Records are for playing, which is why we believe in accurately describing the sound, not the look of the record, so we play-test every single record we sell. You might find our gradings are lower than our competitors - that's because if a record looks fantastic but plays terribly we will grade it low on the scale, whereas others may grade it very highly because visually they look good.
For that reason, when we grade records equivalently they actually sound the same, so you know exactly what to expect. We're so confident of our grading process that we offer free returns for any reason.
We grade according to the Record Collectors Grading Guide, the details of which are below:
Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality.
The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition
Excellent: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening of sound quality.
The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.
Very Good: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch.
Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable
Good: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches.
The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration etc.
Fair: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise: it may even jump.
The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
Sometimes the record is of different quality on the 'A' and 'B' side. In this case the record grading A: Ex B:VG means the A side is Ex and B side is VG.
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