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Discogs $^()($!

JJCalvillo

JJCalvillo

AK Subscriber
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Anyone else have sellers that don't respond to multiple messages, and "payment pending" days after the money leaves your account? I've had good experiences, but maybe 25 - 30% of the time buying via Discogs is a MASSIVE PITA. They've converted me, I will never cheat on my local record stores again!

This and buying a couple of tweeters for a Genesis ll+ that must have been packaged by someones monkey while it was wasted has me heading for the Tequila!
:beerchug:
 
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I never bought through them but have seen other posts such as yours so am not feeling like buying from them. I do however like their Collection service and find it very valuable for keeping track of my records. Unfortunately there are no good record stores near me so I order mostly new.
 
I buy there fairly often and the shipping time has run from overnight to two weeks. From my perspective I don’t expect anyone to make a special trip to the post office to send me a record. Over the summer I asked a couple sellers to hold off shipping until cooler weather arrives. I think we are spoiled by Amazon and other places that ship right now.
If it’s something I need quickly it’s completely different. I’ve never needed a record.
 
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Just keep in mind Discogs, like eBay and Craigslist, isn't a traditional retailer with a storefront or warehouse full of records. I've never personally had any problems buying from Discogs sellers, but of course that could just be a matter of luck and only buying from sellers with good feedback ratings.

Also note that typically an item can get marked as shipped when a label is created or generated automatically by the seller. I know that from buying instruments on Reverb, where an order is placed an a label is immediately generated for the seller. So yeah, you've got a tracking number, but they may not physically get the item in the hands of Fed or UPS, or whoever, for a couple of days.

It's basically a virtual yard-sale and these records are coming to you (usually) from individual fellow collectors. Most of whom are not set up as real businesses. So cut folks a little slack, they're not offering Amazon or Wal-Mart-style customer service, and you'll get your records.
 
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I have never had any problems but as mentioned it is no different that eBay so I treat it the same when deciding which sellers to buy from. And as far as showing shipped right away, I believe that is just a function of the label being created.
 
grillebilly said:
I buy there fairly often and the shipping time has run from overnight to two weeks. From my perspective I don’t expect anyone to make a special trip to the post office to send me a record. Over the summer I ask a couple sellers to hold off shipping until cooler weather arrives. I think we are spoiled by Amazon and other places that ship right now.
If it’s something I need quickly it’s completely different. I’ve never needed a record.
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I sell books about fly-fishing road trips to groups of rivers in an area. When I get an order, I send it same day or first thing next. It's about taking the best care of people who were good enough to buy my book/s. If you're running a business, you should treat it as a business, imo.

My problem was a week of non-response from the seller (99+% rating), and Discogs not doing what they're supposed to do in that situation.

Turns out the seller had legit problems and has gone above and beyond to resolve the matter.

P.S. I won't have anything to do with either Amazon or Walmart. Small business only unless there is no other choice for a necessity.
 
I've ran into a few sellers who weren't the easiest folks to deal with, but I'm thankful to say that the overwhelming majority of my experiences on Discogs have been pretty good.

That being said, I'm a big believer in supporting local record shops as much as possible - not only to help them out, but I can also truly see the condition of used vinyl for myself. Discogs is mostly a last resort for things I give up on trying to find locally, or my local shops simply can't get in stock (often the case with things which weren't pressed for the US/North American markets).
 
In the UK I've had almost nothing but good experiences. Not sure I've ever left a negative review.

Only thing is you quickly realise things are graded one step up from what they should be. So VG+/VG is a minimum. Usually posted fast with good packaging. The end result is the same as buying from a used record shop. It's where I go if I want something specific, with some cheap add-ons to make the postage worth it. Regarding those I've had some surprises, like recently a fairly unknown but fantastic John Coltrane live album in genuine minty condition for £7.
 
It would be nice to have a decent local shop. The only one close to me is hit and miss and with very poor lighting so it is impossible to see the condition of the record very well.
 
JJCalvillo said:
If you're running a business, you should treat it as a business, imo.
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The problem with this attitude, though, is that most people on Discogs are not running a business. It's essentially a big newspaper classified listing, just online.

Your expectations should be set accordingly. Lots of sellers on there are just regular folks trying to unload their used records and CDs.
 
Taketheflame said:
I'm a big believer in supporting local record shops as much as possible
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Only quoted this because a few have mentioned it.

Most of the sellers I buy from on Discogs are this, so I am supporting a local shop, they just happen to be in a different state and have something my local shops do not when I want to buy it.

Plus what @benricci said above.
 
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No problems. Sometimes it takes awhile, especially coming to me out in the middle of the Pacific. Gotten stuff from all over the globe.

I like supporting the local shops too. I even received hand written thank you notes.
 
GChief said:
Only quoted this because a few have mentioned it.

Most of the sellers I buy from on Discogs are this, so I am supporting a local shop they just happen to be in a different state and have something my local shops do not when I want to buy it.

Plus what @benricci said above.
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Fair enough point - come to think of it, many sellers I've bought from are indeed independent record shops...(though many of them have also been based in the UK and Germany).

Still, it is nice being in close proximity to a number of great shops, so I like to do what I can to help them stick around (I'm in a high COL city where rising expenses & redevelopment have displaced too many well-loved small businesses) - plus the aforementioned ability to visually inspect a used record before buying it.
 
So far my experience on Discogs has been pretty positive. Purchased maybe 100- 150 LP’s from various sellers. Only had one bad encounter with a dishonest seller listing an item that wasn’t even close to the advertised condition.

The automatically generated shipping labels saying the item has shipped is no big deal to me really as I don’t need the album the next day. The other night I purchased a couple albums from New Zealand. Fifteen minutes later I get a message from the seller confirming that I did want two albums. About a hour later they were actually in the mail heading stateside. Arrived yesterday in New York so maybe a few more days. That’s nice.

I’m all for supporting local businesses but on the flip side nobody’s supporting me. I have to ensure my own survival by spending my money wisely.

As an example I was in the local record shop the other day killing time waiting on some coworkers. I saw a Lightnin Hopkins album I don’t have priced at $98 I put it back and continued to shop. After having picked out 4 or 5 albums priced modestly i decided to look up the Lightnin Hopkins album on Discogs. Highest sell price ever was $33 with a median price of $24 I went to check out and simply asked the guy if they were firm on their prices. He asked what album I was referring to and I told him the the album I was interested in. His short reply was it will sell at that price. So yeah I like supporting small businesses but I don’t like getting ripped off to do it.
 
0 for 2 on Discogs.
Never again.
I have had good luck on Ebay on the rare occasion that I purchase a record.
 
Have purchased a **** ton of albums from Discogs, have had one issue with a re-shipper, but otherwise I stick with 99.8% sellers with no issues. I also look at prior reviews, even the neutrals to gauge the seller. Lately its been Music on Vinyl reissues from Amazon for the cheap, best bang for buck (album and sound quality) on the vinyl market IMO. Search MOVLP on Amazon if interested.
 
If you're after popular titles than you have plenty of options. If you're after rare or obscure artists, sometimes Discogs is the only game in town. Ebay has the potential for getting a killer deal on expensive titles, as not everyone looks there regularly.
I've been getting some albums directly from the artists on Bandcamp. If they are a few dollars more than elsewhere, I don't mind, as it's a way of supporting the cause.
 
It’s the search that drives me crazy…

“relevancy” the default is idiotic, I change this to year every single time….you say lp or album and you get all sorts of everything else…makes no sense…

I have 3 sellers that I deal with unless it’s something really rare….
 
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