DiscogsReviews 126

So I've been using discogs.com since Nov of 2017. At first I was kind of shy to use it because I wasn't to keen on a new website to buy stuff from. So I started searching my music interests and was able to find pretty much everything on any band and whatnot. What's cool in my opinion on this site is being able to see what date the records or cassettes were released. The details of all items are usually pretty good ( at least what I look up). Also getting to see other things the artist released that you didn't know about in another country is cool because all countries usually have different styles or ways of doing the same album ( changing album covers or with way the records look).

The buying aspect of discogs.com is pretty straight forward and goes with a rating system, so if you have someone with low reviews you don't buy from. That's pretty straight forward. I would also suggest using Paypal as well so if something happens they have a pretty good policy to get your money back/resolve issues.

As a seller aspects I don't really have one considering I have only used this site to purchase off of sellers. As of this review ive had about 50 ish records bought off discogs. 1 was a different variant of record that I asked for and I guess I could consider myself lucky or I know how to choose well :)

Ok, a lot of negative stuff here. Yes ALL sites have their issues. Sellers are driving this site, so if you're buying from someone who is a crap seller you'll likely get a crap product. Yes, this does happen on Doscogs, but guess what? It also happens on Ebay, Musicstack and any other music selling platform. Why? Grading is (but shouldn't be) subjective. That means someone has different eyesight than yours, grades under different light. Ect ect ect. Lots of varables. The sellers who know what they are doing are easily noted with very good overall feedback, whilst the ones who have no clue, or as nearsighted as a board typically have poor reviews. YOU make your own assumptions by reading reviews on the seller prior to buying, ask questions, review shipping policies and return policies they have. Get that opinion of them prior to placing your order. Pay with Paypal so you have that protection. Yes, there are sellers who over grade, as stated I have returned MANY records on Ebay for this issue also. Find sellers you trust and buy from them.

I've been using Discogs to buy and sell for 7 years with very very few issues. I'm careful to check sellers have a good feedback ratio, an established sales history, and always use Paypal so I'm covered by their buyer guarantee if not happy with the grading and the seller doesn't co-operate. Out of 150 purchases I've been unhappy with 2, and returned only 1 as the other was borderline and no big deal. There are bad sellers out there, on any site, but it does surprise me when as a seller I have 1700+ positive feedback, 3 negatives from people who had a problem with the postal service not the record, and were provided with a full refund at my expense (as directed by Paypal seller agreement it is my responsibility to make sure the record is delivered, or refund) just how many people are super suspicious when buying from me purely because I sell on Discogs purely because they have had bad experiences with others. How on earth would/could I have a 99.8% positive over 7 years if I was a rip off merchant? Buyers need to remember Discogs is an open market for 3rd party sellers so if you use your due diligence (read: you NEED to) you should have few problems.

Aside from the buying and selling aspect their database is really annoying! Open for anyone to come and sabotage a release, so you list a copy of a certain record for sale, or purchase a copy and then find some fool had gone and changed the entry from CD to LP, or original to reissue, nobody spotted the edit was b/s and you now sold/bought something you didn't want. That really annoys the cr*p out of me hence the 3 star rating.

Take this as both a review and call to action of sorts, I'll keep them both short.

I've been buying on Discogs for about six months now. My typical transactions go like this... I buy a record based on the listed condition, usually Near Mint, but on occasion Very Good Plus; about 5% of the time my expectations are actually exceeded; and about 20% of the time I'm satisfied, to varying degrees, with the condition of the record. This leaves a huge majority of transactions (roughly 75%) that range from unacceptable to infuriating depending on how badly the seller's condition grading squares with (or doesn't square with) reality. I've received "Near Mint" records with huge gauges in them and other "Near Mint" and "Very Good Plus" records with a litany of other condition issues that, by definition, should not under any circumstance, be found on such records. Not to mention that they are nearly universally filthy (disgusting even). When I receive these types of records, which is most of the time, I contact the seller immediately. Basically, their response is always the same."I'm really sorry, I don't know how that could have happened. Let me give you a full refund, you keep the record." In other words, here's your money back and a small (and totally useless) gift, now please keep you mouth shut and don't give me negative feedback. This same situation happened so often, I began contacting the seller ahead of time and asked them to confirm condition or cancel my order. That has totally solved the entire problem and now everything is perfect - NOT! I still get crap most of the time. Sometimes sellers won't confirm the condition and will cancel the order which I appreciate since it saves me some aggravation.

If you're still reading this (thank you), you must be asking yourself, "then why do you bother?". The simple answer is this, Discogs has an amazing selection music at typically reasonable prices. I use it as a supplement to my local record shops and thrift stores. You have to wade through a ton of crap, but get luck sometime. It's totally frustrating, annoying, and can drive me totally crazy, but unfortunately, there's nothing quite like it and I at least see the promise of what it could be.

My call to action: HOLD SELLERS ACCOUNTABLE. As I mentioned, I ask sellers to confirm condition prior to shipping - consider that you're proverbial two strikes. If you do that and still get rubbish, DON'T BE BOUGHT OFF, LEAVE FAIR BUT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.

I'm hopeful that if enough people start doing this, Discogs can turn this thing around. Personally, I have one foot out the door and another on a banana peel so I'm another bad transaction or two away from swearing off of it.

Lastly, I'm pretty sure my experiences are similar to a lot of other buyers. I would be very suspicious of anyone who claims all is good at Discogs.

Any person who feels the need to defend Discogs, well, you are either a seller or you are somehow directly associated with that business. People who believe that problems on Discogs are created by the buyers either refusing to look at the facts, or have no idea how logic works. If I am a buyer, then my job, plain and simple is to BUY! If a problem arises from the fact that I bought a record, then guess what, the problem is not coming from the buyer, but rather, from the person whose only job and responsibility is to sell! Problems that come up on Discogs are directly associated with the sellers - period.

I added a cd to cart. When it came to purchasing it I couldn't bring myself to do it! I can't obligate myself to a BLIND purchase. When you place the order there is no shipping cost provided. Later the seller informs the buyer how much shipping will be and by Discogs policy you have committed and are obligated to pay no matter how much it is! I can't do it!
Has Discogs ever heard of any other website in the world that has full purchase price included at the point of purchase?

Many items are listed with no shipping price. You have to order then wait for an invoice before you know how much it will cost.

The first time I ordered a record I waited a few days, got the invoice and paid it. However it looked like the payment didn't go through so I paid again. I looked at my Paypal account and it turned out I had sent two payments. This is the first time this has happened to me on any site. If this happened on eBay you would get a message saying you had already paid. The fact that you can pay for an item more than once is ridiculous. I can't think of any other site where this could happen.

I gave them another chance and thought this wouldn't happen again. I paid for a record and a few hours later got an invoice even though I'd already paid. This site is confusing as hell and not remotely user friendly. If and when I figure out what's happening with this record I think I'll quit while I'm ahead and delete my account.

One more thing - there are no pictures of the actual item you're buying. You just have to hope the seller is being honest when he/she says the item is in excellent condition.

Update - to add to the above, the users in the forum are very rude, or at least the ones that replied to my query. I was told "the problem is in front of the computer", the meaning being that I'm an idiot who can't operate a computer. No, the problem is the site. I've ordered hundreds of items online and I have never come across another site that would even let you pay for an item twice. Also I offered a criticism of the website, not of any of the members, and I don't appreciate personal insults.