Discogs...

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by averica, Jul 15, 2020.

  1. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    LPs in many countries were not sold sealed for many many years. It was up to the distributer to sealed them, or at least slip them into a poly sleeve and call it done. Like Jem imports would do remember in the 70s and 80s, all those import bins in the stores all around you?
     
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  2. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I was talking about CDs.

    Most LPs are VG+ brand new out of the package.
     
    LivingForever and Dave like this.
  3. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    That should be the definition of Mint, not NM. NM should be: perfect except for one small imperfection allowed.

    Anyone inspecting a cd with a magnifying glass or intense light needs to get a life, seriously. Having said that, I've never received a complaint about my grading as a seller, despite hundreds of sales. I just like practical, fair grading, nothing else.

    Btw, cd's in England for example were never sealed when new back in the day. All new cd's were unsealed during the 1980's and even longer in some areas.
     
  4. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I inspected *all* of my CDs under a magnifying glass and bright light in order to grade them.

    Any seller not doing the same and grading anything NM or M is negligent at best and fraudulent at worst.
     
    Dave likes this.
  5. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    The word "Near" means very close btw. No matter which dictionary you look it up in.

    Mint means as it came off the pressing plant plates for better or worse. Call Jamaica, and ask about their $300 (and up) singles and LPs.

    Near Mint mean very close, no major flaws or wear, but can be played or handled if carefully.

    Since you don't work with vinyl, maybe it's not for you to say.
     
  6. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I do "work with vinyl."

    However, my most recent posts on the subject have been about CDs.

    On Discogs, you don't get to substitute your own judgement for what "near" means. The definition tells you. For vinyl, that means "more than likely never been played," and "plays back perfectly, with no imperfections during playback."

    Like I said, for most brand new (modern) vinyl, the LP can't be graded higiher than a VG+ even if never played, due to there likely being some kind of mark/scuff and some minor imperfection present during playback.
     
  7. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    I guess I'm a fraud. I have a Seller Rating of 385 here with 100% postitive feedback and I've never owned a magnifying glass in my life. Same with my account at Discogs.
     
  8. torcan

    torcan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    I haven't read thru this entire thread (yet), but I just signed up for Discogs because a couple of sellers had a couple of items I wanted.

    Question - does anyone find the site confusing?

    I'm mainly on the hunt for 45s with picture sleeves I may have missed first time around. In looking thru the listings, sometimes I'll find a record with a picture sleeve, but when I click on it, the seller lists either "no cover" or "generic company sleeve". It appears their copy doesn't have the picture sleeve. Why is the picture sleeve even pictured then?

    It makes it very difficult when trying to determine if this item is what I think it is. It's misleading.

    I prefer other sites much better.
     
  9. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    Discogs lists versions of the item as they were initially released. The images are part of that description, they are not the pictures of an item that’s actually for sale.

    If a seller thinks he’s selling that particular item, but it’s incomplete, he needs to say so in the comments. So if the 45 came with a picture sleeve, but his item doesn’t, it will be in the comments. Also missing obi’s, lyric sheets, posters or postcards should be noted.

    I once bought a SACD+DVD set without the DVD. I was very happy as I didn’t need the DVD and the item’s price was considerably lower.
     
  10. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    Well, not all of us require the magnifying glass... ;) yet. Like you, I use the correct lighting and it wasn't until very recently I felt more comfortable/confident after using the magnifying glass actually missing a couple of faint marks. Never say never is all I'm saying. :)
     
    yesstiles likes this.
  11. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    The way I do it for CDs is put them directly under strong light. Nothing crazy, just get the disc directly under one of the lights (turned up to max) in my humble 8-foot ceilings, grab a large magnifying glass and do a careful once-over. Then, I look under the same light without the magnifying glass, looking closely and at different angles. If I truly cannot see the things without the magnifying glass that I could while using it, then it could be a NM (though if I see anything at all with the magnifying glass, it cannot be Mint, because the stated definition of Mint is completely flawless). However, I need to know what is there before I can then take the step of determining if I can see it without magnification; that's only doing an honest and responsible job of visual grading. The undersides of CDs can sometimes refract light in a way that you can't see what could be many, many hairlines, if the angle is wrong or the light is too low or you're going too quickly. Rather than screw that up, it's for the best to just take the steps necessary to know what's there first, and then work backwards.
     
  12. SoporJoe

    SoporJoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    British Columbia
    I use a microscope just to be safe.
     
    yesstiles, E.Baba and quicksrt like this.
  13. DM333

    DM333 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    So I just received 2 vinyls from a seller both graded as VG. However one vinyl has 2 big seem splits with one of them all frayed and it looks horrible. The vinyl is also dirty and has lots of scratches. The other vinyl’s sleeve is fine but it has a huge scratch along one side of the vinyl making it unplayable. Am I right to ask for a refund?
     
  14. theMot

    theMot Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    Of course! Don’t let them flip you off with a partial either. If you paid with PayPal, file a dispute and they will return it free for you as well.
     
    It's Felix likes this.
  15. It's Felix

    It's Felix It's not really me

    This.
     
    Dave likes this.
  16. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    Look up what is meant by VG on Discogs grading page and compare to your purchase.

    Unplayable means not VG. Enter in dispute.
     
  17. DM333

    DM333 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Thanks opened a dispute and got a refund and got to keep the records (which are no good but saves me a trip to the post office). What annoys me on discogs is that sellers are often passive aggressive. Every time I have an issue the sellers always make out I have not understood grading and I am trying to scam them. It’s very luck of the draw with discogs. Can’t wait to do some record shopping in person!
     
  18. James Lovell

    James Lovell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    Like me-I found a great buy and ordered only to be told a couple of days later that it was no longer in stock. (Money returned) Then next day same seller and it is back up again but at market price + 20.00???? First time I have had any issue with them.
     
  19. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    That all sucks, but I fail to see any issue with Discogs there. You certainly have an issue with the dealer who bought advertising there, but blaming Discogs is like blaming the local paper who accepted an ad for a yard sale because one of the dishes you bought at it was chipped.
     
  20. DM333

    DM333 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Well the site is called discogs so sort of why I had to mention it........

    Really sellers on discogs should know much more about selling records than other selling platforms like eBay as it’s a music specialist site. It’s such a shame that it’s often over priced and poor grading is a more regular occurrence
     
  21. Bradd

    Bradd Now’s The Time

    Location:
    Chester, NJ
    Yes.

    Lately, for opened items, unless the seller has 100% positive feedback or negative/neutral feedback that is at least a year old, I don’t purchase from them.

    I’ve also learned to ask questions. Recently I purchased a Japanese cd. When I received it, no Obi or inserts. Not a huge deal but I would have liked to have them. In the future I will ask before I commit to buying.
     
  22. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Even that's no guarantee. I've bought too many crappy (noisy) records that were rated VG+ or NM from Discogs sellers with 100% positive feedback. Discogs makes it way too easy for sellers to have negative feedback removed, and a lot of buyers are "gunshy" to leave negative feedback in the first place.

    It's too bad, because I've also got some great-sounding, silent, flat used records on Discogs but those transactions are very much in the minority. That's part of the reason why my record buying (on Discogs and off) has shifted to mostly new records during the pandemic. Buying used records through the mail is just too much of a crapshoot.
     
    iveivan and It's Felix like this.
  23. Bradd

    Bradd Now’s The Time

    Location:
    Chester, NJ
    True. One thing I forgot to add is that I don’t like the stock photos people use. I want to see the actual item. That’s why in that respect eBay is better.
     
    uzn007 likes this.
  24. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Ebay also has a functional search/filter/notification system, which is a big improvement over Discogs, but it also brings its own set of challenges.
     
  25. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    With who? Some random seller you attempted to have a transaction with once? Yeah, that isn't the platform's fault, dude.
     

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