Record Store Day special editions demanding huge prices on eBay; Bowie picture-disc 3x more expensive

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As expected, many of the special editions released on Saturday have found themselves ‘sealed’ and ‘mint’ on eBay for several times the price.

The record touts were out in force on Saturday. Reporting that 149 copies of the reissue of Bowie’s 1973 single “Drive-In Saturday” were going at £45 rather than the £12.99 store price, Digital Music News have been quick to pick up on the anticipated rush to resell the limited wax. The implication; no-one falls out of love with Bowie picture-disc that quickly.

The stats in the DMN piece relate to the morning after (Sunday 21st April), but 48 hours later and after a little bit of digging ourselves, the picture doesn’t look much brighter.

As of Tuesday morning, At The Drive-In’s Relationship of Command was going for a ton, the world’s shortest album (83 seconds) on Earache Records was clocking in at 50p a second, while the Cotillion soul 45’s boxset was among the most expensive resales, with one buyer demanding £250 for the item listed in stores from £46.99.

Astonishingly, with copies still available for $69.99 (roughly £45) from the band’s online store, The Flaming Lips’ 4LP concept album Zaireeka has a current auction value of over double that, the most expensive listed on eBay for £119.99. (Prices taken from “Buy Now” option)

While it’s more cynical than illegal (compared to say bootlegging, which rips off the label and artists rather than the consumer) hawking limited edition records online for inflated prices is a pretty sensitive subject among fans who queued only to be disappointed on Saturday morning.

One enterprising record store has taken out an advert at the top of the eBay list, reminding buyers not to ‘bite at the eBay bait’, with leftover RSD releases to go on sale online from next Saturday.