The Harsh Reality

The time has come to say this, and in a line or two I'll break the news.

Eight or so years back when we started to plan our service a used CD had some value. They were reasonably expensive but even at that stage the writing was on the wall. While sentimental attachment was high the actual price was much lower than people thought. Since then a couple of dynamics have hit the market.

First, no one is buying CDs. Stroll down your High Street, the music and entertainment names of the past have folded. Try the supermarket, not the most comprehensive of displays. See what's available and you'll see desperate price promotions and that's against a VAT rate of 20%. Even so they gather on shelves picking up dust.

Second, technology has ripped into the delivery of music. Indeed our CD ripping business exists because people want to move from shiny plastic to digital. In supply and demand terms people are voting with their feet and they're walking away from CDs.

Today there is effectively no market for secondhand CDs. Even our local charity stores don't want them - if HMV can't sell all those Greatest Hits albums, what hope is there for Oxfam?

So now I'm going to say it. Your CDs are worthless.

Sorry, I know its a shock, I know you think more heirloom than hangup so this sounds like heresy. But that's the blunt fact of the matter. Check out eBay if you want proof. The market for CDs left a few years ago and it isn't coming back. I regret being the one to tell you but the sooner you understand this the better it will be. Then you can do something sensible with them (like stick them in iTunes) and find something else to do with the space.