Discogs: Leave negative feedback or give seller a chance to make it right?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by TwiceFan, May 11, 2022.

  1. lazydawg58

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

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    It depends on the seller's response. If they offer a reasonable resolution to the problem then no, I would not leave any negative feedback. If they hem and haw, or are disrespectful then I would if they don't make it right. If I buy a record for more than $10 I expect the seller to at least spot check with a playback of the record. Under $10 and I assume unless they say otherwise in the description that they are visually grading. Even then if you the record is significantly off their grade I expect some adjustment to be made.
     
  2. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    I'm sorry to hear that! I definitely would not do business with that seller again.
     
    elaterium likes this.
  3. imsjry

    imsjry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fond Du Lac, WI
    I just got an Eno from a Discogs seller that was sealed with a major gash during the first track. I can’t fault the seller since it was sealed. Discogs can be tricky!
     
  4. idledreamer

    idledreamer Still idle

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Not sure I follow you. Of course I did, when you search a title and artist the search return lists all copies of that title for sale by the seller, and they are grouped together. I've selected from multiple copies of a particular record several times and never had an issue. Only once did I select a CD in an order that included multiple items and the seller refunded me for that CD immediately, saying that the disc was in rough shape and couldn't sell it to me.

    I stick to the same two or three trusted sellers, maybe I've just been lucky.
     
  5. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    a chance to make it right...
     
  6. 4-2-7

    4-2-7 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF Peninsula
    Well then don't, you have record stores where you live.
    Then this way you can look at the record and grade it for yourself.
    However looking at records don't always tell you what they sound like, and record stores don't gread records, so you'll have no one else to blame. So once in awhile you'll buy a record that looks great and sounds bad, but that's just part of buying used records.
     
    lazydawg58 likes this.
  7. lazydawg58

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

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I spent $60 on a record I really wanted that was suppose to be VG+ but when I got it is was a very low VG. I contacted him and he said it played well for him but offered a price adjustment or refund. I said, l would send it back at my expense for a refund and that is what we did. So it cost me $3.84 for media mail. He relisted the record for a little less with a corrected grade of VG. Had this been a $10 purchase shipping back to the seller at my expense wouldn't have been practical. So who should eat the cost of return? Should the seller have refunded me the cost of the record plus the cost of shipping it back to him even though I offered to pay for sending it back? I suppose if the rule was that sellers had to refund plus shipping back then that would discourage over grading.
     
  8. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    No need to have put that last line there, IMO. People's first inclination when there is potential for conflict is to deflect blame and the second is to find a reason to dislike the messenger, which makes them feel better about not owning up to something that was their own fault. You probably accomplished the second thing for the seller. A good professional seller would overlook that and still try to make things right but one of lesser caliber might not. You don't know who you might be dealing with until you have an exchange or two first, so no reason to dial it up until there is reason to. I've had similar experiences and simply shared my observations with the seller with a final line of "how can we resolve this" and gotten sincere apologies and full refunds (and in one case, a full refund plus the album anyway because he didn't want to relist).
     
    lazydawg58 likes this.
  9. lazydawg58

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

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    But at a record shop and for that matter an online seller you can ask them to put it on the TT to check it. At the shop you get to hear it yourself but with an online seller you have to rely on the seller's ears.
     
  10. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I've had what I suspect to be this situation as well. Advertise NM, send a VG+, hope for no complaints and just keep listing the same title at NM until there is pushback and they have to part with the NM copy. It never hurts to ask for a photo every time you buy a NM, though I can also understand why some sellers don't want to bother taking photos of something under a certain price because then it becomes a hassle. For NM over $25 I always ask for photos now and if they won't send one I move on and don't care how good the feedback is.
     
    TwiceFan likes this.
  11. TwiceFan

    TwiceFan Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    West Coast
    Yea, I get it. Dialing things up as I did was unnecessary. But I'll say it again, I am sick and tired of purchasing "NM" records that are obviously trashed. Honest mistakes in every or even most cases? I don't think so.
     
    LivingForever and Strat-Mangler like this.
  12. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Hey, I hear you. It annoys me too. I pretty much only use discogs to buy NM or sealed vintage stock (unless it's something hard to find that costs too much for me at NM), and the Discogs grading guidelines are very clear and leave pretty much no room for interpretation. It's not my fault that their NM basically means "open, but no evidence of having been played."
     
    TwiceFan likes this.
  13. Quakerism

    Quakerism Lean into what frightens you.

    Location:
    Rural Pennsylvania
    Seems to me a return policy no questions asked - seller pays for the return shipping - solves everything.
     
    Dave, Eric_Generic and lazydawg58 like this.
  14. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    Probably because if they had to hire staff to mediate the disputes, the fees would go up.
     
  15. Quakerism

    Quakerism Lean into what frightens you.

    Location:
    Rural Pennsylvania
    I don’t know what challenges high volume sellers face but it’s obvious that pricing has to match grading or you either undersell your product or you risk customer dissatisfaction. The nature of vinyl is that even the most diligent of sellers can overlook something.
     
    lazydawg58 likes this.
  16. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    As a seller I always send a buyer photos and mp3s of the disc and then ask if they wish to go through with the purchase. Only after hearing back positively do I invoice the buyer. That way people know exactly what they’re getting, and there are no surprises. It’s extra work for me but I want everyone to be happy with what they buy from me.
     
  17. lazydawg58

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

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    At what price point do you do this? Great that you do this!
     
  18. lazydawg58

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

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    How much of a factor might be cart/stylus when sellers are play grading? I'm wondering if a seller is listening with say a ML stylus he might be hearing a NM record. But when I put that same record on with an elip. stylus it is tracking further up the groove and picking up groove wear that the seller bypassed?
     
  19. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Here's the thing: if someone is selling a lot of stuff, they aren't going to play grade carefully. If it is a pricey record, I'll have them play grade it (there is a risk there, depending on the equipment they are using, but that's another issue).
    I usually press sellers, even of less expensive records, to confirm that they are comfortable with their description of the media, which is the most important part to me-- I'm not going to pay hundreds extra for a better cover or poster.
    And if, even after that pre-purchase discussion with the seller the record nonetheless arrives as less than described, I would probably be annoyed. At that point, unless it is a big ticket record (where I've been pretty lucky), it's just a PITA to have to repack and ship, often at your expense.
    If the record quality isn't there, some price accommodation is meaningless to me. I want good playing specimens.
    So I try as best I can in advance of purchase to engage the seller in a dialog, and at times, they will come back to me with "on checking it again, I realize I overgraded."
    What do you want in the end? I would guess it is to get a copy that is clean playing of the particular pressing.
    Which may mean returning this copy, getting a refund, and finding another. PITA, I know. Punishing the person as a precis to resolving the problem isn't going to make the resolution any easier.
    And I also find that doing things in a fit of pique isn't always the optimum approach (I lawyered for almost 40 years in NYC, so had my share of confrontational discussions- I was paid to solve problems, not get into unnecessary arguments). Morality is a whole other thing. Devine retribution-- I could never offer that. :)
    Put it in perspective.
     
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  20. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    I’ve done it for all records, but I don’t think I’ve sold anything for under $25. To be clear, I don’t send mp3s of the entire record, just a couple of excerpts of quiet passages.
     
    lazydawg58 likes this.
  21. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Unless you actually gave the seller a chance to correct things first, your negative feedback would've been deleted anyway.
     
  22. bibijeebies

    bibijeebies vinyl hairline spotter

    Location:
    Amstelveen (NL)
    Had nothing to do with Discogs though. Buying sealed records is tricky.
     
  23. Ken Dryden

    Ken Dryden Forum Resident

    I bought a sealed record store day lp and failed to open it promptly. When I did, I found a chip on the edge that was close to the playing surface. It wasn’t the seller’s fault, as it happened during manufacturing, as there was no visible damage to the cover.

    As for handling condition complaints on Discogs, always be factual and leave out emotion, give the seller a chance to make it right. If it is a larger volume business or the seller has high volume, picking the wrong copy can happen.

    Rude customer behavior isn’t necessary, as most Discogs sellers, like most retailers, depend on customer satisfaction. A history of complaints to Discogs about deceptive practices is likely to have negative results for the seller.

    When I was a retail store manager decades ago, I always resented the occasional customer who would complain to the regional office before giving me a chance at the store level to review the problem. Fortunately it was rare but it happened.
     
  24. Ken Dryden

    Ken Dryden Forum Resident

    I have offered photos on request for certain items just to let buyers compare them to my description (how much scuffing on a cover). I generally listing vinyl below vg+ and now take photos of used LPs and their sleeves prior to shipping for my protection. I had one scammer who I believe was trying to switch records on me and wanted to return it for a refund, but I had no photos to prove the condition. Otherwise, buying and selling on Discogs has been a pleasure for me.
     
    lazydawg58 likes this.
  25. lazydawg58

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

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I think going forward before I buy a record above a certain price point, probably $10, I will first contact the seller and ask them to spot check it to make sure it is the correct grade. Given that they are usually visually graded this should help me to avoid over graded records.
     

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