Discogs - Why do Sellers there constantly list their items incorrectly?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by yesstiles, Feb 27, 2018.

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  1. spencer1812

    spencer1812 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fullerton, CA
    I'm new over there.
     
  2. spencer1812

    spencer1812 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fullerton, CA
    Personally...

    I under grade. M- = Excellent or VG+

    It Depends.
     
  3. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    :agree: Always best to play it safe to insure customer satisfaction. I don't do this myself but I have never had a disappointed buyer in 13 years. :shh: I also was the co-creator of SH Forums Classifieds grading so I have considerable experience.
     
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  4. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    There's a fine line with under-grading. I once purchased a rare CD single from one of those big Discogs sellers (I think Philadelphia Music?) that was listed as VG/VG. I basically had no choice as it was the only copy for sale anywhere. I received it still sealed in the shrink wrap with no damage to the case. Had there been another copy for sale, listed at a higher grading, I probably wouldn't have bought the one listed as VG/VG, expecting it to be trashed or at least worn.

    It also never hurts to ask and it almost always works out favorably.
     
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  5. Skychan

    Skychan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Yes, it's Discogs policy that the buyer must communicate with the seller to resolve any issue prior to leaving any negative feedback, otherwise it can be removed.
     
    Dave likes this.
  6. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    Oh.... didn't know that. Maybe they could have 'reminded ' me before removing valid feedback.

    Sellers overgrading and then offering some half refund in retrospect doesn't work when I've paid massive shipping and exchange rates to Australia.

    NM does not mean scratched. It deserves to be called out. Don't want to 'talk about it '. It's wrong and my accompanying comments were relevant.
     
    ClassicalCD likes this.
  7. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    so you did or did not communicate with the seller prior to leaving feedback? also, it's not the seller's fault whatsoever that shipping and exchange rates are so high. trust me, they hate it sometimes more than a prospective buyer does.
     
  8. Skychan

    Skychan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Agree with what you are saying, it's quite ridiculous. The many policies at Discogs benefits the seller more that the buyer and the ratings system is definitely not reflective of the actual history of the seller. You have to remember, Discogs is getting commission on purchases.

    Having said that, there are many reputable sellers on Discogs and most of them don't bother with removing negative reviews, preferring to just adding a comment clarifying why the negative or actions to mitigate/resolve.

    Also, as I mentioned before, the grading system at Discogs is problematic as well, as VG+ (Very Good Plus - which is the tier just below Near Mint) can include cut-outs/drill-hole items. Then there's a huge dropoff in the quality of items below VG+.

    Re-linking Discogs grading policy here: How To Grade Items
     
    E.Baba likes this.
  9. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    Agreed.

    Came to the same conclusions when talking to my one local record seller who also is on Discogs.

    (For what it's worth he agreed with me about the record mentioned above and my actions. )
     
  10. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    Out of the 30 or so orders i have had, i have had near 100% success with CD's, and singles.

    With vinyl, the success rate is about 70%, with several orders being the wrong record, the
    wrong pressing, not the correct version, etc.

    I have learned, and now constantly ask question before ordering anything Vinyl.
    I don't care about the condition of the record, or the cover, or anything else minor.

    I just want the correct version, with the correct tracks.

    Many times, the seller has come back, and said they were sorry, and removed the incorrect listing.

    Sometimes, the seller just lets me keep the wrong record, and I get a refund. Unfortunately,
    once i had to send something back to the UK, not registered, and the seller said they never
    got the record back, so i lost out on a slightly expensive record, and the shipping.

    I don't usually buy expensive items, but if i do, i get tracking and insurance.

    Now, i make them double check all the records before sending them.

    thats the only way to make sure.

    later
    -1
     
  11. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    :shrug: It's no different regarding CD's especially when the label has carried over a catalog number from a previous release to the new remaster.
     
  12. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    I think with cd's, it's a lot easier to check barcodes, country variations, etc.

    Although, i will admit, when it comes to pressings, plants, and other minute details, i don't really pay attention to those,
    but I know audiophiles do.

    Most of the CD's i've ordered, and singles, are pretty easy to identify, therefore, the accuracy is much greater than it is for vinyl.

    Again, maybe I'm just lucky, but i have yet to have a problem with a cd that was listed incorrectly.

    Same with DVD's, laserdiscs, and other formats like SACD, DVD-A, etc.

    later
    -1
     
    Dave likes this.
  13. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    I like to see pictures of the actual item. Discogs doesn't offer this feature.
     
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  14. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    :shrug: Most of time I'm usually the picture contributor of the CD on Discogs a buyer is asking about and let them know. If they want contact I suggest email, but tell them it's going to look exactly like the one here because it's mine.
     
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  15. cartologist

    cartologist Just the son of an Iowa girl

    Location:
    MA, USA
    I have had that happen to me. For example: R.E.M. - Murmur . I created the release a year ago, added pix over time. It now has twenty owners. When I got the holy grail version of the CD*, I put the other one up for sale. Sold it in three days because it was a Made in Japan version.

    I have been burned often enough that I am very specific in messages to sellers. Nice thing about that is that about half the time, if they're wrong, they'll move it to the right release page.
    What I don't get is not answering questions about items for sale. I collect specific versions of CDs (for example, must be glass mastered in Olyphant by Specialty Records but not Allied Recording, and before the plant was bought by WEA, and stamped before 1993, so no mastering or mould SIDs) but some folks don't bother to answer. Maybe I'm just a nutty collector.

    * The holy grail version is no barcode and catalog # CD-70604. Digitally identically to the one I'd owned for over thirty years. Fortunately for everyone involved, especially my wife, I don't buy forty or fifty-year records.
     
    Dave likes this.
  16. Zumbi

    Zumbi Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    This happened to me today!

    I bought a CD on discogs for more then a month ago, one that I have looked for during many years, the guy said the CD was still sealed and new. Today I got it more then a month later, and the CD is NOT sealed, and the case is broken, and the CD it self got some markings on it, so its not playable...

    Idiot sellers that can't be honest, freaking hate them!

    Just look at this:
    [​IMG]
     
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  17. Marc 74

    Marc 74 Senior Member

    Location:
    West Germany,NRW
    Oh,that sucks. These markings look strange. What is that? Scratches ?
     
  18. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    What's more irritating to me is a big, all caps RARE MONO in the...what do you call it, the headline (?) in the list, then you click on to see the description and see the accompanying pics and it's the regular super common stereo press.
     
  19. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    I often see "MINT" as a bait-and-switch. As soon as you check the descrip, it's clearly not "mint." The sellers might even write that -- disc: ex cover: ex+, yet the head lists MINT.
     
    Skychan likes this.
  20. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    are you sure that you're not thinking of eBay? Discogs isn't this elaborate...
     
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  21. Zumbi

    Zumbi Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    I am not sure to be honest. All I know is that when I try to play the CD, it clicks (almost like a vinyl record) and it skips like 1 second from time to time (I played half the CD before I gave up).

    Tho I sent the guy a angry message and showed him this photo. About 5 hours later he answered. He said he was sorry, and made a mistake, he said he never checked the CD. And he gave me a full refund (including the shipping costs) back. So I guess that is something...
     
    Marc 74 likes this.
  22. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Yeah, I was thinking more of eBay. Still, it's bizarre.
     
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  23. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    @Zumbi, did you contact the seller prior to purchase? I have learned, the hard way once, to always check their feedback and if it's not 100% positive I always read both any negatives and neutrals. If the negatives are mainly on length of arrival I ignore them. If they're Vinyl complaints regarding playback I can ignore those too not buying Vinyl. Even still, I always confirm the pressing they are selling is exactly the one I'm after unless there are no there pressings or a perfect seller. This is the problem with an open community selling experience where lazy part time sellers can list under any pressing. Another rare issue I've encountered is customs opening a package to confirm what's in there and goodness knows they are not a gentle lot. Heh, I've been waiting for a CD since Jan. 29th that still isn't here yet. Will I blame the seller due to the delay caused by a lack of employees at both Canada Customs and Canada Post and/or their lax attitude due to being non-tracked? No, unless there was a week or more delay in the seller shipping it.

    Sorry for your lousy experience though but there are good sellers there too. It's a Wheat and Chaff thing.
     
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  24. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Yeah, @Dave, I find it best to have communication with any Discogs seller prior to purchase. If they take too long to get back or are unclear or unfriendly I don't bother.
     
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  25. Zumbi

    Zumbi Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    I did talk to the seller before I paid for the record, like I always do, and I asked him if it really was still sealed, and he said yes. I even asked for photos, and those photos he showed me was the CD still sealed. So I trusted him. But guess I should not have done that.

    Tho I must say that I have had good luck with my purchases in the past, this was the worst seller that I have been dealing with, and I have done lots of deals on discogs. Tho it was the first CD I bought on discogs, I normally buy vinyl records there, but I wanted this one on CD, because it was special. But like I said before, I wrote a angry message to him and showed him a photo of the CD (same one as above) and he said he was sorry and that he made a mistake, and then he gave me all money back (including the cost for the shipping). Still annoying tho...
     
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