Buying vinyl on Ebay...

[Kaboom]

tired of living in this crappy country with no record stores that spain is, i've decided to start looking on ebay for even the commonest of pressings that the shops here wont have.
Thing is, how safe is it to buy this kind of thing on ebay? i mean most of the sellers seem pretty reputable and most of them have anywhere between 98/100% positive feedback, which means people appear to trust them.
So what do you people think, is it stupid to buy this kind of thing without seeing it, or am i ok?
oh and also... is it possible to fake feedback? i say so because i find it kinda hard to believe that some people have like 900 feedback comments and 100% positive feedback. with that many sales, SOMETHING must go wrong at some point. there is always one or another anal b¡tch that will leave negative comments just because the record arrived on a sunday instead of saturday.
Thx!

[Bill K Davis]

I have bought about 30 records on ebay. I just bought a flawless Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles for $8 including shipping. Every seller I have bought from, at least trys to be honest. Some overestimate quality by 1 grade. If they are aware of the official rating gradations, they are probably cool. G ood means scratched, verg good means some pops and light scratches, very good + means an acceptable record, very good ++ is about the lowest worth buying, then there is near mint and mint. Ebay people don't want to lose there rating on an $8 sale.

[royphil345]

I've had pretty good luck with eBay sellers who mainly deal in records. To some of the less experienced sellers and garbage pickers, not broken in pieces means excellent condition!!!

[risabet]

I have bought about 30 records on ebay. I just bought a flawless Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles for $8 including shipping. Every seller I have bought from, at least trys to be honest. Some overestimate quality by 1 grade. If they are aware of the official rating gradations, they are probably cool. G ood means scratched, verg good means some pops and light scratches, very good + means an acceptable record, very good ++ is about the lowest worth buying, then there is near mint and mint. Ebay people don't want to lose there rating on an $8 sale.

I agree, you might also try Acoustic Sounds, which sells a lot of audiophile vinyl though they ain't given it away, some of the items are dear!

[Arc45]

Overall i have been very pleased. purchased a sealed LP set of BACH'S organ works (10 LPS) for around $20. Also bought some classical DG's from overseas. Caveat Emptor applies here . You may get some that aren't real clean but overall but I have had no problems yet.

,

[BRANDONH]

I agree with the other posts, as long as they mainly sell records and do not have a lot of negative feedback's then you should feel safe.
Also there is a post here in the analog room that has several good online record sites.
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=2798
You will have to scroll down to see all the postings.
Just click the links provided.

[JoeE SP9]

I have found www.musicstack.com to be a really good place to buy used and new vinyl.

[steve6]

I haven't bought any in awhile, but my experience has been very good. Just be on the lookout for those who are long-established, volume sellers. They tend to know what they're doing (ESPECIALLY about packing, which is vitally important) and tend to be honest in the ratings.

[thepogue]

just drop me a dime and I'll email it out...most cost a couple bucks...a few more...a few less..

thepogue@yahoo.com

Peace, Pogue

[hermann_giron]

I have been an avid and active EBAY member and buyer for more than 7 years and have found that most EBAY sellers are interested in making good transactions and keeping their good feedback.

EBAY is like a great big shopping mall, set up next to a series of boutique stores, down the street from the flea market and accross the street from a garage sale. You can find pretty much everything you want if you know how to look for it.

More than just the number of feedbacks and a perfect 100% feedback, I recommend you look for sellers with experience selling the types of products you are buying. You cant expect someone who usually sells computer equipment to have any experience grading the quality of a 26 year old record.