[78-L] Does anybody actually bid on Hillbilly or CW 78's on eBay?

[Matthew Duncan]

Hi Dennis,
 
In the UK I know many collectors of US Country and Hillbilly 78s (mostly 40s and 50s stuff like Starday, 4 Star, custom pressings and rarer labels etc) and as for myself I am a serious (well, as serious as I can be!) collector of pre-war blues, hillbilly and folk as well as jazz and dance bands.
 
The main reason I don't buy many 78s of this type on ebay is the shipping from US to UK....it's too expensive.
 
This is not a criticism of the vendors - just an opinion on the rates themselves.
 
For example - ebay often offers 20s and 30s 78s of Hillbilly and Blues as you said, on labels like Bluebird, Conqueror, Vocalion and Challenge for maybe $5 each...but if you only win one and the seller packs them superbly (which of course is welcomed!) the price soon becomes $30...which is around £20.
 
I have sources of many styles of 78s over here and buy them in person so can save alot of money compared to ebay...I also pay out on 45s (50s Rockabilly and Blues, Cajun etc) so often have to be quite serious about a 78 to pay $30 or $50 for one 78....
 
I worked out once that if I flew to the USA and bought 30 78s cheaply (yard sale type prices) I would pay the same money out as if I had bought them separately on ebay with the shipping being so high!
 
I have visited the USA twice and brought back many 78s and 45s each time.
 
Just my thoughts on the subject....
 
Regards,
Matthew
 
England, UK
 
 
 
 

From: Dennis Flannigan <dennis.flannigan at gmail.com>
To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com 
Sent: Tuesday, 24 January 2012, 19:03
Subject: [78-L] Does anybody actually bid on Hillbilly or CW 78's on eBay?

Thinking of selling on eBay, which each year I consider, and then don't do
it. However . . .

Today I checked blues and country 78s on eBay. It's been a while. So, found
quite a few blues 78s for auction, and five percent or so with bids. Four
thousand plus records identified as blues were posted. Did not check them
all. Then checked hillbilly, as well as CW seventy-eight listings (CW
78rpm, and Hillbilly 78rpm). More listed as hillbilly. Found only one with
a bid offer ($5.00), checked more than 400 listings. Most had no bid, only
Buy Now pricing. Still, only a Red Kirk record had any bid. Records ranged
from prewar Columbia items, to later bands and artists.

Has bidding on eBay expired as a serious option for collectors? Are there
no country or hillbilly collectors in real life? Seems eBay would offer a
hint of whether there is any interest. And it made no difference whether
the record was posted at two dollar minimum bid, or $24.99 (popular
number), there was only one bid. Ninety-five percent required Buy Now
purchase, and prices were unlikely to attract buyers.

Are there country collectors left to purchase records?

Dennis
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