How do you grade your records?Updated 8 months ago

We visually grade records, which means we don’t put all the records we sell on the turntable to see if it has static. We use the following to the best of our abilities.

In the descriptions of used records, you’ll see the following terms:

• Mint (M) – Perfect in every way. Never played (It’s unlikely you’ll see this grade on a used record on our site unless it’s still sealed).
• Near Mint (NM or M-) – Almost perfect, but likely played a few times.
• Very Good Plus (VG+) – This record has been well-taken care of. If any scratches, they’re only very light and will not affect playback.
• Very Good (VG) – Showing signs of it being previously loved. It lost its shine, there’s some surface noise and it has noticeable scratches.
• Good/Good+ (G/G+) – This will play without skipping but it will have significant surface noise and groove wear.
• Poor (P) – These are the records that will become a clock or some other snazzy vinyl art. You might see it on the site if it’s a Beatles original “Butcher cover”.

These grades are taken directly from the Goldmine standard for record grading. The used records on our site usually fall into the categories highlighted above.

If you’re interested in getting more information about a used record, we can take pictures and put it on the turntable for a spin to let you know how it sounds. Please contact us.