We know you have it. That cardboard box in the bottom of your closet. Or shoved under your bed.
It's the 40 remaining copies of that 7-inch you pressed in 2019. Or the distro stock you couldn't move at your last pop-up shop.
Every time you look at it, you feel a little guilt. You think, "I should really try to sell those." But you don't. So they sit there, gathering dust, slowly warping in the humidity.
Stop looking at that box as "clutter." That box is a bank account. You just haven't figured out how to withdraw the funds yet.
The "Local Saturation" Trap
Why can't you sell them? It's not because the music is bad. It's because you've tapped out your local grid.
Everyone in your city who wants your EP already has your EP. To your local record store, your record is "old news."
But here is the harsh/beautiful truth of the global market: One man's "unsold local overstock" is another man's "rare imported underground gem."
To a kid in Chicago, your "old" Bristol dubplate is exotic. To a collector in Osaka, your unsold Detroit house 12-inch is a grail. The problem isn't the product; it's the location.
Turn Cardboard into Currency
Let's do the "Zany Professional" math again.
You have 50 copies of your record sitting in a box.
You value them at €10 each.
That is €500 of frozen assets sitting next to your winter boots.
If you list them for sale on a standard marketplace, they will trickle out one by one over the next three years. You'll make pennies after fees.
On CrateMate, you liquidate immediately. You don't need to find a "buyer." You just need to find 50 people who want to swap.
- You trade your 50 unsold records.
- You receive 50 different records from 50 different cities.
- Result: You just turned a stagnant box of duplicates into a diverse, killer collection of 50 new jams.
The Secret "Distribution" Hack
This is for the artists. When you swap your record on CrateMate, you aren't just getting rid of inventory. You are hacking global distribution.
If you swap your record with a DJ in Berlin, there is a chance they play it out. If you swap with a selector in Melbourne, you just planted a seed in that scene.
Selling a record for cash ends the transaction. Swapping a record builds a network.
Clear the Cupboard
Stop letting your art rot in the dark. It's disrespectful to the vinyl.
Get that box out from under the bed. List the lot on CrateMate. Turn your dead stock into live music.
Ready to clear out your dead stock? Start Swapping Today