Vinyl grading: am I being picky?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Mister President, Aug 31, 2019.

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  1. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    Last week I was at a local dealers place, this guy has about 30,000 records for sale. The vast majority are in G, to at best VG + condition. The same albums have graced his store for months. His pricing is not that attractive and he doesn’t really understand grading. Funny thing is, that the vast majority of his inventory probably should be in the land dump.
    Like you say, a lot of these records simply sit....I don’t get the business plan?
     
  2. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Many say looks never been played.
    Who knows, they certainly don't!
     
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  3. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.

    Yep, in my world mint = sealed.
     
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  4. Victor Martell

    Victor Martell Forum Resident

    Indeed - price to pay. However IMHO does not interfere that much with the enjoyment of the music - rather have a clean copy with a best effort modern mastering. Of course, many crappy pressings and masterings in new stuff - buyer should still beware. And truthfully, while I mostly stick to my policy, there are exceptions, I would get the occasional used record. I have even got first pressings without even trying. But again those are exceptions.

    v
     
  5. broshfab4

    broshfab4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    A big scratch on the record and they grade it a VG+??? Unbelievable. No brainer here, returned it on their dime I hope, they was trying to pull a fast one on you.
     
  6. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.

    Should have been mentioned, but it was inaudible.
     
  7. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.

    Seems we are at it different ends of this hobby. I wish more would abandon the vintage pressings!
     
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  8. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    I hear you as Iam in Australia too and also collect foreign pressings.
    If I get an obvious did I insist seller pays postage both ways and PayPal or eBay have backed me up on this.
    Iam careful but after 14 years of buying huge amounts of vinyl in eBay I have cut back drastically on my purchases and time spent on the site & now devote all my time to the SHF.
     
    E.Baba likes this.
  9. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    F
    VG and mention the scratch, I use RC gradings that have EX as an option.
    Play grading is a handy bonus to have but first and foremost Is a visual one and always has been.
     
  10. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Perhaps it is don't describe fully and there's plenty of clueless people getting into vinyl?
     
  11. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Yes graded as SS so there is no confusion as to if something has been actually played or not!
    Incidentally I just opened a new & sealed album and it certainly was not Mint and this is not uncommon.
     
    E.Baba likes this.
  12. Mister President

    Mister President Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    London
    Soho is pretty terrible for used records, most of them are ruined sadly.
     
  13. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    I bought a nice boot there in 1993 for a fiver!
     
  14. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.

    Mint/sealed should assure of never played, it cannot assure one of condition, or mastering.
    Buying sealed OOP vinyl is too risky for me.
     
  15. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    Usually you pay more (sometimes a lot more) for sealed vinyl too. Not worth it for me either.
     
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  16. krisjay

    krisjay Psychedelic Wave Rider

    Location:
    Maine
    In 40 years of vinyl I have seen maybe five truly M albums. It is such a rare thing to get a truly M grade album and cover. I personally don't use M ever, even sealed brand new. I'd much rather undersell then oversell. One thing that drives me crazy is talking about the age of an album in relation to grade, such as "it is VG+ for it's age", what the hell does that even mean? A NM grade is a NM grade, no matter the age.
     
  17. Raynie

    Raynie Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Snortland, Oregano
    VG+ record can include a long hairline if it doesn't affect play a lot. A split open jacket is G+at best. Is the scratch audible, was the price at the lowest end of the grade? These are questions I'd ask myself.

    If an acceptable player and cheap, live with it and move along.
    If not described and price does not reflect, get a significant partial refund, over-compensating for something not as described.
    Or just return it.
     
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  18. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Well, if the seller is rating it VG+, that's what I expect. It's not VG+ "for its age". It is or it isn't, and looks pretty and plays nicely is the minimum I'd expect from VG+. If it doesn't look pretty or play nicely leave it in the dollar bin.
     
  19. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.

    This one did play nicely, if I'm getting what the OP was saying.
     
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  20. Ctiger2

    Ctiger2 Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Overall I've had very good luck with discogs. I've been ordering very specific UK/German pressings of classic albums in NM/NM condition and for the most part I've been getting it. If I get the wrong pressing or I feel it's over graded I simply inform the seller and they either refund some of the money or all of it depending on the issue. I record graded VG+ can easily have a inaudible scratches on it. I record graded NM or M- should not have any scratches on it. Sellers do not want to get any negative feedback so they will work with you if you let them. Some just ignore you after the sale. If there's an issue with those ones I simply leave negative feedback and that's get their attn.
     
  21. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    I can be picky about vinyl grading.
    I would not grade a 4 inch scratch as VG+
    Perhaps a scuff but not a scratch.
    Where or not the scratch is deep enough to hear or not doesn't matter .
    4 inches is still most of the grooves.
    I would have rated the vinyl as VG & the cover as VG-
    If it was just a scuff, but not deep enough to be considered a scratch...
    Then I could possible see it as VG+ Just my opinion though.
    I like when sellers under grade.
    Like VG+ vinyl that looks closer to NM.

    Darryl
     
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  22. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    I do too but only so there are more for me.

    You are probably right, many people expect too much but VG+ is almost an EX and it should be quite good whether it is 10 or 50 years old, age should not change the rating.
     
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  23. samthesham

    samthesham Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moorhead MN
    Anytime I feel I have been cheated or did not get my money's worth I send it back for a full refund & I could care less about how upset the seller gets...

    IMO trading in music is the same as every other business & if you are going to undertake the project you should try to be knowledgable & square business across the board because there are old codgers like myself that have been seriously collecting music for decades & decades & simply will not settle for less than advertised...

    It's not your fault the seller was a scammer so why have 2nd thoughts about getting what you paid for or want...

    My 0.02
     
    All Down The Line likes this.
  24. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    No, visual should never, ever be first and foremost. On this you have it backwards.

    I have purchased used records that have looked impeccable, but the groove damage was so bad that the record is unlistenable. I have records that have some scratches that play like they’re mint. Records are meant to be played, not visually appreciated, so it’s what you hear that trumps what it looks like.

    Sorry, play grading is what we’re all interested in. Listening to music is an auditory exercise. A record is only as good as how it sounds, not how it looks.
     
  25. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    You make some good points and I am extremely well aware of all of them in advance.
    For the near 40 years I have been collecting records the well known fact remains that most professional sellers cannot possibly physically play their records it is just impossible time wise.
    Obviously in a perfect world it would be great if all vinyl was both play and visually graded.
    It has been accepted for a long time whether at a Record shop, Record Fair, Mail order, Boot sale or Online that this is how it works.
    You can't play 100's or thousands of records plus there are also more sellers nowadays without turntables.
    A good seller should spot most groovewear though I know they often don't.
    I like it when an online seller play grades but am hesitant when no visual grading or description accompanies it.....they have pulled it out to play and seen it's surfaces so what is to hide in offering the full picture.
    When buying you also don't need to be a reseller to want your item to at least return your outlay should you wish to sell it, however eyesore scratches sounding or not don't lift wallets from trouser pocket unless very suitably priced.
    Iam also keeping in mind that there are many collectors that have a large amount of records that are not in the $3 to $30 bracket range, how do you think they go with unmentioned, unsightly damage to a higher end item?
     
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