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Reggae is a dissappearing vinyl.Especially pre 1985.Does that justify charging high prices?Sure.If i bought something its mine to do with what i like.I supported the artist.Anything that is special and rare will be costly.However Reggae is also on a high cycle right now meanining its probably a little overpriced.My advice wait prices will drop but what you want may not be there.

yea prices will drop.. i remember singers and players usually never went under 20 now u can get them for 10..

High prices on ebay are set by supply and demand, the oldest law in economics - the supply of this vinyl is low and the demand high. So the price goes high. ANd because there are a handful of very rich buyers (like DJs, bankers etc) then they push the price very high as they compete for the vinyl. Beyond what others who would like to hear and own the music can afford.

But that's the world. It isn't the high prices in eBay that make the artists live in poverty, it's the greedy and corrupt shistem, and of course the producer and record company gangs that ripped them off int he first place.

I am an artists and a writer. I have been paid for my artwork - very little, and now it would be up to the owner to get what price he wants for my painting if he sells it. I won't get a penny.

My written work I also got paid for, sometimes poor price, sometimes good. Now, again, the magazines or websites who bought the work can resell, reprint, redistribute without paying me a penny.

So it is not just recording artists who get ripped off by the shistem.

Think of how many great artists in the past died in poverty, like Van Gough who's work was laughed at in his time. Now his work sells for millions.

Ites deh!

When I was a youth in the mid 80s, living in a small German town, it was impossible to buy reggae vinyl. Except Marley and Tosh. Burning Spear they had to order....extraordinary to them:-))
Can you imagine our thirst for roots vinyl? So we had to check with Daddy Kool which was cool.

Ebay nowadays is a Babylon thing. Paypal wants fees, Ebay for sure, even my bank charges money when worldwide payments come in.
Sometimes great albums sell for rice & peas. Next day prices rise sky high. Some people are willing to spend big money on it. True, that babylon bankers do it, too? Spending cash for conscious roots? Although they earn money on other peoples expense?? True dat? Shouldn`t they better listen to Elvis Fatley?

BUT...Ebay is a chance for me as a collector to find music I have been dreamig about since I was a school boy. Fine and rare stuff from other collectors. Music I never knew it existed. So, sometimes there comes out something good.

It`s sad to see artists still living in poverty. But -I agree - ebay isn`t responsible for that.
Responsible are bad deals.

One more thing: Some blame producers, record companies to rip off the artists. True dat.
But... if an artist has an "I´m always the victim" attitude, exactly that will happen. It needs two, to have one victim. Bob escaped this by founding his own label. This is a better way.

Greetings,
I-Lion

I-Lion, it is true that bankers, or at least one, collects reggae. I've heard of a guy who recently made a six figure killing for his latest annual bonus payment and has been going around up-bidding stuff and hoovering up the rare finds.

Hi Leggo Rocker

Interested to know if this guy has an interest in reggae or if he purely sees the purchases as an investment.

Can I assume he doesn't play any of it?
Incidentally, apologies if these are stupid questions. I really don't know anything about this at all.

He listened to reggae as a youth in university.

Now he can afford it, he buys whatever he sees that interests him and rarely gets outbid.

I don't think he is capable of buying anything without seeing some investment angle but he does listen to them.

High prices are one thing.

For me worse by far is sellers over grading their vinyl.

If everybody is buying:
Pressuresound/Blood & Fire/Heartbeat
Mollselecta/Makasound/Ja Gold/Thompsonsound. etc.
Vinyl or cd's.
Support those labels than they release more titels.

Lion