Most Accurate Vinyl Graders Us Or Uk Sellers?

[Mick Sway]

Very true..............

 Don't agree, in my experience totally the opposite.

Sorry.

[Steve L]

If you play grade a record and describe it as VG, VG+, Ex, Ex+, M- etc without taking account of the visual - how can you tell the difference between those grades?

To me a record either plays well or it doesn't 

Can anyone tell the difference between a VG+ and an Ex grade by listening?

Must have better hearing than me 

[Pete S]

If you play grade a record and describe it as VG, VG+, Ex, Ex+, M- etc without taking account of the visual - how can you tell the difference between those grades?

To me a record either plays well or it doesn't 

Can anyone tell the difference between a VG+ and an Ex grade by listening?

Must have better hearing than me 

 

Yes of course. An ex won't have any noise on it. A vg+ will.  

[Geordiejohnson]

Im not a dealer however i have sold a bit on here and ebay, i dont put anything as mint unless its unplayed, and ive only ever had one record in my whole collecting life that was like that, Mint

Saw a grading of Mint + once not sure how the seller got that??

 

For me

Ex  - is a played but flawless

VG + is maybe a slight scuff not affecting play or a small imperfection with a label that is damage rather than production fault (as someone noted earlier)

VG visible marks odd pop or crackle or a label imperfection that woiuld be notified i.e writing and it would be expanded and all have soundbites and scans on ebay or are available when i post on here so the buyer can make a decision on that, and i always refund even when i get one that has been fucked in the post like a basic black and pearl i sold recently that was cracked by the royal mail so seller sent back and i refunded all costs, only fair

 

i also have listed as "danced on" and "look like they spent a month as an ice rink", "got more pops and crackle than rice crispies", "buyer beware" and "wheres the label", believe it or not everyone with bad comments have sold  and ive always had a good reply like, "got tune Grading spot on, it is danced on" and never a refund asked on the bad uns.

 

I did list a Reachers - I just want to do my own thing, as VG+ with slight cue hiss at the begining but stops just before the track started it was literally a milli second hiss, (you cant hiss with the lips as fast thats how short) the record was perfect apart from that. tune sent and then buyer got back to me that it had a massive cue burn Blah blah blah record not as listed would i reduce the price

stupidly i hadnt recieved payment at this point, i said no the reduction and tune came back over a week later after the "buyer" had time to play this at a local event - (saw it on a playlist)

only one guess as to why he made such a fuss, he must have been cock waving when DJing at an event the job done dont need the tune now but how many more people have done that.

 

Honesty is the best policy, but i have bought from most dealers in the UK and apart from one or two that i thought were borderline UK dealers mostly get it right, and to be fair us dealer are pretty good after all it is their livelihood, its the johnny come lately sellers on ebay who havent a clue thats where you get stung

 

 

geeooooordie

Edited April 10, 2013 by geordiejohnson

[slimharpo]

Yes of course. An ex won't have any noise on it. A vg+ will.  

If an EX doesn't have any noise on it, what will an EX+ have?

[Pete S]

If an EX doesn't have any noise on it, what will an EX+ have?

 

Even less any noise smartarse

[slimharpo]

Even less any noise smartarse

OOoohh. From your previous excellent inputs into this site I thought you might be a bit more scholarly in your reply Pete. 'Smartarse' seems a bit trite. Have I hit a raw nerve?

[Pete S]

OOoohh. From your previous excellent inputs into this site I thought you might be a bit more scholarly in your reply Pete. 'Smartarse' seems a bit trite. Have I hit a raw nerve?

 

No, you're just being pathetic.  

Edited April 10, 2013 by Pete S

[slimharpo]

No, you're just being pathetic.  

OK Pete. We'll leave it at that.

[Pete S]

OK Pete. We'll leave it at that.

 

If you're asking a genuine question about EX and EX+, EX+ (to me) is a record that's been played maybe once or twice, ever.  EX will have been played a few times and maybe has some sleeve removal marks or something like that.  I won't use any grade higher than EX+ now.

[Soundsokeh]

cautionary tale :-

 

might be an old thread but I have had 2 similar problems recently, both with traders on here , european and uk sellers

 

trade 1 = bought a record from a european trader on here on 11 dec 2017 , a record arrived by the correct group a week later, but NOT the correct record (the one sent came out a year later and has a different catalogue number and the A and B sides are completely different) - so sack the order picker !!

I sent a pm to the trader and quoted the details for both records from discogs website, he agreed he had sent the wrong record and would sort it out (19 dec 2017)

at this moment in time , the correct record has never arrived despite me sending repeated pm,s , although he replied 3 weeks ago and said it was never sent out at all and would get it sorted that particular day - but as I said , it still has not arrived almost 2 months after paying for it

 

----------------------------------------

 

trade 2 - as per this thread content , trader 2 (Uk seller with a "record shop") described a record as EX-so I bought it recently expecting at least VG++

READ THE DESCRIPTIONS EARLIER IN THIS THREAD AS TO WHAT AN EX- SHOULD LOOK LIKE OR PLAY LIKE

the record that arrived is more G+ or VG- with both sides as dull vinyl , well worn , noisy with clicking and hissing , scratches and scuffs , sticker residue on label and can only be described as a "filler copy only" - or should go in the bin , certainly not worth a fiver never mind what I was charged for it, both sides are in appalling condition , which you might expect for a 40 or 50 year old record , but if that is the case then it should not even rate as VG never mind almost mint condition

I bought some from the same trader last year with no issues about condition or the order I received , including a James Carr record described as EX-, there is no comparison between the two records, I also have a legitimate reissue copy of this recently bought record in EX- condition, again there is no comparison (and it is not "as described" on the advert on here which led me to buy it) - said trader was told about it in a pm but said "it played very well"- as if that excuses him from his obligations (it doesnt by the way as I have compared it to my EX-reissue copy in looks and in playback too , plus a different record he described last year in the same manner which I bought in 2017 ) - no refund or mediation was offered at all either

if I posted a poll on here and scanned the record, nobody on here would say it was EX- , ESPECIALLY NOT THE HONEST TRADERS AMONGST YOU

I have bought from maybe 20 people on here in the last year, private sellers and traders , only two of the latter have ripped me off

I realise that some traders on here are conscientious and care about their customers, so they get repeat business, but there are always a few rotten apples who spoil it for the rest and SS is no exception and it has tainted my buying decisions on here as a result of incompetence and/or fraud

 

to those traders who thing a badly worn and scratched or scuffed record is EX or EX-, get a Mr Wonder of Uptight fame to grade your records as he would do a better job of it than you and doesnt need to rip off members of the public to pay his bills either

 

TRADERS who rip people off and dont provide a good after sales service do not deserve to stay in business and will lose out as the customers desert them in droves

 

ps:- an honest opinion is not libel , as I can prove what I am saying , so "malicious falsehood" on social media is not a viable argument against me either

 

its caveat emptor , buyer beware , but distance selling relies on the honesty and trustworthiness of the seller as well as the buyer , I paid good money for a battered ashtray and a non-delivered item from 2 different people on here, representing a 10% failure rate (approx)

 

meanwhile I will be checking with paypal to see if I can obtain refunds or a chargeback , depending on the method of payment used

 

name and shame should be brought back , meanwhile demand proof of condition from any dubious seller on here (or elsewhere) when an item is not "new"

[baudrillard]

Funny, no one ever returns a record that's been undergraded... or offers the seller more £!

In all seriousness, what the posts in this topic show is that buying records by post can still be largely a game of chance - some you win, some you lose.

As a buyer, I've had results on undergraded records and been bitten by overgraders in probably equal measure. As a result, I can't think of more than one occasion when I've felt strongly enough to return a record, because I figure it all evens out in the end.

 

[John Hart]

Reaching For The Best Record Graders ? US ,UK ,German ,Japanese ,? 

Natio!nality is irrelavant, its all amatter of simply adhering to the system in atotally unbiased way ,eg ,diregard its Value rarity ,age , No ifs or buts a fifty year old record can still be VG forget the mental baggage! Pet hate ,mainly dealers grading a record Mint minus then listing a number of faults ;writing on lable ,small scratches NAP, good for its age ,etc then its Fair or poor not anywhere near Mint. Great Post ,Many thanks !

[Soundsokeh]

1 hour ago, John Hart said:

Reaching For The Best Record Graders ? US ,UK ,German ,Japanese ,? 

Natio!nality is irrelavant, its all amatter of simply adhering to the system in atotally unbiased way ,eg ,diregard its Value rarity ,age , No ifs or buts a fifty year old record can still be VG forget the mental baggage! Pet hate ,mainly dealers grading a record Mint minus then listing a number of faults ;writing on lable ,small scratches NAP, good for its age ,etc then its Fair or poor not anywhere near Mint. Great Post ,Many thanks !

exactly, its the dealer that has decided what they want for a record and the dealer that describes the condition of sale, its a contract and a buyer enters into a contract that is based on the description by the seller. if a seller chooses to send a MINT minus record but describes it as Good or Fair that is up to them , they undersold it. but if they describe it like you said above as EX minus and it arrives in the class of VG or G (Good) or F (fair) or P (poor) then it is mis-selling , it is tantamount to fraud , they should know better, they have broken the contract , and if they send the wrong record completely, again they have broken the contract and both of them should make amends (customer service, good after sales service)

some dealers on here put a guarantee in their sales that the buyer will be refunded if not satisfied

I am only asking that I receive what I paid for , or better, or a refund , which I am entitled to by the CRA2015 and the SOGA and DSR before that

 

mis-selling is mis-selling , and sending the wrong item is also incorrect, there are no excuses and its not about me receiving something better than I paid for , I just want what I paid for - period

 

its like the previous poster has said , being economical with the truth when its a business is fraudulent because the UK law says it must be at least "as described, if it is better than described then that is good for both sides if the seller for what they wanted for it , but if a seller sells an item unseen on here BECAUSE ITS IN POOR CONDITION and buyers in the flesh wont buy it in their shop or at a record fair , it is unfair on the buyer who did not receive what they paid for (which is the basis of the buy/sell on here , on ebay and on discogs etc)

 

Edited February 5, 2018 by soundsOKEH

[Mike]

 

1 hour ago, soundsOKEH said:

 

All sales on here are treated as private matters via the members,  however we do try and assist when aware if there are disputes/concerns etc

If you have any concerns with any sales matter then please do get in touch with the site team with relevant details - ideally by 'flagging' up the sale using the 'flag this post' feature or via pm to a member of the team

We also do have features such as the 'feedback feature' where members can pass on sales experience and such

[Floyd]

On 05/04/2013 at 22:42, Benji said:

Sorry to say but some of the worst graders are UK based Soul Source sellers. Never had problems with US sellers.

Hi i agree

im a collector not a dj so condition is eveything, especially when your spending hundreds of pounds on a record

ive bought quite a few so called EX condition records of  UK sellers which play ok but visualy vg+ at best

to me an EX or above disc should be flawless like m- but played regulary and well looked after , no marks scratches , cloudy vinyl ect

some sellers make you feel guilty for complaining with the old chestnut , but its 40 years old ect, yes it may be 40 years old but that doesnt make a vg disc an ex+ one or they come out with its play graded but to a collector the visual grading is just as important

i apprecciate that some records are that rare that sometimes you have to settle for a lesser grade or risk never owning a copy

but if the dealer has been honest and said the disc is only in vg condition then its the up to you to decide if you can live with that

there is nothing worse than buying a so called EX record only to open the package and find its vg+ at best and just to rub salt in the wounds you have to pay out of your own pockect for return signed for postage

ATB

Floyd

[Guest Shufflin]

this can work the other way too..

I bought a rare discounted record that was described by seller as looking like someone had skated on it - when I got it, noticed it was just a very dirty, badly stored copy, cleaned it up properly, nice VG+ vinyl actually and plays great

[Billy Jo Jim Bob]

To answer the original question....I've bought from the US for 30 years or so and I have to say that until recently their grading has been much better in general. I've often had records described as VG but in fact were mint...just needed a dusting down. However it seems in recent years that as they have become aware of the value of vinyl to collectors, their grading's have slipped. The big boys are still very good but some of the Ebay sales I've had over the last 5 years have not matched the described grade. UK are also pretty good in general but I think there tends to be an acceptance that we don't have access (generally) to the stocks like the US guys, so we accept that our grading may differ slightly which is probably why we include the 'Ex' classification in there as most 50 year old 45's have had a least some use..

To cover other aspects, I don't really mind what classification sellers use, US or UK, just so long as they give an accurate description of the label and vinyl and maybe throw in scans to add more detail. I also think the + / - also helps give a more accurate description. As an occasional seller on SS, I use the UK grades, as someone has pointed out its a big jump from VG to M, and I think its useful and reassuring to buyers to offer 100% no quibble guarantee if not satisfied. Then everyone is covered.

 

 

[Jnixon]

It’s more age based these days. I’ve had more issues with Germans and Brits re grading to be honest. 

[Chris O]

On ‎05‎/‎04‎/‎2013 at 22:42, Benji said:

Sorry to say but some of the worst graders are UK based Soul Source sellers. Never had problems with US sellers.

Totally agree with this from experience. vg++ /ex /vg+ blah blah generally equals vg and you never get the return postage back. 

Funny quote i was given when returning a 200 quidder vg++ that looked vg and played with, bad styrene distortion in 1 channel and light surface noise through out] 'yeh but gradings a personal thing'.  

I must of returned at least a dozen over graded 100 squid + records and loads of lesser value that where all vg at best and kept loads more coz i was desperate for them, total bullshit especially as these things are real expensive.

[Chalky]

I've said it. before UK the worst, US the best, EU in between.

I've seen items described as minters with paper scuffs and worst.  I've seen some sold as minters despite the seller Djing with it for years  If it has been played just once it is no longer mint.

But as with everything you get good and bad everywhere.

[Dylan]

Maybe not as much now but in the past the uk had the vg++ grade which i never saw used by us sellers who stuck more with the goldmine grading system

 

so as a result a uk vg+ was nothing like a us vg+

 

now its good and bad graders all over the place younger sellers may be more used to international standards and as a result vg++ is dying out ?

 

and its must have NOT must of....

 

of isn't even the right word