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I've bought a couple of things from there one was rated VG but looked like it had been cleaned with steel wool the postage costs made it prohibitive to return. I contacted the seller who never replied. The other purchase was fantastic.

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3 hours ago, Kaynin said:

I usually avoid sellers from Russia in most areas where I buy things - is this a good rule for Discogs as well? 

Or just go off buyer reviews?

Have not been inclined to buy from Russia but got a record recently through Discogs and valve tubes on ebay and it was all good.

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I've done a few transactions thru discogs. one looked like she was getting into trading or just dabbling with the idea, the other was a UK dealer/shop with hundreds of items and plenty of good ratings.

 

shipping from the US can be a killer at times so confirm that, you should be able to ask the seller questions and get additional pics, also you can try negotiating price.

 

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1 hour ago, Muzzcat said:

 

How much should I risk on unseen items I'm looking at buying 1 lp for $200 plus postage from the states.

I think the answer is probably self-evident.

Check the Seller's feedback thoroughly, ask for photos of your item, make it difficult.

The good ones will come back to you - the dross will not make it worth your while, and save you a bundle in the process by bungling the sale up front, releasing you to go elsewhere.

 

The UK and US sellers have a completely different idea of what VG+ means. To them, VG+ is usually scratched but playable. VG is ruined. I have never seen their version of a 'G' record, and I shudder to think if I ever did. So be VERY careful and never order anything under a strong VG+, and ask for all the damage/condition of the items before buying.

 

Oh, don't forget the 10% GST that the Aus government will now also add, and which Discogs now collects from everyone no matter who they are or how much business they do. So your $200 item, plus $30 AUS postage, + 10% GST ($20). 

Edited by candyflip
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6 hours ago, candyflip said:

I think the answer is probably self-evident.

Check the Seller's feedback thoroughly, ask for photos of your item, make it difficult.

The good ones will come back to you - the dross will not make it worth your while, and save you a bundle in the process by bungling the sale up front, releasing you to go elsewhere.

 

The UK and US sellers have a completely different idea of what VG+ means. To them, VG+ is usually scratched but playable. VG is ruined. I have never seen their version of a 'G' record, and I shudder to think if I ever did. So be VERY careful and never order anything under a strong VG+, and ask for all the damage/condition of the items before buying.

 

Oh, don't forget the 10% GST that the Aus government will now also add, and which Discogs now collects from everyone no matter who they are or how much business they do. So your $200 item, plus $30 AUS postage, + 10% GST ($20). 

Yeah the GST thing is a bummer and adds up when buying expensive LP's or big collections. Really don't get why we need to pay a tax on second hand items that are often no longer being manufactured.

 

But to answer the OP's question, pretty much everything I buy these days is from discogs. Been burnt a few times but is good for the most part. I tend to just stress the point to the seller to make sure they pack with as much protection as they can as you would be surprised to see what some consider as "adequate" (see below for a good example)

 

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IMG_0373.thumb.JPG.7c22f6d7508aad49c77a1978b2ff3191.JPG

 

IMG_0372.thumb.JPG.ac05829a50545df5a6e29da8dcf71ade.JPG

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Good experiences through SNA. Great for rare or import pressings.

Generally buy from the 2nd (3rd,4th...) hand stores around Melbourne , Dixon's etc

Have been really lucky on eBay so far but I think it pays to know what you are looking for specifically.

Only negative experience was through JB recently - 180gm reissues having glitches and faults.

 

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I started buying from Discogs around 3 months ago, so far made around 6 purchased worth a total of $1k+.

So far the experience has been good. It's a fantastic avenue to buy discs which would otherwise be hard to find in these parts, especially if like me, you live in Tasmania.

 

The only caveats are that

1) The disc conditions can vary. Some sellers say NM/M- but their discs can be in pretty bad condition. I had one who listed the cover as VG+ but the cover was very obviously water damaged, how could it even be VG+?

 

2) Most sellers ship untracked, and shipping most times can take as much as 3-4 weeks

 

3) US postage rates are crazy high, almost not worth it to ship from there unless you're buying a lot or buying something very expensive. Most of my purchases have been from UK and European sellers, where shipping to Australia has been very reasonable.

Edited by silencer13
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20 hours ago, Kaynin said:

I usually avoid sellers from Russia in most areas where I buy things - is this a good rule for Discogs as well? 

Or just go off buyer reviews?

I bought a pretty expensive Metallica box set from a Russian seller and it went quite well.

Probably better to gauge by their seller ratings.

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Another example of a clueless Discogs seller arrived today. Why does this kind of thing only happen to me with expensive out of print LP's.

 

This genius thought paper and a smear of bubblewrap would make this record survive from Portugal to Melbourne!

 

  

 

IMG_2466.JPG

IMG_2467.JPG

IMG_2468.JPG

IMG_2469.JPG

IMG_2471.JPG

Edited by Tubularbells
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45 minutes ago, Tubularbells said:

Another example of a clueless Discogs seller arrived today. Why does this kind of thing only happen to me with expensive out of print LP's.

 

This genius thought paper and a smear of bubblewrap would make this record survive from Portugal to Melbourne! 

 

IMG_2466.JPG

 

This is my experience with *most* European and UK sellers on Discogs.
Absolutely typical, I'm afraid.

 

I've now go to the stage where I send them a 2 page packing and sending sheet, on how to properly send records through the mail. You know...no pizza boxes, no foam peanuts as the only protection, no plastic wrap, no paper outers etc etc....

Assuming they know *anything* about what they are doing is a common mistake, unfortunately.  :( 

 

If I get a package like this these days (rarely now), I don't hesitate: straight to PayPal for a full refund.

I've had up to 20 records in one hit refunded like this, both Discogs and eBay (Japanese sellers) : I just refuse to accept such callous disregard for decent packaging.  ?

they can hate me all they like!

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8 hours ago, Tubularbells said:

Another example of a clueless Discogs seller arrived today. Why does this kind of thing only happen to me with expensive out of print LP's.

 

This genius thought paper and a smear of bubblewrap would make this record survive from Portugal to Melbourne!

 

  

 

IMG_2466.JPG

IMG_2467.JPG

IMG_2468.JPG

IMG_2469.JPG

IMG_2471.JPG

That has me worried to fork out my hard earned and have the hassle of refunds when you get **** on. But where else can you find some of the vinyl that's maybe a bit obscure or rare as rocking horse.....

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, Muzzcat said:

That has me worried to fork out my hard earned and have the hassle of refunds when you get **** on. But where else can you find some of the vinyl that's maybe a bit obscure or rare as rocking horse.....

Record Fairs.

Record Stores (the better ones)

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I have bought a few albums from Discogs.  Its worth it for rare/hard to find items - I setup watch lists and wait for new listings at reasonable prices.  I've sometimes bought things from Germany and waited 4 weeks for my package to arrive, only to then find a local copy when digging.  For new records I prefer to source from Amazon.com.au / JB Hifi / Discrepancy Records and my local bricks and mortar stores where I can return faulty or substandard pressings.  Amazons free returns and reimbursement for postage costs up to $17 is pretty hard to beat. 

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