What is it with Discogs sellers? Post your horror stories here...

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by glamorbowie1, May 10, 2021.

  1. brass_monkey

    brass_monkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    St. Louis, MO
    Not necessarily a "horror story" but curious whether I should say something to a seller.

    They had a copy of Kind of Blue listed as F / F and in the description was, "lots of surface noise, no repeats". Seemed like there was a chance that the seller under graded and it was a G or G+ copy based off of the description, so I took a chance. The issue is that it was listed as a 2002 Classic Records reissue and I ended up receiving an original stereo press 6 eye, which I'm fine with. I listened to it and the description was correct. It played through without skipping but surface noise was prevalent throughout.

    Should I say something to this seller? I was thinking maybe just a message and then positive feedback since they were careful with the grading? I'm fine with the mistake, so I don't think they deserve negative feedback (and have no intentions on sending back or chasing any sort of refund). They're a new seller with less than 10 feedback. They do have 1 neutral but it is for sleeve condition (cut corner listed as NM). I do not see anything in their feedback about incorrectly listing.
     
  2. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    The mistake is twofold. The seller should've categorized it properly and you should've asked for verification prior to ordering. Now, in a perfect world, none of this would be needed but it's not so it is or else you run the risk of this occurring.
     
  3. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I would definitely message the seller and tell them that they sent you the wrong item. They should know they made a mistake. Since you are ok with it and will be leaving them positive feedback, I'd mention that as well. Could just be a one off and it would be a good reminder for them to be careful. If I was the seller, I'd want to know even if you were ok with the mistake.
     
  4. rolli

    rolli Forum Resident

    I ordered a German press Sticky Fingers with the TML in the dead wax from a seller in the Netherlands. Record was listed vg+ / vg+. Cost was around $62 with shipping. Delivery took about 3 months door to door.

    When the package came I couldn’t wait to open and play it. When I opened it up it turned out to be a Holland press of Exile On Main Street! Now it was a nice, minty, later press, but it wasn’t Sticky Fingers. How could this happen...honest mix up... intentional? Not sure.

    Contacted the seller and he said he checked his shelves and cannot locate the Sticky Fingers. He was apologetic, however at this point I smell a rat... I m not sending the Exile record back... too costly. So we agreed on $30 for the Exile and he refunded the rest. Not a complete rip off but needless to say I’ll not be doing business with him again. I think this was my third problem in about 10 years. Stuff happens.

    I did find another a copy of the Sticky Fingers from a different seller... that sale was successful.
     
  5. SRC

    SRC That sums up Squatter for me

    Location:
    New York, NY
    What I would love for Discogs to have is the ability to filter all search results (including Wish List) by seller rating, though the sellers might revolt. My heart goes out to any new seller whose had one bad unfair review or some other seller who has improved over time. But I've had negative experiences with quality and delivery with sellers even just under 99.8% ratings, that anything lower than that forces me to look through their reviews and see what's up. I've also had some "passable" dealings with sellers with 99.8% and above but enough with wrong pressings, and VG instead of NM-as-listed experiences, to never expect perfection even with long time 100% rated sellers.

    Maybe I'm just kicking up further dirt here, but something I'd love to understand is people charging for records in VG condition or lower for over $20. Unless it's to get a clean copy of the jacket or something, I can't see why anyone would buy a VG or below record. A VG vinyl/G+ sleeve of Neil Young's Harvest for $80? A G+ vinyl of Harvest for $59? Wings' "Mary Had a Little Lamb" 45 rpm single for $25, in Poor condition? Am I missing something? I don't blame the sellers, buyer beware, I just wonder who would consider paying much at all for a record that likely is in bad shape, or if the sellers are just wishful thinkers.
     
  6. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    A lot of people use an elliptical stylus which is quite forgiving of imperfections. Consequently, you can have a VG LP play at VG+ level with some of those. You sacrifice a lot of detail and instrument separation but that is the profile most lower-end carts use.
     
  7. JustGotPaid

    JustGotPaid Forum Resident

    Discogs: A place to dump VG records to unsuspecting buyers at NM prices and then offer partial refunds to seal the deal.
     
    LivingForever and SoNineties like this.
  8. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Is it a threadcrap to state that I've only had good experiences on Discogs?

    I'm still semi-new - only began to use the site for purchases last year - but everything's been great. No issues at all! :hide:
     
  9. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    There are all types everywhere.

    My last 2 records were purchased here and from Canuck Audio Mart (CAM). For the latter, VG advertised as NM.

    Here; I posted a WTB ad and the seller sent me THE WRONG RECORD!

    Yes, all kinds of great and terrible experiences and everything in between can and will be had anywhere.
     
  10. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    I think the issue is with sellers who over grade their records a bit and buyers who expect the record to be perfect. I have seen this issue on eBay as well. At least on eBay there are a bunch of pictures so you can decide if the seller is grading correctly before you buy. But it is like someone selling a car. They tend to focus on the good points and completely ignore any problems that exist. The seller wants to sell, so they may not be disclosing all the issues. And the buyer of course wants a like new car for the price of a banged up used one.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2021
  11. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    But...isn't that "near mint condition for its age"? :D
     
  12. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    That's fine, but the Discogs grade of NM (to say nothing of M) means something objective. Expecting something VG+ to actually be a VG+ is of course playing Russian roulette, but there is no room for "hiding negatives" with somethign NM. Something NM has no negatives, and this implicitly is asserted with the NM grade. Sellers calling a record with *any* visible flaw - no matter how otherwise shiny the LP may be - "NM," is either committing a fraud, or is too incompetent to be selling things on the internet.
     
    Dave likes this.
  13. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque

    There are very few records that truly qualify as NM. Even fewer are Mint. I buy new records (some RSD records this year are great examples) that don't qualify as Mint once I open and see them. They had multiple flaws right out the sleeve. The grade NM is simply used too loosely by sellers. We should be seeing one record out of a hundred that actually deserve the grade. Truth is, a majority of very well cared for records out there are likely VG+ at best, but are being advertised as NM. Another issue is some buyers who purchase something NM are expecting no flaws. That would of course be a Mint grade. I know this deviates a little from Goldmine standards where NM has no flaws. But why have a Mint grade when NM means the same thing?? In my opinion a NM record can have one or two very insignificant flaws such as a super light sleeve scuff or super mild spindle wear which would still qualify for NM. But I have seen some buyers go crazy when they see any flaw at all on a NM record. I believe there are two issues at hand. Sellers use NM too much when the record they are selling is actually a strong VG+. Some buyers who pay NM prices expect a Mint record. And when the NM record they just bought is actually VG+, they really lose it. And rightfully so. I think all record sellers could do themselves a favor if they slightly under graded. It is different in a record store where the buyer can see what they are buying. But online where records are being purchased sight unseen, under grading would prevent a lot of headaches, and buyers need to be realistic and understand what the grades truly mean.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2021
    quicksrt likes this.
  14. Sellers on Discogs can be bad, but so can buyers. I couldn’t believe the exchange I had with a potential buyer yesterday. I had listed a copy of a popular recent audiophile reissue for below market price and as VG+ condition. The LP appears flawless, but was bought as part of an audiophile lot I recently purchased and I just don’t have the time to play grade all the duplicates. I won’t list something as NM unless I can guarantee it’s not been played with no visual flaws, or if I play grade it and it is virtually flawless (all records have flaws if you listen hard enough).

    So the guy messages me, offering even less than my already well priced item. I’d like to move some of these records and so I say OK, we can do that. Then he starts getting inquisitive. Which is fine to an extent. “Why is it VG+?” I explain that I am just being conservative and have not play graded it. He then asks, “so if this plays with any ticks, will you pay return shipping?” First of all, my return policy is listed very clearly on the listing. I guarantee everything, but do not cover shipping for returns. In practice I would if it was clearly misgraded, but I’ve never had a single return or negative feedback (knock on wood). Second, a tick can come from so many things - dust, static, etc - and nearly every LP will play with a tick of some severity at some point. So the guy wants to buy a VG+ record, for less than market value, and wants me to guarantee it plays mint. WTF are some of these guys smoking? I told him to look elsewhere. Folks like this should stick with CDs, IMO.

    Sure enough, I look at his feedback. The guy has been a member for 2 months, has 2 negative feedbacks out of 15 ratings. Both sellers he tried to coerce refunds for VG+ items that didn’t play mint. He even left negative feedback for one of those sellers stating “a VG+ record should play near mint, and it didn’t”.

    I’m so glad I dodged that bullet. I need to start screening for buyers more rigorously than I do. Just setting a minimum FB threshold presents a few challenges though, as most negative feedback for buyers is because they didn’t pay. Which isn’t really what I want to screen for. Does anyone here have any tips on screening these guys out?
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2021
  15. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Yes, that's right. I have plenty of albums that are VG+ out of the shrink. Does the fact that I just bought them mean that I'm entitled to list them at NM if I want to sell? No. It's tough luck. If you don't want a VG+ album out of the shrink, return it.

    The only difference between NM and M - to the naked eye - is that NM aren't sealed.
     
  16. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    One of the RSD records I am talking about is Steely Dan "Two Against Nature". It is not visually VG+ it is more like G+. But astonishingly it plays silent. I would return it, but I've read they are all like that.
     
  17. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Mine is spotless.

    Anyway, I don't think you can return RSD stock. I mean, you can try, but any store that takes it is basically just doing you a favor as a regular customer, because they're stuck with it.
     
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  18. iveivan

    iveivan Prime Sinister

    Location:
    Berkshire
    Generally, I’ve had good experiences when purchasing on Discogs. Every so often, the purchases I have made there have been over graded. I generally take the ratings with a pinch of salt when placing an order.

    Also had a few cases of sellers who didn’t have what they listed but took ages (after getting Discogs involved several times) to respond before finally cancelling the order and returning my payment.

    I tried to leave a negative review once. The seller retaliated by giving me negative feedback as a result. This is not allowed as per Discogs rules and so I was able to get that feedback removed. For some reason, the seller also got my feedback removed. From what I read on the forums there, it’s almost impossible for negative feedback to stick as sellers are able to get it removed.

    So, you cannot rely on seller ratings at all. If someone rates a seller as OK, they probably mean they had a very bad experience. I don’t bother providing feedback anymore.
     
  19. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    All of this is 100% false. Where do people get this stuff from? :laugh:
     
  20. no.nine

    no.nine (not his real name)

    Location:
    NYC
    There are no 100% guarantees of course, but here's what I've done. I set my buyer threshold at 98.0% (naturally you can decide what percentage you feel comfortable with). One buyer contacted me recently asking if I'd change it so he could order something from me. Before answering, I had a look at the feedback he received and the feedback that he left. Turned out he didn't have a huge amount of transactions, so one single bad feedback had impacted him pretty badly. I was able to tell either that it had been a bad seller or that it was a misunderstanding between them. So I said sure, I'll remove the block temporarily for him. And the sale went well.

    I got a the same request from someone else whose user name, as luck would have it, I recognized from reading the Discogs forums. From his posts, I knew he was a quick triggered self-entitled ass. So I didn't answer him.

    Sure, not everyone will ask if you'll sell to them despite not meeting your threshold, but I think this can at least help some.
     
  21. John Patterson

    John Patterson Well-Known Member

    Location:
    USA
    To date, I have had no real issues buying or selling there -- except for one ultra-rude dude selling out of Portugal. My shipment took forever to arrive and he was absolutely no help with my concerns -- calling me a liar saying CD was already at my address. It was not but . . . . CD did finally arrive after like 2 months.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    For buying rare CDs/DVDs & gear look here:
    USA buyers only:
    Buy Vinyl Records and CDs from SourceCodeX at Discogs Marketplace
    Items for sale by jazz_fusion_guy | eBay
    or search for what you need on Amazon and look for "Other Buying Options" and select seller phatCDs4younow to get best price.
    For international CD/DVD sales:
    PhatCDs4YouNow
     
  22. Ringo

    Ringo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania, US
    Revenge negs are such a huge problem and it has a chilling effect on feedback as others have alluded to, where the LPs were overgraded and the seller wasn't that nice about it, unlikely to have been the first time, yet they have nearly perfect feedback. Perhaps it's due to buyers being afraid to leave the feedback they really want to leave, due to the threat of revenge negs. And sure, you can maybe get that feedback pulled. But it's a lot of hassle, and not guaranteed. There is SUCH an easy solution that Discogs should implement: feedback cannot be seen by anyone until BOTH the buyer and seller leave their feedback on a particular transaction. AirBnB does exactly this. And POOF, threat of revenge negs is gone. Quality and honesty of feedback greatly enhanced. It's such an obvious step. And I have emailed Discogs to suggest it. Obviously, no response. It's baffling. Question for the group: are there any downsides to implementing that type of system I may be overlooking?

    I had a seller (with 100% positive ratings!) send me moldy garbage scratched to high hell, as VG+. I politely complained and they immediately sent me a full refund. I left a POSITIVE rating, but explained that the records had initially been overgraded. They hit me with a revenge neg, an actual negative rating, after my positive one. Along with an unhinged rant. I got it removed. But oh man! After that mine was only the first of many many negative reviews for that seller, they went down to like 95%, and they actually changed their seller name. I had the impression there was a lot of drama going on behind the scenes there. That was my first Discogs transaction ever! Took me a year to do another. Being a noob at the time I read the grading chart about 50 times to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding. Still have the records, though only played each of them the one time. Played as bad as they looked. Still looking for suitable replacements 2 1/2 years later (Back in Black and 2112).

    I've had some good transactions since but some mildly disappointing ones too, like a seller who insisted that only the condition of the vinyl itself mattered, not the sleeve. As always, each individual lives in their own reality, which may or may not resemble actual reality. Mostly I've not ordered much from Discogs any more. I've resigned myself to patiently waiting for what I want to show up in a crate somewhere. I've learned they usually do, sooner or later, if you dig through enough crates. At least for pre-1990 LPs. I can inspect the goods myself. You can usually find what you're looking for at less than Discogs pricing if you wait long enough. Like the time I found a solid copy Book of Love's 1986 s/t debut, which I'd seriously considered paying $20-$25 on Discogs for as it's a bit of a synth/techno pop hidden gem with some real bangers on it, in a dollar bin. Then about 6 months later at another store, found another, basically perfect copy for $4.

    I probably will buy from Discogs again sooner or later. I like it when sellers offer a detailed description of the LP, not just a grade. Also like seeing phrases like "I prefer to under grade" "from my own collection", "play tested" etc., along with a good rating and buyer comments that specifically say the records were correctly graded or as expected or even undergraded. You can kind of read between the lines to get a sense whether the seller a) is honest and has integrity , and b) knows vinyl, as opposed to a being an opportunist trying to milk every last penny out of their Grandpa's LP collection, or whatever. Someone upthread said 95% or better is their threshold, but in my opinion 95% is kind of iffy for a Discogs seller grade. I'd rather see 98% or above.

    Didn't mean this to turn into a novel lol. Hopefully it is interesting, informative and/or furthers the conversation. Cheers!
     
  23. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    If that were the case there were be as many negative feedback marks on seller accounts.

    Discogs staff can make errors e.g. maybe they didn't look into the details properly before removing your feedback, but there's probably a valid reason why your feedback was removed. Most of the time when that happens, it's because the buyer left feedback before contacting the seller to work out a satisfactory solution. Not saying that was the reason yours was removed.
     
  24. iveivan

    iveivan Prime Sinister

    Location:
    Berkshire
    That’s not the reason it was removed. I have no idea why it was removed because there was no communication to explain or even to say it had been removed.

    Most sellers have ratings over 99% from what I have seen. Its too hard to believe it’s genuine.
     
  25. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Here is an odd one I had yesterday/today...

    I found a discogs seller who had several CDs/box sets that I was interested in and a few of them had "best offer" options. It was 9 items in total and added up to $137 with media shipping before any best offers were made. Since discogs only allows for one "best offer" I decided to email the seller and see if we can come to a mutually satisfactory price so I would know what best offer to make. I emailed and asked if they would take $115 (15% off) if I purchased all of the items I listed and if he could upgrade to priority from media. (The media shipping was already $7) I also asked what his lowest price would be and thanked him for his time and consideration.

    I checked this morning to see if I had a reply and noticed that my cart had gone up from $137 to $180. I messaged the seller again and said "I noticed everything I was interested in from my message I sent you yesterday went up by a collective $40+ since I messaged you. Should I take that as a sign that you weren't interested at all in selling to me?" They replied back that they update prices based on the market when they go into a negotiation and that they noticed that some were underpriced.

    The seller was polite about it, but I've never had someone raise the price like that as soon as they knew they had an interested buyer. Is this something common that I just have never stumbled across?
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2021

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