When you go to your local used record shop, it’s easy to determine if a record is in the desired condition. A visual appraisal right there in the store will give you a really good idea of how the record will play. Sure, it might look clean and still have some surface noise or have visible scuffs and still play clean, but by and large, when you get it home on your turntable, there shouldn’t be tremendous deviation from your expectations at the time of purchase.
Buying online is another story, particularly on Ebay where many people are selling items about which they have no particular subject matter expertise. Sure there are pictures, but the gloss of the vinyl itself (and sometimes of the covers as well) along with typically lower resolution images often hides the true condition. However, when buying on Ebay, you can immediately get an idea of how much the seller knows about vinyl. Terms like “pretty good,” “nice” and “swell” are NOT terms used to grade records, so those descriptions can’t be read in the same way. Often I’ve found that “good” as a description is a far better condition (usually VG to NM) than “Good” as a grade (which oddly enough means something akin to “barely serviceable”). Another clue is to look at the other items the person has for sale. Is it all records or at least music? Does it seem like an Ebay account for a record store? Or does it seem like a person who is just selling random junk from their house rather than just dropping it off to Goodwill? The bottom line is that it’s important to determine if their words are just the seller’s best description or if the words an actual grade (based on Goldmine Standards or some reasonable variation thereof). If that isn’t clear from the context clues, ask. I’ve yet to have someone bite my head off for asking a question.
If the seller isn’t actually grading the record, there is more subjectivity involved. Sometimes, the meaning of the words may be derived from the context. For instance, “This record is in good condition, only played once to record it,” is descriptive enough to expect that “good” actually means that it’s likely in the Near Mint ballpark. On the other hand, “Record appears to be in decent shape, but I don’t have a turntable to verify,” could mean just about anything. It’s probably not Poor or Fair, but depending upon the seller’s standard for “decent,” it could easily be anywhere from Good to Near Mint. In these cases, questions are usually in order (unless it’s going to go for 99 cents and ends in a five minutes). If the seller doesn’t know enough to grade the record, make sure your questions don’t presuppose any expertise at all. Remember, it’s better to treat the seller like a dummy than it is to assume they know more than they do and end up with a record that doesn’t live up to your standards.
If the seller is actually grading the record, that doesn’t make everything cut-and-dried. Next time, I’ll discuss the different approach needed when buying from seller who grades, or attempt to grade, the records he or she is selling.
Top photo courtesy of amoeba records
In 1977, at age 6, Glide’s Bob Lange bought his first record, Kiss Alive, and started an obsession that’s lasted a lifetime. Welcome to Bob’s new column dedicated to that very obsession, "Vinyl Lives."
