. Some dealers are quite generous with their record deals since they would rather have fewer records to haul home.

[1923VictorFan]

Thanks for the suggestions that both of you provided!
The Ozarks Region may be beautiful but it lacks a lot when it comes to culture, ethnic diversity and higher education. Just a few weeks ago the City Council decided to have air conditioning installed in our public schools! We even have the original Beverley Hillbillies Truck on display. Top That!

Anyway...I've lived here almost 8 years now and have looked everywhere. There are no local sources for machines or records to be found. Our antique stores are primarily a source of century old farming implements and depression glass. The flea markets & garage sales feature mostly used clothing, baby toys and furniture that should be burned.

That being said I actually like living here for the most part. I have 8 more years of $335mo payments left on my 15 year mortgage and I have an excellent relationship with my doctors & nurses. I learned long ago, while living in rural Eastern Germany, to make do with less and appreciate what I do have.
I'm going to take a look at Naucks and learn more about our local UFO sightings. lol
Thanks Guys!

[larryh]

My guess would be on ebay that things have become so bad with bidders on the more common records that if you don't list it for something your at least happy to see it sell for it won't. A lot of sellers were getting stuck with new shipping fees, higher ebay cut an then the item only selling for the opening price. I bought a .99 cent record last week and the seller lost 2.00 on it by the time they shipped it. I sent them the difference, but not many people would do it I don't think. Thus the price will go up to cover the sellers investment.

I can relate to the Edisons in particular which I recall asking why they were bringing such ridiculous prices a few years back for even fairly common things. Now the bottom has seemingly fallen out of that market and things are going without a sale for a fraction of what they were bringing when I reluctantly bid on them. Can we say Bubble.