How to build your CD collection for cheap

With CDs regaining popularity during the rise of both retro tech nostalgia and increasing interest in lossless audio, tracking down CDs is the logical first step to enjoying them. The older among us likely have old collections of CDs to turn to from when that was the hegemonic audio option, but if you’re younger, sold your collection years ago, or just want to add more to your roster, you still have lots of options to source CDs. But, many of us still have budgets to stick to, and audio hobbies can get expensive quickly.

Thankfully, CDs can be fairly easy to source for low prices, as long as you know where to look. If you’re looking for some ideas about how to build your CD collection in a budget-friendly way, here are some of your potential options.

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Scour some thrift stores

The best place to find anything for cheap

Thrift store wall with TVs and DVDs on shelves.

Joss Broward / Unsplash

One of the best places to check for CDs is your local thrift store. People sift through the things in their attic or in storage all the time, figure they don’t really need their CDs anymore because times have changed, and donate them all.

A lot of the time, the CDs you’ll find in thrift stores aren’t too appealing because many people hold on to the really good stuff, or it gets bought soon after entering the store. Much of the stock will be holiday albums or niche and small artists you’ve never heard of, but hey, they can be great if you give them a try. With good timing, good luck, and a keen eye, you can find some gems — or a new favorite artist.

iPod nano on top of a green tinted piano keyboard and sheet music

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Go to a record store

They usually have a pretty good selection

Mick Haupt / Unsplash

Yes, record stores sell more than just vinyl records — who’d have thought? While the front of the store will often be full of new releases and various used vinyl records, you can often find a section full of used CDs. These are often quite cheap, and come with the added bonus of being very well organized by genre and artist.

Even better, some record stores have bargain bins for CDs too, so if you’re looking for some really budget-friendly grabs, find that part of the store and check out what they’ve got. And if you’re allowed, you can try out the CD in the store before buying it to see if you actually like it.

Two Green Day CD cases, one open and resting on top of the other.

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There are more listings than you’ll know what to do with

If you want to find specific CDs online, eBay is a great place to look. There are millions of listings for CDs on eBay, in varied levels of condition and wear. The good thing about CDs is they can withstand quite a bit of use and a bit of damage without being rendered useless, unlike vinyl records, so you’re likely to get good use out of most CDs you find on there — regardless of condition.

CDs in mint condition are going to cost you a bit more, but you can easily find great CDs on eBay for under $10, sometimes even under $5, that have been well-loved but work just like new.

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Check out Discogs

It’s for more than just cataloging

A list of CDs for sale on Discogs in the "Items I want" section

Another great online place to find CDs is on Discogs, which is more often used to find vinyl records and keep track of your collection, but lots of people sell and list CDs there of varying quality. Like on eBay, mint condition and unopened CDs will cost you more, but you can find a plethora of great CDs for under $10.

Oftentimes, on Discogs, the biggest price consideration is going to be the shipping costs. But you can also sometimes find out if a CD is sold in a specific store, and if that store is nearby you, you can save a bit on shipping and just go directly to the store to buy that used CD.

An Earl Sweatshirt album next to an iPhone with the same album open on Spotify.

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Look for some garage sales near you

This is often the cheapest method

Sean Benesh / Unsplash

Almost every garage sale I go to has a good selection of CDs going for very cheap, sometimes as little as $1. People trying to declutter often don’t care about making a profit off what they’re selling in their front yard, so you’re likely to find some great CDs for extremely low prices at a garage sale.

You’re more likely to find them in the spring and summer.

The trick with these is actually finding them, so keep an eye out for signs in your neighborhood about upcoming yard sales, or take a look around the neighborhood and keep an eye out for any that might be happening unexpectedly. You’re also more likely to find them in the spring and summer.