I think a lot of these somewhat new Vinyl sellers are just listing whatever they have as being better than they are with no play grading ie: Not really caring. I know with every CD I'm selling there I guarantee buyers satisfaction with my grading and packaging.
That's true for many newer sellers. Philadelphia Music has been around for a long time though. I've made quite a few orders with them and felt they were very conservative at one point. The last few orders don't seem that way. Most of what I get from them are cds but I have gotten a few records in the past.
My main beef with Discogs vs EBay is it’s not unusual for a Discogs seller to have listed something for sale that is also available in a retail store. So when I buy it it’s no longer available or the can’t find it- disappointing!…
Has anyone else found that Discogs has become full of listings where the record is clearly priced higher than it's likely going to sell for, but the seller just leaves it listed for months or years, waiting for a sucker? Several times over the past few months, I'm managed to buy several pretty rare/valuable records on eBay for a fraction of what the cheapest copy on Discogs is listed for. Most of the time, I even beat out other bidders in auctions and it's still a fraction of the price. So it seems like Discogs is starting to mainly be used by people who don't actually want to sell the items, but if someone is willing to pay a ridiculous price for it, they'll let it go. It's really a shame because about 3 years ago, pre covid, it was flipped. Ebay auctions were going way higher than a comparable copy on discogs was listed for. I guess the markets change and people shift to different platforms, but in my experience, eBay has been the place to scoop up deals recently. I find that usually eBay sellers are more responsive as well, and if I ask a question, I'll usually get an answer before the record is sold. On discogs, it seems like most of the time if I ask a question about something I'm interested in, by the time I get a response, it's sold. So it seems like the set time limit on eBay listings, and probably the less collector-saturated sellers' pool incentivizes quick responsive messages to potential buyers. And another thing, On discogs, I used to check my messages nightly and read through the want list messages. I could usually snipe some good deals this way before other people saw them. But now, these messages are the exact same 5 or 6 sellers relisting their 100 overpriced, G+ condition junk EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Give me a break! Makes the want list basically useless if you have to manually go looking for each record on your list anyway. I have thousands of albums and variants on my want list. There's no way I'm going to search for all of them on the marketplace every day. Discogs could solve this by simply allowing you to block sellers, but they don't. On eBay however, I have saved searches that I can get notifications for when something new is listed. It makes sniping good deals extremely easy. I can just save a search for some rare valuable record, and the minute someone lists a copy for sale for cheap, my phone tells me, I can grab it and get a great deal. No spam relisting.
I rarely use discogs to buy old/used vinyl. So maybe that's why I don't seem to have the same issue many of the rest of you seem to. I pretty much just buy new releases, or more recent releases that have sold out on regular retail sites. So I can still get a brand new copy from a seller on discogs, and since it's unopened, the grading isn't a big deal. But yeah, prices have inched up more than they should. Probably due to speculators. But more than anything I like discogs as a reference/inventory system of what I have more than anything else.
Yeah, the "I don't want to sell it price" Reminds me of those stores that pay $1 for a rare record in VG, through a collection buy, and then put it on the wall with a ridiculous price that is too high even for NM. No need to sell it, only paid $1 for it. But it looks good on the wall. You can find over priced stuff on eBay as well but it does feel like it's worse on Discogs. I always check both sites and often, eBay is the better of the two price wise. Probably the most complained about problem in the official forums! Part of the issue stems from the process that large vendors need to do in order to reconcile their inventory between Discogs and whatever else they have, make large scale changes, etc. Essentially the only way to do it is, un-list everything, then upload a corrected CSV file (something along those lines). This means that every time they upload a file it's treated as a new listing. Discogs should have a separate inventory system for sellers and another for actual new listings. Plus, users should be allowed to block sellers. I'd actually rather have this first before they fixed the wantlist email issue above.
I curbed used vinyl purchases hard on Discogs several years back now. Too much overgrading, poor packaging, feedback ratings mean nothing. Instead I started buying more used CDs (especially OOP titles) and have had far more luck. That said I have recently encountered some sellers that are very non-responsive and won't actually ship an order until they are threatened with account suspension by the platform. Customer service isn't really that helpful either since they just send canned responses. Bulk sellers, lazy sellers, etc. have really hurt the platform IME. Unfortunately they don't have a lot of competition anymore, especially if you are looking for something specific you are unlikely to find in a record shop.
The only time I've used it thus far has been to purchase from a local record store that hold them until I pick them up and I can pay cash with a 10% discount added. That way I can take a look at them first. So far that arrangement has worked well.
I've ordered a Smashing's item, the seller cancelled 'cause they haven't the item... so... :/ This is not the first time buying... I'can believed, Discogs changed it... for bad (in my opinion)
Discogs just sent out a notification that they are increasing their fees to 9% on both the item and shipping. Look for an increase in prices from your favourite seller...
Usually (not always), if I find an album on discogs I want from a specific seller, I'll google the seller and may find their actual store/site, and order the same thing directly from them instead of Discogs, and I'll end up saving a few dollars that way. Of course many sellers don't have their own sites, so YMMV.
Is this for vinyl? I find that it's almost a zero chance they have CDs for sale on their record store's website.
I have yet to actually be ripped off by anyone on Discogs, but I have had some disappointing experiences with getting the wrong pressing (once I ordered a Columbia Masterworks classical record that was said to be the original 1962 pressing, but when it arrived, it had the 1970s label with COLUMBIA repeated around the perimeter... you wouldn't think that would be too subtle for the seller to have noticed) and a number of records have not been in as good condition as expected. So I keep notes for myself on which sellers are reliable and which are not, and I don't buy again from sellers I've found not to be entirely reliable. I also favor sellers who provide descriptions of the records that go beyond just "VG+". I like it if they note things like corner creases, seam splits, writing on the cover or labels, and so on, because it gives me the impression they're paying more attention and care about letting the customer know what they'll actually be getting. My other annoyance with Discogs is that they don't let sellers post photos of the items for sale. On eBay, I won't buy records from sellers who don't post good photos of the front and back cover and both sides of the record at minimum. Bonus points if they take closeup photos of anything out of the ordinary. Double bonus points if they take readable photos of the matrix. Tiny photos, blurry photos, dark photos, and stock photos are an automatic no-purchase. Overall, my experience is that a record described as "NM" is more likely to actually be NM on eBay than on Discogs. I'm not sure why that is; maybe sellers on eBay have more incentive to avoid negative feedback. (Speaking of which, I don't buy from anyone with less than 99% positive feedback.)
the thing i like about discogs over ebay as a seller is its easier to list stuff. i don't have to take pictures of write much of any description. just get the right version, grading and done. as a buyer i tend to prefer ebay but sometimes you find it cheaper on discogs than ebay. some people get caught up in auctions and it goes higher than it should.
I too am finished with Discogs. Sick of sellers who charge top price, but then don't pack records properly and they arrived with corner dings and the like. Never had that problem when I've bought off Ebay.
Yes I have only been collecting a short time, but 90% of want-list items at these inflated prices have been there for the duration of my collecting. The ones at a fair price, within median values are sold within hours, up to a week. People will buy at the right price for the condition.
I refuse to follow discogs' "advice" and raise prices on my things to "offset" the increased fees. Plus, I'll continue with a shipping policy of 1-4 LPs/same price. If anything, I might even lower some prices. Not going to contribute to the inflationary spiral. Screw these jerks.
Unless one is running a business and has items that are likely to sell quickly, it makes little sense to markup items that have been listed 3 months or more just because fees have increased. If no one is buying a mint CD at $5.99, chances are it won’t sell at a new higher price. What I sell is invested in other music, it’s not a for profit business.
I *think*, this outrage is almost exclusively derived from people not doing business in the US. The reason it impacts them, is most sellers in other countries, ship items to other countries. When shipping costs are often as expensive as the items worth itself. Often times exceeding $20+(usd/equivalent), with tracking. In the US, where shipping costs, materials included, usually equal out to roughly $6, the 9% fee is a kick to the shin, but not to the groin, as it is for those other International shipments. I think it's the reason Discogs has flourished over the last decade in other countries, while ebay has lacked, in those same countries. A quick look at items for sale, as a US citizen most (used) records are available domestically, while not nearly as many internationally, and I believe that's due to those fees. Much has been made of "fee avoidance " as it pertains to discogs and trying to offset fees through shipping. While that is likely true, I think that is a veiled cover up for corporate greed, and surely if discogs wanted to find alternative answers to squash those bad seeds, they could, but ultimately, it is 1) easier to assess fees across the entire transactions, and 2) more profitable, so from a capitalistic prospective it doesn't take a lot of bandwidth to figure out the proper conclusion. What will be interesting, is to see what the fall out internationally will be for discogs, as was the case with ebay. As discogs was basically borne out of ebay fee avoidance. This will likely take years, (and years),as was likely the case during discogs ascension (I was not around at the time), and someone who sees the opportunity to make money as the middle man, while spending the resources to manage international shipping rates to insure all play(and pay) fairly. But like ebay before it, the borders will close up (modestly), less will travel internationally, and those who can and want to afford to play the game, will do so.
Discogs never mentioned it (AFAIK) as a reason. Plenty of people complained about high postage charges and I think they led the "this is about fee avoidance" brigade. Discogs might have been worried about it, but until it's proven they were, I'm going with the more likely theory that they now include shipping in their fee calculation because it better aligns with their goal of raising revenue. Any fee increase was going to set off the hyperbole and death of Discogs predictions, but had they not included shipping in their calculation, they'd have had to increase the fee beyond 9%. Which, optically, would've been worse IMO. Also, unlike eBay, they aren't taking a % of the sales tax. So that is a plus. I've heard this said before but no one has provided a viable alternative. What are they going to do? Police everyones ASP, check it against actual rates and then ban the seller until the "fix" their postage fees? Sounds like a pain in the butt and more money out the door. I know eBay has set limits for some categories but Discogs could never get away with that. eBay didn't set limits due to fee avoidance either. They did it to make their marketplace look better and more competitive, forcing sellers to offer a low affordable rate along with, as choice, more expensive rates. Despite these lower limits they didn't change how they calculate their fee. It'll be interesting to see what the fall out will be. I think international buyers & sellers will be affected the most. IMO, the cost of shipping did more to kill international sales than any fee increase for me. It's why my only real market is the US and Canada. Everywhere else is pretty much dead. If postage rates didn't go up as much as they did, these fee increases wouldn't be as big of a deal. Losing 9% of international shipping costs becomes material for a lot of sellers. I think a bigger problem for Discogs is attracting more buyers and sellers so volumes go up. The fee gap between them and eBay is closing. Another increase would almost wipe it out. Their marketplace needs some major improvements and I hope some of this extra money will go towards that.
I've been an active on Discogs for 12 years and only buy compact discs. Here are my thoughts: Discogs: The Good When a Seller actually under-grades an item or specifies the item as NM, I order it, and its Mint! Seller includes a bonus disc/surprise in the shipment (lots of times from the same band or guesses right on another freebie I'd like) The obvious: quick shipping, messaged tracking, and positive feedback for my payment- all without the need to ask Should be obvious (but isn't): some effort in packaging to keep to the same jewel case, cardstock slip cover, digipack, etc. condition as listed Incentivized shipping costs - gimme a deal and I'll add a few more items to my cart Discogs: The Bad Sellers that grade in pitch black lighting while wearing blindfolds- I'm trying to be sincere and not throw in the dishonest tag but... if it was acquired from good will or any charity shop- check the data layer for disc rot at a bare minimum ex-library item- gotta be noted and can't be listed anywhere near VG (I don't collect library barcoded media) professionally resurfaced discs are fine [to a degree if the polish is cleaned up and data layer checks out] - but if a $15 CD SkipDr touched the disc, it's a no saleSellers that cross-sell on eBay, Amazon, etc. + Discogs and can't manage their inventory The Seller that realizes their item was priced too low and claims it's now unavailable after payment was submitted (of course, they don't acknowledge the truth and just state "they've searched and searched and can't find it") Japan Sellers that state "disc packaging may or may not come with the OBI" - that's always helpful and I'll pay $20 U.S. shipping to take a gamble... The feedback game - Sellers who can't leave positive feeback for buyers that pay instantly / just don't see the value in crediting their buyers on the platform Discogs: And The Ugly Every record store that uses Discogs sold pricing history as the benchmark for their retail store inventory pricing. What's the incentive to shop in person? I'm out of thoughts at the moment and need to place a few more orders on Discogs...
Just stopping by to huff and puff about these brain dead and/or predatory discogs sellers. I hate to be cynical but it really feels like they just bulk over grade in hopes that the average rookie jumping in on the “vinyl revival” has no idea what’s heads or tails anyway, while doing their best damage control with those who actual know how to grade records.
