who else uses Discogs?

I love discogs and am a regular but not high-volume buyer there. I discovered it in early 2013 and since then have made about 20 purchases; 19 have been perfect experience, and the other one was a totally understandable mistake by the seller that was resolved quickly and amicably.

What I really like is that I get access to sellers all over the world - overseas sellers often are the only source of affordably priced OOP Euro and Japanese CD pressings that contain desired masterings and such. And everyone I've dealt with has been really nice. I find that messaging someone before making a purchase helps clear up any possible misunderstandings about pressing variations, condition, and so on.

I also have found the ability to catalogue my collection there really helpful. I peruse the forums once in a while but not frequently, and I never feel the need to post.

Finally, I would emphasize that, as noted above, I buy only CDs from discogs. I think buying LPs is a process fraught with many more pitfalls because packaging (and to some extent grading) is more complicated and important. So I am not surprised to read that most (all?) of the folks who've posted in this thread about issues with discogs appear to be referring to vinyl purchases.

 

I use it. I have my collection cataloged there and use it for buying on occasion. I like it because I can find things that I can't find locally or on eBay.

 

I find it a useful resource for researching information on masterings, catalog numbers, release dates, etc.
I have bought a few rare, 1st pressing used CD's--some cheap, some expensive, but none available elsewhere, and all arrived in the condition described.

 

I like discogs quite a bit. I've had lots of luck there and have purchased many great items. Unfortunately, few of the sellers are USA based, so shipping can get high. However I had a bad experience with a Russian seller. After I asked to purchase the item, he charged more for shipping than his ad stated. When I tried to back out of the transaction, he left me a negative feedback just to be vindictive. I had to report him to the Discogs staff, and after reviewing the emails we exchanged, the negative feedback was removed. The sellers user ID is Ashrus.

 

Have been adding quite a few releases over the past 10 days (right now mostly classical cause that is the final bit of catalogueing I need to do) but today this one arrived and since it wasn't in the database took the time and effort to add it as complete as possible:

http://www.discogs.com/Jon-Randall-Walking-Among-The-Living/release/7606117

 

I've bought quite a few records on Discogs and have had pretty much all positive experiences. I'd say 99% of what I've bought is in the condition described and arrives in normal time for media mail. The only time I got really upset is when I'd purchased four LPs including one $50 1950's mono jazz title in NM condition, and because the mailer was inadequate all four records had the upper right corner dented badly. For the three inexpensive 1980's titles it wasn't a big deal but to see what had been a perfect sleeve for the Jazz title marred was infuriating. I contacted the Seller who was very understanding of my being so upset over the matter. He totally agreed it should have been given extra attention given the value. If I recall he refunded some money and other sales I made with him were handled very well. In this case it was a record store in Texas, not an individual Seller. The lesson here is that for any purchase of an expensive used record one should specifically ask the Seller to pack with extra care. The USPS may get our goodies to us, but there's never a guarantee that they'll be handled properly.

I also wanted to mention I've used the European version of Discogs, Music Stack a few times and all purchases were good experiences.

 

Do not order from the site Discogs! They let their seller's take advantage of the buyer and then deny responsibility.

I purchased a record from this site in July. For those who don't know, Discogs acts as a forum in which people can buy and sell from vendors all over the world. At the time I thought the record I was pursuing was rare as it was a limited release, and ordering from China seemed like a reasonable option at the time. The album (there were two total records within) cost $40 itself and the seller charged $20 for shipping. The shipping seemed excessive but I had never ordered anything from China so at the time it seemed like I really didn't have another option. I looked at another seller and shipping from Australia was a hair more expensive. I did not receive the record for a month and a half. Despite multiple emails to the seller "chaorenguoguo," I was stuck waiting and wondering if the record would ever arrive. The seller gave me some tracking number from a Chinese shipper I never heard of. Their response to my inquires was simply reach out to Paypal for a refund. Discogs does not process payment, you are forced to use PayPal. A couple days later the album finally arrived and the packaging was bent on the side and obviously damaged. I opened the package hoping the records within were not damaged which was not the case. Both were bent due to the pressure from whatever was pressed against it. I put them on the turntable out of curiosity and the spinning record looked like a wave. The arm moved up and down as the record spun due to the bent record. I was not going to play this and damage the arm on my record player. Beyond that the expectation for the record was "mint" (perfect) condition which was not the case. I reached out to the seller for instructions on what to do and sent pictures proving damage to the packaging and record. As opposed to simply sending another undamaged copy, which any reputable seller would do, "chaorenguoguo" requested $12 for shipping! After paying $20 and waiting almost a month and a half to receive a damaged record I felt it was very unreasonable for me to pay any more money. What if the next record came damaged again? Would it take another month and a half? I told the seller that I should not have to pay more and that this is something that he should take up with the shipper. The seller told me he would take such big a loss and would not reship if I did not give him more money. I advised him that was not my problem and that he needed to resend an undamaged copy and he refused. That in itself was ridiculous so I asked for a full refund. The seller told me to reach out to Paypal. I didn't know at the time but with Paypal you are only given 45 days from when the order was originally placed to file a dispute. I called and explained my issue and Paypal said they would file a dispute with the seller. After a couple days Paypal emailed me and said that I have to return the damaged record and provide a tracking number for a refund. As long as I get my refund, whatever, I thought, so I went to the post office to ship the item. They advised me that the cheapest option to ship to China with tracking was $62. I paid $60 and I have to pay $62 to return it? Since that was not a possibility I reached back out the the seller. They said that it is Paypal's policy and that I have to return it for a refund. I again called Paypal to explain the situation. It is insane to pay more in shipping than you paid for the item. Surely they would be reasonable. I told the rep I could not provide a tracking number as it was too expensive. The rep agreed that the situation was crazy and he would file another dispute. He said that he felt confident that Paypal would rule in my favor. He also informed me that he had to act fast as my 45 day window would expire in a couple days. 45 day window? I just got the parcel! Beyond that he stated that it is not Paypal's policy to have the item returned, the seller was forcing the return for the refund to be processed. I did not get a reply for three days and the email told me that my dispute was denied as I did not provide tracking information. That's why I called them to explain! I can not return the record as it would cost me more than the initial purchase! At this point Paypal would not allow me to file another dispute as the 45 days expired. I reached out to the seller again and advised him that Paypal told me that he was forcing the return and that it is not their policy. Here is the seller's response: "If problems occurred in the order,I suggest resolve it through consultation.
I told you I can ship you another copy and you only bear little postage,but you refused. Then I confirm fully refund and you return it,you tell me the shipping is so high. Do you think I must fully refund just as your complain?It is not fair to seller,isn't it?" My concern is not what is fair to the seller, I just want what I paid for. I again advised the seller that they are forcing the return through Paypal. Here is their response: "Paypal and discogs will tell us how to do. No need to email me more. Bye." Are you kidding me? Around this time I examined the original packaging and shipping label and discovered that the seller paid $1 for shipping. $1!? And they charged me $20 to ship on the original order and they're asking for $12 more to reship! If you think this is incorrect then check this out: shipping rates from china to usa-Source quality shipping rates from china to usa from Global shipping rates from china to usa suppliers and shipping rates from china to usa manufactures on m.alibaba.com ». So then I call paypal and again discuss the scenario. They said I did not provide tracking and that the 45 day window had expired and due to this they cannot issue a refund. The seller is forcing the return and I cannot provide tracking due to cost. At that point I escalated to 2 supervisors to appeal their ruling. The second and final supervisor said that it is not their problem and since the seller is requesting the return, I have to comply. The seller knows how expensive it is to return it and they are pinning me in an unwinnable position. Paypal told me that had always been their policy. How is this possible? Who protects the buyer here? How is it even a possibility that the seller is the one to decide if the damaged item must be returned with full knowledge that the return shipping costs more than the initial purchase? He then said what more can I do for you? He did nothing for me to begin with and proceeded to dust me off. Furious, I reach out to Discogs. Someone here had to acknowledge the absurdity of the situation and side with me. Discogs then proceeded to tell me that since they didn't process the payment they cannot force a refund. I asked them to arbitrate a resolution between myself and the seller and again Discogs refused. I told them that this was insane. They are the one's who control the site. Discogs can suspend the seller's account until they conduct themselves in a reasonable fashion and we agree upon a solution. They said they could not do that. I reviewed Discogs policy on seller returns and here it is: "We know that refunds aren't something that you are excited about. But please remember that the seller must honor all returns with a full refund; we encourage you to work with the buyer to reach an accommodation on return shipping costs." This was never done which is a clear violation of Discogs policy. The seller attempted to extort $12 more in shipping from me, when they only paid $1 to begin with! They acted in an unreasonable fashion and would not come up with an agreed upon solution. In Discogs own policy it states that they will suspend the seller's account if they violate their policy which is clearly what happened here. When I brought this to Discogs attention they stated that this is only a guideline and that I have to have this settled via Paypal. Are you freaking kidding me! Discogs denies responsibility as they dont process payment. Paypal denies responsibility as the shipper is requesting the return. The shipper is stating that they won't act unless Paypal or Discog's directly advises them to. So where does this leave me? $60 poorer with 2 broken records which act as a constant reminder of a sleazy seller "chaorenguoguo" who overcharges for shipping, and hides behind policy while being the catalyst for the return the whole time effectively succeeding in stealing $60 from me in exchange for damaged goods. That and the deplorable customer service of both Paypal and Discogs who continue to deny responsibility. I will never again do business with either site and discourage others from using them as well. I cannot believe both would allow this seller to blatantly steal from a customer, and then deny all responsibility. If anyone has experienced this and are pursuing a class action lawsuit I am in. I cannot allow these sites to continue to take advantage of honest people as they do.

 

Pfff... I hope you aren't flooding other forums with this as well. To balance this out here is the thread on Discogs with some very good responses to your story:

https://www.discogs.com/forum/thread/726818

 

@Jmm9678

Do you know the phrase "Wall Of Text"?

Please become extremely familiar with it.

 

I've used it a few times, always with excellent results. Just have to be picky about which user you buy from - extremely strong reputation and track record really matters.

 

The way I see it, you had one bad experience...and that does not mean Discogs is a bad place to purchase records. I made a purchase from chaorenguoguo this summer and it went smoothly. If I were you, I`d be very careful about buying vinyl records from sellers in China and Russia. Mail services from these countries are not as fast or reliable as in North America and/or Europe. CD maybe, vinyl never for me. I`ve used Discogs a lot in the last three years (121 times) and I can assure you that there are lots of great sellers out there, you just have to be very careful who you`re buying from. And BTW, welcome to the Forum.

 

ive used it to catalog 75% of my collection, done all the vinyl and half way through the cds. Have been buying vinyl from there but ive found the more popular its got the more optimistic, (or outright lying depending on your view) some of the grading has become.

 

My first purchase transaction completed today upon delivery. A nice sealed Jimi Hendrix 4 LP Barclay box. Worked out good for me.

 

Really? This is your first (and so far only) post here - this is why you joined these forums?

 

Well I already said I like Discogs. I guess all I really expect them to do is put me in contact with other sellers/buyers. If we hold them responsible for every transaction they couldn't last long!
One tip I'd give is I usually tell the seller how much I am willing to pay for shipping right up front. I try to be reasonable. Usually I get what I ask. Or at least generate a bit of dialog, then you get a feel for who you are dealing with.

 

I expect that he's looking for places to tell his story on.

His story has a lot of holes though. He says he bought the record on discogs in July but he only joined Discogs in August. Then he says that paypal only allowed him 45 days to start a claim and that's not true since they give you 6 months. Also, even if it was 45 days, it's 45 days to open a claim and if you open it on say day 44 they don't expect it to be solved the next day. You still have, IIRC 30 days.

 

eddiel you're correct. 6 months to open a claim and 45 days from when you open the claim.

 

I use it for research, especially if the original liner notes might be missing. It's very good for production and musician credits. It's good to gauge the going rate of specific record editions, too.
I enjoy the hunt for those "holy grail" records too much, though. I'd rather look for a specific record for a great length of time and feel the thrill of victory than to simply click it. Plus, I'd rather see a used record in person to examine it before purchase—particularly if it was a considerable one.
However, I can't blame others for using it, particularly if one has limited access to good used record shops.

 

I wish you could block sellers. TunesOnline recently started selling on Discogs and their rating is already down to 80%. I don't want to see them in my wishlist alerts!

 

Blocking sellers - along with other editable wishlist preferences like seller's country, asking price, etc. - has been the #1 user request on discogs for years now, and they simply refuse to implement it. It's the worst thing about discogs (which I otherwise am a big fan of).

 

^^ yeah, it is a bit annoying but sadly that is a reality we have to deal with. I for one don't know what the issue is if sellers can block buyers than buyers should be able to do the same. I have actually done what most people seem to do and that is switch off the wishlist notifications and just check my wishlisth manually. And this is greatly helped these days by a new Google Chrome extension called Discogs Enhancer which has the option of filtering out selected sellers from your wishlist.