Compact discs for sale

I still have my old records from high school, which I would never consider selling. They're like collector items to me. It's part nostalgia, part economics. I always felt like I got something for my money - big pictures, large albums. I enjoy flipping through them from time to time.

My CDs, however, are a different story. Since my college days, I've amassed quite a sizable collection, most of them with no more than one or two good songs. I've actually been listening to the same three CDs for months now (Chris Isaak, Aimee Mann, and Moby).

I was thinking about giving my CDs away to friends and co-workers, but someone gave me another idea: Why not sell them?

So I headed over to Newbury Street in Boston, carrying a Pottery Barn shopping bag filled with three shoeboxes (about 60 CDs). Among the selection: Michelle Shocked, the band Hole, Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, and Jewel.

When I walked inside the tiny CD store, located below street-level, there was a sign that said "Sell your CDs here." A lanky, disheveled-looking young man stood behind the counter. He instructed me to stack my CDs on the tall counter in front of him so he could look them over.

I asked how he determines how much a CD is worth. He paused for a moment and said in a monotone voice, "Condition, title, and what we have in stock."

He started sorting them methodically by their condition. After that, he quickly put them into six piles, from most desirable to least (evidently, Hole is a big seller).

Within 10 minutes, he said, "Would you like $106 in credit or $85 in cash?" I took the cash, and plan to buy more CDs with it.

I wonder if my cassettes are worth anything?

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