Vinyl Asylum

Posted by Gannet (i) on June 17, 2001 at 10:34:21

In Reply to: Grading someone’s item condition posted by Bolt - on June 16, 2001 at 02:18:51:

As J notes, a description like that is definitely a red flag. OTOH, this seller goes out of their way to specifically describe several flaws of the jacket. A seller who at least makes an effort to describe problems is a good sign, in my experience.

I've purchased a number of records with descriptions like that and it worked out fine. It depends on the seller.

One thing is for sure, with a description like that, you must be willing to take pretty much whatever you get and write it off if it's not that great (unless totally unplayable). So don't bid too high. But on a rare item, this may be MUCH cheaper than a copy that is meticulously graded and described. There are a number of buyers like J who only want items with the best descriptions (and I'm not criticizing that) and they will definitely drive the price up. I've gotten some real bargains on things where the description was lacking and hence the item drew few bids, even though it's in demand. So it's up to you. Just be smart about it.

What bugs me more than vague or non-standard grading is stuff that is listed as mint or NM (iow, they know the buzzwords) and it arrives as junk!

If they're off half a grade, ok, maybe that's just a difference of opinion. If they're off a full grade, that's not good. If they're off one and a half or more, that's a ripoff. I got several of those this week. Grrrr!

Some weeks eBay is great. Some weeks it sucks. This was mostly not a good week. But it is still so much cheaper than dealers...

fwiw, ymmv, etc.

Out of curiousity, what is this record you're searching for?