As other have mentioned it's a great place to find collectors parting with rarities. If buying, I always confirm it's the one I really want because sometimes the catalog number has carried over so many times the seller doesn't realize they dropped Joe average release under a hard to find rarity. If suspicious, ask for pictures via email to confirm that it's not a phony CD-R release or really the one you want. I had this happen recently and the only clue I had was the lower than average price and what the real release exactly looks like. Overly generous grading does occasionally happen, but sometimes there's undergrading which is a nice surprise. If used, Paypal always has your back so that's comforting too. Selling there has been a breeze once you figure how to make it work the best for you. Sometimes I get a laugh when a buyer asks me to send them a picture of what I'm selling and I'm able to reply "You see the release it's listed under? I created that release so you can already see it. Click the image edit button and you'll see my sellers name."
30+ transactions in the last year or so. It's great either as a marketplace to check in addition to eBay or as a complete alternative to eBay if you're so inclined.
I used Discogs all the time. My advice would be, if you're looking to purchase a very specific pressing, you have to ask the sellers to confirm what they have, many have no idea. They don't know what a Matrix is or Deadwax. Also, if the media is used, please have them confirm condition. Many sellers have so much vinyl they grade everything NM or M- just to sell it and if there's an issue after the sale they will just take it back or offer a refund. It's a calculated risk/reward for them. Some of the best quality vinyl I've received was from eastern Europe + Russia but I've also received garbage from abroad as well as the states that I had to return.
Same can be said for right here in our classifieds, eBay, Amazon Marketplace, anywhere items are being bought and sold.
it's different than other platforms, sometimes shipping quotes are given, sometimes you have to contact the seller first to get one, no pictures, so you'll have to ask and get them in an email, i've had some good experiences, prices there can be more competitive than ebay packaging has been very good, much better than the way Amazon sells vinyl, which includes throwing the LP into a flat cardboard box with a few plastic balloons to bounce around and bang the **** out of the sleeve They announced some recent changes : We're Updating the Discogs Marketplace for the 2020s | Discogs Here’s what updating the Marketplace means for you in real terms. Clear shipping rates on every single item in the marketplace — before you Add To Cart. If you buy anything online, you’re used to knowing exactly how much you’re expected to pay for your full order — including shipping — before checking out. Soon, you’ll get the same experience on Discogs. You’ll see full shipping costs below the sale price on every item in the marketplace. For sellers: This means Shipping Policies will be required for every item listed in the marketplace by October 1, 2020. Sign up for a webinar on how to set up your Shipping Policies in your country and learn more about Shipping Policies here. Pay at checkout with more security. Breeze through the checkout process, pay immediately, and get that new find added to your Discogs Collection faster! You won’t have to wait to receive an invoice after you check out. For sellers: No more invoices from you to the buyer, or from us to you. Receive payment from buyers straight away with fees and taxes automatically deducted. We’re consolidating our payment methods and launching a deeper integration with PayPal. You’ll be invited to make the switch soon. We’re aiming to complete this transition by October 1. Keep an eye on your inbox for news as it comes out.
When using a seller for the first time, I contact them to get an idea of how they grade. Like whether or not they put comments in their listing etc. Darryl
I've used discogs a few times. Most recently today as chance would have it. There is always a bit of trepidation when purchasing as you cant be sure the person you are dealing with is on the level. But I get that worry when I purchase on eBay too. That said, there is a rating system in place. So you can examine someones personal reviews before ordering. Regarding pictures of the records - I have simply asked people to send me photos. 9 times out of 10 they will happily do so. I just give them my gmail address and we're good. I did have one negative experience on Discogs a few years back when I bought a mint Nirvana In Utero. When it arrived the inner lyric sheet had a deep crease in it. I got in touch and was refunded £5. It actually felt like a slap in the face to be honest - but I let it go. In Utero is my favourite album, and it was expensive, and it did have a crease - but I decided to be philosophical about it. Nothing in this world is perfect. And I cant hear the crease when I play it so . . . Anyway yeah - Discogs - it's good - just use some care to check reviews and understand that your buying from private collectors so **** may happen. But most are protective of their reputations and will sort out complaints rather than see that impacted.
It's better than the major alternatives. Still, there can be issues. And it's not a very buyer-friendly place, so do all due diligence before giving someone your money.
It looks like my days of selling on Discogs will be coming to an end. Here's why... I offer non-tracked shipping as a much lessor cost alternative the same as I do here for Forum members with no losses in doing so for 16 years because buyers have been appreciative and honorable. (fingers crossed) There is between 3 - 5 different choices for tracked shipping depending on location and none of them are cost effective for selling a CD priced under $30 (US). Oh yeah, people will certainly be swarming to buy a $5.00 - $10.00 CD when tracked shipping will cost $15 and up. If I listed the no tracked shipping option the scammers would be flocking in droves. Thanks Discogs for forcing me to do something I have no interest in.
I use it to buy and sell. I sell items I don't need to afford my own habit. I've had a few issues but overall it's been okay. I can't emphasize enough to check feedback. If you're picky about condition and accurate pressings, it is a must. Also check seller settings. Sometimes just reading how they word things can determine if you think they're trustworthy.
I use Discogs quite a lot but as others have said it can be infuriating when you are looking for a specific pressing/edition and you ask the seller a question to make sure you are on track for the one you want and then wait ages for a reply and sadly in more than a few cases non-reply.
I've bought there a decent amount of times, both vinyl and cd. Happy with the sellers and the marketplace, several "just ok" experiences but the majority have exceeded expectations.
Quick question for someone that may know: Can sellers put up multiple listings if they are the same pressings, same gradings, etc.? For example, popmarket is basically a distributor. They have multiple copies of many items in the same listing at the same price. I figured there would be a rule.
I would get the question into a few various sellers, and deal with the one(s) who responds quickly and has the right item confirmed. No need to wait ages. Records and CDs are not that rare and there will always be sellers offering them up and right now it is a buyers market. I am seeing older copies of vinyl pressings appearing less in M, NM and NM- condition, or else prices are rising when the good stuff does appear. But there is a lot of music out there to buy if one wants it and has some cash on hand.
I have to use Discogs as the alternatives no longer work for me. I've been through the mill already with the bay and river. Years ago I when I looked at Discogs it was cool but way way incomplete. And I did not want to spend the time with doing new entries myself. I did enter several items into the Discogs database and found my time was more valuable spent elsewhere. Flash forward 6 or 8 years and everything is about all there now. It's a new better world than it was before. Much faster to list your collection or your store inventory going up for sale. I think Discogs is the future of selling music. Once Amazon kicked your average CD sellers to the curb in an effort to fix prices, it gave Discogs a real kick up in the world of used discs. And used discs is the future of the compact disc as we know it. Discogs has a very fair fee structure as well, hope they don't get greedy.
I just used them to make my first purchase and overall it was a good experience. However unless I'm mistaken discogs is limited in regards to buying and selling. I don't see a make offer option like on eBay. I don't see lots of CDs in other words a group of CDs sold at one time. Maybe it's just me being old but all there options and buttons are so small and hidden it's hard to navigate this site as opposed to eBay which is a lot more easier and friendly. I will continue to use eBay however because selection is limited there and I will use Discogs. However I have found that they tend to be a little bit more expensive and you can get things a lot cheaper on eBay. Just my impression.
I bought a few rare, used CD's. Transactions went smoothly. It was great to find something that was one of only a couple copies available in the entire USA, at least from that site, this forum, ebay, and Amazon combined.
This. The database itself has a lot of problems but the marketplace works pretty smoothly most of the time. The difference between Discogs and Ebay is that it's a little harder to sniff out the bad sellers on Discogs. It's not always as obvious, e.g. I've gotten misgraded records from sellers with 1000+ reviews and 100% positive. If you have any doubts, though, just ask questions before you buy and you'll usually be OK.
I think Discogs is by and for music collectors. That said prices tend to be higher and selection is better as well. The old adage applies you get what you pay for. Where is eBay is a casual seller's market. you can have some guy selling records or CDs as well as clothes and knick-knacks. That said the people selling on eBay are a lot more reasonable and you can find a lot more bargains there in my opinion. This site I've contacted a couple people with no response from ads from a little bit ago. I think they place ads and forget about them and when someone contacts them they don't even bother to respond. Maybe the items have already been sold.
I am discovering Discogs and it is great for looking up different prints of an LP pr CD. I used them recently to buy 2 CDs and things went great. I have not tried buying LPs yet. I am thinking of cataloging my collection in the database (may take a while).
I've seen both those options available with some sellers. It'll be a green "make an offer" box/button if the seller is open to offers and not just wanting a fixed price. Also, if you add an item to your cart you'll usually get "more from this seller" suggestions and a link to their seller page/profile. I've bought as many as 8 or 9 items from one seller, as well as negotiated shipping discounts, multi-buy offers, and so on. EG.
