Discogs experiences-postive and negative*

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by ROFLnaked, Oct 17, 2015.

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  1. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    Gentlemen:

    This is now the 6th or 7th record I've purchased from the above-referenced site, and all but one have been not as advertised.

    I'm not talking about a discrepancy over grading here. Yesterday's final straw that showed up on my front stoop is the Rockin & Driftin LP by the Drifters on Atlantic 8022. It was purported in NM condition with the bullseye label, and after I emailed the seller to specifically confirm that it is in fact the bullseye label and not just mis-assigned description copy from an old ad (as is a maddeningly rampant practice on Discogs), the lady replied to say that yes; it is the bullseye label. I submitted my $40 best offer and she accepted. The record turns out to be in clean M- condition which is fine, and it has a decidedly strong smell of pachouli that will (hopefully) dissipate in short order...but it's the 1960s red/plum label.

    Is it the end of the world? No. In the whole scheme of things it doesn't matter all that much, but regardless of what some record collector book states as the value, I probably wouldn't have offered the $40 amount had I known it's the later label.

    I don't know if it's worth the hassle of sending it back on my dime for a refund, and the seller hasn't responded to my email in a day and a half at this point. Just frustrating that I took the extra step to say, "Hey, I know it states the bullseye label in your ad, but could you just confirm it for me before I make my decision?" If she doesn't know, fine; just say, "I really don't know what the bullseye label is, but the top half is red and the bottom half is purple" or "Here is a photo so you can see for yourself."

    Rant over. Thank you for commiserating.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  2. shinedaddy

    shinedaddy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Valley Village, Ca
    THE ENTIRE RECORD COLLECTING HOBBY IS LIKE THIS!!! SO frustrating..this and things like it have happened to me now hundreds of times, no exaggeration!

    LAME!
     
    johnny q likes this.
  3. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    Such is life I suppose, shinedaddy. Still not even the courtesy of a response from the seller on my Drifters record.
     
    BrettyD likes this.
  4. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    Now that a few days have passed and the seller is blowing me off completely, I think I will initiate a return through PayPal.

    I would have accepted an, "oh, I'm sorry...I don't really know records and I mistakenly listed it & then confirmed it as the bullseye label." This will be a nuisance on a record that's still a fair price, but I'm tired of having Discogs seller after Discogs seller take a dreck on me.
     
  5. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Buying used records without photos is a problem. I also gave up on discogs for this reason, too many chances the title is the wrong description. Personally, I think eBay is great for this reason alone: you can actually see what you're buying for the most part.
     
  6. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
     
    Greg Gee and tmtomh like this.
  7. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    I actually did think of Blazing Saddles when I wrote the subject content.
     
    tmtomh and Oatsdad like this.
  8. Jimmy B.

    Jimmy B. .

    Location:
    .
    Discogs is like an unsupervised ebay.
    I'm THROUGH buying from there, just through with it, the aggravation of crooked sellers.
     
    Christian Hill likes this.
  9. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    This is disconcerting, as I made my first purchase via Discogs this past week. It's a $10 CD coming from the U.K. Here's hoping it's as advertised.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  10. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    My CD purchases via Discogs have all been satisfactory so far. I hope it stays that way - one more's on its way.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  11. MC Rag

    MC Rag Forum Resident

    All my cd purchases on Discogs have been accurately listed, I imagine you'll be fine.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  12. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    Thanks. Fingers crossed. :)
     
  13. robbbby

    robbbby Forum Resident

    Location:
    Windsor, Ontario
    I feel the original posters pain. Not getting what you paid for is a crappy feeling, especially when the seller makes absolutely no effort to fix their mistake.
     
  14. SethG

    SethG Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    I've gotten to the point I will only buy NM or sealed records from discogs. For the same reason as OP describes. Plus wear, scratches you name it.
     
  15. aroney

    aroney Who really gives a...?

    Never buy LP's from a seller from the UK as every album is listed as "NM/MINT" when it's not...

    I did get some good deals from CC Music on there, but the packaging sucked and every LP jacket had dinged corners.
     
  16. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    The CD I ordered via Discogs last week arrived without problems today. Its condition was as described.
     
  17. NotOneStraw

    NotOneStraw Well-Known Member

    I buy plenty of vinyl on Discogs, but most of it is sealed stuff at super discounts (like thru Collector's Choice). It's pretty rare that I buy used vinyl, and when I do, I up front ask for pics, and what happens if the record is not as advertised aka what will the seller do about a refund or return.

    I also sell tons of CDs and am very fair/accurate in my grading. Also have no issues sending pics if/when people ask.
     
  18. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    I agree this is frustrating, but the trick is finding a good seller that you trust. I have at least 3 that I purchase from in confidence. However, I learned via getting burned that there are about 20 I will never buy from again. The worst is when you politely message these guys that the item was not as advertised and you get a snot-nosed reply. :realmad: Or total denial.....

    The other thing to consider is that a lot of these sellers visually grade. So another part of the burn factor is getting that NM "looks never played" LP only to be greeted with a wall of noise akin to an electrical storm.

    Did I mention I don't appreciate getting an attitude from some of these guys?;):)
     
    ausgraeme likes this.
  19. slayerhatesusall

    slayerhatesusall Well-Known Member

    I haven't had any real problems with discogs, then again most of the records I've purchased their were newer titles sold by collectors thinning down their collections and almost all were near mint condition, not older records which I imagine are overgraded way more often.
     
  20. Trashman

    Trashman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    My experience with Discogs has been roughly the same as with eBay. There are many good sellers who are honest about their goods. But there are also several bad dealers who exaggerate condition grades or are careless with listing their records as a different version than it actually is. Reading through a seller's feedback is often helpful. If you see any comments about the seller over-grading their records (even if it's just a couple of comments), be very wary or just avoid altogether.

    Also, my general rule is to expect the record to be one grade below the advertised grade. If something is advertised as NM, expect VG+ ...and pay accordingly.

    I also tend to avoid most UK dealers. While there are some good sellers from the UK whom I will buy from, it seems that far too many UK sellers over-exaggerate the condition of their goods. Since it can be very costly to ship an item back for a return, I now just tend to avoid the UK guys. (Funnily enough, I have pretty good luck with dealers in other European countries.)
     
  21. ROFLnaked

    ROFLnaked Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    California
    Between the generic, universal listings conveying matrix/pressing info that is invariably wrong to the lack of even a photo to assist in your decision to buy a record over the internet, I find it to be a below-average experience.

    Oh, and is there some secret oath that all sellers must take whereby they agree in lockstep not to respond to prospective buyers' questions...?

    Rant over. Thank you.
     
    Tjazz and LordThanos1969 like this.
  22. Arkay_East

    Arkay_East Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATX
    It's imperfect. I kinda use it as an estimate but if I buy anything, it's always low stakes. Same with pricing. For more common stuff that I'm not too familiar with, it has saved me some money a couple times.
     
    rxcory likes this.
  23. GodBlessTinyTim

    GodBlessTinyTim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Every time I've sent a question to a seller, they replied within a couple days.
     
  24. Arkay_East

    Arkay_East Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATX
    The few times I have bought records from a seller, the communication has been decent. Nothing to complain about. This is after I placed an order mind you.
     
  25. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    I like Discog much better than other online database sites such as Musicstack, GEMM or eBay specially if you are looking for an album title. It's much easier to search an album in Discog compared to the other online database/stores I have mentioned above.
     
    klockwerk likes this.
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