Discogs - Help, Tricks, Secrets And Tips

What would you guys do in this situation?

Ordered an audiophile record from a Discogs seller who has 50+ sales and 100% feedback. They graded the record as VG+/VG+ and said that it was cleaned and plays very quietly. It was a little below the median so I bit, as it’s one that I’ve been looking for a good copy of for a while. But it was still a little above $100.

it arrived yesterday and had a fair amount of marks on it. Nothing feelable but more than something I would grade VG+. I put it on and there are about 40-50 pops/clicks/crackles throughout the whole thing. It has a click every revolution for the whole first minute. I tried it on two turntables and it was consistent on both. No skips, and the record still sounds great, but the noise doesn’t seem to comport with “plays very quietly.”

I contacted the seller and they answered that it might be my stylus and brought up that they have high level gear. I told the seller that it was consistent across two separate carts and it was definitely not the stylus (I use a brandy new Sukimo Moonstone and Ortofon 2M Blue).

I’ve never had a grading discrepancy on Discogs but I rarely buy off of there for fear of this. Anyone deal with something similar/thoughts on what I should do?
 
Colonel4Bin said:
What would you guys do in this situation?

Ordered an audiophile record from a Discogs seller who has 50+ sales and 100% feedback. They graded the record as VG+/VG+ and said that it was cleaned and plays very quietly. It was a little below the median so I bit, as it’s one that I’ve been looking for a good copy of for a while. But it was still a little above $100.

it arrived yesterday and had a fair amount of marks on it. Nothing feelable but more than something I would grade VG+. I put it on and there are about 40-50 pops/clicks/crackles throughout the whole thing. It has a click every revolution for the whole first minute. I tried it on two turntables and it was consistent on both. No skips, and the record still sounds great, but the noise doesn’t seem to comport with “plays very quietly.”

I contacted the seller and they answered that it might be my stylus and brought up that they have high level gear. I told the seller that it was consistent across two separate carts and it was definitely not the stylus (I use a brandy new Sukimo Moonstone and Ortofon 2M Blue).

I’ve never had a grading discrepancy on Discogs but I rarely buy off of there for fear of this. Anyone deal with something similar/thoughts on what I should do?
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I’d probably ask to return or get a % discount back. It’s usually a red flag if someone immediately blames it on the buyer’s equipment. Unless you have a Crosley, it’s not.

It’s likely they didn’t actually play grade it. Plus, if there are marks it probably should’ve been a VG to begin with.
 
I think if a seller promises a type of play, that goes beyond a visual inspection and they should be prepared for a wide variety of set ups. That's the level of grading discrepancy I'd expect either a partial refund on or a return and I am not a finicky buyer...

Edit: I did an Ebay buy recently of an audiophile record in the same sphere that I believe the seller qualified as VG+/VG+ and I'll say if it came in that shape I'd be mad.
 
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VG+ scares me as a seller. The literal definition is that it plays absolutely perfect like Mint/Near Mint but there might be some faint visual mark on it. I open new vinyl all the time that has a ton of scratches/hairline marks and at least one tick or pop and I feel like all records will randomly pop or tick at least once if you play them in a room with dust/hair floating around in the air. I always think “How can I promise absolute audio perfection plus a small visual mark to a buyer?”
 
LeeVing said:
@GentleSenator

I saw this forum thread - then saw it was based on your sub edit messages.

Discogs Forum - Help with Reissue / Repress in a particular release

www.discogs.com www.discogs.com


I've said in the past, if it's not an original release, it's a reissue, so I agree with you. This would be a reissue that happens to be a repress.

My feeling is that all represses are reissues - as they aren't the original releases. Since the tags are independent of each other, you still add the reissue tag when using the repress tag.

That was my hot take a while back

Discogs Forum - "Reissue" tag on releases of the same year?

www.discogs.com www.discogs.com

It seems to be an issue of semantics regarding "release", "issue", and "pressing"

Discogs Forum - "Reissue" tag on releases of the same year?

www.discogs.com www.discogs.com
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i'm thrilled that the guy actually started a forum thread as suggested instead of continuing to fill up the submission history!
 
Anyone want to mentor a first-time seller?

I've been threatening to jump into selling via Discogs for a couple of years (in the "Before Times"). But the whole process seems overwhelming. I think I even got my account verified at some point. (If that's a thing.)

Anyway, I need to start moving some vinyl. Luckily, my collection is all entered into my Discogs library. But I just have so many questions.

First and foremost, I'm looking for the least resistance/effort/hassle possible - even if that means missing out on some sales. In other words, my strong preference is for US shipping/Paypal only.

So, where to start?

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers?
2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping?
3) Do I need a scale?
4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle?
5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue?

I'm sure this will all become easier once I finally take the leap. But it all feels a bit overwhelming at the moment.
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Anyone want to mentor a first-time seller?

I've been threatening to jump into selling via Discogs for a couple of years (in the "Before Times"). But the whole process seems overwhelming. I think I even got my account verified at some point. (If that's a thing.)

Anyway, I need to start moving some vinyl. Luckily, my collection is all entered into my Discogs library. But I just have so many questions.

First and foremost, I'm looking for the least resistance/effort/hassle possible - even if that means missing out on some sales. In other words, my strong preference is for US shipping/Paypal only.

So, where to start?

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers?
2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping?
3) Do I need a scale?
4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle?
5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue?

I'm sure this will all become easier once I finally take the leap. But it all feels a bit overwhelming at the moment.
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+1 :)
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Anyone want to mentor a first-time seller?

I've been threatening to jump into selling via Discogs for a couple of years (in the "Before Times"). But the whole process seems overwhelming. I think I even got my account verified at some point. (If that's a thing.)

Anyway, I need to start moving some vinyl. Luckily, my collection is all entered into my Discogs library. But I just have so many questions.

First and foremost, I'm looking for the least resistance/effort/hassle possible - even if that means missing out on some sales. In other words, my strong preference is for US shipping/Paypal only.

So, where to start?

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers?
2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping?
3) Do I need a scale?
4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle?
5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue?

I'm sure this will all become easier once I finally take the leap. But it all feels a bit overwhelming at the moment.
Click to expand...
Others are much more seasoned then I am, but I've sold a few things recently and it was fairly painless.

  1. I reuse quality mailers from recieved orders since I haven't found a cheap source for new mailers. I've considered ordering a batch from Whiplash but it's pricey and they don't sell in low quantities.
  2. That's what I've done for US shipping, I only sell domestically to verified Paypal addresses.
  3. I use a simple kitchen scale but prior to that for all packages I used 2lbs for single discs and 2.5 for double LPs.
  4. Yes
  5. Taxes are handled by Discogs and you pay them with fees, as far as I know. I'm not sure about the 2nd question but I hope not lol.
Setting up a shipping policy was the worst part of my experience. I used this article for that. Hope that helps, I'd also love to hear thoughts from more experienced sellers.
 
NateOEB said:
Others are much more seasoned then I am, but I've sold a few things recently and it was fairly painless.

  1. I reuse quality mailers from recieved orders since I haven't found a cheap source for new mailers. I've considered ordering a batch from Whiplash but it's pricey and they don't sell in low quantities.
  2. That's what I've done for US shipping, I only sell domestically to verified Paypal addresses.
  3. I use a simple kitchen scale but prior to that for all packages I used 2lbs for single discs and 2.5 for double LPs.
  4. Yes
  5. Taxes are handled by Discogs and you pay them with fees, as far as I know. I'm not sure about the 2nd question but I hope not lol.
Setting up a shipping policy was the worst part of my experience. I used this article for that. Hope that helps, I'd also love to hear thoughts from more experienced sellers.
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This is the way. Also, I don’t have a printer or scale so I just drop off directly at the post office and pay there. I go during non peak hours so it’s not much of a hassle.
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Anyone want to mentor a first-time seller?

I've been threatening to jump into selling via Discogs for a couple of years (in the "Before Times"). But the whole process seems overwhelming. I think I even got my account verified at some point. (If that's a thing.)

Anyway, I need to start moving some vinyl. Luckily, my collection is all entered into my Discogs library. But I just have so many questions.

First and foremost, I'm looking for the least resistance/effort/hassle possible - even if that means missing out on some sales. In other words, my strong preference is for US shipping/Paypal only.

So, where to start?

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers?
2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping?
3) Do I need a scale?
4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle?
5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue?

I'm sure this will all become easier once I finally take the leap. But it all feels a bit overwhelming at the moment.
Click to expand...
I've been selling for about 5 years now just to keep my collection under control, and here is my input. I limit to just US orders and paypal only for the exact reason you mention, just less hassle.

1.) I buy a 50 pack of boxes on eBay. Not sure if we're allowed to post eBay links here, but they are about $35 for 50 with free shipping. Never had any issues and its the cheapest I have found.
2.) I charge $5 per item and $1 for each additional item.
3.) I've sold over 400 records and never needed a scale. If its 1 item, I just always put 2 pounds. Its lighter than that, but we're talking like 10 cents difference in price maybe so I'd rather overshoot the weight and not worry about it. Two items I'll put 3 or 4 pounds depending on if they are single, double, etc.
4.) Definitely. Nothing opened is ever NM in my opinion, so everything is VG+ or lower for my listings. Just be as honest as possible, its worth it. I've had two returns in 5 years, and they were both related to shipping damage.
5.) I am not qualified to offer tax advice. :D

My advice, throw a few records up there just to try it out and get the process down then go from there. This may sound obvious, but if you want to move things fast always list below the lowest current sale price (taking condition into account of course).
 
I would grade very conservatively (I never grade above VG+) and I buy all new mailers (the cheap white ones are fine for single records, or bags unlimited and I always use 2 pads), I tend to price high when I first list to get it out there and then move them down when I can research a bit or if they don't move. I charge $6 for up to 2 LPs and a $1 more for each 2 LPs more. Postal rates are going up end of August and I'm going to bump up by $1. I think I get more multi-item sales this way. I've sent out some huge boxes, lol.

IF you use Paypal to print your shipping labels and you don't have enough postage, you'll get a bill from Paypal after the fact. It happened to me once. If you're really going to sell though, I'd get a scale, they are not that expensive.

I always take them to the post office directly and also, always get a receipt. I had an issue recently where it was never scanned by the PO and hasn't shown up either.

If it's over $100, I buy insurance and mostly will send priority at my own cost. I have never sold outside of the US. I've had a few ask, but imho, as someone selling my own collection, it's not worth the hassle.
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Anyone want to mentor a first-time seller?

I've been threatening to jump into selling via Discogs for a couple of years (in the "Before Times"). But the whole process seems overwhelming. I think I even got my account verified at some point. (If that's a thing.)

Anyway, I need to start moving some vinyl. Luckily, my collection is all entered into my Discogs library. But I just have so many questions.

First and foremost, I'm looking for the least resistance/effort/hassle possible - even if that means missing out on some sales. In other words, my strong preference is for US shipping/Paypal only.

So, where to start?

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers?
2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping?
3) Do I need a scale?
4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle?
5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue?

I'm sure this will all become easier once I finally take the leap. But it all feels a bit overwhelming at the moment.
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Try here first, no Discogs 8% fee.
 
The Denmarkian Wonder said:
I really wish it was possible to organize your wantlist any way you want, be it genre, format, artists, labels, whatever.
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I'd like to filter some of the results. Like, YES, discogs, I do want Porno for pyros first record, but I do not want any records from outside the US, and I have a price limit.

Discogs is like HEY HERE'S 10 COPIES OF EARTHLING FOR SALE, THEY'RE ONLY 500 BUCKS AND THEY ALL SHIP FROM EASTERN BUMFUCKISTAN FOR A MEASLY 600 DOLLARS
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Anyone want to mentor a first-time seller?

I've been threatening to jump into selling via Discogs for a couple of years (in the "Before Times"). But the whole process seems overwhelming. I think I even got my account verified at some point. (If that's a thing.)

Anyway, I need to start moving some vinyl. Luckily, my collection is all entered into my Discogs library. But I just have so many questions.

First and foremost, I'm looking for the least resistance/effort/hassle possible - even if that means missing out on some sales. In other words, my strong preference is for US shipping/Paypal only.

So, where to start?

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers?
2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping?
3) Do I need a scale?
4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle?
5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue?

I'm sure this will all become easier once I finally take the leap. But it all feels a bit overwhelming at the moment.
Click to expand...
My .02

1) Anyone have a source for cardboard "pizza box" mailers? I used the fold up thin ones for a while but after wraping in bubblewrap and then taping each edge to make it rigid i was wasting too much time. If you are going to sell high priced items or more than 100, try these Mighty Music mailers

2) Is it easiest to just charge $5/item shipping? yes as posted here already most things are under 2lb and the price 1lb and under is 2.89 and up to 2lb is 3.45. (2lb 1oz is 4.01) the extra should pay for your mailer.

3) Do I need a scale? No, unless you want to save money when you can only pay for 1lb shipping.

4) Is the best strategy to grade conservatively to avoid the hassle? Only sell new hahaha.. Ok no but spend time with the record and be honest. I've found people appreciate a lot of detail.

5) How do you handle taxes? Do you have to claim sales as revenue? Taxes are charged and paid for you. You dont have to claim the income under a certain amount which I believe is a few thousand.

Edit: My wife is telling me its like $600 now. Paypal/Discogs will send you a notice they are filing with the IRS on your behalf, then you claim on your taxes.
 
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