Discogs as a marketplace

[Snufkin]

I am a recent convert to Discogs and it is a very useful website. It provides loads of information and allows you to list your records in a simple and effective way.

However I have also succumbed to a few purchases and it seems to be a very hit and miss process. Its almost as if the dodgier sellers that used to haunt a certain auction site have resorted to using Discogs. I do find descriptions like 'as new' which turn out to be anything but, very annoying. Its a great shame because it ought to be a fairly safe and reliable place to buy records but so far it is not working that way for me.

How are other fishies finding Discogs.

 

[darrenyeats]

Never had a problem there, sorry to hear you have. Obviously you can provide your feedback on the seller via the rating system.

 

[Barry williams]

I have only ever used them for info.
I have never bought vinyl or CDs from the site.

 

[zarniwoop]

I've bought 5 or 6 cds from there without issue. I tend to stick to sellers with reasonable levels of feedback - a bit unfair on honest new sellers perhaps.

 

[julifriend]

I've bought a number of albums on Discogs and have been pretty unimpressed with the quality of the sleeves and vinyl overall. That said, the definition of 'excellent' used is worth reading. It doesn't match my definition of the word 'excellent' at all. Hence I now stick to buying albums I can actually hold in my hand and confirm the condition. Most of my second hand vinyl is bought from The Sound Machine in Reading and their stock is usually very good regardless of the price charged.

 

[Snufkin]

I've bought a number of albums on Discogs and have been pretty unimpressed with the quality of the sleeves and vinyl overall. That said, the definition of 'excellent' used is worth reading. It doesn't match my definition of the word 'excellent' at all. Hence I now stick to buying albums I can actually hold in my hand and confirm the condition. Most of my second hand vinyl is bought from The Sound Machine in Reading and their stock is usually very good regardless of the price charged.

I have to agree with your post. My experience of the Sound Machine is that their stock is of the highest standard and usually very good value for money.

 

[Hook]

I've bought several dozen albums from nearly that many Discogs sellers. By selecting only records with M, M- and/or NM ratings, and buying only from sellers with excellent feedback, I have yet to be disappointed.

Hope I didn't just jinx myself...

 

[misterc6]

I've bought a number of albums on Discogs and have been pretty unimpressed with the quality of the sleeves and vinyl overall. That said, the definition of 'excellent' used is worth reading. It doesn't match my definition of the word 'excellent' at all. Hence I now stick to buying albums I can actually hold in my hand and confirm the condition. Most of my second hand vinyl is bought from The Sound Machine in Reading and their stock is usually very good regardless of the price charged.

I'm confused; Discogs use the Goldmine Standard rating system that totally avoids the use of the word 'excellent'.

http://www.discogs.com/help/doc/mp-grading

I've been using Discogs for two years now as a seller and have had nearly 350 orders, many for multiple items. The feedback/orders ratio is lower than eBay but I've earned a 100% record from nearly 230 responses many with lovely comments from buyers. That said, I've had to manage my buyers by using various tactics including setting a very high threshold for their feedback rating in order to block some of the troublesome ones.

As a buyer my experience has been less positive with 2 of the 5 items I've purchased falling below the sellers' ratings of them.

 

[RickyC6]

Changed to it from eBay several years ago and not had any issues.

 

[julifriend]

I'm confused; Discogs use the Goldmine Standard rating system that totally avoids the use of the word 'excellent'.

http://www.discogs.com/help/doc/mp-grading

I've been using Discogs for two years now as a seller and have had nearly 350 orders, many for multiple items. The feedback/orders ratio is lower than eBay but I've earned a 100% record from nearly 230 responses many with lovely comments from buyers. That said, I've had to manage my buyers by using various tactics including setting a very high threshold for their feedback rating in order to block some of the troublesome ones.

As a buyer my experience has been less positive with 2 of the 5 items I've purchased falling below the sellers' ratings of them.

Apologies, I've rechecked the items I bought and it's the 'Very Good Plus (VG+)' definition I had issues with. I posted from memory without checking. In any case, I now use Discogs solely to keep track of my album collection.

 

[Snufkin]

Apologies, I've rechecked the items I bought and it's the 'Very Good Plus (VG+)' definition I had issues with. I posted from memory without checking. In any case, I now use Discogs solely to keep track of my album collection.

I am afraid mine was an item described as being like new. I suspect TL would have given it a VG+ at best. It was expensive and not the only one available but it did had the most faltering description. Unfortunately its not the only time I have come across poor grading on Discogs. A previous culprit and myself came to a reasonably amicable agreement and that was that. This seller has stuck to his guns and is playing the 'its 35 years old card'; no excuse in my book. My only recourse is to leave negative feedback which I have done. Its still a shame because Discogs could be a wonderful, global market place but seems too hit and miss in my limited experience.