Any dealers thoroughly inspect LPs before shipping?

We've all been in a situation where we receive LPs which are damaged or warped.

Wondering if there are any reputable dealers which offer the option of having records opened and inspected carefully and thoroughly prior to being shipped?

 

I've likewise grown tired of this and have made the switch to CD - all have been dead flat!

 

Soundstage Direct, at your request, will open the LPs and ship outside the covers. I'm guessing that they'd visually inspect while they have the LP out. Why don't you call them and ask?

 

My first thought too. SSD

 

It's a problem. It's changed my buying behavior. I pretty much only buy in the store and I open and inspect it right at the register. If it's messed up I either exchange it or get a refund right then and there.

I bought the Rhino Funhouse reissue just last night. First copy was horribly warped but the second was ok. You should see the looks I get when I open 4 or 5 in a row before I get a decent copy. I don't feel bad about it.....new vinyl ain't exactly cheap and they should have a better inspection process at the plant before its shipped to retail. I feel like if enough people did that they'd either have to improve their quality control or get out of the vinyl business.

 

I'll be sure to give SSD a call as they have the 2 albums I've been especially struggling with lately.

Any other retailers I should know about?

 

You're telling me!

I'm at a point where I'm quite discouraged about this and I'm desperately trying to source a couple of LPs (Beatles Blue & Red) which have been scratched, warped, and had defects ("pimples") beyond anything I've ever seen. Only trying to find a way to get my hands on flat undamaged copies and it's being extremely frustrating.

I too have no remorse in doing this as these cost me 40$ a pop. 80$ for two albums is a lot and I'm not known for being extremely picky about everything needing to be absolutely perfect but the state of these albums is ridiculous. Expecting me to keep them is insane.

Meanwhile, the Rhino pressings of Bad Company albums I bought are flawless ; flat, quiet, and mint.

 

Or put the vinyl industry out of business.

 

Please elaborate?

 

If they're going to foister crap on the public at $25 a throw (and up) they need to be put out of business.

Actually what would be more likely to happen is the plants that produce consistently shoddy vinyl will have to improve or lose business to the plants that do it right. As long as there's a demand someone will meet it. If you want crap they'll be happy to sell it to you. Send them a message and they will improve or perish.

I guarantee you the defect rate in the 50s-70s was nowhere near as high as it is now. If they could do it then with today's technology there's no reason they couldn't do it even better. Unless the message they get from consumers is that they're happy to buy and play warped, dirty and scratched records on their Crosleys. Then you'll get more of the same or worse.

 

I thought the stores had to eat the price on returns? I've read that the labels don't accept the returns. If that's the case, I'm not sure you are sending a message to the labels,rather just costing the store $$$.
I'm not sure if that's the case though. Anyone know?

 

I would imagine a retailer could return defective product to whoever they got it from and it would go up the chain.

Would you buy store stock from someone who wouldn't make defects good? I wouldn't......in any event someone has to lose on defective product. Why should it be the consumer? I would not shop at a store that did not let me return defective vinyl as they would obviously not be looking out for me. I would assume that attitude would go up the chain as well.

 

Of course a good solution is to buy clean vintage vinyl which I often do. Titles like the Beatles red and blue albums sold in the millions and are still plentiful. Less likely to be warped and it's cheaper.

 

Unfortunately, those are the very albums I can't find in great condition.

 

Well...vintage albums I would buy through the mail. Buy from a well know vendor with good feedback and expect one grade less than the description and you're all set.

 

Also you have the benefit that the vintage red and blue albums are all analog.

 

I wouldn't assume that. I know that my local Indie store, when I asked this exact question, answered that they do in fact have to eat the cost on returns / exchanges.

Not that this should necessarily impact whether or not someone should accept a defective product, only what I have heard.

 

Save yourself a ton of hassle & anxiety.

The biggest problem are warped/dished records. Sure, non fill & other defects can happen, but 9/10 times the problem w new (& used) & new old stock are warps.

This thing, along with the groovy pouch has ended all my concern:

Vinyl Flat Record Flattener »

 

I feel for anyone put off by the quality of new vinyl but MOST people buying this stuff don't have the same standards. The pressing plants are backlogged for literally months. There are very few industries in existence where the manufacturing has the bottlenecks that vinyl has. I think this is part of the problem, maybe- I don't work at a pressing plant, I've never even been to them, but it would be totally logical if their tolerance threshold or whatever has been adjusted to try and better keep up with demand. In short, maybe in the old days they were discarding records that had slight issues, now they box them up with the rest.

I think the most likely scenario for the OP is not that pressing plants will up their game, but rather the retailer(s) will cut him off for being too picky. Not fair, but it's their choice to do business with you.

 

Elusive Disc will open and inspect your LPs before shipment. It will take longer to get it out to you, but it is worth it in my opinion.

 

I bought LPs a long time ago before CDs became commonplace and affordable and I never got one that was defective in any way that I could tell. They were all flat, unscratched and with the spindle hole right smack dab in the middle.

 

All of my LPs are cleaned on a Nitty Gritty machine and graded very conservatively. What most sellers would call NM I call VG+. I have never received negative feedback.

 

Already ordered one but it won't fix crazily scratched records which all 5 of my copies of both records (so 10 total) were.

 

I don't know if I'd want someone in my store opening 4 or 5 copies of an album, so they can pick the best one. Seems a bit excessive, and not necessary. I get that an album will be warped or damaged every once in a while, but no need to open 5 copies in my store. What about the customers who come in and can't buy an album because someone opened all the copies already?

Buy it, take it home/out to your car and open it. Customers shouldn't see some guy rifling through new albums to find a gem.
CDs/downloads may be a better alternative for people that are THAT picky.
It's vinyl, it's not a perfect medium.

 

Now THAT I can agree with!