Discogs - Grading and Prices

NM is close to the price of a new 180g - understand some want original issue but more often than not if I am searching for something specific I'll just buy it new. Unless of course its these $50 2lp 45rpm's - which i think is crazy money

 

I just ordered three used MoFi Firesign Theatre CDs from three different sellers. I got the first one today, and while the price was good, the CD and insert were not NM or VG, as advertised. It plays without no skips, but looks a bit scuffed; the insert has water damage. Let's see how I do with the other two...

 

there was a LP I was looking for on Discogs and it had a best offer accepted , I replied what I would pay, took 3 days to get a response and when they did respond I was told no and don't bother me again ! no counter offer or anything .

 

W

Was it a real lowball offer?

I sent a seller a question about an album and never heard back. Sent the question a second time and still no response. Apparently, some people can't be bothered with answering questions to make a sale.

 

I agree,
A lot sellers on discogs OVEGRADE! the records (actually I'm sick of that)
maybe because don't need take pictures and is more fast and easy to listing stuff, or I don't know but they overgrade a lot.
I got more ovegrade records from Discogs sellers than eBay sellers,
for that reason if the condition is very important to you, ASK! before buy.
I don't buy anything if I can see real pictures and the sellers check the real item, also I need see a positive feedback.
Many discogs sellers use the word "UNPLAYED" and if you ask they say "well LOOKS unplayed but I'm not sure", very dishonest!

 

it was a $30 LP and I offered $25 go figure

 

Ive just bought a Peter Gabriel 1 classic records 200g that was graded 'Mint throughout'.

It has come with a huge split on the top of the jacket, the inner is split and the record is stored in the paper sleeve. Did these come in poly sleeves?

Havent even checked the record but i would have to ship back from the uk to russia so not happy!

The seller has about 99% positive feedback but only about 30 odd transactions

 

I've read too many things about buying from Italy and Russia on Vinyl Engine so I just avoid them altogether. It doesn't take long to see that they tend to be the places where the highest prices for M and NM albums are for sale and it tends to support what I have read in that they are hotbeds of corruption and a real threat of getting ripped off. Anything they're selling that I want is pretty much always for sale from someplace else for a lot less. I hate to tar everyone there with such a broad brush of suspicion but I don't read good things about them. Better to shop elsewhere.

 

Nothing makes me wanna smack a seller more than when a scuffed LP with swirl marks listed as NM- shows up. Pisses me off because they'll make plenty of money and move it quicker selling in the VG-VG+ range. Then I have to contact them and end up getting a partial refund and then I'm stuck with a VG-VG+ LP at a fair price THAT I DONT WANT!

Fortunately that is not the norm. Best thing to do is quiz the seller on the condition before buying. I usually message a multitude of sellers on the same title. That will also give you an idea of which seller will actually communicate quickly and effectively with you. Sometimes its worth an extra 10% to deal with someone who is prompt, thorough, courteous and knows WTF they are talking about.

 

This reminds me of the 'ol "new without tags" or "new without box" ******** that eBay flipper scum used to pull all the time on all sorts of items. Now that these clowns have figured out there is money in records you get the same type of thing going on when you buy albums on Discogs/eBay.

 

I have wonderful luck with Discogs. Far better than Ebay. Rules to follow are, stick to sellers with 100% feedback and high sales volume. Also stay away from certain countries, Poland, Russia et(a little searching will tell you what to avoid), also, Italy. When in doubt about anything, ask before buying. For those of us with large collections who are looking for very specific pressings, Discogs is great, but common sense, as always prevails.

 

When it comes to used records, over-grading is definitely an issue on Discogs and it's not getting any better, I'm afraid. I rarely buy anything graded lower than NM, which often ends up being VG+, anyway. But I have found some really good, trustworthy and accommodating sellers on there and for me it's a great resource - also for newer or recently out of print titles which I'm unable to find locally. But you definitely need to use common sense over there - pay with a method which offers buyer protection, like Paypal; check seller feedback, and when in doubt ask questions BEFORE placing an order - as not paying for an order you placed will most likely result in negative buyer feedback, which can be problematic if you wish to order from another seller.

 

The worst experience I've had was an unresponsive seller after sale, but I cancelled the transaction over Paypal and left a ding in the forums about the seller. No harm no foul.

That's one out of twenty-five transactions though. I've ordered from all sorts of sellers. Dudes just selling out of their homes to the shops located across the world. Everyone has their quirks and I find having the security of paypal makes it relatively painless. I usually take a look at a few different sellers that have what I want and just kinda compare what their shipping is and some have elaborate care techniques that I immediately Friend so I can just keep tabs on their stock. There's a few that will go ahead and open the record, give it a water clean followed by a vacuum and then having the inner sleeve replaced with a MoFi for like 50 cents extra. It's cool finding those guys.

I've never experienced any of this on Ebay. It's pretty hit or miss over there. Lots of misses.

 

I've had a not-perfect but still excellent experience with discogs. But I buy only CDs there, which eliminates a lot of the potential issues with condition and shipping-damage. I recommend discogs highly - most of the time it's easy to get a substantive response from a seller if you have a question, and most of the sellers I've dealt with have been very nice.

Discogs is almost always the first place I look when I'm seeking an EU, Japanese, or somewhat valuable OOP disc, because often there's a seller there with the lowest price, and it's usually easier to be sure you're actually getting the version/pressing you want.

But eBay will surprise you sometimes with a crazy good deal.

 

I've been using Discogs more often recently. I've had good experiences so far. I do quite a bit of due diligence though, especially when it comes to lps.
So far I've not had any issues with any of the lps I purchased. I did have a couple of sellers not respond which is annoying but no big deal.

Asking questions is vital. There have been a few times that a seller realised they had listed the lp under the wrong release.

Prices can be fair. They span the crazy to the incredible.

 

As a few others have pointed out, you have to ask sellers to confirm the CD pressing they are selling on Discogs. This is especially true for pricier early pressing CDs.

For condition, I have found Discogs to be a mixed bag for both CDs and vinyl. Some sellers have been spot on, while others seem like they grade everything as Near Mint or Mint.

 

For the most part, I've been lucky with Discog purchases because I ask questions before committing.

Sellers that describe as NM with some minor creasing or a few light scratches I avoid.

Then there are sellers asking $250 for a title worth $50. A lot of the time these sellers asking exorbitant prices are located in Italy.

I usually post a WTB here before using Discogs.

 

Yep, I'll be sticking to 100% feedback sellers from now on as well. And the higher volume, the better. Had issues with one or two low volume sellers with 100% feedback recently. I really need to drive to my local about 45 minutes away more often, and get off discogs.

 

i think that's faulty logic. the higher the volume the more likely you are to get some issues. the lower the volume the easier it is and should be to maintain perfect feedback.

 

For me the final straw was when I bought Embrace by Sleepy Sun from an Italian seller, allegedly near mint, that came shipped in a pizza box, and was scuffed like a pair of old school shoes. When questioned he said he bought it at a gig and "it came like that".

Needless to say, I got a refund.

 

Don't know if that's honestly the way to go. I always ask for photos now before committing to a purchase and when it's delivered take either video footage or pictures of the package and state of the record as it came in just in case I need to dispute conditions/grading. it's probably more work than necessary, but having now done quite a few small and large purchases (both in number of records and total cash amount) I've only ever run into one serious issue.

 

Aerosmith - Get A Grip: buy CD, Album at Discogs



nice price and condition lol

 

Usually discogs is good. Issues here and there, no site is perfect.
One time a seller was offering 5 dollars for any amount of LPs shipped. But then when I bought some 45s too they got all bent outta shape and upped it to 8.50. LPs clearly cost more to ship then 45s

 

One time I ordered a few records from a seller. I also sent a question with it. The seller never sent an invoice or responded to my question. I hit the seller not responding button and the seller got suspended when they answer discogs either lol

 

You can report them to Discogs as that's against their policies. They're pretty good with coming down on sellers who do this sort of thing.