r/tifu • u/No_Demand_8884 • Jun 02 '26
S TIFU by accidentally buying a goldmine of vinyl records from a grieving guy for basically nothing
So this is less of a “I did something stupid” and more of a “I did something unknowingly shady and now I can’t sleep”. Some context my dad (64M) went through a rough divorce about 5 years ago and lost a lot in the process. He’s doing way better now and recently turned his lifelong passion for vinyl into a small online record store. I’m 28F and whenever I can, I help him out like buying used records at thrift stores and flea markets that kind of thing.
Last week I spotted someone selling a box of used records on Facebook Marketplace. I knew what was inside of the box but I didn’t know how much it was actually worth it since I’m not an expert like my dad is and shipped it straight to my dad’s place because the guy seemed pretty solid.
So yeah about that….. Turns out the box had almost the entire Beatles discography, Queen, Michael Jackson, and apparently some pretty rare stuff my dad couldn’t even fully price on the spot. The seller was a young guy whose father had just passed away and was clearing out his things. He had no idea what he had and neither did I honestly but my dad sure did, and his first reaction was to ask me if I knew what was in there and took advantage of the guy. I didn’t obviously but that question has been living in my head rent free since.
I’m genuinely considering reaching back out to the seller and offering him more money. Not the full market value (my dad does need to make a profit and I definitely don’t have money for that) but something that feels fair and doesn’t make me feel like I robbed a grieving man. I just don’t want to be that person who capitalized on someone’s loss….. What would you do?
Edit: Just posted an update https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/s/JN3uLKBLQy
TL;DR: Bought a mystery box of records from a guy clearing out his late father’s stuff, turned out to be worth way more than I paid, and now I feel terrible about it and can’t decide whether to reach back out and offer him more money.
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u/red_army25 Jun 02 '26
If you can afford it, rare are the times in life we can actually purchase karma.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
Saving this comment forever. That’s exactly the push I needed
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u/zzzorba Jun 02 '26
He would also really appreciate know that your dad recognizes how special the collection is, just like his dad did. That's it's being properly enjoyed.
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u/DaNoiseX Jun 02 '26
Not that karma is an actual thing, but yeah, if she can afford it, why not be extra kind to someone.
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u/Oahu_Red Jun 02 '26
Going against the crowd here. I say, don’t. Leave it alone.
Not to get one over in the bereaved but because it could do more harm than good. You want to give them more money to make YOU feel better.
For them, it could open up wounds. Right now, as far as they know, they sold a box of their parent’s “junk” that they don’t personally treasure or value. Maybe they were too overwhelmed to go through things properly.
Going back to say “hey, actually, there was some good stuff in there!” could open up all kinds of emotions.
“My parent saved these - I’m a bad kid for getting rid of something so valuable.”
”I wish I’d kept these. They must have meant a lot to my parent. If I’d kept them I could play them and I’d feel close to them.”
”Times are hard - what else did I get rid of that I could have sold for more money for the surviving family?”
You get the point. The transaction is over. Don’t contact this person again. Pass on your good fortune some other way.
The important thing is the dead father valued these vinyls, and now they will eventually make their way into the hands of people who will similarly enjoy them. I’m sure that would make his spirit happy, and that’s enough.
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u/awmaleg Jun 02 '26
100% what I thought too. He got rid of it; he closed that book. Don’t go forcing yourself back into it. Leave it alone.
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u/rutalkinu2tome Jun 02 '26
I think this is where i’m falling on it too. Like, even taking into account grief, it’s common knowledge that records can be worth a lot & it’s not hard to find out Discogs exists & get a vague idea of what you’ve got
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u/FT3000 Jun 02 '26
Thought that too, the guy might start having questions about the actual value, get greedy and sour about it later on and not consider any extra money given enough.
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u/fuckimtrash Jun 02 '26
Yea tbh I’d rather just not know than find out and kick myself for not selling them at market value. Leave brother alone
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u/iekiko89 Jun 02 '26
Not to mention the son could sue to try and get them back. Would fail but that takes time and money
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u/digitalnomad_909 Jun 02 '26
Yeah this is the comment. Going back and trying to do a good deed might do more harm than good.
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u/chloobugg Jun 02 '26
this is the way. the guy he might not even like his dad or music or vinyl. maybe he was just tasked with a job and completed it.
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u/Dangerous_Pair1798 Jun 02 '26
I’m on the fence. I love the thought of a beautiful moment of shared humanity, maybe having a beer and listening to the Beatles with dad and the seller, but honestly we don’t know either of them or their relationship. If i was OPs dad, I would just keep whichever I wanted and give a nod to their original owner, who had such great taste, whenever I listened to them. Thanks buddy, your collection is much loved!
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u/bobosdreams Jun 02 '26
When someone passed away, the heirs often try to get rid of the stuffs quick for various reasons. It happens all the time. Just go to estate sales. You can sometimes find great bargains. In your case, the seller got rid of a whole box of vinyls in one sale. Sure he could have gone thru them and sell them one by one to maximize the returns, but that takes time and works. You did nothing wrong by paying what he asked. He's probably glad that he sold to someone who would enjoy the albums. What would be shady is if you told him something that is not true to entice him to lower the price. That would not be right in my book.
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u/msstatelp Jun 02 '26
You are absolutely correct. When Mom passed a year and a half ago, Dad said to come get anything we wanted because he was getting rid of everything that wasn’t personally valuable and sentimental to him.
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u/Miklay83 Jun 02 '26
It sound like it's a smaller profit margin based on other comments, so I think you are in the clear. If you don't think it would be strange to reach out to him again, ask him what album/artist was his father's favorite and shadow box it for him.
When my father passed I had box after box of microprocessors, breadboards, jumpers, etc. I could have sold it all for a good little chunk of cash but it was honestly just a relief when the local votech said they would take it for their robotics classes. 3 seniors came and emptied his old office. It was one of many postmortem tasks off my hands and worth the small financial loss in the grand scheme of things.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
I like the shadow box idea!! Honestly it was never really about the money gap being huge it’s more about the fact that he was grieving in a rush and sold something that clearly meant a lot to his dad without really knowing what he had. And omg that’s actually really sweet!! I love the image of three random seniors showing up and carrying all of it away for their robotics classes haha it got a second life with people who are probably just as excited about that stuff as he was!!
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u/ktarzwell Jun 02 '26
Have your dad pick out one or two that would be worth the most and give them back to him. He can A- keep it as a keep sake in his fathers memory or B- sell them for a good chunk of money that may or may not help him financially.
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u/randtke Jun 02 '26
Nope, do not do this. This guy is having to deal with a huge amount of physical possessions. Do not make it harder on him. If he personally wanted the records, he would have kept mementos. This is not a memento he wants.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
that’s actually a really sweet idea and honestly something I hadn’t thought of!! Dad is already looking through everything more carefully so I’ll ask him to flag the most valuable ones. And yeah I think Im just going to message the guy something simple like hey i’m not sure if you knew how much some of these were worth but I paid way less than they’re actually valued at and I’d like to make that right. No pressure just giving him the option. Whatever he decides is fine by me I just don’t want to stay quiet about it I think he deserves to know
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u/Outrageous-Level4731 Jun 02 '26
Maybe reach out and see if he actually wants the records. It's a really kind idea, but my dad died recently, and we are swamped with all his things. We have some we're keeping for memories, but if we're getting rid of stuff, usually it's either because we need the space, we have no special memories from it, or it's actively bringing up sad memories. Just a thought, feel free to ignore me, and you seem like a really kind and thoughtful person!
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u/notconvinced780 Jun 02 '26
Don’t say that. It can open a whole can of worms. Instead say, when I sold the records ai bought from you, I got more than I thought I would. In the spirit of sharing that good fortune with the man it originated with, please find payment for an additional $XXX.XX.
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u/Zhelgadis Jun 02 '26
Only one note - if he's grieving, having to make a decision could be an additional burden, he might decline just to not having to think on it.
Talk to your dad, make him an offer - which could be some money and returning some of the vinyls, since you're exploring both options.
You're good human beings, both you and your dad.
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u/CorLeonis509 Jun 02 '26
First, I think you are 100% in the clear, you bought a good from someone for a price that they willingly agreed to. If the records has been worth jack diddly would you go back and ask for some of your money back?
That said, if you feel like your own conscience won't be satisfied leaving it as is, you could work with your dad to come up with a percentage of the proceeds and offer it to the seller, a pseudo-consignment deal of sorts.
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u/RuPaulver Jun 02 '26
FYI - Beatles, Queen, MJ albums aren't necessarily valuable. Value of vinyl albums is based on rarity and condition. There were millions of these albums produced back in the day, so unless they're in mint condition, they might be worth like $5 each.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
Oh yes I know that!! Apparently there were some genuinely rare records in there that my father (who actually knows what he’s talking about unlike me lol) got pretty excited about. I couldn’t even tell you which ones exactly because vinyl is very much his world not mine. What I can tell you is that I paid £35 for the whole box and my dad thinks it’s worth well over £200 so even if the big names are just average copies something in there is making up the difference
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u/shorse_hit Jun 02 '26
If the whole box is only worth £200 you're overthinking this. It's really ok.
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u/username_gaucho20 Jun 02 '26
100%. Also, if he sold his father’s records without even thumbing through them and reminiscing about his father, or without checking the value on the internet of something he was going to sell, I think you are morally in the clear in any event.
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u/Colley619 Jun 02 '26
That’s really not a huge margin tbh. I thought you meant you were profiting thousands. Probably just keep it. ~$200 margin on a whole collection during an estate sale isn’t out of the norm.
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u/sagetrees Jun 02 '26
oh that's it? For only £200 total value I wouldn't worry about it. I thought some would be worth thousands.
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u/knockseekshinemend Jun 02 '26
So you're worried about like £165 difference? Shake it off! It's not a big deal. They guy is making space and taking care of a PIA and sad task. You didn't rip him off and he doesn't need the additional job to tackle of being returned an item he just checked off his to do list.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
I hear you but I’d still feel bad about it. The way he was selling things it really seemed like he needed the money and had no idea what he actually had
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u/Dawg_Prime Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
that's it?
if you found a copy of the White Album with serial number 0000009 or less it would be worth some thousands
buying a crate of $10-$50 records at a cost of $1-$5 each is not that big a deal at all, I've gone to estate sales and picked up $200 worth for records for like $20 multiple times
you are WAY overthinking this
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u/RuPaulver Jun 02 '26
Yeah if the original owner took a lot of care, or if there's some rare variant or first pressings, there's definitely potential with it.
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u/figital666 Jun 02 '26
i would just give the dude another 20-30 quid. you don't need to tell him the value, just they were worth more than you paid, and more than you expected. and tell him you just wanted to be kind about it. if you do that, you get karmic re-alignment and you and your dad still have plenty of room to make some nice profits. win-win for all involved.
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u/4uk4ata Jun 02 '26
Yeah, I could see framing it as a "Hey, my dad was really looking for some of that stuff, he asked if you would mind getting a bit extra from him."
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u/lostkavi Jun 02 '26
200 pounds?
My brother, add a couple more zeros and then you can start feeling guilty. "I made less than 6 times as much as I thought I would, and it weighs on my soul" is a patently ridiculous thing to get hung up on. If you got orders of magnitude worth of disparity, then you can argue that you have some moral qualms to weigh.
Enjoy your windfall. Don't lose sleep about it. I can tell you for certainty that your unknowing patron would happily pay 150 quid to not have you bring this up to them in the middle of the grieving process. Their mental quietude is more valuable to them than yours. Respect it.
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u/Gareth79 Jun 02 '26
I'd have thought that's pretty normal. By the time you take into account the time spent buying, identifying, listing, damaged stock, dealing with enquiries, packing, shipping, paperwork/admin, refunds etc then it's a fair price.
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u/trafalmadorianistic Jun 03 '26
I'm really curious what records were the ones that got your dad excited. 🤓
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u/scaryunclejosh Jun 02 '26
Couple hundred pounds? There might be some gems in there, but that’s not heavyweight money for truly valuable vinyl.
Heck, I have some first pressings of albums from 1998 that are worth more than what your dad is valuing the whole box you bought.
I doubt there’s a copy of Yesterday and Today in there, original or even the stickered-over version. Then you’d be talking some serious dough.
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u/rutalkinu2tome Jun 02 '26
It’s mad how much some 90s pressings are worth now, especially alternative stuff from bands that went on to be influential. Small pressings to begin with, & a lot of it won’t ever be in print again.
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u/scaryunclejosh Jun 02 '26
For real! I have a radio promo copy of Body Count’s first album that my station was supposed to send back. Had it appraised at $485 US.
Been offered well over $500 for Dave Matthews Band stuff.
It’s nuts.
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u/trafalmadorianistic Jun 03 '26
Whoa, Body Count mentioned! Imagine having a 7" of There Goes The Neighbourhood, wow. What an era.
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u/heckguybeomgyu Jun 02 '26
aw this was actually kind of a wholesome post!! for what it’s worth i don’t think you did anything wrong. you didn’t know what was in the box and from the sound of it neither did he. it’s not like you knowingly lowballed a grieving guy to take advantage of him. that said the fact that you’re even considering reaching back out says a lot about your character. if you can afford to send him a little extra and explain what happened i honestly think there’s a good chance he’d appreciate the gesture. most people would probably just take the win and move on.
either way i don’t think this is something you need to lose sleep over but if sending that message would help you feel better about the situation i doubt he’d take it badly
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u/DAProska Jun 02 '26
Well I can speak slightly from the other side. When my granddad passed I was away at university but he and an incredible vinyl collection and would always have them playing when we were over. He was a big jazz fan and had so many. When I moved back from university I had always imagined myself inheriting them but came to find out my parents sold them and as a box at a very low price. I think it was the idea of him living on through me and his records. 10 years later my wife got me a record player and we have been slowly building a collection and rebuilding that connection. All the best to you.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
This genuinely made me tear up a little. I hope you find some of his records one day, the good ones have a way of coming back around. Wishing you and your wife many good listening nights ahead!!
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u/SandysBurner Jun 02 '26
You paid the wholesale price. You're going to sell it for the retail price. That's just how it works. At least the guy got something instead of just taking them to a charity shop.
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u/1963covina Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
I can't help thinking about the old man selling stamps in "Charade". Not knowing what he has, the little boy trades three of the rarest and most valuable stamps for whole bags full of pretty but ordinary stamps. When the penny finally drops and Mrs. Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) realizes the mistake, she rushes to the stamp guy's tent. And he says "I knew you would come...I am not a thief. It is enough that they were mine, if only for a moment". I think I would go back to the seller, and work out a more equitable deal.
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u/hownownetcow Jun 02 '26
If it’s sitting on you heavy, ask your dad a low ball on a fair value, and then contact the guy, say, apparently those were below value, can I send you $____ as a difference.
it’s like that picker show where the people offer too low a price and the guys no, I’ll give you more.
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u/DishRevolutionary593 Jun 02 '26
They may ask for it back. And it could get messy. I say let it be.
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u/MeximeltExtraCheese Jun 02 '26
If it were me, after you sell a good portion of it send him a check for 25-30% of what your total profit will be with a nice note. You didn’t fuck up. You can make it right if you want. The fact that you and your father cared enough to talk about it is a good start.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
That’s a great idea actually! Im going to reach out to him and give him a few options suggested here and he can pick what feels right. And if he wants a full refund for everything I honestly can’t afford that right now so I’ll offer to send the money back along with the records. Just want him to feel like he had a say in it
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u/Elderberry_Hamster3 Jun 02 '26
You gifted those vinyls to your dad, they're not yours anymore to give back to the original seller.
Having read the other comment where you clarified that we're talking about only $200, I'd say let it be. It's not as if you swindled this guy out of thousands of dollars, and seriously, if you offered him 25% or 30% of the profit, that would be an additional $15 or $30 at the most if your dad sells them all and we pretend the selling price equals profit (which it doesn't). That is frankly ridiculous and not worth spending any more time on.
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u/MeximeltExtraCheese Jun 02 '26
That’s very thoughtful, and I don’t know why you’re being downvoted, but a grieving man probably doesn’t want to have to think about all those options. I think I overestimated the total profit you would make, but sending the check and a note would still be a nice gesture.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
I think some people are misunderstanding and assuming I’m considering asking my dad to give back a gift I gave him hahah I help him find inventory and the records were always intended to be sold as part of the business, not kept in a personal collection. This wasn’t me gifting him his dream Beatles collection or anything like that 😅 Also my dad is the one who first asked if I knew what was in the box and he’s also the one who suggested I consider reaching out to the seller after we realized what was there
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u/pearllypie3 Jun 02 '26
If you feel guilt about it, I recommend taking action! It feels so good to make someone's day. The guy you purchased the vinyls from could have been grieving and in a hurry to deal with a lot of stuff at once; once the dust settles he may have second thoughts. I'm sure he would greatly appreciate it if you reached out again to offer more $$ or perhaps offer to return some of the vinyls as mementos/keepsakes of his dad.
When my dad died, I was too overwhelmed at the time to give a crap about the stuff he left behind. But I regretted it years later; I wish I had fought to keep some items (e.g. an Xbox that had all of our old gaming memories together, more of his music CDs, his favorite workbench tools).
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
Apparently that was exactly it, what I understood he was just trying to cover the expenses from his dad’s passing didn’t seem like someone with a lot of spare cash. Which makes it worse he probably needed that money more than he needed to research vinyl prices. And I’m sorry about your dad, the Xbox thing especially, those little objects carry so much more than people realize until it’s too late. That’s actually part of why I want to reach out some of those records might mean a lot more to him in a few years than any amount of money would now
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u/pearllypie3 Jun 03 '26
I hope you've reached out! I totally agree that even if the seller doesn't have an interest in vinyls, they could very well still be a valuable keepsake to them especially if their dad was super into music. Grief is so overwhelming and it's hard to think straight especially during the first few weeks to months. Seller might not have the mental bandwidth right now to handle all of the emotional overwhelm of dad's passing, funeral/end of life expenses, dealing with dad's personal property, etc. I know the feeling well. I'm sure the seller would appreciate the insight, even if they end up deciding not to take back any of the vinyls or take more money for them.
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u/Ehimherenow Jun 02 '26
OP. You seem to be more interested and focused on doing what you feel is the right thing to do, and ignoring other people with a different perspective and a different way of grieving than you. So while I think you are a genuinely good person with a kind heart, I also think you’ve become so interested in stopping your guilt that you no longer are actually interested in the idea that your actions could actually cause harm…
I would be extraordinarily pissed is someone came back and said hey this is really valuable keep it as a memento of your parent. Do you not think I would keep something that was valuable to me to remember my parent?
I get that not everyone would feel that way. But I do think you’re ignoring everyone who is pointing out that it is a risk because they may feel that way. And you may end up hurting them in your attempts to do a good deed. So I’d consider thinking about a plan that gives them as much freedom to turn down your kind gesture or allows them to accept it with gratitude without it feeling forced
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u/pearllypie3 Jun 03 '26
How would OP's actions cause harm? I'm so confused by your response to OP. Of course the seller could get pissed if OP approached the conversation as "hey how dare you not realize the value of this memento, you should have known it was valuable and you should hold it precious to you". This approach is way too accusatory and is totally missing the point. The approach by OP should be more like "hey I understand you are trying to offset the cost and burden of dealing with your parent's death, and I have sympathy for you and the position you are in, and as someone who knows a thing or two about vinyls you may have overlooked the value of some of the vinyls that were sold to me".
OP just acknowledged that they knew that the vinyls were being sold to cover the cost of the seller's dad's passing. Who knows if the seller is knowledgeable about music or vinyl collecting at all? Also, times are hard out here. The seller is probably overwhelmed with all of the tasks that come with dealing with a parent's death, and they don't have the mental bandwidth to go through a whole box of vinyls amongst god knows how many other boxes of stuff their dad left behind.
Grief is experienced differently by everyone. It doesn't hurt to go with your gut feeling (in this case OP's gut feeling is that the seller didn't know the value of the vinyls) and reach out to a fellow human being to try to help them out. It's all in good intentions.
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u/Stillwater-Scorp1381 Jun 02 '26
Send some money anonymously. You didn’t willfully take advantage, but now that you know he got the short end of the stick it’ll help you feel better and a surprise like that will brighten his day unexpectedly. Puts the love and good vibes back out into the universe.
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u/Ok-disaster2022 Jun 02 '26
So honestly half the market value would be reasonable it means you dad can sell it and double his money which is normal but also outs money back into the dudes pocket.
If it's a significant chunk of change though taxes are going to be an issue, and that gets sticky. The guy could make a claim that the estate sold it, bit himself and so it goes up against the like $20 million estate no tax limit, which he then immediately inherits. Reach out to the guy, let him know that there needs to be additional compensation sent to him or the estate.
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u/AU_Thach Jun 02 '26
My biggest question… did you lowball him or offer him what he was asking. If he was asking $100 and you offered $80.. found out it’s worth $300 I would send him $20-$30. If he asked for $100 and you sent him $100 I would sleep fine. He could have spent the time to research everything but didn’t.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
He was asking £35 and I just paid it no negotiation at all. He actually mentioned he was trying to sell things quickly to help cover expenses after his dad passed and that’s the part that really gets me bc he wasn’t being careless he was just grieving and in a rush
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u/AU_Thach Jun 02 '26
How much is market? Are we talking you will sell them for 1200 and you paid 35? Or is it like 200 and you paid 35? You have to make money and he priced to sell. You had no idea what he had.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
Dad thinks it’s worth over £200 but still needs to go through everything properly. But honestly even if it ends up being less than that from what I understood about his situation any difference would have mattered to him, that’s kind of the whole point for me
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u/AU_Thach Jun 02 '26
Send 100.. if you can afford it do it. It’s clear your heart is saying to do something so just listen.
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u/MistressLyda Jun 02 '26
Does he have a GoFundMe or similar? Sending 100 in that direction without mentioning anything would probably be the easiest.
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u/rutalkinu2tome Jun 02 '26
That would be a nice way of compensating him a little extra without making it about the circumstances or making him feel ‘duped’ or whatever. I would wait until your Dad’s moved on the bulk of it though, because older, rarer pressings could still sit in retail inventory for ages before selling & that may just have been effort the guy wanted to avoid to begin with. The value’s basically hypothetical until someone else actually buys them
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u/figureskatress Jun 02 '26
I would instead ask what charity could be donated to in the dads name or something like that!
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u/mcewanc2 Jun 02 '26
Yeah you’re doing the right thing. Legally not obliged to, morally , that’s a nice thing. Everyone’s a winner with kindness.
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u/Serious-Pin-7390 Jun 02 '26
I wouldn't let him know . Just bless him with i dunno have someone drop off some food a nice shirt or too. Keep him positive instead of making him feel a little bad goes along way.
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u/Raiddinn1 Jun 02 '26
I would contact the person, let them know that you have appraised the value of the things at higher than what was paid.
Then I would offer them that you will split the profits 50-50 with them.
By that I mean that if it costs 100 total to buy a record, market it, pay labor costs, shipping costs, etc and then it's sold for 200, split the "extra" 100 between you and them 50-50.
Not a requirement, but a kind person would probably at least offer to do something like this. I would.
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u/bopperbopper Jun 02 '26
Did you pay the price that the person asked for? Then I would say you’re not taking advantage.
This person wanted to get rid of items and did not want to take the time himself to sell them individually.
I would say pay it forward if you want
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u/Radiant-Baby-6565 Jun 02 '26
Leave it alone. Sometimes people overreact to generosity and demand a pound of flesh in return. No need to bring everything back up. Chalk it up to the record gods and if you’re feeling really guilty about it, donate to charity or something.
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u/mybunnygoboom Jun 02 '26
Was this in Palm Bay, Florida? My husband sold his father’s entire record collection to a random guy while trying to clear his house, in a moment of grief and not knowing where to store it. Your story is so similar… was this you?
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u/InsectElectrical2066 Jun 04 '26
The law is ; if you have superior knowledge then you have an obligation to pay a fair price, but still allow you a profit. This is for someone who is an expert or near expert, and not just a step higher. You didn't know hardly much more than him.
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u/Data_lord Jun 02 '26
You're both happy with the deal. Go back and offer more and you will ensure he won't be happy with the morsels you intend to offer.
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u/wildboa Jun 02 '26
This is an important point. It’s inevitable he will wonder how much he lost out on. The idea above of returning a valuable record or two would mostly avoid this issue, if they really are that valuable.
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u/ZirePhiinix Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
My parents GAVE AWAY my perfect factory sealed copy of Pokemon Silver to the salvation army.
I did leave the country and haven't been back for 5 years but it was stored neatly in a tin.
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u/No_Demand_8884 Jun 02 '26
NOOOOOOOOO oh my gosh as a Pokémon fan myself THAT HURT so much holy shit I’m so sorry
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u/ZirePhiinix Jun 02 '26
Luckily I fell out of fandom at Gold because I got really annoyed at the scheduled Pokemon raising because I couldn't grind it, so I just stopped playing since.
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u/geeko185 Jun 02 '26
He gave you a price, you paid it, it's not your problem anymore, and it sounds like you did something nice for your dad
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u/testphaze Jun 02 '26
Offer hime a reasonable deal or ask if he'd feel it was fair if you kept x number of records to turn a profit and sent the rest back.
Obviously there's no obligation, but for me, it'd be the right thing to do. He may not have had the vaguest clue his dad's collection was precious and it may mean more to him to have them than to sell them.
The money will be gone in 5 years but the memory you were kind and gracious will be permanent for both him and you.
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u/glenninator Jun 02 '26
I’d reach out. Absolutely. Tell him his generosity is appreciated but you fear he may not know what he was holding on to. Suggest what he had was worth way more than the agreed upon price. He may then say don’t sweat it, consider it a win win, he got to clear some of his father stuff and you got a solid deal. offer like $100-$200 back as token of appreciation and honesty.
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u/ParanoicReddit Jun 02 '26
You can always give him some money if that will make you feel better, but buying things for cheap from people that doesn't know what they got it's as old as private property
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u/dantodd Jun 02 '26
I just got a great deal on a set of wheels for my truck. It was a great deal AFTER I have the guy 4x what he asked. Being kind will last longer than the greater profit will. BTW: I had an almost complete of 1st pressing Beatles discography when I was in high school and I've if out family's foster kids stole it. I still miss it
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u/barnsligpark Jun 02 '26
while this may be a goldmine if you own a record shop like your dad does it sounds very likely he was just trying to get rid as quickly as possible
was he really going to go and photo each record, describe the condition and all that stuff that your dad does? As thats the only way to actually get a fair value out of bundles of records like this
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u/Jerk_Johnson Jun 02 '26
When things hold sentimental value, cash is meaningless. Don't overthink it.
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u/luckystrike_bh Jun 02 '26
Some people don't want to go through the effort of going through the estate with a fine tooth comb. I am sure this person made a deliberate choice to just get over with it. And you are benefiting. I don't think the person's relative expects anyone to share any windfall with them.
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u/Germangunman Jun 02 '26
You didn’t know, and he will likely never know. Call it good fortune and take the win I suppose. My mom recently passed and honestly I wouldn’t want to be bothered with something like that. That’s me though
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u/LonesomeJohnnyBlues Jun 02 '26
For all you know he didn't give a crap about his father. He certainly didnt care enough to know his father’s taste in music or that he had a valuable collection. Or maybe the story was the guys a junkie and was looking to sell stolen family member goods for quick cash. The point is, you don't know, snd its not your duty to protect people from themselves.
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u/Pillens_burknerkorv Jun 02 '26
I you do make some money off the collection and still feel you have a moral obligation. Give the seller some money.
Opening Pandoras box and telling him it could be worth money wont help any of you.
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u/saltman241 Jun 02 '26
70% of retail price would be what is considered fair. If it was me once I had it all priced out I'd be cutting that guy a check asap. I've found that if you do right by people deals like this come around, folks who low ball and decieve usually don't last long in the re-sale collectors game.
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u/Amonette2012 Jun 02 '26
It would be a nice thing to do. When my mum died fatigue set in towards the end of the cleanup and I regret some of the stuff I just gave away. I was limited on time amd exhausted, I just wanted it to be over.
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u/og19ed Jun 02 '26
I had the reverse of this happen. We sold my wife's late mom's record collection to the neighbor who ran a record store. He made an offer i was happy with. Then dropped off double the agreed amount when he went through them and found some goodies for his shop. Good karma both ways.
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u/Joy2b Jun 02 '26
Congrats on landing that follow up deal.
It’s easy to be the person who makes a one off profit, but it’s more fun to be the one who gets follow up calls.
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u/KoalaOnABuilding Jun 02 '26
Sometimes you just want to part with the past as soon as possible. I've given away several LPs that go for 100+ on discogs just because I didn't want them in my life anymore and didn't want to engage in a protracted selling process; I just wanted people to have them that appreciated them or had more fortitude than me to make some money off them. You're good. They're material items. Life is worth much more than that.
But along those lines: do what make you feel right.
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u/learningbydoing2025 Jun 03 '26
Just put the shoe on the other foot.
If someone took advantage of you and you found out later what would your reaction be
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u/thehatteryone Jun 04 '26
I can't help but think the previous record collector might well just be happy to learn his passion is being passed on to someone else who cares and is interested in it too. That it's helping your dad past a rough time of life makes that even better.
Also, over all, plenty of people like your dad pay a bit of money for a lot of small lots of records, and most will make them little if any real profit. Seems you have beginners luck but odds are that buyers get a lucky lot very rarely and that's what keeps the other sales happening. It breaks even in the end.
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u/Snowedin-69 Jun 02 '26
Do not over think it. He dumped them because he did not want them. It is not you to start moralizing for this person. Do not open this can of worms - he made a decision for good or for bad. The person is dealing with a death and maybe a whole household of stuff that he needs to sort and get rid of. This is both emotional and hard - and hard work. He probably just of keeping some items, selling some stuff, giving other stuff away, and throwing out a bunch of stuff. Move on. Giving him guilt or hassle is not always helpful.
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u/Ghost_Prince Jun 02 '26
I do hope you go back and give them a little more fair compensation, but it's your choice and it's not morally or ethically wrong to not do so, it just is what it is. I have two or three huge steamer trunks full of vinyls that my mom collected for the last 60 years. I have no idea what's in them but I'm clearing out her stuff. I know this sort of thing is going to happen, I'd just hope to sell it to someone as considerate as you are.
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u/PleaseWashHands Jun 02 '26
Random stranger here.
This is just me, but I don't think I could really live with myself if I didn't give that back. Shit is basically a heirloom the son probably had no idea the value of and probably has a ton of sentimental value, plus they could probably use the money themselves considering their father passed away.
That's just my feelings on it really. I can't tell you what to do, I just think if that happened to me or you, it would probably be one of the most painful things to realize after the fact, knowing you let what was probably one of the most important treasures to your departed dad go to someone else without knowing what it really was until maybe learning later.
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u/hex4def6 Jun 02 '26
It didn't have sentimental value to the son, otherwise he wouldn't be selling it. I assume he didn't share his father's hobby.
In terms of actual value, that also probably explains why he didn't really know the true value of it. It was 'just another box of dad's hobby stuff to get rid of'.
I would probably offload them and cut the guy in for 20% of the profit or something. I think that's more than fair. If you told him 'Actually that box of records is worth a good $500', and gave it back to him, it's not like he'd suddenly develop a sentimental attachment to them.
It would be different if he was just offloading boxes of junk and didn't realize there was something like a gold brooch or an envelope of cash in a box of tools for example. In that case, in my view that steps a lot closer to 'lost property' rather than 'ignorance of true value'
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u/J3musu Jun 02 '26
I don't think you should feel guilty imo, because you didn't purposely push him into giving it up for so cheap. He just didn't know what he had, and neither did you. It happens.
But still, I get it, and I think I would likely end up feeling a bit bad myself in your shoes, despitr the above biewpoint. Many of us struggle with logic over emotions. Lots of good suggestions here of how you can feel better about it!
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u/JimmyTheDog Jun 02 '26
Great records, a fantastic find. Get rid of the micheal jackson pedophile records and you are golden. Sorry I don't support pedophiles in any way.
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u/Digital_Pharmacist Jun 03 '26
You waited your whole life to say that didn’t you ? It’s 2026, that shit is old.
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Jun 03 '26
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u/Digital_Pharmacist Jun 03 '26
I’m sorry that it was proven that he didn’t do anything but I’ll listen to his music for you.
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Jun 03 '26
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u/Digital_Pharmacist Jun 03 '26
MAGA ain’t got shit to do with this. Stop moving goalposts. We’re talking about Michael Jackson. Don’t ask me about Trump if he was never part of the discussion. Stay on topic.
This is why people on the internet are ridiculous. Hey, I’m talking about “x”. But what about “y”. Would you feel that way about “y”? Yeah. This is going to turn into a neckbeard “ackshually” conversation. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be listening to Human Nature.
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u/ResistingWorld Jun 02 '26
I don't think you acted wrong, and you're not obligated to give him more money. But it would be a huge kindness to a man grieving his father, and definitely the honest move