Foolish People: clueless ebay record sellers

[MopTopMike]

The "G" grade used to be the most abused grade for records, long before the advent of the internet.

Tossing aside the meaningless grade of "EX", VG is now the grade which has deteriorated to the lower depths of what "G" used to signify - at least to those who had an inkling of how to accurately grade 45s, let alone LPs.

Take a look at this clown:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221512746720

He notes that the record is G (playgrade). Yet he goes on to boast that the record sounds VG. Huh?
Take a look at his playgrade chart for laughs.
BTW - A VG record, by sound, should not play with ticks, pops and buzz from playwear by a bad or heavily tracked sapphire needle (as was the norm on record players back int he '60s).

 

[Frantic]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221512746720
He notes that the record is G (playgrade). Yet he goes on to boast that the record sounds VG. Huh?
Take a look at his playgrade chart for laughs.
BTW - A VG record, by sound, should not play with ticks, pops and buzz from playwear by a bad or heavily tracked sapphire needle (as was the norm on record players back int he '60s).

But the 45 may need to be cleaned because he doesn't clean them. Who sells records on ebay without cleaning the vinyl first? Clean it then grade it...DOUCHE

 

[eleelandc]

He just wants the self aggrandizing record dork to suspect that THEIR cleaning ability will make it MINT (and thus bid as if MINT)

 

[Heitkotter77]

Who sells records on ebay without cleaning the vinyl first?

People who don't seem to be interested in making good money.
I've benefited for years from sellers who don't present their records well and give them away. That's not even just on eBay. same thing happens at record shows.
I always tell people that buying a VPI was one of the best record moves I ever made. It paid for itself in months, if not weeks.

 

[Frantic]

But how would one grade a record without cleaning it?

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

I always tell people that buying a VPI was one of the best record moves I ever made. It paid for itself in months, if not weeks.

How about a Loricraft?

 

[Heitkotter77]

But how would one grade a record without cleaning it?

With a lot of difficulty

 

[Andreas]

Take a look at his playgrade chart for laughs.

"Sounds super"!

 

[Mr.Segment]

This sort of (lack of) grading really irritates me. I hope no one will bid on this. NM (wol) ? In your dreams "pal"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/King-Beezz-...5282498?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item43cdc89142

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

What really gets to me is people who use "NM-". A clear warning sign they can't grade for nuts.

 

[Heitkotter77]

This sort of (lack of) grading really irritates me. I hope no one will bid on this. NM (wol) ? In your dreams "pal"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/King-Beezz-...5282498?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item43cdc89142

Saying NM (wol) isn't bad in itself - he's saying the label's clean, but someone wrote on it. His grade's wrong, but the info's there and one can make a judgement from that. However, it's the fact that he has pictures showing the other label to be rather dirty or moldy that makes me doubt his grading prowess, and based on that, I'd doubt the record is NM either and would pass if I'd thought of bidding on it.
But more so, it's this gem that puts me off:

This RARE GEM books for $ 150.00

When I see a seller use this line, my usual instinct is to want to tell them where they can stick the book.

 

[Heitkotter77]

What really gets to me is people who use "NM-". A clear warning sign they can't grade for nuts.

Pretty much any time I see someone using hybrid grades, I take that as a clear warning to beware of their grading. I'm not even an advocate of the standard grading descriptions you see sites try to shove down our throats. Grading is such an imprecise matter that can't really be codified with basic descriptions for each grade. To me, each record has a different reason for being assigned a particular grade (i.e. different flaws that lower the grade).
And being so imprecise, it's virtually impossible to have all these slight variants of grades with extra pluses and such. Only about one or two people I've met have been good enough graders to say that they could differentiate between, say, VG+ and VG++.
Anyone hear know or remember David James aka Texas Roadhouse Records? His catalogs had VG+, VG++, VG+++. VG++++, VG+++++ in his grading standards. His definition of VG+++++ was that it was better than VG++++, which was described as better than VG+++, etc. He also said he used strictly visual grading, and that using audible grading was useless (or something similar). As it turned out, visually and audibly, his Mint was anyone else's VG+ or VG.

 

[Heitkotter77]

Take a look at his playgrade chart for laughs.

In general, play grade charts are useful only for laughs anyway.

 

[Michael W]

I bought a 45 from an Australian seller that he had graded as 8.7 / 10. When I played it, it was a G+ and also looked it. I sent it back for him for a refund and he admitted that he had only visually graded it, and also had a whinge about how buyers have too much power on ebay these days. The one question I didn't bother to put to him was how he could have such an absurdly precise seeming grading scale when all he did was glance at the vinyl. There didn't seem any need to ask as it was obviously his system for cheating buyers.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

Anyone hear know or remember David James aka Texas Roadhouse Records? His catalogs had VG+, VG++, VG+++. VG++++, VG+++++ in his grading standards.

I bought a 45 from an Australian seller that he had graded as 8.7 / 10. When I played it, it was a G+ and also looked it.

Hahaha. The lesson here is the more "accurate" the grading system, the more likely what you get is grossly overgraded! That's been my experience too.

Actually, to be fair, looking through my database of sellers, armyn62 did use NM- and it turned out to be vg++; which is a fair translation I guess. The WORST grader I've encountered is a certain omnipresent eBayer with greatly inflated prices and obvious OCD. (And no, he's not even the most annoying eBayer: that distinction comes down to a toss-up between two European sellers.)

 

[HarvestmanMan]

Is it safe to assume that if there is no audio clip included in an auction, then the record has been graded visually?

Have to say, I was a little ticked off when I bought a record with needle-burn (which was not mentioned in the listing) from Barry Wickham, but shit happens.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

Some sellers "state" the audio condition, but I think a sound sample is the only safe way. I've been buying records for the last 8 years without having a turntable - I'll probably be in for a rude awakening when I eventually do play all the records I've bought.

 

[MopTopMike]

Ha!
"Scratches but plays decent with one skip"

Our first award winner for dumbass seller of ther week!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAINTED-FAC...2096956?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item35db467ebc

 

[MopTopMike]

Mikey...you linked it back to yourself.:oops:

Thanks...fixed now!!

 

[Perkeo]

Some sellers "state" the audio condition, but I think a sound sample is the only safe way. I've been buying records for the last 8 years without having a turntable - I'll probably be in for a rude awakening when I eventually do play all the records I've bought.

Hold on what???