Should vinyl records no longer be sold “sealed”?

A good argument is made in this video suggesting that vinyl records no longer be sold “sealed”. The logic behind it has to do with collectibility and knowing a sealed record is in desirable condition and damage issues and other quality control issues. What do you think? Should vinyl records no longer be sold “sealed”?

 

They definitely should be sold as such

I feel like it's known that sealed vinyl is extremely risky

 

I wish they weren't, like in the "old days" when one took the sleeve to the counter and the assistant would put the record in the sleeve. Shrink wrap is bad for the environment, it should be banned.

 

I try not to watch any video with red arrows in the thumbnail, a well-known clickbait trick. Add in the "reaction" photo with his hand over his face - ugh.

 

The primary reason we seal our LPs is because Amazon and possibly other retailers demand it and unfortunately you can't afford to not have them stocking your product.

 

Poly bag with some sort of seal on it to prove it hasn't been opened is fine by me.

 

If you get past that, there are valid points made as I summarized.

 

There was a time when they were never sealed in the UK (the records were carefully stored behind the counter while sleeves with stiffeners inside were in the racks - all protected in a polycover, of course). In some record shops, the sales assistant would carefully inpect the surface of the record before completing the transaction. Even Boots' record departments did this (Boots the Chemist) - though WHSmith did not. Hopefully, this would have minimised returns.

I can't see us going back to that, not with so many records coming from on-line stores. But there was something very practical about it for physical stores, especially the ones that trained their staff to inspect the product before completing the sale.

 

Well I think I would prefer sealed as otherwise you wont know if you are purchasing used and you will also have people handling them which will result in damage at times.

 

I think it might still be a possibility in smaller non US markets as it once was. But back then the volume was probably still greater than today which ensured a certain careful handling which I am not sure would happen today.

 

Unfortunately this speaks to pressing plant quality control more than actual shrink wrap


Needs to consider shrink wrap formulation, how hot/warm vinyl was when sleeved, conditions it is stored and moved in, how tightly packed, temperatures when packed, stored, traveling, etc., Unfortunately logistics is such a large scale and uncaring part of any product’s life that one must pack/seal to protect the product from all worst case scenarios

 

recorded music is bad for the environment

 

I would hate that. It would give licence to sellers to play records and remove them from inners causing scratches etc.

When I remove a record from a paper inner for the first time, I have a process to ensure the record doesn’t get those horrible scratches like having sandpaper across the record. At least if it’s sealed then you have more guarantee that it’s not been messed with or played.

Plus imagine retailers like Amazon dealing with returns…they would probably just go straight back out as new.

 

Why not just take back the record and get your money back or get it exchanged? Granted it will probably piss off the vendor, but that's what I would do. His rant didn't make much sense to me. Obviously a lot of newer vinyl has production issues.

 

Birdy's new LP Young Heart is offered on recycled vinyl which is sold unsealed.

 

If I buy a new record in a store, the last thing I want to be obligated to do is to try to visually grade it (not a perfect science) after it’s been handled by who knows how many dummies/pranksters.

 

It's azz backwards. Why not demand the industry have quality control standards?

 

If I found a new record that wasn't sealed, I wouldn't buy it.

Hell, I used to pitch a fit when Gamestop used to try to pawn opened games on me as "new." If its opened, it isn't new. No thank you, good bye, good day to you, sir.

 

Tough call on this. I remember records were never sealed in the UK. You used to pick up the sleeve of the record you wanted, typically it was in a plastic sleeve and take it to the counter to get the slab of vinyl. This process favours bricks and mortar stores over online retailers. It would also reduce single use plastic, as I am sure most shrink wrap goes in the bin to landfill eventually.

I believe it has been a different story in other countries, like the US, where records have been sold sealed for a long time.

 

I MIGHT buy a record unsealed if it was sold as second-hand and priced accordingly. If it's sold as new, I want the security of knowing that it IS new, thank you.

 

There’s definitely a cultural block here. Some can’t get passed the belief that sealed = new and unsealed = used. There’s a bias that sealed equals mint or near mint condition and opened somehow means a lesser condition. The posts below is proof of that bias.

 

In Europe during the 70's / 80's / 90's not very many vinyl were sold in shops in plastic shrink wrap. Useless, maybe the plastic industry invented this?

 

This one time, when I was like 13 years old, I walked 2 hours to the record store and bought a Meat Beat Manifestos God OD 12”. I got home and it was warped. Had to walk all the way back and get something else because they were out of it. That’s back when it took me a month to get enough money to buy a record.

 

I recall during my first visit to the UK in 1973 I went to a record store in London..there were only empty record sleeves in the bins. You would take the sleeve to the cashier..who would fetch the actual disc for you which was not shrink wrapped….certain that it also cut down on loss by shoplifters.

 

So anything that you disagree with = bias. Gotcha.