Alternative to Discogs marketplace

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Giacomo Belbo, May 13, 2018.

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  1. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    Following another bad experience from Discogs (expensive Mint- box set had a torn box and scratches on the vinyl) I've decided that I had enough from Discogs and I really don't need more experiences like this. I'm wondering what's the alternative for vinyl online: I don't want to go through bidding ala eBay, are there TRUSTED big online record stores that can guarantee the condition and would be recommended? I live in Europe and I'm referring to used vinyl, thank you in advance!
     
    Mr. LP Collector and ClassicalCD like this.
  2. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    I don't know if what you seek exists, but Discogs has little to do with it. It is as if you bought a used car from an ad in the local paper and a wheel fell off. The newspaper is not to blame - they just ran a paid advertisement, which is what they do just as Discogs runs paid ads for records.
     
  3. glide

    glide Forum Resident

    Location:
    NH, USA
    For used vinyl, what you are looking for does not exist.

    Does PayPal not offer buyer protection in Europe? Not sure what the big deal is.
     
  4. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    Yes I know very well how Discogs works. I don't want to be buying anymore from individual sellers, I think they don't grade vinyl correctly, I want to buy from big online record stores where my experience is much more positive - I believe they grade much more accurately. I'm asking for advice on which those might be, thanks again!
     
    Mr. LP Collector and melstapler like this.
  5. MARTHY

    MARTHY Forum Resident

    Regarding the sellers you have purchased from so far: Do that have high ratings, at least 99.9%? And, do you still check their ratings feedback? Have you ever asked the seller for additional details, photos, etc.?
     
  6. glide

    glide Forum Resident

    Location:
    NH, USA
    Who are these “big” online record stores you speak of? Amazon?

    Large stores do not deal in used vinyl curation.
    In order to accomplish what you want, based on your standards, there is no way to do this outside of inspecting the records in person.

    This is why online sites have seller feedback and buyer protection.
     
    bug2362, Lost In The Flood and Myke like this.
  7. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    After 33 Discogs transactions that were all more than satisfactory, with zero bad transactions, you either have the worst luck of anyone that ever bought online, or you're not checking feedback closely enough, not asking enough questions, something.
    Like the others have said, no eBay, no Discogs, all you have left is our classifieds right here.
     
    Lost In The Flood and Jack like this.
  8. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    here we go again. isn't there already a thread that's full of sweeping generalizations and exaggerations regarding discogs?
     
    eelkiller and Lost In The Flood like this.
  9. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    Yes, yes and yes.

     
  10. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    A lot of discogs sellers are full time "professional" sellers and some even have physical stores and I think you'll find that other online outlets might also grade badly from time to time just like Discogs sellers might (and eBay sellers).

    I've bought from Discogs sellers that were definitely not hobbyists and their grading ability stunk. I do not think there is any real way to protect yourself from bad grading 100% unless you grade the item yourself (and you might be a bad grader too! lol)

    I can't really think of an alternative to Discogs or eBay other than Musicstack.com I haven't bought anything from sellers on that site for years mostly because the selection and pricing isn't the best for what I am looking for. But it's worth a browse.
     
    Lost In The Flood likes this.
  11. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    That last yes can't be right because if you were sent photos you'd have at least seen that box was torn unless they sent you pictures with purposely excluded a good view of the box set.

    But I'm not surprised that they had high feedback. I find feedback to be useful but no real guarantee that you are not going to have to deal with a bad grade situation.
     
    Lost In The Flood likes this.
  12. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    My negative feedback was removed on Discogs so it's not a guarantee.

    Other times a seller will refund to not receive a negative.

    Discogs looks after the sellers because that's where there money is made.
     
  13. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    First of all I've done also quite a few Discogs transactions and not all of them are negative. But there have been enough bad ones now to decide not to continue. I think there is also another alternative which is online record store sites.

     
  14. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    With the angle I was sent the problem on the box was not visible. Also the vinyl had audible & very visible scratches that were never mentioned or shown in the photo.

     
    ClassicalCD likes this.
  15. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    Although I've found several sealed LPs on Discogs, I mostly rely on them for used/backup/duplicate copies of a particular title and with the expectation it will be used/worn. I learned very quickly that you're at the mercy of a third party seller to offer full disclosure of a product and that they will make a problem right for the customer in the event an item is misrepresented or damaged. It's sad, whenever I hear the name Discogs, I always think of a scratched LP.
     
  16. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Wow. That is a very purposeful and deliberate action by the seller. People make mistakes but if they took photos, sent to them to you and didn't show the rip and still called it NM? Yeah lying and of course he knew about the lps as well.
     
    Dave S and Giacomo Belbo like this.
  17. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    I'm not sure what all the hub bub is about. If a seller isn't showing say the back side of an LP box ask them to take a picture and show it to you. If they won't then I'd be suspicious and pass on purchasing. At any rate, even though it's an inconvenience, you are protected by both your CC and/or Paypal. Buying used you kind of have to be your own detective. Vinyl scratches are another beast that may not even show up in a picture so you guys still have my sympathies. To belittle sellers with good feedback really irritates me, even though I don't sell Vinyl, because I've worked hard to keep mine at 100% for over 10 years both here and on Discogs.
     
  18. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    See attached photo and notice the deep scratch on the bottom that is 100% audible. This guy had hundreds of sales and only 1 complaint. Notice also the dust, there was a lot of dust in all the LPs.

    [​IMG]

     
    Last edited: May 14, 2018
  19. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    How that could go unnoticed is a mystery. Whether or not they conduct a final inspection before shipping is unknown, but it certainly should be protocol. Both high volume and small seller alike should be held to the same level of standards. There is no excuse for deception or misrepresentation of a product.
     
  20. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    For relatively high prices (often double elsewhere) there is Eil.com in UK. At least their grading is pretty reliable and they don't sell anything below genuine EX (visual). (Own Website or Ebay listings).
     
  21. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    I have used Musicstack for years because of this reason.

    I have a trusted stable of brick and mortar record stores and quality Internet sellers across the US who list on Musicstack. For physical record stores, I trust Musical Energi, Brothers Records, Bananas Music, and Solid Viper Records. Internet sellers that I've found reliable include AudiopheliaUSA, Records By Mail and GoJohnnyGo.

    I realize this list doesn't do much for you in Denmark but I know there are legitimate record stores in the UK and the rest of Europe which also sell LPs on Musicstack.
     
  22. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    Thanks a lot, I'm compiling a list as well and will try Musicstack.

     
    melstapler likes this.
  23. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

  24. Giacomo Belbo

    Giacomo Belbo Journalist for Rolling Stone 1976-1979 Thread Starter

    Musicstack actually feels like a very valid alternative: collection is good and you're buying from a real store not a shady owner.

     
  25. nancybrooke

    nancybrooke Not quite Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    I've never had a bad record from them, their stuff is pretty strictly graded. Not many bargains, but sometimes I don't mind paying a premium price, knowing that I'm getting a good disc. Their shipping packaging is top-notch. Also they will notify you if anything shows up on your want list (which is very dangerous!).
     
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