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Discogs $^()($!

patient_ot said:
I have no interest in overgraded records (and the accompanying "partial refunds" some seem to think are okay), and I lost patience with all the back and forth with sellers after awhile (was turning into a part time job TBH), going to the post office to return stuff, etc. At least for used vinyl I'd rather buy in person or from another trusted source. Much less of a hassle for me.
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I feel ya on all of this. I went through a period of too many record purchases which were well overgraded, and it turned me off from buying any vinyl on there for awhile - almost a year or so.

I just recently resumed taking the gamble again for some titles I've had zero luck finding locally for a long time - thankfully with success, but when it comes to used, I'm still planning to keep it local as much as I can - the extra trips to the post office were getting to be a PITA before.
 
parman said:
The main thing I get that bugs me is marking a LP shipped as soon as I pay but not really shipping it for 3 or 4 days. I don't care if it takes them 3 days to ship just don't mark it till you ship.
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It’s probably just how they run their business. Doing that is very common. If you get a tracking number you can see if it’s gone to the shipper or if they have only gotten the label
 
Taketheflame said:
I feel ya on all of this. I went through a period of too many record purchases which were well overgraded, and it turned me off from buying any vinyl on there for awhile - almost a year or so.

I just recently resumed taking the gamble again for some titles I've had zero luck finding locally for a long time - thankfully with success, but when it comes to used, I'm still planning to keep it local as much as I can - the extra trips to the post office were getting to be a PITA before.
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One thing that helped me was checking stores that were not local to me. Take a day trip to another place, go for a short vacation, check out stores there. Found lots of good records that way. Of course there is still some risk, since I can't easily return the record if there is a problem. I keep that in check by not buying anything too expensive.
 
I have done around 215 transactions on Discogs, all as a buyer, while maintaining 100% somehow. I say somehow because there have certainly been issues with shipping damage, overgrading, and the notorious "seller not responding?..." needing to be used.

I hate having to do that, but if I place an
order and pay, it should not take a week to communicate with me.

The smartest thing I've seen is "seller is away until.." on eBay and Discogs. At least you then know what's happening before ordering.

It is also quite easy to add a quick sentence if you're going to be unavailable for awhile. It goes right in the seller summary/profile/about.

Yes, emergencies and unexpected events are a reality. But it has happened about 4 times so far, all from different sellers. Upon getting a response, none have been emergencies. Just rude calm-down type statements.

That being said, I only resort to DG purchasing when it is an especially elusive or expensive item, which explains my aforementioned rambling.

I still find their marketplace to be an indispensable resource since it is worldwide. More than happy to pay a premium + shipping for something I cannot source anyplace else.
 
I, too, have a 100% buyer and seller rating. When it comes to selling however, I am not the quickest person to get the package to the post office. I always add an extra record to compensate for my slacking. I have decided to not sell any more records because of it ;).
 
TSWisla said:
My issue is with people not responding to questions. How do you expect to sell an LP for $100 without answering a couple of questions? To hell with them.
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Sellers that don't answer questions are typically over-graders or "volume" type sellers which can be prone to over grading. Also people chancing it for a sucker that won't complain when they get the wrong pressing or wrongly graded vinyl. IME anyway.
 
So the records arrived today and what a shotshow. Ordered 3, and 1 wasn't included. Another that was supposed to be NM/M- needs to be vacuumed then soaked for about 10 years, it will cause an ultrasonic cleaner to explode. One of the three records ordered is worth keeping. Seller sent extra records as a peace offering, and the one someone would actually want is also unlistenable. The other three were junk she was clearing out.

No one is perfect and mistakes are made, that said, NO ONE would listen to the record ranked M-/NM and think it was any better than fair condition. It's obvious the seller not only didn't listen to the record, they didn't look at it either. It was filthy.

I had taken the bad review down when seller finally got in touch and said they'd make amends. Not going back to put it up again, just not going to bother with Discogs anymore. Plenty of independent new and used record stores here in Portland, better to keep the money in the local economy anyway.
 
Sounds like what happened to me today with an eBay seller but I would expect better from Discogs. Looks like I won’t be buying from there.
 
In addition to traditional LRS buying, I've been buying records mailorder since the late 1980's. From all sorts of sources. Many fantastic deals, some not so. Discogs is just another marketplace, you have to keep your eyes peeled. I've had good luck there and very little bad luck and almost always get responses from sellers. No response= no purchase, if I have a question.

Just today I found a record for $7 shipped I had been wanting for awhile, from a U.S. seller. It isn't mint. All other copies are overseas and will cost $40 & up including the postage. The complete album is not on youtube, I just finally want to hear the thing. If I like it enough I can pay up for a copy. And give away the cheapo if it isn't worth keeping.
 
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Found one of the three records from the Discogs Disaster for $5 at a local shop today, first time I'd seen it in the wild. Not perfect, but so much better than the "NM" I'd gotten from the Discogs seller. Think a run through an ultrasonic might get it to near mint, as it's a VG+ now.
 
I just try to order from sellers I've ordered from before. Also look to see if they are a brick and mortar.
100%-99% only and if they got more than few feedbacks.
So far so good! Only problems were a sealed record that had a slight warp and one with what looked like PVC plastic migration.
Both played ok and were on the cheap side.
 
It's becoming a real crap shoot, I just had a week where 2 of my 4 orders were not available (quickly refunded), one where the wrong item was listed (dealer should of known better, refunded), and keeping my fingers crossed on a Lp from euro that says it has shipped.

Conditions are getting sketchy too.

Also running into more rude sellers, when you ask a question either no one replies or they do rudely. Play test ? How dare you even ask! lol
 
I'm pretty much done with them too. I do trust a seller in the UK with a brick-and-mortar store and have bought from him more than a few times, but the shipping has gotten insane, and so I won't do it anymore.
I've a nice store about 40 miles away, but its a shitty drive with heavy traffic and a nasty bump in sales tax, so I may be out of luck until I figure it all out. In the meantime, Ive had very good luck buying from fellow AK'ers right here.
 
Gotta do some serious research, reviews and such, prior to purchasing anything lately off of Discogs. Adding 9% not to just sale but shipping also has made international shipping out of reach, unless the product price is incredible. Once you find a great seller(s) on Discogs you have to bookmark and shop with confidence.
 
I won't even consider international shipping, except in the rare instances they are actually reasonable. I mostly buy in Canada, and shipping tends to be on average, $20. So even then, I am looking for a record I've been wanting a while, and a number of other records that I might be interested in.

I've also found quality has gone down. It used to be that you purchased VG+ and got near mint. Now, you are lucky if it is VG. I think a lot more amateurs have gotten in on the action. And they are just looking at turning them over for a good profit.
 
Every time I order lately I have a conversation with the seller making sure matrix numbers match listing (30% dont) then double check grading…if no one answers I move on…if they seem miffed at my double checking I move on…

pickings are slim because of the market…people that have no idea about the hobby are making some serious cash …

I love the “played only once” ads….hahahaha
 
I don’t have patience for a slow Discogs transaction. I wait a few days, and then ask if the item has shipped. I wait one more day. If no response, I send a ‘seller unresponsive’ notice. This is a wake up call for the seller, and it always lights a fire under their butt.
 
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