This is a photo of the "near mint" copy of "My World Fell Down" that I received yesterday from Tim's Music Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota.
My first thought was, there had to be a mistake. So I sent the shop a message:
"Hello,
Just received the records. Is it possible you sent the wrong copy of
the Sagittarius single? Your grade is NM and the record is all but
trashed. It's covered in what looks like dirt or soil! Is there another
NM copy there because if not, this is horribly misgraded.
Please let me know.
Thanks,
Sal"
The reply:
"That is the only copy of the Sagittarius single I have. Have you tried cleaning it? It is likely dirt. That was from a new-old stock of unplayed records that never were played by a needle."
Hmmm...
I replied:
"I'm sorry, but why is a record that is covered in what is "likely dirt" graded as NM? No, I haven't tried cleaning it. How do you know records are "unplayed?" The record is a mess. It should be graded as such."
The reply:
"This record was part of a closed store's inventory that was purchased all new. I know it is unplayed. Why don't you try cleaning the dust off? It's dust, not dirt. I would appreciate it if you would let me know how I can positively resolve this. I'd rather avoid having 20 messages back and forth if you're expecting $7 back. Let me know, please."
Finally, I replied:
"Listen,
I sent a respectful message, hoping it might have been an error. I wasn't looking for $7 back. I was looking for a record graded NM.
I'm a dealer as well. I get it. But what kind of answer is "likely
dirt" and "try cleaning it?" YOU clean it and then list it properly."
So to recap:
If you decide to buy a near mint record from Tim's Music Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, the shop that just "knows" when records are unplayed, and a shop that considers a 50 year old record "new," I suggest also buying cleaning supplies because even though the listing may say "near mint," the unplayed record will be caked in something that is most "likely dirt."
Thanks, I feel better now.
14 comments:
Websters:
Dust: fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on the ground or on surfaces or carried in the air.
Dirt: a substance, such as mud or dust, that soils someone or something.
C'mon, Sal, the suspense is killing me - which is it?
Randy
LOL. We recently found a box of 45s that my wife had in her early teens. They looked like that and I had to give them a good cleaning. Most were not salvageable from the audio perspective. I never knew that Gary Lewis and the Playboys had so many singles....
Sal, every record that I ever bought from you was extremely clean, well packaged and ready to spin. To quote Booker T, "That's the way it should be."
That guy can't have been in the internet side of the vinyl business very long (and shouldn't last long with those shenanigans). (Can he?) Yeesh. I could almost understand if he put Fair or Poor as the grade. He would still be lazy and unethical for doing so without cleaning it and playing it, but there are always people like that. NM for that trash, though, is a whole different stratosphere. I don't sell records (except to you, Sal) but I would never grade or send an album/CD without cleaning it.
Last year I bought a record (1970)from a seller on Discogs. The posting had several pictures of the record and the jacket. For being fifty, it looked great. Received the record. The jacket had a review from a newspaper taped to the front of the jacket and a person's name written on the back. When I wrote the seller, he said, "you can't expect a seller to post photos of the real item. The pics were stock. Everyone does this." Then he got pissed when I asked for my money back.
paulinca
I want to buy a record he lists as "poor" to see what shows up.
A baggie with shattered pieces of vinyl??
I'll bet there's a zillion stories as such in the vinyl selling world. Bad sellers is what it comes down to I guess.
Did you clean it up at least to be playable?
FD13NYC,
I did clean it. It sounds like I'm roasting marshmallows.
Sal, sorry that after all of the insane BS from this guy, the record sounds like crap.
Makes me appreciate how you grade records - I always get stuff that (to me) looks and sounds better than what you graded them.
Randy
I'm Roasting Marshmallows is a great band, so it's not terrible if the 45 sounds like them.
Not to make light of your predicament, but I do love your dry storytelling. Unfortunately, it comes out when you have a negative experience, and of course I don't wish negative experiences on you, but I do love your way of conveying the experiences.
C in California
In the last year I have received more poorly graded and packed records (A3 manila envelope - that's it, another with the records wrapped in toilet paper)than I had received in the last thirty years of buying. I blame the pandemic,people here in Australia are scratching about for things to sell because they've all lost their jobs (including me) or are locked up and can't earn. Therefore they have no idea.
Barrymore,
Yes, there is all that, and also, Discogs has become too big for its own good. Now there thousands upon thousands of first timers. It seems like 30% of my sales are to people who have just signed up and more and more sellers are popping up with no feedback.
Sorry for the aggravation. I seem to have had similar situations. What does it say about about a seller who digs in after it is clear that the buyer isn't looking for $s back?
I know of a record store, here where I live, that actually washes their records like you would your dinner plates then sells them. We also have another record store that re-seals their used albums in shrink wrap so that you can't check the condition
As FD13NYC said, there must be a zillion stories.
Here's one more because it is recent.
Bought a record from a dealer with an almost 99% rating. This was on 8/9. Record described as such-
"Record is in great shape, some signs of use but no deep scratches or feelable marks. Cover's in great shape, no major stains or tears. The edge has some where and is cracking along the entire side. Still presents very well."
Okay, record arrives. LP itself is fine. Cover looks as if it spent a month in a sewer. It's damp, grimey and the entire spine is split, which is not "cracking" as he mentioned.
This was my message sent on 8/18:
"Matt I received the record. While the vinyl is as you described, the cover is not at all in "great shape." There is heavy ringwear, the corners are badly worn and the "cracking" along the spine is actually a split for more than half the way. This is not VG at all. This was not a cheap record and these details need to be mention. It does not "present" well. This record has sold in the past for as little at $10 and averages around $20. I went with your copy because of feedback and your description. $45 with tax and shipping seems very unfair. I hope you can understand and work something out.
Thanks for your time.
Sal"
No reply. Sent another on 8/20 and another on 8/23.
Nothing.
Finally gave up and left some negative feedback, something I try to avoid at all costs because I feel like it's bad karma and I don't need it to bite me back.
Finally a reply on 8/26:
"Dude. So sorry. For some reason I don’t get notifications about messages on discogs.
How would you like to resolve this I could send you a label to return the record or send you a partial refund."
My Reply:
"Sorry for the feedback. I hate leaving it. I think it's petty. But it was getting frustrating.
As I said, the vinyl itself is fine. I was just disappointed in the cover, which has many problems.
I'd be happy to resolve with a partial refund. The record averages around $20 and that is what I'd feel comfortable paying.
Let me know if this works for you and once I receive the refund, I'd gladly remove the feedback.
Thanks for your time."
NO reply. NO refund. Nothing.
Until yesterday, two months later!!
"Thanks a lot for the order. Please let me know if you have any issues with the order. have a lovely day,
Matt"
I swear this is true.
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