Discogs experiences-postive and negative*

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by ROFLnaked, Oct 17, 2015.

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  1. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I enjoy Discogs for many of the same reasons you do. But grading isn't one of them. Remember that albums are seldom play graded, almost always visually graded. And of course that means we are guessing. The seller is guessing how it will play based on what he or she sees with their eyes and the buyer is guessing based on what the seller sees with their eyes. But when we walk into an antique show, record store or yard sale we are doing the same thing.

    When you send feedback on the purchase you have the option to automatically enter those records into your discogs collection. I always clean and then play the records I buy but I'm often way behind in that process so it might be weeks before I actually know what I have regarding condition. Once I have done that I put the records in new inner and outer sleeves and write out the title, artist, label, year & play grade onto a small address label that I place on the outer sleeve. So I have my computer out and look each album up in my collection to get all the correct information. About 90% of the time the grade the seller gave the record and the grade I give the record or off at least one level, sometimes two. NM is almost always VG+ or VG, VG+ is almost always VG. Interestingly, the few times I've bought a record that I really wanted badly and was VG according to the seller, they have almost always been VG or VG+! Sometimes those NM records don't even play through without sticking or skipping. Now remember, the record was visually graded and sure enough they look pristine but skips/repeats are problems deep in the grooves so how do you fault the seller?
     
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  2. TwiceFan

    TwiceFan Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Coast
    Exactly. I don’t know about everyone else but I find it next to impossible to determine what a record is going to sound like by looking at it.
     
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  3. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I've found a number of sellers on Discogs who play-grade their records and grade conservatively. Not a large number but they're out there.
     
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  4. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    They're not using the right equipment, then. White bright LED light is the only way. Otherwise, it's purely guesswork.
     
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  5. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    That's true too. I wouldn't buy an expensive record unless it was play graded but I primarily buy albums that are under $10.
     
  6. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    How does that make a difference?
     
  7. Bradd

    Bradd Now’s The Time

    Location:
    Chester, NJ
    I’ve purchased seven or eight things on Discogs and seven have been fine. On one, I didn’t read the description closely enough so that was my fault.
     
  8. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    it will fully illuminate the disc and make most all of the defects visible.
     
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  9. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I, as well, but I don't want to buy a $3 record that's overgraded any more than I want to buy one for $70. It's less money, sure, but it's still the same amount of hassle, the same amount of space occupied on my shelves, etc. A $70 I could probably flip and make some of my money back, but what am I supposed to do with a noisy copy of A Question of Balance?

    I posted upthread about a seller I found with genuine VG+ records priced $5 - $10 all day long. I normally don't buy many records online, because at those prices, it's often not worth paying the postage, but if I can find someone who will sell me 4 or 5 or 6 cheap, accurately-graded records at a time, that's gold, and there are certainly a handful of sellers like that on Discogs.
     
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  10. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    It reveals the imperfections that are missed by ambient light.
     
  11. Cosmicott

    Cosmicott Forum Resident

    Like eBay, it depends who you buy from. I have had about 30 positive buys/sales on Discogs... Nothing negative.

    I have had several hundred on ebay, but it's more of a nightmare selling on eBay for me. Even when you tell buyers it's VG, they are hoping it's NM. A lot more inexperienced buyers on eBay.
     
  12. Mirrorblade.1

    Mirrorblade.1 Forum Resident

    As long a cd is been used a coaster I'm fine with discogs.
     
  13. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Very strange experience with a seller, yesterday. Asked him to confirm the matrix info. His reply was "I added it to my listing since you didn't leave an email address where I could send you a reply." Huh? Why not just add it to the message you just sent me now? This is an experienced seller with close to 150 reviews.

    Very weird.
     
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  14. krisjay

    krisjay Psychedelic Wave Rider

    Location:
    Maine
    When I see threads like this I always wonder, am I just amazingly lucky or what? In total truth, out of many, many Discogs purchases I don't even need a full hand of fingers to count any issues I have had. The biggest issue i have had is I got a black copy of an album when it was supposed to be a colored variant. The seller let me keep it even though he refunded me, so not much of an issue. Am I lucky, I hardly think so, I have nothing but bad luck in truth, but Discogs has not been a place that has been a problem for me. The only advice I can think to give is the usual, 99 or 100% grading as a seller and a lot of sales. That seems to weed out the problems, for me at least.
     
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  15. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    :laugh:

    simply liking this wasn't quite enough. what a weirdo.
     
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  16. joachim.ritter

    joachim.ritter Senior Member

    Maybe he wanted to send you a picture?
     
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  17. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    No. Didn't request one.
     
  18. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    People tend to focus on the negative. I've had some bad experiences but I'd say 90-95% of my experiences were positive. There has been a stretch of a handful of bad experiences in a row that left me steaming but it's been pretty much positive from that point on.
     
  19. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Okay, but it isn't going to show damage in the grooves. Most light scratches on the surface aren't going to affect play. I guess it could be an indicator that the album wasn't well cared for, thus there is a greater probability that there will be defects.

    If the album appears to be in good shape there is still no way of knowing that there is a skip or repeat caused by a defect in the groove, or if there is surface noise caused by groove damage from a poor pressing or stylus that ripped through there like a dirt bike.

    Normally what I encounter when it comes to over grading on discogs are records that look very good, but the play reveals that everything isn't as it visually appears. If I had visually graded I would very likely have graded it just as the seller had. The reality is that appearances are often deceiving.

    The bottom line is that attempting to evaluate an auditory experience based on a visual criteria is illogical.
     
  20. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    sure, i agree with you. i wasn't saying it would.

    this is why i prefer to buy from folks who play-test, and i myself don't sell records without doing so myself.
     
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  21. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    So true. My strategy is to find a reliable seller that offers a good deal on shipping. Several will sell unlimited records for $5 shipping or $5 for up to 5 and a gradual increase for more 6-10, 11-15 etc. I will find a particular record I've been searching for and then shop their $1-5 and $6-10 to add to the order. For instance I was recently in search of the Muleskinner album from Clarence White, David Grissman, Peter Rowan, found it for a reasonable price and added 10 more albums to the order. I picked up some blues, bluegrass and jazz albums that I really enjoy and the per record cost ended up being about $4. The records were all graded as NM or VG+ and after I cleaned and play graded they were just what I expected, VG+ and high VG. It was the second time I had bought from this seller and I had an $8 credit from him because on that first order 2 records had skips in them. Something that wasn't identifiable from visual grading.
     
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  22. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    My kind of seller!!!!
     
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  23. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I'm having a wonderful experience selling on Discogs. I've only been at it for a short time.

    My positives are:

    1. Finding out that the CD market is not dead at all, and many titles move for more than $14.99 when condition is NM or about
    2. Buyers mostly communicate and will leave feedback when they get their item (not like amazon, and some eBay buyers)
    3. They don't take a cut of shipping costs
    4. Fees are reasonable
    5. Ease of listing items.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
  24. WithinYourReach

    WithinYourReach Resident Millennial

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Nothing but positive experiences with Discogs. I've made 53 total purchases ranging from $10 - $150, and have had three sales on there. Before purchasing I ask a few questions to verify its condition and ask that the record be shipped outside of the cover sleeve to avoid seam split damage if the seller doesn't already do so. If I feel that the seller may be difficult or isn't very communicative I will back out before placing an order. I have yet to encounter this though. No disappointments with my methods so far.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
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  25. dkurtis

    dkurtis sonoftheFather

    I will not place orders with sellers below a 99.6 score. I will make an exception if the negatives are due to not having the item available when ordered. Many of the items listed are also store stock. I can understand a record going out the door without being removed from Discogs. There has been one occasion that I was disappointed in a record's missed flaw when graded, but I gave the seller a positive anyway - complimenting his shipping and packaging only. He had 3500 sales and no negatives, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
     
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