Vinyl grading: am I being picky?

The scratch was very visible, saw it instantly waving hello to me.

 

Should have been mentioned, but if inaudible still within the grading stated.

 

I agree with this , i always look up The Goldmine/Discogs condition ratings before buying stuff ............. I also agree the buyer maybe should have said in a few words what the flaws were to make it easier for a buyer to decide if they can live with that ...

 

Unfortunately all the second hand purchases are hit and miss.
I won't purchase vinyl that I am not looking at anymore.
Even CD's and such have these very liberal sellers

 

No you're not being picky, but you may be dreaming if you don't think this is what half of the vendors on Discogs, Ebay Reverb etc grade like. Remember that even good feedback doesn't really mean much when the majority of the record buying population population is playing stuff back on bad equipment themselves. At this point I try to buy the highest listed condition possible online from well rated sellers and assume the record will be a grade level underneath what they say.

As others have said, if it was a play graded record, the scratch is irrelevant to the grade if it's something like a very minor inaudible surface scuff. Visual grading is a pretty useless system IMO, plenty of discs that look bad and play well, and vice versa, so I'd rather take a disc that tests better than it looks. IMO both grades should be disclosed if possible though. All this is assuming positive intent, which the split sleeve would seem to invalidate.

At the end of the day, most sellers are not equip to sell to audiophiles. Buying in person can be just as frustrating, but at least you only have your own visual inspection to blame vs dishonesty of the seller.

 

The last vinyl I got was an old Jerry Lee album ... "mint" ... it was a long long way from mint. It played reasonably, but I expect it to be virtually new for a mint labeling.
I messaged the seller... no response. So I wrote a scathing review.... it got their attention.

 

I tend to ignore the grading system. Show me pics. Tell me if there's something that can't be seen. Tell me it has been played and sounds fine.

 

Mint should be new/sealed.

 

I am skeptical of mint ratings because I think a record has to be played to know if it is mint and can't stay mint after many playbacks. But I'm aware of the grading system standards. It's why I like to buy from sellers I trust.

 

scratch wasn't audible and split seam was mentioned? keep it and play it. not worth the hassle anyway

 

If not audible, I agree. A prettier pressing may not play as nice. Covers can be replaced.

 

After reading the grading descriptions/guidelines in discogs and other sites, I decided they were too forgiving... on top of that most sellers over-grade (is that a word? you know what I mean) so I decided, while I am enthusiastic about the vinyl revival, no used records for me. And, yes, that includes original, first pressings etc. Because, all things being equal, an OG is just another used record.

That way, I save myself from the guessing, the returns, etc. G*d knows there is plenty of that buying NEW records. In fact, mostly stick to audiophile pressings.


v

 

I think that most sellers in Discogs are honest and mean well. There are several reasons for over rating, some are as follows:
1. A busy dealer with thousands of records may not have the time to listen to all records from beginning to end.
2. The grades are open to interpretation
3. Human nature is to be optimistic when selling something. So the judgement is partly affected by the desire to sell.
4. There are some buyers who are unrealistic in their expectations.
5. Some people sell their parents collection and some no longer have a turntable, so they don’t know the true condition.
6. Some sellers don’t have a clue about record collectors and their expectations
7. Some brand new records have imperfections such as visible and audible scratches, or split inner sleeves. If the record is sealed then the seller can’t see that.
8. Some records can sound noisy because they need a good clean. Not many people have record cleaning machines.

There are probably other reasons too, so to me it is important to form a balanced view. A seller must be ready to lose sometimes by accepting returns at their cost or offer a partial refund. A buyer must be reasonable in their expectations but have the right to expect good service.
On the whole I think that both sellers and buyers are reasonable and the evidence is the huge amount of business that is generated on eBay and Discogs.
Reading some of the comments here sounds like people are at war against some evil merchants who try to rip them off.
I don’t believe this is the case and when there are unresolved issues then there are relatively simple ways of getting a refund and leaving negative comments to warn others.

 

If it isn’t as described you should have the right to return it.
Whether you do so, with all the hassle, or seek a discount/rebate instead is up to you,
But it can be a tough call if it plays ok.
Case by case.
The seller has a reputation to protect too.

 

I agree, those are all great reasons. I think most sellers (NOT ALL) probably just don't know much about records and grading and should expect some unhappiness selling to a person like me. I'm sure he'll sell it somewhere else with no problem.

 

IMHO, If a record is scratched enough so that you can feel the scratch with your fingernail/ or can easily see it, then the record is basically ruined. With the more precise stylus shapes that are more prevalent today, the record is going to be noisy. I guess 'if' the record is very rare then this is something that one could try and overlook, but it is not something i would overlook with a less than rare LP.
Everyone seems to have some variability as to their grading scale, but IMO IF a record has a severe scratch it cannot be rated over VG...if that. IMHO.

 

I don't like that grading system, there's simply too big a gap between vg+ & nm. I much prefer the system which includes excellent, you have a much better chance of buying an acceptable LP.

 

Obvious sleeve damage is always VG or lower.
Record being scratched but not affecting quality is subjective but honestly, I wouldn't dock points since I always grade vinyl on audio quality and in edge cases the label.

 

The fact that the seller didn't bother to mention the scratch is the dealbreaker here. I'd definitely use that as argument for a return or at least a partial refund.

Also a completely split seam isn't something that should be described as "seamsplit". Taking all that into consideration, your seller didn't act especially professional. The fact that he was annoyed by your asking for a return confirms that.

 

I always assume VG+ to be the Discogs equivalent of Ex.

 

A large scratch VG+?
Are you talking Goldmine not RC gradings?

 

I want to know your selling name!

 

You have just summed up the major problem with buying used vinyl online.
Maybe...should....have.....
So maybe not as well.
Definitely Should Have!

 

if condition seriously matters to you why would you even buy a vg+ record? I don't understand this. Anything less than NM I would automatically assume has some obvious flaws. If flaws mattered to me, I would never buy a lower graded record. I'm not saying this particular grading was right but again, if you're buying a lower graded record you're opening yourself up to this. If I were you, I'd only buy NM.

 

The top grading is:
S.S. Still Sealed
The next should be
NM or Mint -
Beware anyone that grades as Mint & if anyone uses the term Minty they best be selling lollies!