New discogs shipping policies

[Into_The_Void]

Discogs is the Airbnb of the records collection world, I personally use it a lot for old stuff (which at the moment constitutes 75 % of my purchases) and I cannot avoid seeing how its policy and the "competition" between collectors contribute to creating are actually also destroying the fun of collecting music with the insane price increase of the last 1-2 years. This new price increase is another cherry on the top of the cake.

[holy ghost]

In similar way, latest discogs change, they claimed they only did modest 1% increase in fee. Formerly 8% fee is now 9%. Not bad, except that now it applies to both item AND shipping. When shipping is such a massive price, I would estimate this will make selling cheap item in discogs completely obsolete.

Somehow I could have lived with 9% but making you pay a fee for the shipping cost is where I get off - completely. It is so greedy and nonsensical and I'm just out. I'll sell on forums, instagram and at record fests from now on. At this rate it used to be worth the fees to get a better return than a record store would give you but not any more. I'd already eliminated overseas shipping and was only doing North 'murica - as you know tracked shipping internationally from Canada is ludicrously expensive. And I'm just too casual to learn how to use chit chats or a private courier.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Yeah, some friend just concluded yesterday that this might be giving (2nd hand) record stores worthy function again. Suddenly getting 2 euro for CD or 5 euro for LP ain't that bad. It might be the same you would get after fees and all the work when selling something at discogs.
I know there are different kinds of customers and markets out there, but as record store owner, I face the devastated sellers every month. Meaning guys, who have good stuff, and have browsed a bit discogs, and think they have amazing collection worth a lot of money. Then I can mention that almost none of this stuff is worth what discogs says. Not here.
Out of the realistic money one gets for them, you get like half. Or 1/3.  So album that someone would buy for 10 euro, you get 4 euro. Rest goes to taxes and couple euro "profit" for shop. So...  when thinking your "discogs average" is suddenly not really accurate in real world, where idea is also to get rid of things and not wait for that 1 guy in world that pays maximum price, real world average at least over here is significantly lower. Selling to 2nd hand stores, you lose opportunity to make bigger income, but win TIME. Freeing storage space, not having to deal years and years with bozos.

One can think usual discogs situation where 50 people "want it", there are 5 copies available for X amount of money that isn't even very high.. but nobody buys it. So whatever transaction may have happened before, now it appears to be actual value starts to be visible and even if someone paid 30 euro once, it may be worth 10 or less to everybody else... I my store I see it all the time. People who would want "rare record", but in the end, don't buy it. Most of rare records take ages to sell, despite would be priced significantly lower than online.

I had discussion some years ago with guy who asked don't I buy rare collectible stuff into my store. I explained situation above. Sure it looks neat when you got rarities on shelves, but most customers prefer to buy 10 new CD's or tapes, as opposed to one 90's original Japanese noise LP. Same for metal. And I know this for my own habits too. While rare cult records can be great, there is so much great new stuff that is right now happening. I understand the hunt for old rare, but it is quite similar task when hunting for new good. What a delight it was to get couple NEW Mlehst CD's, and discover they are actually GOOD!

[re:evolution]

I have mulled over the reasons why this 9% charge on shipping fees is being implemented. I suspect that Discogs hold a view that people are 'hiding' profits in high shipping fees, so this new fee partially captures this (and will consequently encourage price of items to be increased to which their fees apply).

I also note current commentary of Discogs suggests and encourages offering 'free' postage to increase sales, which means that would be covered in the main price - again which Discogs collect their fee. This is only an observation to try to understand the reasons  'why', as on face value it just not stack up. But when I only charge the actual cost of postage, which unfortunately is high for international orders, this new 9% fee on postage is beyond fucked...

[Into_The_Void]

Yeah, some friend just concluded yesterday that this might be giving (2nd hand) record stores worthy function again. Suddenly getting 2 euro for CD or 5 euro for LP ain't that bad. It might be the same you would get after fees and all the work when selling something at discogs.
I know there are different kinds of customers and markets out there, but as record store owner, I face the devastated sellers every month. Meaning guys, who have good stuff, and have browsed a bit discogs, and think they have amazing collection worth a lot of money. Then I can mention that almost none of this stuff is worth what discogs says. Not here.
Out of the realistic money one gets for them, you get like half. Or 1/3.  So album that someone would buy for 10 euro, you get 4 euro. Rest goes to taxes and couple euro "profit" for shop. So...  when thinking your "discogs average" is suddenly not really accurate in real world, where idea is also to get rid of things and not wait for that 1 guy in world that pays maximum price, real world average at least over here is significantly lower. Selling to 2nd hand stores, you lose opportunity to make bigger income, but win TIME. Freeing storage space, not having to deal years and years with bozos.

One can think usual discogs situation where 50 people "want it", there are 5 copies available for X amount of money that isn't even very high.. but nobody buys it. So whatever transaction may have happened before, now it appears to be actual value starts to be visible and even if someone paid 30 euro once, it may be worth 10 or less to everybody else... I my store I see it all the time. People who would want "rare record", but in the end, don't buy it. Most of rare records take ages to sell, despite would be priced significantly lower than online.

I had discussion some years ago with guy who asked don't I buy rare collectible stuff into my store. I explained situation above. Sure it looks neat when you got rarities on shelves, but most customers prefer to buy 10 new CD's or tapes, as opposed to one 90's original Japanese noise LP. Same for metal. And I know this for my own habits too. While rare cult records can be great, there is so much great new stuff that is right now happening. I understand the hunt for old rare, but it is quite similar task when hunting for new good. What a delight it was to get couple NEW Mlehst CD's, and discover they are actually GOOD!

Well, it is obvious that selling out a big (diverse thousands of records) collection with one wholesale to a 2nd hand record shop means cutting out substantively the possible gain, but with the right time and efforts one can make the right money out of his good records I think. Of course Discogs inflated the whole market insanely by feeding the collection mania, boosted by shit like taking pictures to the record collection to boost its own ego on forums or social media.

I really hope that with this new fees increase (I didn't read good and didn't get it concerned the shipping rates as well, which is super greedy of course) makes sure that more sellers either move elsewhere (although a good amount of the oldest and rarest records are "in the hands" of shops or record flippers) or are more incline to sell outside Discogs, but to be honest I don't believe it will be bringing that many advantages.

[theotherjohn]

Given the majority of physical record shops also use Discogs to flog their media, I feel like they'll be even less inclined now to take on other people's used stock if the new fees will be so drastic to affect their profits?

I don't know enough about the behind-the-scenes runnings of record shops who have the unenviable task of dealing in both new and used media to know whether they make more money on secondhand stuff than newer releases; if they do, they probably have to factor in other realistic considerations like storage beyond the shop floor for every 3-5 used releases they take in exchange for one new sale/trade, time spent on managing inventory, grading conditions and writing descriptions, any extra persons needed for packaging and sending out all the baggies they get etc. Even with all that, they probably still can't compete with the convenience of online megasellers like MusicMagpie or Medimops who with the input of a barcode can offer up an instant algorithmically generated price and free collection of goods, and continue to undercut the few remaining brick and mortar stores out there until they eventually perish.

And as for any deadstock that record shops or online megasellers they refuse to take (be it due to an overabundance of stock, an item's poor condition/quality, or a lack of consumer (read: algorithm) interest), the few remaining disposal choices are (a) to just keep holding onto it in the vain hope it regains "value" out of nostalgia or retromania, (b) to take it to charity shops/donation centres (where they will still likely remain unbought if neithe the shop nor the customer can profit from their purchase, even if priced at mere pennies or cents) or (c) thrown into the street, the landfill, the bonfire or the ocean, depending on how ecologically sound of character you are.

Secondhand companies like to say they are working in a "circular economy", but really it's closer to a spiralling economy. The question is: will the value and demand for your items spiral inwards like vinyl, outwards like a CD, or flip like a cassette?