I generally under-grade the records as to avoid disappointments... so you may end up with a surprisingly good player!
Accurate and honest grading is one of if not the
most important responsibility of any record dealer and is much more of an art
than running through a list of check-boxes. As such, I offer the below
descriptions as a rough overview of the standards in place for each grade.
Near Mint is a grade which I do not use often, unless I can't see any mark!
NM
Near Mint
The cover should look close to perfect with only minor signs of
wear and or age. Minor impressions to the cover (due to the outer edge
of the record resting inside) may be acceptable, however the artwork
should be as close to perfect as can be.
Describes an almost mint record, this grade is used for records
that appear virtually flawless but not perfect. A very minor scuff can
appear on the record. Yet, the record must play without any noise over
the flaw and the latter must be very hard to detect. Any blemish
affecting sound quality will prevent records from being graded NM or M.
EX
Excellent
The cover and packaging might have slight wear but excellent aspect overall.
The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality.
VG++
Very Good ++
The cover and packaging might have slight wear but excellent aspect overall.
The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality.
VG+
Very Good +
Cover shows some handling imperfection like normal wear and tear,
price tag, creasing... Cover can also be in mint condition but there is a
DJ or promo copy stamp or cut in the corner.
Most common condition for records. The record has been played a
few times but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, no wear,
despite occasional light marks. The average person would not notice
anything wrong.
Light pops and crackles may appear particularly on start/end runouts
VG
Very Good
Cover suffers from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration ...
Now the signs of age and handling are starting to show. You can
notice some clear wear on the surface, there is some noise (pops and
crackles). There may be minor warps .
VG-
Very Good -
Cover suffers from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration ...
Now the signs of age and handling are starting to show. You can
notice some clear wear on the surface, there is quite some noise throughout (pops and
crackles). There may be minor warps (better to ask for
confirmation to the seller especially if your turntable is sensitive). still no skips or jumps
G
Good
The cover and contents can be torn, stained and/or defaced, there also can be some writing on it.
The record has been played so much that the sound quality has been
noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and scratches. There may be minor warps and skips
F
Fair
The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing. Cover can also be missing.
The record may not play properly
P
Poor
The record may not work properly, not worth listing apart from very rare items as collection fillers
NA
Not applicable
The cover is missing or this code is not applicable for that kind
of item (Plain white or black sleeve, books, merchandising ...).
The record is missing or this code is not applicable for that kind of item (books, merchandising ...).
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Postage and Packaging Rates
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The price you pay for shipping is never more
than what it costs me, in fact I often pay the Post Office more than you will
be charged. I also cover the costs of packaging myself.
For international orders and LPs in particular I
offer a discounted postage rate to try to help out with the costs of
international shipping.
Please note that in the rare circumstance that
an international parcel does not arrive, Royal Mail require "20 working
days after the due date for items in Europe, after 25 working days for rest of
world" before they will consider an item as lost, should they not be able
to confirm delivery. Until this period has passed I am unable to attain any
further information other than that provided by the tracking number, should the
parcel have been sent via Tracked & Signed. If this period should pass then
I am always sure to keep all of the paperwork to file a claim right away for the
value of the parcel should it be confirmed as missing.
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UK Mainland, (All items shipped second Class for 2-5 working day delivery)
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1 X 7" single £3.95
Up to 6 of 7" Singles £6.50
1-2x 12" or LP £3.95
4+ 12"s: £9.00
The purchaser pays postage in case of refund