Voeta7 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Good Morning everyone, I am fairly new to vinyl collecting, so, I'm not fully versed or experienced with buying records online. But recently, I purchased a sealed copy of Motion City Soundtrack's "Commit This To Memory", and while it did arrive sealed in shrink-wrap, when I opened the record to examine it, it seemed used, and damaged. I opened a case with Ebay, but I want to make sure I'm not crazy. Please see pictures below. My question is, is this record used, or is this normal?? PLEASE HELP!! It would be much appreciated I only asked for a partial refund but not the seller is saying I'm trying to scam them. Scratch on the record same scratch, different angle more scratches, signs of use? tears on the sleeve? Thanks so much for looking, I appreciate any help I can get! I just want to know I'm not crazy for complaining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isavedlatin54 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 id be a bit upset, you aren't crazy for wanting an answer. seam splits DO happen, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffbloom Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 The seam split is a risk you take. Many new, sealed records come with the. My Paramore 2xLP just came with one from Amazon and they ship in nice mailers. It's hard to tell if the scratch is superficial or not. How does or sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Seam splits do happen as already mentioned. They're unavoidable. As for the scratch. Is it a scratch or scuff? Is the playability affected? Play the record and see how it sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 1. I would recommend contacting the seller before opening a case on eBay! 2. As mentioned above seam-splits happen all the time if you buy sealed records. Ask sellers to open the record and pack it to avoid seam splits. 3. This is most important (and I have been looking for a place to post this tip). Hold the record below a light source and look the light reflect from the grooves. If you are looking from the outer edge of the record in and see a scratch, try looking from the center hole out. If the scratch disappears from the view of center to out, it will not affect play. If you can see a scratch from the center out, it will affect play. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synapsistapped Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Looks like non-fill... unfortunately a common thing from Rainbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtw88 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Judging by the fact that the person has to ask if it's damaged, I'm guessing they have no means of playing it. If it plays fine then there is really no problem. Are you proposing this was someone's playing copy that they re-shrinkwrapped? Seam splits happen. Generally it is good etiquette to ship the record outside of the jacket to avoid them but you obviously can't do that with a sealed record which is why a mint opened record is better than sealed any day. It's really hard to tell from the pics but I see that there were pink and white pressings of this record, so while it's not super likely, it is possible that what you are seeing is not a scratch but a streak from transitioning colors. Since the label looks kind of beat up too though I'm going to say you just got a crappily manufactured record. This isn't the seller's fault and I don't really think it's fair to hold them responsible. You could try getting in touch with Epitaph about sending a replacement. Didn't a bunch of the NOFX represses on Epitaph have manufacturing errors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Inb4 he says can I still frame it! museummouth, cbbrew22, 213041284s and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 You should also find a way to clean and remove static from your records. Look at the factory paper sticking to it. See the FAQ at the top of this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac1 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Agreed. Most important to understand. Individual sellers are not responsible for manufacturing errors. Tightly sealed records also produce slightly warped records, especially older gatefolds, that have nothing to do with the seller and it is bogus to hold them responsible. If the record came directly from the manufacturer or label then you can bitch at them about not having a perfect plastic record to flip. Sellers are simply pushing product and they should insist on no return or refund for manufacturing problems. The red vinyl Melvins Nude with Boots LP is known to be warped from the packaging. Give the seller his money and PLAY the damn record. . Since the label looks kind of beat up too though I'm going to say you just got a crappily manufactured record. This isn't the seller's fault and I don't really think it's fair to hold them responsible. You could try getting in touch with Epitaph about sending a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almightyseancore Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Play the record and see how it sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voeta7 Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Hey everyone, thanks for all the advice! For the record, the seller has the money, I paid them promptly with no issue. I know individual sellers are not responsible for manufacturers errors, which is precisely why I posted these photos, so I could get more opinions on the damage and resolve this issue with the ebay seller. We have been in contact and I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. You are correct, I don't have a way of playing the record at the moment since I need to replace my needle on my record player. Anyway, thank you so much everyone for taking the time to look at this thread and for your incredibly helpful advice . I'm going to withdraw my complaint from e-bay, since it does not seem like this is the fault of the seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zick Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Looks like non-fill... unfortunately a common thing from Rainbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingnatural Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I'm willing to bet the record will play just fine. The scuffs in the photos are a common occurrence on a lot of modern LPs (others have called it "non fill"). Seam splits happen and are pretty much unavoidable on sealed LPs. Especially if the record is packaged carelessly with out plenty of extra protection (cardboard, bubble wrap). Did the seller package the record well? If so, this is just out of their control. If the seller did a piss poor job then the seam splits possibly could have been avoided. If it was a crappy packing job then I would ask him for a small partial refund and move on. The record was sealed so the seller should not be forced to give a full refund. Unfortunately, eBay has a terrible "buyer protection" program where endless sellers keep getting screwed. There are plenty of crumby sellers on eBay as well but too many good sellers are getting screwed over by the buyer protection crap on eBay, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokimedo Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 oh, you cant play it cause you need a new needle eh? righttttt. *wink wink nudge nudge* mindovermatter, 213041284s, Daniel Dopp and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyoler Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Seam splits are 100% avoidable, just open the record and take it out of the sleeve.. it's not fucking rocket science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffbloom Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Seam splits are 100% avoidable, just open the record and take it out of the sleeve.. it's not fucking rocket science. Would a company like Amazon do this? I can't picture them doing it. So maybe 100% is not realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 No, you have "Commit This to Memory" by Motion City Soundtrack. "Damaged" is the seminal 1981 hardcore album by Black Flag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyoler Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Would a company like Amazon do this? I can't picture them doing it. So maybe 100% is not realistic. Them not taking the time to do it doesn't make it any less avoidable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethingvinyl Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I guess everyone is asking OP: did you even try to play this to see if the scuffs/scratches effect play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almightyseancore Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 No, you have "Commit This to Memory" by Motion City Soundtrack. "Damaged" is the seminal 1981 hardcore album by Black Flag. i love this guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingnatural Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I guess everyone is asking OP: did you even try to play this to see if the scuffs/scratches effect play? I believe he already said that he "needs a new needle" for his Crosley. Seam splits are 100% avoidable, just open the record and take it out of the sleeve.. it's not fucking rocket science. Obviously. But a lot of people (especially newer buyers) probably prefer to get their item factory sealed. Plus if you think about it, the seller would probably end up having to give a full refund in this situation if the LP had been removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maneatingcow Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 This thread makes me want to post a picture of my penis, with the question; Is my penis tiny? I mean I know the answer, it is tiny. I just want validation from a large group of people. Jollyronnie, bathroommonkey and heypeterman 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezagenius Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 The double-edged sword of sealed records: you can get a new record with the possibility of it being damaged, or you can buy a "new" open record that may or may not have been played a ton of times with a crappy stylus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundboard Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Like everyone said seem splits happen. If you bought this at an inflated eBay price I wouldn't feel bad about asking for a few bucks back due to the seem split. It may not be the sellers fault the split was there (if it was packaged correctly) or it might be. That's about the only thing you could possibly hold them accountable for if it was sealed. Seem splits do hurt the overall value of the record a little. The good news is as long as the vinyl is in nice shape the music should still sound good. Also I'd recommend getting a new needle before heading to ebay and buying a lot of records. That way you can check and see if the record is playable when you recieve it. With how much records can cost on ebay I wouldn't chance not being able to listen to them and check them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.