So, I only started buying from Discogs recently. So far I've bought 7 records and 2 have arrived with significant damage incurred in transit. Is this unusual? Am I unlucky - or do Discogs sellers just not care enough to package records properly?
That’s awful. I’m sorry. I don’t buy vinyl but I buy a lot of CDs & I always check the seller’s ratings & reviews. When in doubt, I message the seller.
You're unlucky, it seems. Just like any other platform (eBay, for example), you're gonna get people who know how to package and people who don't. As Discogs tends to cater more to record collectors, not necessarily random people, I think the odds are in your favor that sellers are going to do at least a fairly decent job in properly securing your purchase. Were the records that were damaged the result of shoddy packaging? Or was it the result of poor handling by postal workers?
I used to work at the PO and the way records are handled makes me very cautious about buying them. I will buy used but will ask the seller to remove the record from the sleeve. Many clerks working under pressure from management fly those like frisbees when sorting. I see you are from the UK. Are you buying from America or the EU.
Easy to tell if it was mangled in transit or poorly packaged. If poorly packaged, message the seller, they will make it right. It is really important to push back on inaccurate grading and shoddy shipping, lazy dishonest sellers create distrust for the entire enterprise.
I’ve received records in all sorts of packaging from Discogs/eBay through the years. I now include this link in the order notes, but it doesn’t always make a difference. How To Pack A Vinyl Record For Shipping
Bad luck I would say. I buy from Discogs all the time--granted, usually CDs and not records. But my experience tells me that the majority of sellers there know how to pack (many these days are honestly TOO cautious, wrapping a single CD in a jewel case in multiple layers of cardboard, bubble wrap, and packing tape, all inside a box or bubble mailer; you'd have to run over it with a truck to break anything inside). And with the ones that don't, often times the post office will get it to me largely unharmed anyway. Two out of seven damaged has to be some pretty bad luck, either with the sellers, the post office, or both.
I buy a lot from Discogs, and like eBay or even some retailers, it’s a bit of pot luck. go back to the seller, take pictures and explain. Most will sort out quickly and amicably.
Bad luck, I think. I only buy CDs & cassettes there but I have found it does matter from whom one buys as to how securely the shipment is packed, obviously.
I prefer eBay because sellers usually show pictures of the exact specific record you're buying. Grading is too subjective. The only time they arrive damaged is when the seller doesn't use a proper box, and then they arrive damaged everytime. EBay has a great return policy and I will return a record if there's enough damage. Snipping in a proper box is the least a seller can do
It happens. Sometimes it rarely happens, and then sometimes it seems like there’s a month long period where you’re a magnet for incompetence. Sellers are usually decent, PayPal is (sometimes unfortunately) buyer biased. Worst case scenario is usually a headache or a waste of time. Like others said, check the seller ratings for an idea of how they do business.
As others have said, it's really all pot luck (and possibly down to geography...where the item's coming from, where it passes through, and where it's going). I get a higher-than-average number of damaged packages, but photos and calm conversations with sellers tends to resolve things. I prefer eBay because you do get to see the exact item being bought (or I make sure only to bid/buy ones that do have clear photos), and then you can compare those to what ends up through your letterbox or on your doorstep. EG.
In my short time as a Member of Discogs, I must say that all of my CD orders have arrived unscathed. If I may at this time, I’d like to give a shout-out to what I will assume is the majority of Sellers on Discogs and include this observation: Every single shipping has been impressively packaged, as if this is the way they would like to receive the parcel!
The items are not from Discogs; they're from a seller who is a member of Discogs, same as you are another member of Discogs. Discogs has literally nothing to do in any way with the items' conditions, especially in regards to shipping. They are merely a platform that allows 2 people to connect and perform a transaction.
OP: Have you contacted... 1) the Seller or 2) Discogs If completing 1) doesn't bring a sense of satisfaction, I believe you can contact Discogs to air your opinion and plead your case. As with anything, compare the damage to the item with the damage to the packing. Then again, it could be a Royal Mail problem. If possible, the Forum know how you make out.
If the record is not received in the promised condition, you can get a refund. The obligation that the record arrives in the promised condition is entirely on the seller's shoulders--no matter what they say. You are not obligated to have paid for insurance, no matter what the terms of their service read. If you are unhappy, let them know you want to return it and do so. If they purchased shipping insurance, then they may ask you to take pictures and provide them to the shipper as part of a claim. But, otherwise, you can just demand to return the item. If the seller refuses, open a SNAD (Significantly Not as Described) claim with PayPal, and you will win that.
I have a few simple rules when buying from Discogs sellers. First rule is if buying from someone with whom I have not previously done business , then a thorough perusal of some pertinent data are in order. Only domestic sellers with a 99% rating or higher is a hard fast rule for me. I read the recent comments.
I just refunded a buyer on Discogs to avoid further problems for a cd case that got cracked in mailing. I personally package all my cds and vinyl, I take great care in packaging because I am also a buyer. My feedback is 100% positive. What happen here was a postal issue. It was most likely banged around by the mailman. This newbie buyer would have had no hesitation in giving me my first negative feedback.
the buyer doesn’t you though. I’ve had a number of issues from Discogs, and the seller always ‘fights their corner’ initially in the hope you will go away. so the good sellers take the pain because of the bad ones, who has sell ‘mint’ CDs with cracked cases.
