Buying used records online
 

Closest thread I could find to this was 3 years old so I figured I'd open up a new one. I try my best not to buy used records online, new are another story since I'll buy direct from the label. I can't say I've really had any poor experiences until recently. I bought a $70 record in excellent condition from EBay, they shipped the record in the original inner sleeve inside the jacket and it was all in a loose LP mailer. Seam splits on all 3 inner sleeve sides and a seam split on the jacket/outer sleeve. This was after reading they have 20+ years experience shipping records. They were in Canada so I didn't want to deal w/shipping it back, just ate the loss since the vinyl itself is in nice condition. I bought a bunch of LPs and 45s from a seller in England last month, almost all were described as "stored since release"...far from it. One of the albums was the Buzzcocks 2nd record, I believe it was stored from release if it was stored in a thrift store and thumbed through for the last 41 years.

That said, every other Discogs experience has been beyond expectations. I order a VG+ record and get a record that seems NM. I generally opt for high feedback sellers with detailed descriptions. Even on EBay, other than above, I've been pleased and had all records shipped properly. Part of the fun of record shopping is the hunt, but sometimes after years and years, or looking for NOS, online is the only way to go.

How often do you guys purchase used vinyl online and what's your overall experience?

I buy at least 1-2 a month used from a few sellers on Discogs.
Seller rating tells a lot, as there's many that seem to do this as a living. 90% of the time I've been very happy, but never felt I got a bad deal. I had a purchase last month where the LP was just really dirty. Ran it through my Vinyl Cleaner Pro & it's as good as new.

Discogs if I expect it to be very nice.
Ebay when it's worth a chance

I’m lucky enough to have a good local used record shop, but have bought the occasional used record on line when looking for something special. I’ve bought mostly from eBay and Recordsbymail.com, and have had no problems. I haven’t bought anything from discogs, guess I’ll have to give that a try next time.

Just getting into sourcing.

Overall a positive experience with DisCogs, there was one issue relative to version copy, but the seller made it right have not done eBay.

DisCogs makes it easy, as you can look up pressings as it’s a bit awkward doing this at the store.

I've bought a lot of records. It isn't just on-line where you have to be careful. It's not uncommon for a record that looks VG++ or NM to actually have been played on a turntable with a crap arm & cartridge so the groove itself is damaged.

I prefer to take my own cartridge mounted in a headshell with me when I go to the local stores. I ask the owner if they're ok with me mounting my cartridge and carefully balancing the tonearm. Usually they're ok with me doing this. If I can't, and the arm is crap and the cartridge looks cheap, I audition any records I want to buy very sparingly.

After too many bad experiences, I rarely buy used online anymore. When I travel, I make a point of checking out every used record store in that city. I take a list with me of records I am keeping an eye open for. It is a lot more fun this way and I always end up discovering a lot of records I didn't even know existed.

This was my thread from a few years back regarding my frustrations with discogs. The final straw was reading that allegedly some big sellers on discogs can get their negative feedback erased. Perhaps, it is the one you are referring to?

https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=36508

Record fairs are another great way to find rare records. It is amazing some of the stuff that can be found at these fairs. The only thing is you need to know your prices and be good at negotiating.

I went to a fair here a few months ago and it was horrible. A couple vendors had some HTF LPs, but overall the pricing was way off the mark. I ended up buying a couple 45s from one guy, super nice, we chatted about bands and he gave me a discount off the sticker price but still a bit pricey. When I buy from stores here, I never have to worry about pricing, at the fair I was constantly on discogs and a lot of prices were so high that a proper offer would come across like a lowball. Every couple months there's a huge fair in the burbs, I've heard good things but have yet to make it there.

I'll have to see if there's a local record store thread in here, that might be another fun topic to discuss.

Yup: https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=46669