When you say classical does not sell. Is this records or cds. Classical cds box sets are very expensive
If they have been deleted . Especially the great conductors like Bernstein. Reiner. Szell. Etc
Brian
sadly it is both formats of classical that are not selling. Yes, some classical is very collectable and have found some LP’s that do fetch higher prices. Problem is cannot get punters to buy
Stephen
I’ve had great success in the last 12 months building up a collection of good condition Classical Vinyl at between £1 and £4 per shot. No decent 70s/80s rock to be seen. Luckily I don’t like Max Bygraves, Mrs Mills etc.
So I only go in looking for Classical which I am appreciating more as I get older.
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Here Classical CDs sell very well but vinyl much less so. Box Sets are the exception as they are usually good value and well looked after and often not much played. I try to keep a balance of ‘entry level’ classics and more prestige premium priced stuff (DG, Decca Black label (esp ED1s), Columbia Silver/Blue Blue/Gold etc). It’s the latter that sell best.
My perception is that generally Classical enthusiasts moved to CD and Hi-res early and are less likely to be recreating vinyl collections than fans of other genres.
Over the last few years the really rare high price stuff we’ve auctioned have mostly sold to SE Asia.
At the other end of the scale there are outfits who send container loads of classical vinyl to China for the new middle class. They are more interested in the covers than content. A lot of our excess stock went that route.
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I haven’t been there since just before the start of the pandemic, but there was a charity ‘warehouse’ shop in Harlow, Essex which had a huge turnover of used vinyl and used to receive significant amounts most weeks (in the mid to high hundreds I would guess). The sleeves/boxes often weren’t in the best condition generally but much of the vinyl was in good nick.
Mainly Des, Max, James Last, etc. but a large proportion was classical, all at 50p per album or £1 for boxed sets.
Except on Friday afternoons! In the expectation of fresh deliveries the signs would go up; “All Vinyl Free”! I never seem to find my way over there very often anymore. Had to cut back for space reasons.
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My wife’s just taken in 4 bags for life full of classical vinyl. Lots of box sets. She’s had a few good 70s rock albums in recently. I go through them and price up fairly.
She has a fair few dealers constantly asking for vinyl. Even had a bit of an argument with one because of the prices on some of the vinyl I’d sorted for her. He told her they were over priced for a charity shop. When she told him I’d priced them well under what they would fetch in any shop or online he shut his mouth and bought £30 worth 
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Music and video exchange London. Go on to their web site. They sell a lot of classical.
But they have a lot of tourists that come to the shop.
Probably to do with the timing ?
In the 1980s I was just as interested in looking for those huge kipper ties. The more garish the better.
These would have been from the wardrobes of guys buying in the 1970s. Much like the vinyls.
The problem is punters that go to a charity shop want everything cheap. Like people buying
At a boot sale.
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Exactly. People think just because it’s a charity shop it should be pennies.
The problem is i go to a charity shop and see the box sets of . CDS .which on amazon are expensive.
I then check the condition they are all scratched. Or covered in marmalade.
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They should still play according to Phillips in the 80’s, or was it jam? Maybe the colour of the preserve matter for the laser to get through to the pits. 
The bigger problem seems to be that most of the stuff they have you couldn’t give away.
If they’ve siphoned off anything remotely interesting to dealers for a relative pittance who then charge inflated prices, neither the charity not the charity shop customer wins.
Again, I’m not talking about finding a rare first pressing or some rare oddity that will fetch hundreds for 50p. I’m really only looking for something that interests me (but may be of little interest to most) I may never have originally purchased on vinyl and would snap up for a couple of quid in fair condition, but would not pay £20-£30 for.
Today while waiting for something I went to a few shops on the same street - again 95% easy listening stuff that will just sit there and won’t sell. I was maybe interested in a couple of Shirley Bassey albums (honest), but they looked in a poor state so didn’t bother.
Either people with average vinyl collections have mostly shifted them years ago having switched to CD or streaming, or there is a heck of a lot of donations being hoovered up my dealers/professional re-sellers.
Another reason I may give up on looking is that they always seem to stash the vinyl on the floor packed like sardines into a box making the ergonomics of looking through it poor unless you’re supple or a contortionist! Was slightly tempted by a classical box set, but £11 for a Jasper Carrott LP seemed a bridge too far.
Same seems to go for CDs, in a poky poorly lit corner on narrow shelves going down to the floor again making perusing it for anything of interest a right pain in the neck/back. Did find one classical CD of interest but when I opened the jewel case the disc was missing,
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i have given good books to charity shops. when i go back to the same shop i have never
seen them on display. they go quickly. very rarely do i pick up good cds in charity shops.
i once picked up a nice expensive box set of waylon jennings for only £2. the young
boy in the shop had no idea of the value.
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Alley. i only buy cds in perfect condition iam a collector. i agree even if they are scratched they still sound okay.
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As with your books, I wonder what those who give vinyl/CDs etc to charity would think if they knew many of the items were potentially filtered with more valuable stuff siphoned off to dealers .
Personally I might wonder if these items were not available to the general public to buy why I’d bother if some dealer/reseller was going to make more than the charity shop 
.
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I have a record shop who part exchanges my cds. And they give me a good part exchange rate.
They have great stock coming in all the time. All with a guarantee. If i have good books they go
On ebay.
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I once saw a box set of the Schubert symphonies with the vienna philharmonic in a charity shop.
They-were asking £15. On principle i will not pay that price in a charity shop. I can buy the set
On eBay for that money. Also a charity will not give a refund if the items are faulty.
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This was my point earlier when I said I thought that Charity shops traditionally would make money for good causes whilst providing cheap quality used goods/clothing to people on low incomes.
I was told that maximum profit was paramount and that there are no poor record buyers. There are five or more Charity Shops in my local high street all of which are now on average more expensive than Primark and all of who now sell less and less quality used items and more and more brand new stuff.
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