Alternatives to Discogs for purchasing vinyl?

After two years, I decided to stop purchasing from Discogs. While I've had some good experiences, the bad ones have become more numerous. Many times, the title I want is only available from Europe, and the postage often costs more than the disc. Then, the seller usually advertises it as NM and clean. When I receive the disc, it's often unplayable due to visible and audible scratches.

I'm mostly interested in electronic (e.g. Tangerine Dream), 80s rock (e.g. John Foxx) and classical (especially 20th Century or later). The first two categories don't seem to be popular enough for new reissues, so I search for original releases.

Any suggestions for other sources of classic vinyl? Thanks.

 

Record shops?

 

Ebay?

 

Music Stack. I think the site is declining. But it's viable. Of course there is still eBay.

 

I’d just stick to Japanese pressings purchased from Japanese sellers that have at or near 100% feedback (on Discogs). That’s as close as you can get to a sure thing when purchasing used vinyl. Shipping is expensive, yes, but if you buy a bunch at one time the hit per LP is less.

 

I for one, have never liked buying Records online or through the mail. Buying and collecting is a seeing and holding kind of thing one only gets at a shop or a record show.

 

I still buy more from Musicstack than Discogs, plus I like that they do a feature on record shops from around the world.

 

New LPs in the mail has worked out for me.
Used LPs? It can be a gamble. But if you get skeptical...just email the seller and see how much they are willing to talk about the condition.

 

sounds like you've been very unfortunate. I've picked up loads of used records from Discogs and have probably only had two that weren't graded correctly. one seller just gave me the money back and the other chap agreed to knock some cash off. easy.

if I'm buying records from Discogs, I'll scrutinise the sellers feedback. not just grading, but shipping/packing comments too, before dropping any cash down. if they have near as dammit 100% feedback, chances are they'll be happy to do something if the grading is found to be a little off.

I know it's a hassle, but if you reach out to the seller and don't get a satisfactory response, you can always open up a claim and get your cash back.

 

I haven't given Reverb a try as of yet, but I imagine it'd be pretty similiar to Discogs.

Buy & Sell New, Used, and Rare Music | Reverb LP

 

Maybe you can try Amazon Markeyplace sellers? On every Amazon country specific site there are third party sellers that sell stuff too. Just look for the item you want and click the New & Used button.

Maybe you can try CD and LP - Buy and Sell Vinyl Records, Used CDs, Music Collectibles . I only buy there when I cannot find it on Discogs. Their buying process is a bit awkward, in that when you click buy, the site will actually contact the seller and ask if the item is still for sale. So you always have to wait for that confirmation.

Please note that I’m a CD and not an LP buyer. And for me Discogs (or eBay and sometimes Amazon) works fine most of the time.

 

Apologies for stating the obvious but...

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/categories/classified-ads.84/

 

I primarily use Discogs, but I agree it can be difficult to filter out the inaccurate listings and borderline scams. I try to limit surprises by only dealing with sellers who have a 99.5% or better rating, and limit non-US transactions due to shipping costs. (That said, I’ve had great experiences with Pet Sounds in Stockholm.) If I care about the specific release, I’ll ask questions to confirm the listing. Based on my experience, most sellers are simply unsure about what they have and are not deliberately trying to mislead buyers. If it’s a seller I’m not familiar with, I may ask for photos. Most legit sellers will respond, and if they don’t, I’ll move on. All of this doesn’t eliminate the occasional burn, but it helps. I guess this is a long way to say I haven’t found a substitute for Discogs that’s more dependable with a better selection.

 

The classified section at the Hoffman forum has been popping lately...

 

I sell on Discogs. Primarily 20th century classical. I always send photos AND mp3 samples. So, nothing to fear if you’re buying from me. I’ve not had any issues as a buyer yet from anyone.

 

I sold two 45s and an LP on Discogs this week. I usually undergrade, so nobody is disappointed.

 

I’ve seen recent Tangerine Dream early era vinyl reissues, maybe they aren’t available in all territories though.

The German Bureau B label makes very good vinyl reissues for electronic music, you could maybe check out their Cluster / Moebius / Roedelius catalogue for starters, including 1979’s Grosses Wasser recorded with TD’s Peter Baumann in the TD studio. They also reissued much of TD founding member Conrad Schnitzler’s best work.

Bureau B own the reissue rights to the entire Sky Records catalogue, which was one of the best electronic (and more) labels ever, it’s worth checking them out

Bureau B

 

Amoeba has free shipping, catalogs their used items on their site and often has discount coupons.

 

I just tried Reverb for the first time today, found what is supposed to be a NM club copy of Live Bullet that is supposed to look and sound like it is unplayed with shrink still on. For $9 if it’s a dud then oh well, otherwise all the “NM” listings I kept coming across were priced more than I was willing to pay.

 

I looked around on Reverb today as well, and found a bunch of sellers I recognized from Discogs. Same prices on both sites.

 

One Discogs trend I’ve noticed more lately is buyers listing albums as NM, and then using the description to downgrade the rating by detailing imperfections that would have disqualified the album from being rated NM in the first place. Just a few hairline scratches, minor creases and ring wear, etc. It’s a variation on my favorite red flag, the ever-popular and utterly meaningless — “In great shape for its age.” I can see why buyers do it, NM listings get more clicks, but I’d be surprised if it increases sales.

 

Thanks for all the valuable input and suggestions, everyone.

 

Our own fellow members can be pretty special, as previously mentioned : To Those Who Have Sold Me Vinyl Here...

 

A recent thread showing bemusement when folks ask advice but then never give a follow-up made me think that I might have done the same thing here.

After I first created this thread, I went on a trip. Since I've been back, I haven't thought much about buying vinyl.

But, I want to ensure everyone that I appreciate your input and will refer to your suggestions when I shop for vinyl in the future. Thanks!

 

3 out of the 4 records I bought on discogs have been extremely over rated. NM record came with 3 inch gouge on side one. There is no way anyone could miss that if they actually looked.