All things Discogs!

[barfle]

since we are on an Ebay and Discogs talk, lets talk about Seller performance. How many times have I bought something and then wait and wait for shipment and then I am told . 'sorry out of stock" Yet few days later the same item is back up for sale !! and sometimes at a higher price !

I say to Ebay and Discogs you must have sellers with a 99.9 percent rating or they get the boot. Of course neither Ebay or Discogs would go for that idea. Its all about the revenue baby !!

As a seller on ebay, I can say with experience that positive reviews are difficult and negative reviews are easy. I’ve had a few nwgatives in my. 20+ years and some people seem to expect xoncierge service, while satisfied customers often don’t review.

 

[gene_stl]

It's one thing to not be able to put your hands on something in a timely manner and another thing to just be a scammer. That is what the feedback system was supposed to cover, in the first place. Ebay used to be a kool place to buy old interesting stuff. I bought a ton of scientific instruments there.
But then they started being a selling site for new crap and modified their rules for the kinds of con artists that sell iPods and sneakers and fancy name brand counterfeits. That changed the whole nature of it. They need to segment themselves.

Facebook marketplace has been a good place to buy things for about the last five or six years.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

anyone looking for a job that can excel at "Site Reliability Engineer"???

https://apply.workable.com/discogs-1/j/EA3A35594C/

 

[humprof]

anyone looking for a job that can excel at "Site Reliability Engineer"???

https://apply.workable.com/discogs-1/j/EA3A35594C/

Some local businesses consider me a "senior"; does that count? (It's Senior Site Reliability Engineer, after all.)

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Some local businesses consider me a "senior"; does that count? (It's Senior Site Reliability Engineer, after all.)

ha ha... all relative to "excel at" I figured Señor humprof! Although can a job excel at something?

 

[Petr Kropotkin]

Got this email from a chap over on Discogs, who appears to have 1,786 CDs for sale (some as cheap as $1):

FREE SHIPPING(WITH TRACKING & INSURANCE) ON ALL ORDERS OF $49.00 AND MORE

VALID FOR 3 DAYS ONLY!!!(DECEMBER 29,30 & 31 2023)

https://www.discogs.com/seller/Treasures-Unlimited/profile

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Got this email from a chap over on Discogs, who appears to have 1,786 CDs for sale (some as cheap as $1):

FREE SHIPPING(WITH TRACKING & INSURANCE) ON ALL ORDERS OF $49.00 AND MORE

VALID FOR 3 DAYS ONLY!!!(DECEMBER 29,30 & 31 2023)

https://www.discogs.com/seller/Treasures-Unlimited/profile

What's he charging for shipping in Canada? Looks like out here in the western USA most are +$20 for shipping single items (not sure if that applies to the $49.00 or more shipping discount.)

 

[par4ken]

What's he charging for shipping in Canada? Looks like out here in the western USA most are +$20 for shipping single items (not sure if that applies to the $49.00 or more shipping discount.)

It shows $5.00 shipping for a single CD in Canada. I still don't sell on Discogs because you never know the actual shipping cost until the items are packaged weighed and shipping option selected. Discogs wants shipping shown up front which not possible IMHO! Shipping cost also varies depending on postal/zip code in the US and Canada. Some try to workaround by listing a too high shipping charge and then (maybe) adjusting it or refunding the difference. I know a few sellers that must be losing money on shipping because of Discogs policy. It is best to contact the seller first to get an accurate quote.

Shipping can be cheap if you use media mail but the package has to be less than a set thickness and some clerks will not allow it depending on the contents of the package. So shipping might be $3 or could be $20!

 

[gene_stl]

Ebay also makes it almost impossible to to sell used stuff because they want everything packed and boxed and shipping estimated before you can place the auction. FB marketplace is filling in the gap a certain amount.

 

[Petr Kropotkin]

What's he charging for shipping in Canada? Looks like out here in the western USA most are +$20 for shipping single items (not sure if that applies to the $49.00 or more shipping discount.)

Dunno, the only info. I have is what I posted. Easiest way to find out would be to put a couple of the expensive CDs in your cart (over $49 total) and see what happens.

 

[Orgillian197]

Dunno, the only info. I have is what I posted. Easiest way to find out would be to put a couple of the expensive CDs in your cart (over $49 total) and see what happens.

During his end of year sale, orders over $50 ship for free.

 

[madscot]

Ebay also makes it almost impossible to to sell used stuff because they want everything packed and boxed and shipping estimated before you can place the auction. FB marketplace is filling in the gap a certain amount.

I sell a lot of stuff on ebay and find it pretty easy to work out p&p using ebay’s own charging schedule which is there when you are selling.
My big problem is that they charge commission on p&p charges as if it’s included in the sale, for instance when I got my new Denon avr I sold my old Sony one with the p&p at £15, 13% of £15 is £1.95 which doesn’t seem a great deal but if you sell a lot like I do it mounts up over the year

 

[gene_stl]

Yes and you mention their commission which has been creeping upwards. It used to be 11% and was less than that earlier.
What makes me a little angry about it was that they used to be a great flea market. And as also happened at real flea markets and surplus places ,people started using it to sell new stuff with no brick and mortar overhead and that also attracted a lot of sleazoids. And the management at fleabay treated everyone identically. It used to be a great place to buy and sell electronic stuff , microscopes , optics, cameras , old scientific instruments and audio gear. But people started selling cell phones, pocket music players , sneakers , sunglasses and other consumer stuff in huge volumes and they made so much money on it that they threw over the people that started them out and made them successful. So I don't have much affection for them.

 

[barfle]

Last year I sold a piece of Lladro porcelain on ebay. I put it in its original box, then bubble pack and a two-layer corrougated box, insured, and it cost $150 to ship to a buyer in Chicago. It arrived with minor damage in spite of my precautions, and ebay refunded the full,price plus shipping to the buyer, and it cost me an extra $150 to ship it back. Then the delightful USPS refused my insurance claim (well, they offered me $100, which was less rhan either shipping charge). Yeah, I don’t feel like anyone had my back on that fiasco.

 

[par4ken]

Many people seem to worry about purchasing through sites like eBay, they should realise that eBay has their back. So does Paypal. Too bad that the same can't be said for the eBay sellers!

Much the same situation if you happen to be a landlord, the laws all protect the renter, nothing really for the landlord who doesn't get paid or whose house is badly damaged by the tenant.

 

[quicksrt]

as a buyer and seller, I find the fees are not that bad...I have a HUGE inventory of mostly classical titles which are slow sellers, but hey, most buyers are nice folks.. it seems that people are used to UPGRADING the condition of their stuff, while I tend to DOWNGRADE them to make sure the seller gets a good deal. I do not sell stuff that is less than VG+ unless it's a rare item, where I state clearly its condition

I have two Discogs accounts and one of them has a large collection inventory of classical LPs and CDs. Most of it modern composers (import pressings often) which sell for nicer prices, but are quite slow to move. So I get a sale of two every month at least and they tend be be nicer priced invoices. I got a $71.00 purchase yesterday on two items that have been up listed for 3 years.

Listing only VG+++ and up is simply less hassle to write out descriptions, and feel comfortable sending out items. I find that listing the same items on Amazon helps move things a little bit faster. This year I want to get all of my classic LP stock up on Amazon, and CDs on ebay in addition their Discogs listings. I may as well have that little bit of extra cash coming in for the SDE BR or Quadio bundle is how I look at it. I just want some of my purchases covers and if I get a full tank of gas out of it or my cell phone bill covered it's a bonus. And often I actually get those bonus' in a month of online sales.

 

[quicksrt]

Last year I sold a piece of Lladro porcelain on ebay. I put it in its original box, then bubble pack and a two-layer corrougated box, insured, and it cost $150 to ship to a buyer in Chicago. It arrived with minor damage in spite of my precautions, and ebay refunded the full,price plus shipping to the buyer, and it cost me an extra $150 to ship it back. Then the delightful USPS refused my insurance claim (well, they offered me $100, which was less rhan either shipping charge). Yeah, I don’t feel like anyone had my back on that fiasco.

There must be more to the story, no? Why did they offer you only $100 after refusing anything if you had all of the documentation? And you paid for them to ship it back for $150? Something sounds off here, more details would help. I'd hate to eat that loss.

 

[quicksrt]

I haven't been asked for a bank account number and damned if I would ever give them mine. That is the purpose of Paypal. They still take Paypal for purchases so they must still for sellers as well?

I would never report the pennies earned from selling an old LP or CD unless the Discogs system does it automatically.

What is needed is a new site in which the parties can make their own deals directly between individuals, cut out the middleman and the tax collectors! List on the site then purchase privately.

That might be far too risky for many but I've found that when making private deals there are very few scammers.

I've made three deals this past year where I invoiced the buyer (whom I got from Discogs) though PP thus cutting out the middle man. It was due to them asking if I had an other titles in the rare series. I in fact had several LPs not listed on Discogs because there was not yet an entry to list them. So I set up the deal after providing pictures and descriptions. Got payment and sent the goods internationally. Buyers were thrilled with the deals. Two of the three deals were in the hundreds of dollars. It's called "harvesting" buyers from the seller platforms.

It is something I read about and learned early on from reading on how to succeed using ebay without handing over too much of the take to ebay. Putting free shipping or discount coupons in your packages - then directing buyers to your own site for lower prices is often suggested. I got tired of spending time with my own online store. And just decided to keep the communication open for those that ask about deals or other stock I might have, and then cut deals.

 

[gene_stl]

I once sold a classic Gossen Luna Pro light meter to a doctor out in California. He tried to tell me it didn't work and then opened a case.
But he made the mistake of emailing me that what he wanted was the flash meter version which was about three models later. The auction was $15.00
and ebay refunded the whole thing to him immediately without even talking to me. I protested and they also refunded MY money. But I had to list the buyer in a federal register of fraudulent buyers which I was quite happy to do. Perhaps one day his name being listed there will come back and bite him somehow.

 

[barfle]

There must be more to the story, no? Why did they offer you only $100 after refusing anything if you had all of the documentation? And you paid for them to ship it back for $150? Something sounds off here, more details would help. I'd hate to eat that loss.

I took back the piece and it’s sitting in a store room waiting for an opportunity to get it repaired.

Yes, there’s more to the story, but it’s just the back and forth between me and ebay and me and the USPS. I definitely took it in the shorts on that one, not to mention a negative review from the buyer.

The $100 was described as the “standard” insurance for priority mail, even though I insured it for the purchase price. They offered me that after they denied any responsibility at all, in spite of me providing pictures of it before and after.

Needless to say, I’m not a fan of my local postmaster, and this isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with their incompetence. But the only option seems to be to move, and I’ve put too much into this house to do that.