Fair seller? Please advise

[Psamsara]

Just curious to know other thoughts on this situation:

Saw a record on discogs i was after, recognized the seller (as he already bought from me - and all was fine from my end on that occasion... he bought a few), contacted him here to offer him direct payment, GIFT payment so we cut discogs and paypal fees. He didn't accept at first but when i explained how he would get the same amount if someone buys it on discogs he agreed. There was a small difference (can't remember exactly) maybe 2 pounds when i rounded my offer. Deal was done, payment sent, record arrived - but not in best shape... definitely not EX as described, but it played nice. I have contacted him and sent him pictures to explain that he overgraded it a bit and should be more careful in the future. What i got is a reply that that is not the same record and i'm a scammer... i asked if he's serious and he then told me that what i am doing is fraudulent etc.  He has sent me pictures of his copy, which he obviously had prior sending. I realized that it is the light that made him think it's a different record, but it was a stretch though.  At the time i was limited with internet as i was in France, skiing. The same day i got a pm from one member here asking me if i would sell the very mentioned record. I had no clue what was going on but was told that the seller opened a topic on FB about me. When i got home i did another round of pictures and assured him it was the same copy. He apologized. I also asked him for the link to the FB topic. He then sent me a link to original post, and to the other one where he apologized. Took me some time as i don't have FB. I shouldn't mention the bandwagon on first one: "bastards", "clearly a different record", "schmuck"  etc.  - well you get the picture. Now what's important is that in his description of the situation he says: "First i thought shit that does look bad how did i not notice that".  So in the other link he apologized and told to people who saw his previous post not to avoid me as a discogs member, because he named and shamed me first. Bear in mind that i've sent payment as a gift in the first place so no actions can be taken from my side to begin with, so this situation is overreaction to say the least. I was seriously pissed, i must say, as i had no intention but showing him he overgraded the bloody record.

He offers a full refund on return. Fair enough. So after all this mess, his mistake as a GRADER, he get's his record back, or i keep the record, so he sold an overgraded record for the full amount.

Never thought to ask anything, but it's a matter of principle. Shouldn't you offer full refund on return, or partial refund to adjust to the ACTUAL grade?

[Steve S 60]

28 minutes ago, Psamsara said:

Never thought to ask anything, but it's a matter of principle. Shouldn't you offer full refund on return, or partial refund to adjust to the ACTUAL grade?

So what, in your opinion, should the actual record grade be?  Did the seller post guidelines for his grading on the sales page?

[Psamsara]

VG+ to VG, it was described as EX

Thing is that his reaction was "First i thought shit that does look bad how did i not notice that"

Just curious if any seller here would offer partial refund if they realized that they overgraded... and especially in this whole situation.

[Okehsoul1952]

Had a situation a few weeks ago with a guy from France advertising a particular record as NM- on Discogs,  wasn't a particulaly expensive record. On receipt of record, i was massively disappointed, certainly not as described, although it did play ok. Label had a lot of ring wear, mutiple fine scratches, vinyl had a dull appearance and a drill hole to boot!! I contacted the seller and voiced my concerns, he responded to his credit, pretty promptly with an offer of a refund, which i thought was fair and duly accepted same. Had it been a sound worth considerably more ( ie hundreds of euros ) i sometimes wonder if the outcome would of been as satisfactory!! I've bought a fair bit of vinyl off of Discogs when i haven't had much luck with 'Wants Lists' on SS, and that was the third time that i have been let down. From all my dealings on SS i have never encountered such problems....i find people to be more upfront and honest on this site...may it continue!!

 

[Andykempster]

I have a provided a buyer with a partial refund on a record only this week as when I went to pack it I realised it was only VG+ and not M- as I had advertised it on Discogs as. I didn’t want to lose the sale but at the same time didn’t want to send it to Italy for it to come all the way back again in a couple of weeks for a full refund. The buyer was happy with the discount and it is now winging its way to Italy so good result all round I think 

[Chatty]

What % discount would fair to give on a disc regraded from M- to VG+  as a matter of interest?

Thanks

 

[Blackpoolsoul]

Gradings are applied differently depending on which "system" is used by different websites and sellers, I thought it worth giving descriptions for Discogs. If I am telling you what you already know please I apologise

Mint (M)

Vinyl

Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly even still sealed. Should be used sparingly as a grade, if at all.  

Near Mint (NM or M-)

Vinyl

A nearly perfect record. A NM- record has more than likely never been played, and the vinyl will play perfectly, with no imperfections during playback. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly) that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as any sign of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits, cut-out holes, or other noticeable similar defects. The same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves, etc.  

Very Good Plus (VG+) 

Vinyl

Generally worth 50% of the Near Mint value. A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Defects should be more of a cosmetic nature, not affecting the actual playback as a whole. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. Spindle marks may be present. Picture sleeves and inner sleeves will have some slight wear, slightly turned-up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear, and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation, or cut corner. In general, if not for a couple of minor things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. 

Very Good (VG) 

Vinyl

Generally worth 25% of Near Mint value. Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time. Goldmine price guides with more than one price will list Very Good as the lowest price.  

Good (G), Good Plus (G+) 

Vinyl 

Generally worth 10-15% of the Near Mint value. A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be played through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise, scratches, and visible groove wear. A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear, or other defects will be present. While the record will be playable without skipping, noticeable surface noise and "ticks" will almost certainly accompany the playback.  

Poor (P), Fair (F)

Vinyl 

Generally worth 0-5% of the Near Mint price. The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully split, crinkled, and written upon.  

 

Edited June 15, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[davidwapples]

If its uk grading record collector mag says a very good copy is worth approx half of that of a mint copy , but on the northern soul scene usually goes for 75 % of a mint price for some daft reason like greedy dealers finding idiot wanna be dj buyers with top cash burning a hole in their wallet lol