Unplayed as a grading

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Eno_Fan, Oct 23, 2018.

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  1. You have to think as a buyer, if something has been opened, it's been used, even if the ad says different. Common sense comes into play.
     
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  2. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Yes one should always assume it has been played if it’s been opened.
     
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  3. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    This is not true. I bout many of the 2014 mono Beatles LPs. I played the mono CD box CDs instead.
     
  4. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Did you open them? If so why would you do that if you were not going to play it?
     
  5. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    That wasn't my original intent; I wanted to make sure they weren't warped. I bought a few of the 2012 LPs that were warped.
     
  6. vinylbuff

    vinylbuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Port Florida
    I've sold lps on ebay and listed them as "opened, but unplayed" and never had a problem. On almost everything I've sold, I followed up with a email asking them if they were satisfied with my grading it as such and never heard anything other than that they were satisfied, thrilled, totally happy, and also became repeat customers.
    Maybe you might think that way, and there are lots of others who might think that way.... and there's nothing wrong with that, but it does happen.
    I've got lps to sell that are opened but unplayed and may list them here as such, and if you see them, you can be assured they are exactly as advertised.
     
  7. ellingtonic

    ellingtonic Forum Resident

    I won't play a record that I haven't personally cleaned. I suspect many audiophiles are similar. It's not like I have 50 records and have to immediately play something the moment I get it...I have over 50 that I haven't listened to yet. If a few years go buy and it sits on the shelf of stuff I haven't listened to I usually sell it to clear space for something I'll actually listen to.
     
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  8. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I just don’t open them until I intend to play them. I clean them first as well. It just seems common sense that if there is a possibility you might turn around and flip the record that you wouldn’t open it until you were going to play it. A sealed record would bring more $ than the same record that had been opened. As a buyer a would be very skeptical that an opened and possible cleaned record had been in fact never played. I wouldn’t pay any more for it than any other Record graded at NM and if it has been opened it certainly can’t be M any more.
     
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  9. ANALOGUE OR DEATH

    ANALOGUE OR DEATH Forum Resident

    Location:
    HULL ENGLAND
    Personally my advice would be that it you intend to play the record yourself with the intention of keeping it,then open it as soon as possible.If left too long after purchase your options should you need to return it for refund (say if it turns out to be warped or marked up any any way) may be restricted.

    I was intrigued by your question as to why someone would open a record of they maybe invented never to play it?

    I would be interested to know why you would buy a sealed record and never even open it let alone play it? How do you know if you would like it or not?
     
  10. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    These days you don't need to play a record to hear it. I've bought a couple of LPs at concerts in recent years to support and thank the artist, and they are still sealed although I have heard all the music and can stream it any time if I want.
     
  11. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I wouldn’t buy a record without the intent to play it. Evidently there are (based on some responses here) some collectors that just buy new records, open them, clean them, and never get around to playing them. Then a few years later decide to offer them for sell advertising as “never been played”.
     
  12. ANALOGUE OR DEATH

    ANALOGUE OR DEATH Forum Resident

    Location:
    HULL ENGLAND
    Fair point.Suppose i 'm just old fashioned.
     
  13. AidanB

    AidanB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    I’ve noticed gastly problems with overgrading on occasion. Most recently, I bought a copy of Foxtrot that the seller (who I will not name, considering I recieved a quick refund on the item) grade as VG+: A FEW LIGHT HAIRLINES ONLY. Well, disregarding the mysterious blue ring on the label, I inspected the record under a light and found it to be extremely dirty, really ugly. Upon playing, my worst fears were comfirmed. Upon first play, Watcher of the Skies skipped at the beginning. I used a record brush to mess with it for a bit, and while the skip was fixed, there was still an egregious amount of surface noise present. So much so that the record was virtually unlistenable. Truly disappointing, but again seller provided a refund, so I won’t name him.
     
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  14. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    But grading like that makes a simple transaction a real inconvenience. Sellers need to stop over grading, especially if it is only a visually grading. Visual grading is not much more accurate that a wild guess. I can understand if we are talking about common records for a buck, two or three, but if someone is selling something for double digits for gosh sakes play the darn thing and give it an accurate grade, not your wishful thinking.
     
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  15. klockwerk

    klockwerk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio USA
    It's so easy to put shrink wrap around an open LP. Local college record store had one in the back in the 70s.
     
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  16. Rodz42

    Rodz42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Not that realistic though.....some dealers and stores sell used records in the THOUSANDS at a time....they can't possibly play them all
     
  17. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Then price accordingly. Most stores don't grade at all. You just look it over and take your chances. I think that is much more honest than buying online with a seller over grading. The grading system isn't practical. You can't determine sound quality based on appearance. I'd rather they just sell as is with a description and buyer be ware. Instead we have sellers using the grading system to jack up prices by over grading.
     
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  18. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    I like when a Discogs seller is honest and says possibly unplayed, but doesn't use that term on every listing.

    Darryl
     
  19. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I have stated "Looks unplayed" to let the buyer know what it looks like. It's a part of the description not the grade. I also state no dust / no fingerprints.

    I think I'm being very helpful and attracting buyers without over-grading. Just more descriptive.
     
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  20. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Possibly unplayed = kinda like "new without tags" on eBay. Sure.......
     
  21. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Do you really want them to put it on their system? What if they have a Crosley? I'm okay with sellers who just look at it. If every album were to be playgraded, that's about 40 minutes of listening (average), wear/tear on a system, writing a description. So every album should be worth at the minimum $10 for the time alone (with no profit) when it may or may not ever sell.

    If I'm at a record store, I'm not going to go play every album before I buy it.

    I still think it's funny when someone comes into the store and asks me if we play everything in the store. "Yeah, we got a team of monkeys in the back taking notes."
     
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  22. Rodz42

    Rodz42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    People who expect everything to be play graded are out of their gord, to put it nicely
     
  23. Rodz42

    Rodz42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    every store that's worth it's weight will visually grade. That is good enough. I don't find that many that don't grade at all as you speak of. The stores that don't grade fail anyway
     
  24. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Well I would expect a seller to have a decent turntable. With high volume sells you can at least listen at several places on the record, end of one track to the beginning of another twice on each side would give you a good indication and take all of 4-5 minutes.

    As far as brick and mortar stores none of them i’ve Been in in the last five years offer grades. So it isn’t an issue there. Dealers online and their buyers use the arbitrary system that seems to more often than not result in over grading.
     
  25. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    None i’ve visited in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Erwin, or Greensboro list a grade for their inventory.
     
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