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In Reply to: RE: Mail order buying is Always a Gamble.. posted by bare on June 07, 2017 at 16:01:49
Well, so far no one has recommended a reliable seller of used records (domestic or international) so it seems that your policy is the best policy. I took a chance and lost on my first try. How unlucky is that :(
Follow Ups:
we didn't give you actual names of sellers. Others do, but I really don't keep track of actual sellers. I just research the items I mentioned in my post, and I ask questions when necessary. I have had success most of the time, but there has been the occasional loss.
However, I now feel that I have wasted my breath.
I also agree with Monchi that a record cleaning machine or some other thorough cleaning regimen is totally necessary if you deal with used vinyl. I think the KAB EV-1 at $169 is the best reasonable cleaner on the market. Based on my own experience, I cannot recommend the Record doctor V from Audio Advisor.
You have not wasted your breath Mr. Alaskahiatt. Depending on what titles I see as "must haves," what I'm specifically searching for online, and general availability (extinct or current production) I will use all of the tools everyone has provided me here. I failed to ask the seller if the record was play-graded, but at 100% positive feedback and stellar comments from buyers I thought the purchase was worth the cost and risk.My less-than-enthusiastic assessment of the entire process is a product of 1) High expectations, 2) Relatively long wait which exacerbated #1, 3) High Shipping costs, 4) Total inexperience buying a used record online, and 5) Upon listening to the record, the improper description and grading of the record.
I just wish I knew how to record a segment and let everyone here listen to what I hear. It's not unbearable (well some parts are,) just not what I expected. A thorough cleaning will undoubtedly help with the noise, but there are plenty of hairline scratches on the first side, and deep gouges on the adagio, as I mentioned to someone else. A cleaning, in any case, can only help, more than the liquid my father used with the pad.
Thank you for the recommendation of the KAB EV-1, that is the one I'll probably purchase considering its reasonable cost as compared to some others I had researched.
Edits: 06/08/17
"Well, so far no one has recommended a reliable seller of used records (domestic or international) so it seems that your(Bare's) policy is the best policy"
To me, the above statement implies that other recommendations are wasted.
You are correct in assuming that the seller's feedback and description do not match what you received, and I can appreciate your disappointment. The description of "Excellent" is really VG+ condition, and that's when you have to start asking questions before you buy. That's when I ask about the scratches and if any of them might catch your fingernail when brushed in line with the grooves. I feel that the VG+ rating is the lowest rating that most sellers will use, as they probably feel that anything lower will negate a sale or decent price. As a result, that rating is heavily abused. As others have stated, in many cases you can count on receiving at least one rating below the rating advertised. That is why I try to stick with a minimum of NM.
In my experiences so far, Northern European sellers have been very good and better than many sellers from the US. So, don't give up yet. Use some of the recommendations in this thread and search the archives for eBay sales. This subject has been discussed many times in the past.
Good luck.
This has served me well:
* Never purchase from sellers that "play grade" records w/ no visual grade, they are usually covering for a record that visually grades lower and will be, $ wise, worthless in the future.
* Never purchased records claimed to be "shiny"
* Don't assume lots of positive feedback means anything.. On eb*y some sellers will sell crap and then refund when they are called on it. Also many of the new newbies don't know the difference and would leave positive feedback for a turd.
* Watch out for the grade Ex or Excellent when it is used with NM...it means that grading methods are being mixed (Osborne/Goldmine mixed w/ the Record Collector magazine grading?). I like to see NM, then we all know what we are taking about
* Don't assume because you are buying on a BB like AA or especially AK that everyone shares your grading values. People have different angles on grading besides all the "Hey Brother" bs being thrown around...lots of self-serving grading going on. Had a "brother" actually try to blatantly rip me off on a Box set..
* Only buy records graded as NM, NM- or VG++ unless under special circumstances.
* Buy from sellers who directly state their grading is based on Osborne or Goldmine grading standards.
* Count on cleaning all records even if they are generally clean...Records often improve with a proper wet cleaning!
Hope this helps!
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