Definitive Audiophile pressings

Mather said:
Okay so general buying question. What do you guys do, when you are interested in a cogs listing and you can tell it's a store selling it so you pretty much know all grading is going to be visual. Do you ask them to listen to it or do you just trust the visual grading? Because I do not trust visual grading but I also understand why a webstore or big volume seller obviously can't listen to everything they list.

I'm looking at something right now. It's listed as "MINT", I ask if it's sealed or been played and he says it's not sealed but "it looks mint". But he's never played it. But this guy has 195 reviews and 100% rating. But I feel very strange dropping like $100 on "it looks mint". With only 195 reviews he's clearly not a huge seller but he also clearly isn't just selling his own collection...
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Unfortunately it’s a dice roll. Discogs should back you up if it’s misgraded in terms of a return, but you’ll eat return shipping.
 
Mather said:
Okay so general buying question. What do you guys do, when you are interested in a cogs listing and you can tell it's a store selling it so you pretty much know all grading is going to be visual. Do you ask them to listen to it or do you just trust the visual grading? Because I do not trust visual grading but I also understand why a webstore or big volume seller obviously can't listen to everything they list.

I'm looking at something right now. It's listed as "MINT", I ask if it's sealed or been played and he says it's not sealed but "it looks mint". But he's never played it. But this guy has 195 reviews and 100% rating. But I feel very strange dropping like $100 on "it looks mint". With only 195 reviews he's clearly not a huge seller but he also clearly isn't just selling his own collection...
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I'd side with @uvwxVinyl on it being truly Mint, Cogs is and will always be all over the place on grading, especially, as you said, when its a visual grade. That said, If I'm feeling any sort of "debate" in my head I usually pass and wait for another opportunity.
 
Mather said:
Okay so general buying question. What do you guys do, when you are interested in a cogs listing and you can tell it's a store selling it so you pretty much know all grading is going to be visual. Do you ask them to listen to it or do you just trust the visual grading? Because I do not trust visual grading but I also understand why a webstore or big volume seller obviously can't listen to everything they list.

I'm looking at something right now. It's listed as "MINT", I ask if it's sealed or been played and he says it's not sealed but "it looks mint". But he's never played it. But this guy has 195 reviews and 100% rating. But I feel very strange dropping like $100 on "it looks mint". With only 195 reviews he's clearly not a huge seller but he also clearly isn't just selling his own collection...
Click to expand...
I’m with @uvwxVinyl too—if it’s an expensive record, I’ll see if they can play grade it. I typically don’t trust sellers that list anything as mint. I’m much more inclined to trust someone who lists as VG+ and says conservative grading. Even if something is sealed I call it NM at best…
 
Mather said:
Okay so general buying question. What do you guys do, when you are interested in a cogs listing and you can tell it's a store selling it so you pretty much know all grading is going to be visual. Do you ask them to listen to it or do you just trust the visual grading? Because I do not trust visual grading but I also understand why a webstore or big volume seller obviously can't listen to everything they list.

I'm looking at something right now. It's listed as "MINT", I ask if it's sealed or been played and he says it's not sealed but "it looks mint". But he's never played it. But this guy has 195 reviews and 100% rating. But I feel very strange dropping like $100 on "it looks mint". With only 195 reviews he's clearly not a huge seller but he also clearly isn't just selling his own collection...
Click to expand...

Depends on the store and price. When I was shopping the Vol 4 record, i started chatting with the store (a place in Montreal) and they agreed to make a play grade and send me photos. I told them I wad trying to upgrade from a copy that had pops in Changes and other quieter parts and he understood. Went really well.

I guess it depends but I’ve done it.
 
MikeH said:
I’m with @uvwxVinyl too—if it’s an expensive record, I’ll see if they can play grade it. I typically don’t trust sellers that list anything as mint. I’m much more inclined to trust someone who lists as VG+ and says conservative grading. Even if something is sealed I call it NM at best…
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This is what my head is telling me as well. I don't trust anyone who lists an opened copy they only visually graded, as Mint. Even if they do have 195 sales @ 100%. I will pass and wait.
 
Usually if I get something that is probably/definitely visually graded only, it's because it's the only VG+ one listed for a reasonable price I'm willing to pay, and if it sounds like crap I just send it back. But if there are other similarly priced/graded options from 100% rated sellers that are play graded I go for those.
 
Highlights from one side of a record described as “VG+ LP with a few really tiny hair marks” by an eBay jazz vinyl seller w/ 99.5% positive (5,800 ratings). I didn’t make it past the first track, which has noise similar to Velcro being split apart every rotation. The other side of the record is no better. This is after two heavy cycles in nice ultrasonic cleaner.
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Portland Sheriff said:
Highlights from one side of a “VG+ LP with a few really tiny hair marks” by an eBay jazz vinyl seller w/ 99.5% positive (5,800 ratings). I didn’t make it past the first track, which has noise similar to Velcro being split apart every rotation. The other side of the record is no better. This is after two heavy cycles in nice ultrasonic cleaner.
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That is INSANE
 
Portland Sheriff said:
Highlights from one side of a record described as “VG+ LP with a few really tiny hair marks” by an eBay jazz vinyl seller w/ 99.5% positive (5,800 ratings). I didn’t make it past the first track, which has noise similar to Velcro being split apart every rotation. The other side of the record is no better. This is after two heavy cycles in nice ultrasonic cleaner.
View attachment 162541
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Seems like a typo? Should read G+?
 
Mather said:
He actually looked at those pics and claimed that was a VG+ record?
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He seems to think it should be graded differently bc it’s a 60 year old first pressing. I’m actually willing to be slightly more flexible when buying older vinyl, but nothing in this range, especially when the price reflects as if the grade was accurate. His entire description is above — “a few really tiny hair marks,” and the photos in the listing made it appear accurate. Not any old tiny hair marks, but _really_ tiny ones! I can’t reconcile those words with reality.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
He seems to think it should be graded differently bc it’s a 60 year old first pressing. I’m actually willing to be slightly more flexible when buying older vinyl, but nothing in this range, especially when the price reflects as if the grade was accurate. His entire description is above — “a few really tiny hair marks,” and the photos in the listing made it appear accurate. Not any old tiny hair marks, but _really_ tiny ones! I can’t reconcile those words with reality.
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You're brave to drop your stylus on that first track. I wouldnt risk it!
 
Portland Sheriff said:
He seems to think it should be graded differently bc it’s a 60 year old first pressing. I’m actually willing to be slightly more flexible when buying older vinyl, but nothing in this range, especially when the price reflects as if the grade was accurate. His entire description is above — “a few really tiny hair marks,” and the photos in the listing made it appear accurate. Not any old tiny hair marks, but _really_ tiny ones! I can’t reconcile those words with reality.
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A big percentage of the records that I buy are old (50's, 60's, etc) jazz records and when I do dabble on Ebay I have had similar experiences to this in the past. Sellers using the 'well it is VG+ for a record of that age' line as an excuse for an overgraded record arriving.

Its complete rubbish but sometimes its just inexperience on their part. This guy you are dealing with just sounds like he's trying to pull a fast one. Hope you are able to resolve it, thats one beat up record.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
Highlights from one side of a record described as “VG+ LP with a few really tiny hair marks” by an eBay jazz vinyl seller w/ 99.5% positive (5,800 ratings). I didn’t make it past the first track, which has noise similar to Velcro being split apart every rotation. The other side of the record is no better. This is after two heavy cycles in nice ultrasonic cleaner.
View attachment 162541
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That looks like a discogs NM to me!
 
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