poor vinyl

I've given up buying vinyl via Ebay. The final straw was when I bought an original pressing of a Judy Collins LP that the seller describes as "near mint - excellent condition." When I received it, it was visually scuffed and obviously historically mishandled. Upon playing, the surface noise was louder than the recording itself.

I wrote back to the seller and described it. His only response was "what do you expect for a 35 year old record?"

Well, when a seller describes a 35 year old LP as "near mint," that's what I expect. Many of my LPs are that old, and many of them are mint or near mint.

I stick with Agon now...I've had much better luck here, especially with the regular sellers of LPs.

I have to agree with Coffe nudge. If somone says the record is near mint then it better be, just like if you sell a piece of gear on audiogon and rate it a 10/10 it better not have any scratches. I don't think it's too much to expect to get what was advertised and you paid for.

I've had pretty good luck on Ebay and a few instances where the record was stated as NM and was a piece of junk. Any record rated at VG+ or better should basically be pretty clean playing. If you buy any record rated VG, then in my opinion you are taking your chances and can't expect much. I stay away from anything below VG+. Also beware of sellers who offer records and call them excellent, that can mean just about anything. Just remember that as far as Goldmine is concerned a record at VG+ or better should play pretty darn good.

Ebay can have it's problems as stated, but without it you are minimizing your choices greatly.

eBay vinyl buying can be quite good, the most important issue being, dealing with a seller who SPECIALIZES in vinyl and has the feedback to prove they know how to grade properly. If in doubt, email the seller with questions. If you don't get a knowledgeable response, you are taking a big risk if you bid. eBay has alot of sellers who pick up a box of junk albums at a yard sale and don't have a clue about proper grading. In other words, you have to become a knowledgeable buyer. It will lead to alot less frustration.

I don't buy records here, as most seem to be priced way too high for what they are. In my opinion.

Steve

There is a huge gap between VG and NM. VG can be garage sale records that look like they were tap danced on. NM should be just that, near mint. While VG might = Very Good, it sounds much better than it actually is. I would never buy a used VG record unless I could hold it in my hands first.

Oz

My experience in general has beemn similar to what Ozzzy62 says - I have had nothing but good results, whether here or on eBay, when I buy stuff described as NM from a reputable buyer. This often means paying more that what some people think one should for used vinyl, but with records, as in life, you get what you pay for.