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Are music cassettes worth anything today?

Updated: Sep 22, 2022 1:52 pm

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Music cassettes were quite impressive in the 80s and 90s, but they quickly faded away into obscurity for a very long time. Yet despite all of that, they still have a certain appeal and that’s why quite a lot of people collect them. The reasons are rather diverse, some of them collect due to nostalgia, others just like the quality delivered by music cassettes!

Why are some music cassettes valuable?

It all comes down to a multitude of factors. First of all, they aren’t mass-produced anymore. That means you can find the ones that were already sold on the market. But there isn’t a lot out there, and hence these are extremely collectible just because they are scarce and no one owns them anymore. It’s a great thing to own for sure, and it’s the type of product that you do want to have especially if you’re a collector and want to have vintage technology.

As you would imagine, people that collect the audiotapes are very picky in regards to what they consider valuable and what has less value. That’s why it can be a very good idea to check the music cassettes you own right now, as they may be worth quite a lot of money!

Will the music cassettes increase in value?

That’s very hard to know honestly. Most collector items tend to increase in value the older they get. But it also comes down to things like condition too. If the condition gets worse and you can’t use the music cassette, then it will be hard to have a very good value for it. That’s why you may want to take your time and analyze the cassettes that you want to buy.

The same thing goes for sellers too. All music cassettes need to be in a very good condition as the collectors are very picky when it comes to the overall condition and the value that they receive from each purchase. The overall value can be really good, but collectors still want to make sure that they get a tremendous ROI from this.

What music cassettes tend to be the most expensive?

The Rage Against The Machine Early 3 Track Promo Tape Cassette Epic 1992 Match Stick sells at more than $1300, the Stevie Wright Black Eyed Bruiser Cassette Tape Albert Productions Tc Aplpa 012 has a similar price to that as well.

Porcupine Tree Tarquin’s Seaweed Farm is also valuable; it will be around $560. Mike Oldfield Platinum Cassette Tape Original Rare Version Of Sally also costs $600+, not to mention you can also check out some rare cassettes from the late 70s like George Duke Follow The Rainbow for example.

The Prince NPG New Power Generation Collectable Sample Tape costs around $1700 and Elton John The Very Best Vol 1 Clamsheel 1990 will be $500 or so. But these are only a few of the many examples that you can find right now. All the music cassettes with international music in them may have a bit of value.

But what makes some stand out is how rare they are and if they pertain to a certain, very popular band or singer. That’s why some of the well-known artist’s music cassettes tend to be quite expensive in the online world right now. It does make a lot of sense why it happens, but the interesting thing is that there’s no shortage of buyers. That’s maybe why the overall price for music cassettes goes up, especially for those that are extremely collectible.

Are music cassettes a good investment?

It depends, just like any collector item the value can easily go up and down all the time. So, there’s no real way to know if you should buy now and resell for a profit or sell what you have now and make a smaller profit on the spot. It all comes down to you and what you expect from the music cassettes. For a lot of people, it seems that selling music cassettes right now is a good way to make a few extra bucks. So yes, if you have some tapes with international music and some particularly rare ones, you may want to check online and see where they are priced at.

Seeing that some music cassettes are selling for thousands is shocking for a lot of people. But any item can have a lot of value, which is why you may want to give it a shot and see how much you can get for your music cassettes. Sure, they may not be as valuable as you expect, but it’s still amazing to see that you can get upwards of $100 on an old audiotape. After all, tons of people are throwing these right now, so it’s really important to get rid of your current music cassettes especially if they are valuable.
Amazon is erupting when it comes to how many music cassettes are sold online. And there’s a whole lot of value to be had in this regard.

In the end, you can make money from old music cassettes, but not every music cassette is valuable, which is why you want to check the rarity first. If they are very rare, then you will most likely want to sell them as quickly as possible. Unless you want to hold on to them for some reason, in which case you may be able to sell them at a higher price later on. The options are there, and they are aplenty, you just have to figure out what works for you and use that to your advantage!


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