How do you weed out bad sellers on Discogs?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Hand Of Ike, Aug 1, 2018.

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  1. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Please don't say by not using Discogs! Unless you have a really good alternative....

    I brought albums from a few different sellers this week, 5 out of 7 were decent but 2 have been awful...

    I brought a few Bob James LPs ("H", One On One, Foxie) from one seller all listed as NM, all G+ at best... But todays has just taken the star prize, an apparent NM pressing of Sergio Mendez - Primal Roots (Great LP!) the majority of it hardly broke fair....

    Seller 1 was 99% positive feedback, Seller 2 was 100%...

    Seller 2 admitted to only visually grading the record (still more marks than I'd expect from a NM)

    How do I get to know who are the good guys on there and who are just chancers? I have pretty diverse taste and it's not easy to find some of the stuff in shops or elsewhere so I want to increase my chances of better from Discogs...

    Thanks for reading...
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  2. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Unless the seller has 'play graded'
    In my experience it's a crapshoot with lp's, the medium, not the cover when they grade.
    100's i've purchased over the years, only one I received was warped beyond play back, seller had a another copy and all was good.
    I don't expect a seller to grade a near mint and expect it to have zero ticks/pops etc if it's just a visual grade. I'm the one taking the risk.
    I love it when they low grade it though, and you get a N/M playback wise :)
    One I received yesterday.
    [​IMG]
     
    Mbe and AaronW like this.
  3. Joy-of-radio

    Joy-of-radio Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central ME
    I've had a few sellers rip me off by improper grading. One seller advertised a CD edition of "Best Of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers", a late 80s RHINO CD release advertised as M sealed. It turned out to be a re-seal in VG+/EX condition at best. Discogs wants buyers to contact sellers to resolve issues before leaving feedback. Trouble is that if the seller agrees to refund, the order is canceled and there is no longer an opportunity to rate the them. The seller will simply continue their unscrupulous business practices. Well, I chose to buck Discogs suggestion to contact the seller first and I gave them a negative feedback along with an exclamation of why, which is just what they deserved. Sadly, the seller retaliated by giving me a negative feedback despite the fact that I paid promptly fulfilling my end of the bargain. An unscrupulous seller will always withhold a buyer rating until they first are rated. The sellers by the way have very good ratings. The rating system is rather pointless now. It seems to me also that the average Discogs customers are not that discerning when it comes to grading. I certainly don't recommend you do as I did and simply throw a negative rating of someone. I was in a foul mood that day! Simply make sure that sellers have a good refund or exchange policy. That's really about all you can do.
     
    BDC, Guy E, Crimson jon and 2 others like this.
  4. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Not many say if they've play graded or just visually - I think I'm going to start messaging them first to check.... I do think that NM should be pretty clear but a little cleanable surface noise is fine by me....

    I want to give those who grade NM a fair chance but it may seem that VG+ by conservative traders is the way to go... Just need to work out how to find them...

    Yeah I had an Anita O'Day LP (Anita Sings Jazz) listed as VG for £2.99 that was truly NM and a great LP! Love it too....
     
    c-eling likes this.
  5. Zapruder

    Zapruder Just zis guy, you know?

    Location:
    Ames, IA
    Communicating with the seller is almost always the best option...with spendier items, they get grilled.
     
    Myke, Mbe, Haggis Wampovich and 5 others like this.
  6. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    I agree it does seem that the average customer on there just takes it... which isn't helping.

    I had no idea the feedback system worked like that, that's not good and is probably why these guys carry on.... Yeah I will check refund policy as well, or ask for clarity if/when I message them.
     
    Joy-of-radio likes this.
  7. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Yes yes!! I like this grill approach!! I shall put my apron on and fetch my tongs...
     
  8. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    38 great transactions there, in 6+ years.

    I pay close attention to what others have to say by way of feedback.
    I question the seller bluntly. I can't afford to be PC with my money. So far, no one has been a crybaby about it.
    Each and every one of those 38 transactions ( some even outside the US ! ) have been great.
     
  9. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Perfect... Yes this is a good approach because if you'd graded properly you won't mind..... I love the variety on there so I need this to work.

    Thanks
     
    Joy-of-radio likes this.
  10. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    Great site, not a big fan of purchasing.

    If it’s anything specific I’m after I want pictures and that’s a no-no. Besides that, sellers get you when you find out about shipping costs. Think twice when you see your desired import for a give-away price!

    So... Discogs (and this forum) for the references, Ebay for the checkout.
     
    Christian Hill and c-eling like this.
  11. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    True Kaztor on shipping not always being transparent.
    I've had great communication and some fun discussions with a few sellers, some are collectors like us and are glad the items are finding good homes.
    Just bought a cd single from the UK today, and the seller was very kind and gracious, even refunded me partial shipping due to a Discogs flat rate, A+
     
  12. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    eBay more reliable due to a better feedback system?
     
    sound chaser likes this.
  13. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    You have said unless there is a better alternative, I think there is. Ebay for me is much better, you still get the rip off artist but at least you see photos of the actual item.

    Thousands of times you read NM or excellent on ebay but even with a bad photo sometimes you can tell it's literally garbage. I am not comfortable going trough the whole purchase process without seeing it first. To expect me to be emailing every seller requesting photos or confirmation of the condition is unrealistic and a waste of my time that's the main reason I don't use discogs.
     
    Mr Bass, E.Baba, Tullman and 2 others like this.
  14. Joy-of-radio

    Joy-of-radio Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central ME
    I recently read somewhere in this forum that eBay has done away with buyer ratings… Thank GOD!
     
  15. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Yes you can only give a buyer positive feedback now or report the buyer - I wish Discogs would adopt this approach it would help for situations like you were in....
     
    ispace, Carlox and Joy-of-radio like this.
  16. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    I'm going to see if a suitable replacement for the Sergio Mendes LP comes up on eBay - I don't want to give up on Discogs as I like the site; but it seems that sellers might be more prone to chance a quick visual grading on there....
     
  17. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    Exactly. A good seller is confident, proud, and not at all insulted by a new buyer's doubt. They're set to prove to you how good they actually are, and maybe get you to be a return customer.
     
    greelywinger likes this.
  18. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    I agree totally - if they put up any stress that'd give me an alarm bell....!
     
    Myke likes this.
  19. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    Don't worry, you'll get plenty of that on ebay too, it is just that you can manage your risks a bit better.

    Unless the feedback is spotless avoid any sellers that don't show a reasonably size and sharp photo of the actual vinyl.

    I look first for damage to the label on the edge of the spindle hole, then gloss and marks around the dead wax also if you can see they are taking the photo on the floor or naked records on top of each other that is a bad start. Even then I still get lemons, not too often luckily!
     
    Hand Of Ike likes this.
  20. Lemon Curry

    Lemon Curry (A) Face In The Crowd

    Location:
    Mahwah, NJ
    I have actually had a good track record with Discogs. But then I apply a filter - I only order from US, Canada, and UK. Sorry if that is profiling, but I don't regret a single purchase.
     
    klockwerk, Rhett and Hand Of Ike like this.
  21. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    When I was selling here, in our classifieds, of course I knew the condition of my offerings was excellent, so I learned to grade conservatively. When my buyer received his purchase via First Class Mail (screw Media Mail whenever possible), he was more than happy because he expected less than what he got. Those were all digital discs, but the principle is the same.
    We have a member here, @klownschool , who once wouldn't let me have a record, because of it's condition !!!!
    I even tried the logic of giving it to me for free, and he still refused, saying it's still his name on the return address !
    One of the reasons I now consider him an actual friend.

    Come August 7th, you'll have fufilled your 30 days here requirement. Get you another 25 posts to get to 50, and you'll have some of the BEST vinyl sellers anywhere, right here in this forum.
    The Classifieds will open up to you !!!!
     
    G E and klownschool like this.
  22. Hand Of Ike

    Hand Of Ike Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Wow! I didn't know that - that is fantastic news! I'm starting to see that this is a great site full of great people, real collectors - I can't wait!

    Thanks!!!
     
  23. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    Isn't it great ? Here's an 8 year-old thread of mine, I happily keep current :
    To Those Who Have Sold Me Vinyl Here...

    * You may not be able to access it yet, it is in Marketplace Discussions.
     
  24. Eleventh Earl of Mar

    Eleventh Earl of Mar Somehow got them all this far.

    Location:
    New York
    I have a handful of albums I'd like to grab from there but is there any reason why pictures aren't a thing? Sleeve condition is sort of the main reason I get the albums as digital is my primary but that took me to eBay where I can easily see the condition of the sleeve and sometimes the record itself.
     
  25. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    I had an online question with a dealer concerning a multichannel SACD he advertised was multi, when actually he could not tell me if it was stereo. So I gave the failed transaction a negative review, saying he had promised something in an ad he could not deliver.

    Was my wife freaked-out hearing a message on our machine from a live guy insisting I change my bad review...3 hours before she expected to wake up! :eek: So I picked it up while he was leaving a message, and I insisted, I would be glad to remove my review...once he changed his description of the disc. He could not frikkin' believe I was holding him to it, and it was bad for his business, and what did I care if he would not deal with me anyway, but it's his livlihood, and he just woke my wife, and fine, I'm waiting for him to change his description before he gets anything from me and by the way, remove my name and number from his list or he doesn't get squat....

    And wouldn't you know it...he called three days later, having not changed a damn thing, as if I owed him something?! I asked him, would he like Discogs to get back in touch with him for harassing me, or what...? :angel:
     
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