Record Grading/Discogs

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Triss, Jun 10, 2020.

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  1. ANALOGUE OR DEATH

    ANALOGUE OR DEATH Forum Resident

    Location:
    HULL ENGLAND
    That's fine and dandy.It doesn't alter the fact that over here it wasn't common practice until quite recently.Personally I would rather take the chance on a NM or even an unplayed OPEN copy of a rare vintage record than gamble on a sealed one that could be in god knows what shape after having possibly been sat around in half a dozen dusty warehouses all it's life suffering temperature extremes beyond man's endurance!
    We could get into the whole 'who knows the true condition of a sealed record' debate,but that's another thread.At least with an open copy you have an idea of condition.
     
    Big Blue likes this.
  2. Rockin' Robby

    Rockin' Robby Gettin' down so low I'm below ground!

    Location:
    Winnipeg
    Blokes in the UK can write whatever strange things they want in the description, but if it is listed as VG+, that means it plays the same as a NM record!
    :laugh:
     
  3. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I would rather an old record has been opened, too. I’d actually prefer it having been play tested by someone who uses a good turntable setup and knows what playing perfectly sounds like, but it’s hard to trust some rando online with that.
     
  4. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    At least with a PayPal payment, you have an idea what to do if it's trashed and not mint after opening it.
     
    Big Blue likes this.
  5. RobNeil

    RobNeil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midlands, UK
    Recently, my experience of 'Ex' means it is clearly horribly marked like Hell and clicks and pops and crackles like Hell.
     
    Rockin' Robby likes this.
  6. ANALOGUE OR DEATH

    ANALOGUE OR DEATH Forum Resident

    Location:
    HULL ENGLAND
    I think with all grading it's down to who is doing the grading as to how accurate it is.An individuals bad experience is no panacea to assume that that particular grade should be avoided.
     
  7. heyhsia

    heyhsia Member

    Location:
    92602
    I've relied on high user ratings, if they're available, as a way to trust the grading used by the seller.
     
  8. Justin

    Justin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    I think part of the problem is, per Discogs guidelines, there's too big of a jump between VG+ and VG. Their guidelines say a VG record can have noticable groovewear and feelable scratches (which will more likely than not cause audible ticks). To me at least, that isn't a small bit of audible damage and a long way from a record that plays nearly perfectly (NM/VG+)
     
    E.Baba, joachim.ritter and stratmel like this.
  9. stratmel

    stratmel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Well said, Justin.
    I get what Discogs is trying to do in theory, but it doesn't work in practice. Scratches and IGD are noisy enough without actually being "feelable." You get a lot of audible garbage from records that look pristine, and you get a lot of nicely playing records that look trashed. It's extremely difficult to grade accurately without listening to the record all the way through.
     
  10. Rockin' Robby

    Rockin' Robby Gettin' down so low I'm below ground!

    Location:
    Winnipeg
    Yep, that is what discogs says. Needs to be play graded. And if you don't play grade it, then a VG+ record had better look pretty much perfect under good bright lights.
     
  11. St. Matthew

    St. Matthew Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY, USA
    So, I happen to see a new listing show up on my wish list. The record itself is listed as NM. This is the seller’s description of it: “vinyl looks perfect. but plays w surface noise. ” So, not NM then. Why list it as such?
     
    E.Baba likes this.
  12. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Is there a video out there that can teach one how to grade?
     
  13. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Discogs just copied Goldmine's grading guidelines which is pretty much the standard in the record collecting world (at least outside of Europe). In Europe they tend to use the Record Collector grading guide, which is essentially the same as the Goldmine one, but they call VG+, EX.
     
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  14. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Read the descriptions. It's pretty straightforward. I do recommend using a very powerful directional *white* LED light to see all imperfections but frankly, nothing beats play-grading.

    There is the odd weirdo that will care about what a record looks like even if it plays with not a single instance of crackling, pop, or tick. Most people are actually sane, though. :)

    If in doubt, undergrade.
     
    Rockin' Robby and eddiel like this.
  15. St. Matthew

    St. Matthew Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY, USA
    The thing is, most sellers don’t play grade so all we have is the visuals to go by. I would potentially buy a record in the condition you stated but it’s a hard description to trust.
     
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  16. Rockin' Robby

    Rockin' Robby Gettin' down so low I'm below ground!

    Location:
    Winnipeg
    Yep. With the difference between NM and VG+ though, appearance is the only difference since they should both play like new.
     
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