How often do you return the LP you've just bought?

[Guest Y B]

I reckon every record store should have a turntable in store for customers to check the record if they are warped.

I bought 6 records from a city store and today I have to return 5 of them. 2 were very badly warped, 1 medium and the other 2 slightly. Only one good one and that is The XX.

I also bought Radiohead's King of Limps the other day from another city store and I returned it twice, so 3 of them were all warped. It's not a very nice feeling, after getting home, put on my favorite group's LP with excitement, and only just found out that it's warped.

Which is the best record store in Sydney who sells vinyl records? Is slightly warped record acceptable or should we return it?

[snowdownunder]

G'day YonugBoy,

were they new or second hand?

I do buy most of my LP's on the net so returns can be a pain especially if it's an OS job.

I've found most 2nd hand store that sell LP's are not in very good condition and overpriced. Two store here on the coast I've visited had the most crappy TT's I've seen in a long time but would be OK for checking to see if they're flat.

A slightly warped LP wouldn't bother me, I'm more concerned about surface noise than a slight movement of the tonearm.

[Guest Y B]

They were all new! So is it hard to get a nicely pressed LP?

[snowdownunder]

New, that's very poor.

The only issue I've had with new LP's is them being dished. This can look like it's warped on one side. One supplier in the US now opens new LP's I buy and flattens them if necessary before shipping.

[handy steel]

I have purchased over 500 second hand LP's over the last two years, and only about 6 have been warped.

New on the other hand is a different story, I would say 1 in 7 or so is warped and had to be returned, some multiple times.

What I have noticed is new LP's that have shrink wrap around them are the main culprits. I now always ask for them to be opened and checked before I take them home.

Cheers

Edited July 6, 2011 by handysteel

[MellowFellow]

I accept a reasonable amount of warpage, but do return the bad ones.

Returning to overseas can be painful though - I recently returned 2 to amazon UK. Their return policy (for aussies) is we pay the return postage, then they refund postage costs "up to" 7 pounds. It cost me heaps to return the records ($27 or $37 from memory) via regular air mail, which is the cheapest method that makes the 30-day restriction amazon puts on the returns. They were packed together in a simple vinyl shipping envelope like the ones cdwow uses to keep weight down. When amazon received my records, they refunded 75p per record, so my $27 -> $37 in postage costs only earned about $2.30 aud in refund. Not cool.

I also returned to cdwow recently and they give a reply-paid address to ship to, so it doesn't cost you anything. Took them a while though... This was a funny one because the records arrived completely drenched - the covers felt like wet paper mache and there was a little sticker on the package informing me that they were like that when received at Botany.

[Gee Emm]

Maybe it's just me.

But if I'm paying good money for new product, I want good product.

We all KNOW that warps affect the cantilever; so it must affect the sound. I have one warped 2nd hand record where you can easily hear the audible effect of the excessive movement of the cantilever.

If it's new, and it aint flat, I aint paying for it.

I'm surprised that some are prepared to accept warped new product. We spend all this time (years?) building our analogue system and then accept a flaw at the source!? I don't get it, I don't get it at all!

Maybe that's just me.

Graham

[unclemack]

I have had some horrible warped records and one distorted pressing all via online purchases. Pretty much in every case I have had replacements sent without the need for returns although I have offered. There are some wonderful etailers out there and I'm happy to deal with them.

Cheers

M

[Full Range]

Storing records flat will cause them to warp

FR

[Jake]

New on the other hand is a different story, I would say 1 in 7 or so is warped and had to be returned, some multiple times.

I experience a similar ratio. I sent two back today. A couple last week. A few more last month. Oh well.

[CraigC]

I must have been lucky so far. I've only had 2 out of about 100. Intersting that both were MOV pressings. I buy most from acoustic sounds either 200 gm or the 45 reissues no problems with those.

I ask that the discs are checked before sending them. They then reseal the plastic. Great service

Edited July 9, 2011 by LockedoutofCraigC

[Probbo]

I accept a reasonable amount of warpage, but do return the bad ones.

Returning to overseas can be painful though - I recently returned 2 to amazon UK. Their return policy (for aussies) is we pay the return postage, then they refund postage costs "up to" 7 pounds. It cost me heaps to return the records ($27 or $37 from memory) via regular air mail, which is the cheapest method that makes the 30-day restriction amazon puts on the returns. They were packed together in a simple vinyl shipping envelope like the ones cdwow uses to keep weight down. When amazon received my records, they refunded 75p per record, so my $27 -> $37 in postage costs only earned about $2.30 aud in refund. Not cool.

I also returned to cdwow recently and they give a reply-paid address to ship to, so it doesn't cost you anything. Took them a while though... This was a funny one because the records arrived completely drenched - the covers felt like wet paper mache and there was a little sticker on the package informing me that they were like that when received at Botany.

Send an email to Amazon advising the return costs and asking for their approval to incur these costs................I have done this twice for records received in a damaged condition...........they paid all costs.

cheers

[Jake]

Send an email to Amazon advising the return costs and asking for their approval to incur these costs................I have done this twice for records received in a damaged condition...........they paid all costs.

cheers

I must be a valued customer. I just tell them the record is warped, they tell me to keep it and send me a new one. Got a stack of new warped vinyl piling up that I got for free.

[htm_1968]

I bought three new LPs from a certain record shop in Fitzroy on Friday. All of them had their shrinkwrap opened, which I thought was strange, but then I noticed that all the LPs in the store had been opened. I have 30 year old vinyl with less surface noise than these albums. So, back they go on Monday. If there is any issue with getting a refund I will be very pleased to report this and the name of the store here.

A while back I bought a Mogwai boxed set from Amazon. The box contained a double live LP, a DVD and a CD. Bizarrely, I got side A and B twice and so no sides C and D for the LP. I reported this to Amazon, and they sent me another copy. They also refunded my costs of shipping the incorrect set back to them (which were almost as much as the cost of the box set itself). Strange business model, but I guess that their markup must be sufficiently large and volumes sufficiently high that it pays them to do this.....

[Janjuggler]

In the last 6 months I have purchased about 100, have sent back 3, 2 because of warping the other because it must have been a bad pressing and it literally squealed for most of the first side. Vinyl Eye are pretty good with returns, as are Collectors Corner ....

JJ

[Boon54]

Recently bought 5 pieces and box arrive damaged due to poor packaging. Had to return all for replacement with big argument with seller. Never buy from them again.

[Toisich-Jnr]

A staff member at a high end hi fi store once told me only to buy vinyl from specialist on line stores. He said that music stores that sell second hand vinyl with perhaps a few new albums on sale will probably get the poorest quality LPs from the pressings. Some purchases I've made from non specialist stores has born this out - some with lots of pops & crackles on brand new vinyl.

With the current strength of the dollar buying from overseas specialists has never been easier. I've never had a problem LP from the likes of Acoustic Sounds.

[Bus_Boy]

New, that's very poor.

The only issue I've had with new LP's is them being dished. This can look like it's warped on one side. One supplier in the US now opens new LP's I buy and flattens them if necessary before shipping.

Can you tell us this US supplier? I had 6 out of 6 new records show up warped. All the one's i have bought from the vinyl era have been fine, no warping whatsoever.

For that reason i've just stopped buying new records. I would buy them if there was the guarantee that they would arrive flat.

[snowdownunder]

Bus_Boy,

Elusive Disc are checking mine before shipping. You will need to request that your LP's are to be inspected to see that they are flat before shipping. Just email them, Jason is the man that I deal with, he's very helpful.

This is an extract from an email about this topic.

The problem is that we don't make the LPs and we have no control of warpage/scratches, etc.

It's standard practice amongst us and our competition for customers to pay to return them.

However, we are trying to prevent this by inspecting your LPs before shipment.

Also consider this. On labels such as ORG (we distribute worldwide) we request a defective allowance so we get so many of each title free so we can replace LPS free of charge.

Major labels such as WEA, Universal, Sony all will not let us (or anyone) return defective LPs to them. We have to take a loss every time.

Jason

I also got a dished LP from Hottracks Music in the US. After I sent them a short video of a dished LP spinning on the TT, they just sent me an insurance claim form. I filled it in and they just sent me another one.

I've only had issues with new LP's being dished, some may and do call this warped.

[Jake]

I wonder if Amazon will accept a record back because it is so hideously compressed I can't listen to it...

[Gutty]

My latest purchase is going back ! It has dimple like voids... several of them on both sides. Has anyone ever had anthing like this before ? Is it more common in coloured vinyl ?

It's also quite badly scratched in 2 spots, dispite supposedly being new.

[snowdownunder]

Gutty,

I bought a Red vinyl LP that had one in it. It played through it OK, but from memory 22 clicks. I didn't sent it back as it was a Bay job. Out of all the coloured vinyl I have this red LP is the only one I can remember with a dimple. You've got good camera there, and a very poor new LP.

One LP that I bought a few years back had a huge mark on the Vinyl across 2 tracks, to my surprise this had no effect on the sound. I'm guessing it was marked before being cut, which should really make it a second. I kept it but didn't buy any more LP's from that Australian supplier.

[Gutty]

Gutty,

I bought a Red vinyl LP that had one in it. It played through it OK, but from memory 22 clicks. I didn't sent it back as it was a Bay job. Out of all the coloured vinyl I have this red LP is the only one I can remember with a dimple. You've got good camera there, and a very poor new LP.

Haha ! The pics were taken on my iPhone 3GS... crapest camera of all time

Yes i have quite a few coloured records and this is the first time i've ever seen this. I'm tempted to keep it and have it framed as it is one of my all time fave records, but on the other hand i think i'd rather have a copy i can play if i want to...

[Dr Good Vibe]

Frame it Gutty.

[Gutty]

We'll see Doc ;-)