VG vinyl records and lower grades.. Who buys them and why?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Old Zorki II, Jan 14, 2019.

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  1. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    Well, if one checks sales on discogs he can see tons of records sold in VG and G condition (often bringing "average" sale price way down). And it is not some collectible or rare, unobtainable in better grades records - it is very common stuff, for like 2 dollars. And it is while even VG+ grade there often looks very marginal...
    There should be some reason to do that, may be I am missing something.
     
  2. conjotter

    conjotter Forum Resident

    Lots of people have basic or lousy turntables and marginal stereo systems. So it doesn’t really matter.

    Vinyl is so trendy now that sound quality is not the reason that many people buy records.

    If people don’t have the cash for a good rig they are better off playing cds or even mp3s.
     
  3. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    Exactly. And even with good rig and bit up records...
     
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  4. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Sometimes in some grading systems you see "collection filler" as a reason to buy or own a chewed up record. I still have to wonder why anyone would need a "filler" piece. Maybe there's some kind of collector's obsession I'm not understanding, but I don't need beat up records no matter what they are.
     
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  5. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    The first record is $5 shipping. The 2-5 are about $0.50 each. So some additional filler records that might be purchased out of curiosity added to the original selection.

    I don't do this. But, it also could be that to make the a purchase affordable from the shipping side, a single $2 purchase make little sense. However 5 records would be a total of $17.00. If this is indeed a buying strategy that is widespread, it would skew the purchase of these items upward.

    I know before I ever complete an order, I always check the inventory of the seller's store. If there is a $2 record that is in VG+ condition that maybe I just never purchased years ago, it will get added to the cart. I would consider these $1 bin selections that I would have picked up if I was in a record store. Probably because Linda Ronstadt was a bigger artist when I was too young to buy records, that I never picked them up. With her change in direction from being a Rock star in the '70s, and without continuity, I think her records were largely sold off. I come across a lot of her records cheap both on Discogs and in record stores. I'll add a record of her's to my cart because I find a lot in pristine condition that aren't marked up. She's an artist that the new generation of vinyl buyers just haven't explored. Maybe it's because she stopped touring in 2009 just when vinyl picked up momentum. I'm sure there are other artists that have fallen out of favor that savvy buyer aren't ignoring.
     
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  6. egebamyasi

    egebamyasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Worcester, MA
    I know stores that sell them. Something they wouldn't do in the past so someone's buying.
     
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  7. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I'll often buy VG graded records but I'm also cautious. A genuinely VG record is often the best I can afford and realistically is the condition most 60s and 70s records are now in. I'm very rarely disappointed. A lot of the time a good clean has got them playing and looking closer to EX. The vinyl quality in the UK was superb in the 60s and VG or even worse looking copies can play surprisingly well, sometimes near perfectly as long as the grooves aren't worn out. On rare 60s records I don't mind a bit of crackle. I wasn't around to buy them at the time, they are sought after and I consider myself lucky to have them. I can't be over fussy. Jumps, repetitive clicks or bad groove wear are unacceptable though.

    With records that were big sellers or stuff from the 80s onwards I'm more fussy and generally will wait for EX or better graded records to show up.
     
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  8. Subvet

    Subvet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Maine
    I'll add that the amount of VG and below records make Discogs wantlist for sale messages a real pain. Why they don't support filters is really beyond me.
     
  9. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    I can understand a collector's part of it, it is a "curse of a completist". Often you have all records of one artist/band but one, so you feel an urge to "fill". Especially if record is very rare/expensive.
    But it should not be majority of purchases....
     
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  10. Dave Thompson

    Dave Thompson Forum Resident

    I'm sure elements of that are true, but I wonder how many of us actually started our record collecting career with "a good rig"? My first few... an inherited mono box that still had 16rpm as a speed option, a cheap music center, etc... were certainly not good by any standard, but they served their purpose and I was happy with them. Or would I have been better off just listening to the radio or cassettes? (The closest I can come to a period equivalent of CDs and mp3s)

    As for VG and below, if it's something I want to hear, but don't necessarily want to spend "real" money on it, I'll chance it. Or if it's an album I stand no chance of finding/affording in better shape. I even have a turntable set up for "old scratchies," an aged Thorens 160, and I've found it to be very tolerant towards records that look like they ought to be hopeless.

    That said, in terms of fidelity, I'm one of those people who actually enjoy a modicum of crackle and pop (more so on 50s/60s albums than later). If an album does become a favorite, of course I'll look out for a better copy. But there's a lot of music that I'm just glad I have, and if it crackles through the quiet bits, so be it.
     
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  11. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    Well, to just get familiar with music youtube, spotify or similar is more then adequate. So I wonder how valid an argument of curiosity.
    I just checked sales of one fairly common rock record of 1980. Plenty of available NM and even M for 4-6 dollars. Yet last 10 transactions were all for records in VG or VG+ for 2-3 dollars..
     
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  12. MKHopkins

    MKHopkins Break out the Hats and Hooters

    Location:
    Beaver Falls, PA
    As I read the Goldming rating standards I think there’s a pretty vast difference between VG and G.

    Record Grading 101: Understanding The Goldmine Grading Guide

    I want the nicest affordable copy available. By the standard VG is more than playable and not offensively beat up. That’s usually ok for me.

    I wouldn’t buy a G.
     
  13. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    if only all sellers follow those standards, if only.
     
  14. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
    The last record show I attended, about 2 years ago was inundated with VG records.
     
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  15. Izozeles

    Izozeles Pushing my limits

    I even stop buying EX records. I rather stick to a cd if it isn´t NM or EX plus at least
     
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  16. lucan_g

    lucan_g Forum Resident

    It is tough... I can think of mint new records that sound inundated with surface noise, and old records with multiple visual blemishes that sound brilliant.

    I just buy whatever sounds good.
     
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  17. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    I am in similar shoes...
     
  18. onlyconnect

    onlyconnect The prose and the passion

    Location:
    Winchester, UK
    I bought this one over the weekend. It cost £3.30. The top seam is split but I thought the vinyl looked not too bad.

    The reason is that I want to compare the sound to my 2009 mono CD. I am hoping it will play well enough that I can get some idea.


    [​IMG]

    Tim
     
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  19. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    I am talking about not very expensive records of the same release... Imagine that options are
    1. Old excellent release, but VG - $3.00
    2. Same release, but NM - $6.00
    3. Brand new "remaster" - $20.00
    For me #2 is the logical choice. But VAST majority of discogs sales are #1 option... That what I am trying to figure out.
     
  20. RudolphS

    RudolphS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rio de Janeiro
    First, everybody can put up something for sale, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will sell. Second, sometimes it's very difficult to find items in perfect condition, for example 45's from the '60s with picture sleeves (not the record but usually the PS is the problem). I have bought some 78RPM's from the 1920s-30s in VG condition, because if I had wanted a mint copy I should've been born three decades earlier.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2019
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  21. lucan_g

    lucan_g Forum Resident

    Misunderstood... it is early here pre-coffee. Yeah, that I don’t understand.
     
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  22. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher Thread Starter

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    For rare and old records where often it is the only reasonable choice it is clearly understood. And I am judging by sales history and not by what is for sale..
     
  23. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur!

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Price and scarify come into play, but if you follow Goldmine standards, a VG record is a decent play copy. I have bought VG albums from Dusty Groove and they are often what others would call VG+.
     
  24. BobbyS

    BobbyS Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Delaware OH USA
    Most of the lps I buy these days are 50's or 60's pressings. VG+ is sometimes the best version you can find of one of these. I have no problem with vg+ if it is correctly graded. And of course that is the problem...
     
  25. attym

    attym Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    I also think we use a flawed grading system. For those new to it, ‘Very Good’ usually isn’t what they were expecting.
     
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