I'd say nearly three quarters of my Ebay purchases which were listed at VG+ to VG++ have been grossly mis-described. Most are either VG or VG-. And you have to keep in mind that VG is really a pretty weak rating on the Goldmine scale.
This lp, for a recent example, was described as VG++/VG++. It was, on inspection, completely trashed with many feelable scratches and mildew stains and odor inside the gatefold:
Classical Ragas Ebay
With Mint, NM and NM-, the ripoff ratio drops down to about one third. Probably because those ratings are less open to interpretation.
"Sealed" has been a total disaster considering the premium price, with probably half showing obvious signs of prior use once I opened them. This one had hair, spindle marks and scratches:
Stan Kenton Ebay
Unfortunately, the Ebay sellers have you over a barrel for a few reasons:
- They usually won't refund shipping costs (which were, of course, inflated with "handling" charges) on returns.
- Then add on the cost/trouble of the return shipping itself and it makes no economic sense on a record that was under $20.
-Many Sellers now hold off leaving feedback until you do, so they can leave retaliatory Negative for anyone who "dares" to post the truth about them. So you can't judge from a Seller's feedback how reliable they actually are. My feeling is that Negatives are understated by a factor of 10!!! So anything under 99% (given a statistically significant total to begin with) is truly a horrendous figure.
There are some trustworthy sellers on Ebay, and I'm too much of an addict to give up entirely (yet). The uncertainty about condition just has to be factored into your personal price equation before bidding.
This lp, for a recent example, was described as VG++/VG++. It was, on inspection, completely trashed with many feelable scratches and mildew stains and odor inside the gatefold:
Classical Ragas Ebay
With Mint, NM and NM-, the ripoff ratio drops down to about one third. Probably because those ratings are less open to interpretation.
"Sealed" has been a total disaster considering the premium price, with probably half showing obvious signs of prior use once I opened them. This one had hair, spindle marks and scratches:
Stan Kenton Ebay
Unfortunately, the Ebay sellers have you over a barrel for a few reasons:
- They usually won't refund shipping costs (which were, of course, inflated with "handling" charges) on returns.
- Then add on the cost/trouble of the return shipping itself and it makes no economic sense on a record that was under $20.
-Many Sellers now hold off leaving feedback until you do, so they can leave retaliatory Negative for anyone who "dares" to post the truth about them. So you can't judge from a Seller's feedback how reliable they actually are. My feeling is that Negatives are understated by a factor of 10!!! So anything under 99% (given a statistically significant total to begin with) is truly a horrendous figure.
There are some trustworthy sellers on Ebay, and I'm too much of an addict to give up entirely (yet). The uncertainty about condition just has to be factored into your personal price equation before bidding.