Unplayed as a grading

The grade is in general the price. If you see any sought after album for cheap and it seems on purpose, there's probably something wrong with it.

 

Well more demand combined with vinyl condition.

 

I've been buying on Discogs for years. I sell on Discogs myself with stuff I don't want or stuff I bought and don't want to listen to. When I can set aside that one day a month to actually put stuff up on my own time, I am not going to go through every album and listen to the parts of it. Plus I'm pretty picky about what goes under my needle. I spin-clean everything now before I listen. My encounters with many sellers is that they are a hodge-podge of sorts. You get the old guy who is just getting rid of his stuff, you get the big store with tons of stuff, you get collectors who know what they have, and all the etceteras. It's really not much different than going to a record fair. If I see a bunch of overpriced stuff claiming to be mint when it's clearly not, I pass. Do all these guys listen to everything they have? No. I don't blame them. I think the real problem is Discogs needs to put a grade between VG+ and NM-, add a section if you do have images, and a check box if it has been playgraded or not. But then, how are we to know what setup they have. Seriously, not everyone on there is an audiophile. That's why someone like you should stick to only buying on forums like this. But then you are very limited to what shows up.

 

Those are some good suggestions. I buy a few records on Discogs, stuff I can’t find anywhere else. I enjoy the in person hunt more than anything else, thrifts, buying people’s collections, record show bargains.

 

I agree, this is meaningless bordering on misleading. The other thing I love reading is "brand new, unplayed, just opened to verify." Well no, if you opened it it is no longer new, and you have no reason to verify anything. I call B.S. on these sellers and I don't buy from them.

 

Heh - "Schrodingers's Record Shop".

 

Or it could mean, played maybe once but handled so carefully you'd never know it.

It screams "minty perfection" imo.

 

meaning they grade it before they put it and and price accordingly. It doesn't have to have the grade on the price sticker. and then you can inspect it for yourself

 

Not really. A grade would involve use of the Goldmine scale or some variation of it. They certainly assess the condition of the vinyl, good, okay or poor and eliminate the poor, but once that has been established price has much more to do with demand.

 

yes and that would be in with combination of the grading factored in. It's called record selling 101 and a good store will do it right, a ****ty store you'll know right away

 

And Record buying 101 says be patient because a whole lot of those $15,$10, $5 good condition records will eventually end up in the $5, $3, $1 bins. That’s where I shop. ;>)

 

couldn't agree with you more......I do the same. Patience is everything in record collecting

 

Oh I totally agree. I have a growing trash pile of 'NM' vinyl that is worn with a lot of groove burn---sure it looks fine but you cannot see wear with the naked eye, maybe a microscope? Record stores are often poorly lit and with thousands to grade we can just about guarantee records will not be graded well.

 

I just got a "NM" copy of Delbert & Glen - Subject to Change. The guy (99.6% rating) wanted $10 plus $5 shipping. This was through Discogs. I offered him $5 for it. I'm a huge Delbert McClinton fan and I'm trying to acquire all his vinyl releases. He took the offer so I got it for $10 total. I took it out. played side one and the crackling was continuous. The vinyl looked bright, gloss with some very minor scratches. I'd have given it a visual grade of VG+ to VG. I cleaned it, vacuumed it, rinsed it, vacuumed it again and put it back on the turntable. It sounded a little bit better, not much. The crackling was still there though perhaps not as pronounced. Side two played the same for the first two or three tracks, then improved on the last couple.

I sent him a message but really what can I do? It's more trouble than it is worth to pack it up and send it back. I'd just like sellers to be more realistic in their grading. It is a VG record. How can they expect a 46 year old record to be NM? If you think it is NM it probably really isn't. Play it to see and maybe it will be. But don't assume it is because the vinyl is shiny.

 

I've been following this thread for a while.Here is my view FWIW.

I come at this primarily as a buyer,but I have sold quite a lot on eBay in the past and for the last 6 years have sold at a record fair in my home town every 2 months.

Firstly as a seller,it is totally unrealistic to expect someone who is trying to sell hundreds or thousands of records to playgrade every record they put out for sale.Personally,I clean every record I put up for sale.Those that I take to my record fair do not have a grade.At the fair the buyer is free to visually check for as long as they wish before deciding wether to buy or not.I do not put out for sale any record below a VG visual grade.

When it comes to selling online.I always state in every listing that the record has been visually checked unless stated otherwise.

In general I have only sold records online that were at least Ex or better.I always give a grade for both record and sleeve when selling online.Any record that I believe should sell for more than £10 I will play grade completely and state in the description that this has been done.I have a 100% feedback score and have rarely encountered problems.

When it comes to buying for myself,I agree it's tricky.I think it comes down to experience.For online used records my advice,find a dealer with great feedback that your first experience of buying from has been a good one.Try to build up a few people like this and stick with them.

When buying from a second-hand shop,again find someone you can trust.For me it's less about grading and more about how they curate their records in general.Are the records they put out in nice shape overall visually? Are they displayed well i.e not crammed or piled on the floor?Are they put in nice clean plastic sleeves? A grade is nice to see but you need to check the record thoroughly yourself anyway.Do they have a no quibble return policy?

Another thing to remember regarding record shops.My local shop cleans everything he puts out on an RCM.he also playgrades each record he puts out for more than £5.It's a slow process,but this is his policy.However,this does not mean he can actually listen to each record as it is being played.It's a shop and punters are coming in and out.He is talking to them whilst the record is playing.Also he is cleaning other records on the RCM whilst another is playing.My point being that just because a record has been graded in a shop,you cannot be sure it has been listened to how you would listen to it at home.

Again,I think this comes down to experience with buying records.For those of us who are long enough in the tooth to have been buying since a time when vinyl was the only option(not counting cassettes here),you build up a knowledge that tells you things like what marks on a record could be a problem and what should be O.K.

I do think that maybe a lot of newcomers to record buying,who have maybe only been used to C.d.s. or streaming need to remember that vinyl records are just that,vinyl.After a while they will have issues,minor ones maybe but issues nonetheless.

 

Online buyers beware!

I have bought many hundreds of records on Ebay since 2004 but this year I dumped them.

In 2017 I bought 104 vinyl records from Ebay but over 40 were either hopelessly over graded or damaged in transit due to incompetent packing.

Recently I returned and bought a $300 EX record that was not EX, seller and I agreed to a partial refund then nothing happened after all his stalling.

I sold a sealed 70's Freddie King LP at a market last week for $25 aud only.
I told the buyer the price was due to my belief that it MAY have had an edge warp.
Honesty and competence are in short supply online, and now more than ever!

 

Hull, eh? Interesting. There's a Hull Ebay seller 'vinylmeplease', who hedges this issue by grading disc after disc as "...looks unplayed" and thinks (and states) that putting a card-stiffener in the package means that he knows how to pack vinyl and shouldn't be told otherwise. Frankly, comments like "...it is totally unrealistic to expect someone who is trying to sell hundreds or thousands of records to, etc." is a sure way to warn buyers off, as with 'Teddy_mod', who can't be bothered to get out of bed unless your valid enquiries relate to an item of over-inflated value (how many here have ever paid "...over £100" for a used LP? There are some sealed ones that I'd pay 10-times that sum for, but that's when I know what I'm getting).

I've been buying vinyl for 41 years -- presumably long-enough in the tooth -- and the only time that I started encountering problems was with the profiteering flakes on Ebay and Discogs with their optimistic 'looks Mint' / 'looks Unplayed' guff. It pulls the hopeful punter in, sure, but I prefer a more buyer-oriented approach, asking My questions rather than accepting Their marketing opening. Every open record that I buy on any of Ebay, Discogs, or CDandLP (and they're few, as I predominantly only buy sealed or NOS for the reasons that I described in starting this Thread) is preceded by these two questions:

"Does this disc have any surface marks to the vinyl whatsoever, i.e., scratches, scuffs, or 'sleeve withdrawal' traces? Similarly, are there any spindle-marks on either label?" (indicating careless-play of a disc that I probably wouldn't want to own ultimately).

Asking these questions causes the sellers like Teddy_mod to spit feathers, saving me wasted money/time/hassle, and also provides context for return if the disc doesn't measure up on-receipt. Asking the amateur seller these questions (and I mean 'amateur' in a good way -- one who is simply looking to dispose of unwanted media rather than the 'professional' seller who is always motivated solely by profit) almost always results in a polite and clear response to this similarly clear question. I've yet to buy a stinker this way, and it's only with the "...stunning Mint" brigade that I've ever had cause for complaint. I don't know that one 'can tell a book by its cover', but the condition of an LP sleeve says much about how (and how many times) that LP has been used. If I see an LP online with a Mint-looking sleeve (easy to assess in a high-res photo), then an affirmative answer to my two questions above nets me a truly Mint LP for a few-quid without having to compete for the 'Mint stunners' of the marketeer. Ultimately, Mint vinyl is the easiest thing to grade, as Mint is "...absolutely perfect in every way" (RC), and it either is or it isn't. The objective and honest will tell you all that you need to know, as indeed will the dishonest subjectivist with his manoeuvering and synonomy.

Caveat Vendor...

 

I''m not sure if you are criticising or agreeing with me here.Basically I agree with what you say,but confusing me with someone you have bad experiences with in the past(if that is what you are suggesting,this part of your post was a bit confusing to me) is wrong.I have never used the 'looks mint'/'appears unplayed line in any listings.I always give a full and detailed description of every record I have ever sold on eBay that include details of any marks/paper scuffs/spindle marks etc.
Sorry if I may appear a little miffed at your response but it sounded like you were having a pop at me rather than those sellers you have had problems with in the past.Please don't lump me in with them.My suggestion is don't get involved with them.

 

I made no such suggestion. I simply found it interesting. I used to do my record shopping in Hull (at Sydney Scarborough's) and know who is who. Incidentally, I have had no 'bad experience' or 'got involved' with 'vinylmeplease' at-all -- I know who to avoid simply on the basis of what they say in their listings or responses to enquiries, and that seller and others like him will never see business from me.

 

Also,to say that all professional sellers are solely motivated by profit is at best disingenuous at worst plain wrong.You have obviously had some bad experiences with some sellers,but try not to let that cloud your judgement on everyone.

 

No, one who is a professional seller is doing it for a business and the primary motive of business is profit, particularly when it is occupational and provides the principal means of income. We have all had 'bad experiences' with sellers here -- that's part of why such fora exist -- and why I started the Thread that you are responding to. There's little benefit to others in citing the last-fifty sellers that one had a good experience with, but much in describing the scammers, you will agree..

 

O.K.But you also named other sellers like this teddy_mod fellow,who from your post it appears you have had bad dealings with.

Sorry,but I did not see the word 'interesting ' in your post.I saw 'Huh eh? That and this content sounds very much like...' which sounded like a slur on me.Sorry if I misunderstood you.

 

Just saying that in my experience there are professional sellers out there who want to and do give a good service and can make profit.The two things are not incompatible.

 

Great post, I have been buying vinyl for 36 years and can relate.
As for used Mint vinyl it is very rare and even a sealed new or vintage record may not be Mint.
If a seller uses this grading regularly think seriously about moving on!

 

Thanks for editing your post.I appreciate it.