Music Collector - Buy and Sell Music - Grading information

Condition (grading)
new, still sealed, unplayed, as new, mint mint- (m-) excellent+ (ex+), exellent (ex), very good++ (vg++), excellent- (ex-) very good+ (vg+) very good (vg) very good- (vg-) good (good) bad, poor (poor)


Grading on Music Collector - guidelines
If seller uses Music Collector's grading system look here:
1 New Still sealed (seal) Unplayed The item is new and in perfect condition. Sealed = Never opened and still in original shrink wrap. ^
2 As new Mint (m) Appears unplayed. No surface marks on the record and the sound quality is perfect. The cover and inserts are in perfect condition. ^
3 Mint minus (m-) The item has been used/played but it is in a fine condition. The sound quality is perfect or very close to perfect. Perhaps a few very light surface hair-line marks but no surface noise (needle scratch). The cover may show signs of having been used but it is still very close to perfect. Near Mint is the same as Mint minus. ^
4 Exellent (ex) or Very good++ (vg++) You can see that the item has been used. The record looks fine and the sound quality is perfect or very close to perfect. Perhaps a few surface marks. The cover/booklet etc. may show slight wear. There may be other deterioration of the cover - or the label; e.g. writing on cover or label. If that is so, it should be stated in the advertisement. Vg++ is the same as excellent. Excellent+ (ex+) = upper end of the excellent category. Item is close to mint- Excellent- (ex-) = lower end of the excellent category. ^
5 Very good+ (vg+) A FEW light scratches and/or scuffs creating occasional audible background noise. No major deterioration in the sound quality. No jumps and skips. The cover shows wear. E.g. shelf wear or slightly worn edges, slight brush marks, scuffs, ring wear. No seam splits. No tear. If that is so, it should be stated in the description of the item. ^
6 Very good (vg) The item has been played many times. Several marks but no deep. Occasional scratch or/and 'fire in the wood' (crackling). No major deterioration in the sound quality. Wear and tear on the cover/inserts. ^
7 Very good- (vg-) The item looks worn. Record plays o.k. but sounds scratchy. Perhaps deep scratches. No jump. If that is so, it should be stated in the advertisement. ^
8 Good The term 'good' is used a great deal internationally by sellers of second-hand records. But 'good' is not so good, inf fact: The record has been played so much that it has deteriorated the sound quality: scratches, "fire in the wood" and perhaps distortion. Overplayed, worn out vinyl The cover has been folded, for example it is dog-eared, has scuff marks, is discoloured, etc. ^
9 Bad/poor The record has been treated badly and it plays with surface noise and scrathes. It may even jump. The cover may be torn, stained, scribbled on and you may find your favourite female singer with a big beard. But - if ultra rare - the item could be of interest to collectors. ^
Info! The grading scale for the condition of new and second-hand items takes as its origin the condition of a record/cd, but can be used for all merchandise advertised on Music Collector. The way in which the grading scale is used is subjective and may vary from person to person. It is preferable if grading of a record/cd is done after it has been carefully listened to. A large number of sellers use ‘visual grading’ as this is less time-consuming. Visual grading means that the merchandise is solely graded according to how it looks.

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Page changed February 6, 2010