I don't think there's a book that teaches how to sell vinyl. There probably should be.
For now, you could pick up one of the Goldmine price guides to get an idea of the subject. There are lots of tips in there on grading, etc. at least. The values shown in the guides are reasonable starting points, though many records that look like they are valuable are near impossible to sell at any price, while the books are fast eclipsed by market changes. Plus it's hard to get book value for nearly anything these days.
To get the best idea of what something goes for, look at completed items on eBay. There are two sites that track eBay sales over time and you can search there as well.
- www.popsike.com
-www.collectorsfrenzy.com
The biggest change of late is that condition is king. Used to not be true, but now, everyone wants pristine and that's where the money is. Not that you can't sell playable but lesser condition records, but the prices just aren't there. The best money is in privately released records from the 70's, usually made in very small quantities and if the record is now judged to be good, lots of people want it. Of course, these are crazy hard to find and everyone who's clued in is looking for them.
One of the tricky things about records is the difference in pressings. For example a Miles Davis record could have been pressed several times, with the first version being the only truly valuable one. The Beatles are probably the most extreme example of this. I'm still learning and I've handled hundreds of thousands of records over time.
Shipping is mostly by media mail, which is cheap. I charge $4 for an LP and that leaves a little bit of room for the mailer. Priority for an LP is $7-10 depending on distance. Overseas, the prices just nearly doubled. An LP is nearly $20 now.
If you do get into vinyl mail order, you'll need to get custom mailers and pack very carefully.
Good luck and feel free to hit me up with questions!
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