Ebay LP sellers kill me...

I've been having pretty good luck with Amazon's used sellers. I quit eBay a long time ago after being burned too many times.

 

I use Ebay sparingly now after 2 burns last fall. I have always tried to be precatuious and my buys have been limited to around 80 lps. For the most part Ebay been great in the past and 95% of what I bought filled holes that otherwise would be empty and was as described or better.

I just recently started using Discogs and so far, so good. The sellers don't have as much feedback, as Ebay but the reputation seems better from what I've heard around here.

I love my local stores but if you are trying to purchase hip-hop vinyl from 88 - 99, it's near impossible not to use online outlets.

I have a great local vinyl scene (about 8 stores) and I support certain ones when they have what I'm looking for in regards to used vinyl.

 

11 transactions here, ALL successful.

 

Concerning Discogs, I did have an lp come in today Shuggie Otis Here Comes Shuggie Otis and it was a late 70s or early 80s reissue but was listed under the heading for the original issue in 1970. I am pretty sure I searched it right. It seems pretty simple as Discogs lists all the releases and then under each release (i.e. LP - 1970) are the listed sale prices for said items. This seems to be the only way to know what you are getting. Maybe it was an honest mistake on their part?

 

I've seen many pocket flashlights in such venues. Thought it was strange, but flashlights help expose scratches,.etc.

 

While that is true, I have found that Sellers with a formal return policy seem to grade their merchandise more accurately.

 

I've gotten some excellent deals from US and EU Discogs sellers, but I always make sure to email the sellers and confirm that they are selling the exact version that is listed and not a reissue or different issue. As on eBay, many Discogs sellers just don't know what they are selling. Not having photos is a drawback as well.

I've stopped buying records on eBay from people who can't or won't playgrade. So may sellers say "I don't have a turntable" which means they have absolutely no idea what they are selling. I no longer trust sellers who only visually grade albums. I feel like the visual condition of a disc is meaningless, unless it has deep scratches. The only used records I would buy from Amazon are from reputable dealers. Amazon listings are such an unholy mess.

 

I've noticed several sketchy sellers on Discogs. Come across a few who just disappear and never send the product.

In going on 15 years on eBay I've only had a few bad experiences buying vinyl there. Plus the resolution process is simple and pretty much a slam dunk for the buyer that I continue to shop with no worries.

 

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/seller-protection.html#

 

Yes trust me I know more about it then you do.

Not sure why you are always trying to stir ****.

 

It was sent to me today from ebay. I would assume that means it's quite new. Why not share that with you or anyone else reading the thread?

 

Seller protection has been around forever.

As I have explained to you in the past.

Due to my business I'm forced to deal with used parts sellers and Chinese importers.

Because these people are cheap and sleazy I know the eBay protection system inside out.

I have over the past year opened something like 15 cases. I have received a full refund and have had return shipping covered in every single case.

Unless you do something very very stupid it's damn near impossible not to get 100% of your money back through eBay buyer protection.

 

The link was only mentioned because I'd have to think that there are some new and significant parts to the policy. It's logical that this would be the reason ebay sent it out to all its sellers. If you disagree and think there's nothing new to it, c'est la vie.

 

The link was put up with no comment because you like to stir **** about things you know nothing about.

They did not send it out to all it's sellers because I didn't get it.

 

I recently purchased a box set that was described in Excellent condition. Granted, you can see that the box was not in excellent condition, but I would expect the records to be at least M-. The seller shipped it in a bubble pack. When it arrived, it had acquired a new dent in the side of the box. The records were mostly a mixture of VG+ and VG, and one was trash. I wrote the seller and told him that negative feedback was coming his way. He promptly replied, apologized, and refunded me the price of the set, plus the shipping, and told me to keep the records.

Never had customer service like that before from an ebay seller. I was quite surprised.

 

I also love the sellers who put their records on carpet to be photographed.

Those "near mint" type cover grades have likely saved me lots of hassles. If the seller can't grade the cover I'm not going to trust the lp grade much.

 

Never understood that one...and a lot of times, the carpet thing happens with some pretty expensive records as well!

 

Yeah most likely. I've received records graded as NM and when you first look at them, even in decent light, they do look NM. But when you look under bright light the marks start to appear. I generally stay away from sellers who are selling their dads record collection except on rare occasions.

I was thinking of bring a light myself to the next record fair I go to. The light is ok not the best for grading visually. I just don't want to look like a crazy guy as I never see anyone else with one

 

You're cosmic, man...

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...n-dark-places-like-used-record-stores.314434/

 

It looks like my story with a pristine (according to the seller) Beatles UK White mono album. Both LP's were scratched to hell, I call them the cat's toys.

 

I had 4 LP returns last week. 1 ebay, 2 amazon, 1 SHF.
So far the only one I am waiting for to actually refund my money is an Amazon seller, who recieved the record back Monday.

I don't have a local record store so I am stuck buying online.

 

I will now modifying my buying practice on Discogs by asking the question prior to ordering. I actually did it with one item that was more questionable about the type of release. In the case of the Shuggie Otis title, since they mislabeled I'm going to kindly ask the seller for a discount (market value) due to the mislabeling of the issue (if it sounds pretty good). I want to be reasonable but satisfied. The odd thing is that it appears to be a late 70s/early 80s Epic label and after looking at the scribe, it could possibly be a Bernie Grundman cut but I'm not sure. It may have been cut from a good tape as well. Only the ears can tell but I usually only go for original presses unless it's a harder to find lp. Some later cuts sound great though (i.e. Beatles 70s UK(!

Funny thing is the most recent Ebay purchase is from the same Discogs seller that I bought 8 other items from and he worked with me on combining the Ebay item with the Discogs order to save on shipping. I'm real hesitant with Ebay now for the most part. I'm not going to even mess with Amazon.

 

This is true, I've only had a few bad experiences but the most recent one's stick with me. It's mainly about being careful.

 

+1

Also, "in great shape" probably means pops, cracks and dusty grooves

 

Tend to be ok with ebay though I stick to a few sellers and avoid anyone who just seems to be clearing out .. Discogs is another matter.. stopped using them completely