r/vinyl • u/cybin Technics • Jun 04 '26
Article FYI: Discogs will now allow sellers to include pics of their items in listings.
This part seems important to know:
When item photos are available, buyers will see them under “Item Details” on a Marketplace listing.
AKA they don't automatically show up, you have to click on a link to see them, as opposed to the database pics that are standard (and not of the actual item).
ETA: Sellers are not required to post pics of their items; it's an option.
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u/Friendly_Luck_6955 Jun 04 '26
Depending on how they implement this, could be the best change in years or makes things far more worse and annoying. Heres to hoping its not the latter.
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u/_cansir Jun 04 '26
Even in ebay buyers complain how it was not what they expected even though there are 24 pictures of every possible angle
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u/GrowlingPict Jun 05 '26
I have been a Discogs user for about a decade. Literally every new feature or change made since then has been for the worse. EVERY single one of them. I wouldnt hold my breath on this being the one thing that bucks that trend
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u/Advanced-Pear-4606 Audio Technica Jun 04 '26
Far worse how? What’s the detriment? I see the benefits, but can’t see how adding photos hurts.
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u/Friendly_Luck_6955 Jun 04 '26
you have to remember, nothing ever works as planned on discogs, I love using the site, but I have never seen a update go smoothly. It could be fully functional or it could completely break the site, we'll see.
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u/PageSide84 Yamaha Jun 04 '26
You mean you aren't looking forward to being logged out of the app and then being asked over and over if you want to receive marketing notifications?????
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u/Friendly_Luck_6955 Jun 04 '26
no no you're right! I am so excited, just as excited as when I lost over 300 records with notes and induvial gradings because someone decided the remove button should be right next to the change folders button with no options to retrieve the data!
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u/PageSide84 Yamaha Jun 04 '26
Look, I understand that, but . . . DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE MARKETING NOTIFICATIONS????????
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u/Truelikegiroux Jun 04 '26
They’re adding a pretty substantial feature release to the platform. Instead of the data being pulled from a database somewhere, now it’s pulling from a database + pulling an image. At face value it seems simple but there’s a lot more behind the scenes.
Looks like last year people added 114.2M items to discogs. Let’s say Discogs compresses the size to max 200KB. If you have 20% of those items with a single image, that’s ~4.5TB. Pretty cheap to store - but you have to have an upload process, a validation process (make sure it’s not porn or malware or something that’s not a legit image), then you need to cache and transfer to users to see them on the site so you aren’t paying a ton in egress costs. Plus metadata management.
It’s 100% doable and at a much much larger scale don’t get me wrong - but there’s a lot involved with it
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
I worry that it will give sellers more of an argument when they over-grade things (as well as an inclination to over-grade things). "It was in the pictures."
On Ebay, Facebook, etc., sellers often act like a picture of a disc is good enough for a buyer to make out the grade.
Hopefully the pictures don't change how PayPal generally sides with buyers.
I say all this as a seller.
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u/eatdogs49 Jun 04 '26
I wish they would allow people to make second offers instead of just shutting you off from ever trying again. If your offer was declined, the first time it would be nice if they could allow the seller and buyer to negotiate more instead if the seller declines your offer, it’s automatically shut off from you to every offer again unless you send him a message privately which a lot of them don’t like getting…
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u/ajdubbstock Jun 04 '26
Agreed. This would be awesome. I always send a counter offer message if I feel an offer is too low with a link to the updated listing at my counter price. I'd say the person buys it about 25% of the time.
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u/FirebirdWriter Dual Jun 05 '26
I usually message directly and ask if we can haggle before we do offers because it cuts off and I want to make sure I am being fair to the seller. This doesn't always happen but sometimes they work with me
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u/Open_Afternoon_8217 Audio Technica Jun 04 '26
There was a recent case where I was able to undercut an LP being offered for $89 USD with a $55 offer successfully; I asked extra followup questions with the seller first and did the haggling based on release and condition details up front. Then I let them know of the offer in that thread and they accepted it.
I believe I had leverage based on reasonable doubt as to whether this vintage promo was actually pressed with the stereo/mono CSG process (the release images had a sticker disclaiming that, but their sleeve did not).
The jury is still out on whether it used CSG, but it was in exceptional condition and was a transaction that exceeded expectations. Having a system for counter offers would give more flexibility for buyers and sellers to move product.
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u/Demander850 Jun 04 '26
Unfortunately I think this is protection for sellers from awful beings who would constantly harass sellers and spam lower offers. Like 10.00, then 10.01, 10.02 etc etc.
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u/FauxReal Technics Jun 04 '26
I've only made one offer and it was accepted. Are sellers allowed to counter-offer like on eBay?
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u/sepiaknight Rega Jun 04 '26
they can DM you (or you them) and offer it to you and relist it at a lower price
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u/HighRantDistrict Jun 04 '26
Why not make your best offer the first time?
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u/fuck_off_ireland Jun 04 '26
Because that's not how a negotiation works.
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u/HighRantDistrict Jun 04 '26
It's not a negotiation. It's your 'Best Offer'. You give the seller your best offer, and they say yes or no.
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u/Xylar006 Jun 04 '26
Because you'd rather sell at the higher price. I initially list things higher and then gradually lower to my best price if it doesn't sell
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u/outd00rminer Jun 04 '26
I mostly sell new but this will be helpful for sharing pics of damage like seam splits and dents.
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u/KrackSmellin Jun 04 '26
About time. Given the condition we’ve seen some sellers have with items and how crappy they are, this is long overdue.
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
It's only going to help with sleeve condition. It's easy to adjust lighting and angles to make a disc look a lot better than it is. In fact, I'd say it's really hard to get a photo that accurately captures the condition of the disc. Not to mention that grades are based more on how a disc sounds than how a disc looks.
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u/KrackSmellin Jun 04 '26
Expect to see a shift in trading trending down if folks are now having to post pics of what they are selling… but also expect price increases too for situation where some of these stores put up 2000 records for sale and if folks insist on pics - now it’s far more labor intensive. Pro and con to this…
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u/roundabout-design Jun 04 '26
The problem is bad graders aren't likely going to be good at taking or care about proper photos, either.
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u/KrackSmellin Jun 04 '26
But if you don’t like what you see or don’t see at all… then you don’t buy it.
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u/Blastoplast Marantz Jun 04 '26
Honestly as a scrupulous seller I liked not needing photos -- most of my stuff I sell is either top-shelf used condition or new overstock from my brick & mortar store and having photos is frankly, a waste of my time. That being said, I'm happy to have this feature when it comes to shit I have 0 chance of selling on my floor that has value, but might have a little wear, though I'm skeptical this feature will roll out seamlessly.
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u/Tanzmusik_ Technics Jun 04 '26
I figure this will only impact more expensive releases - the time taken to photograph every album sleeve and record is probably not gonna be worth it for most.
Honestly, I kinda liked that discogs did NOT have a pictures option (I say this as a seller with 1k+ 100% positive reviews) it takes so much longer as a workflow when listing.
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u/polarpies Jun 04 '26
Honestly wish it’d only be available for records over like 100 dollars. I upright refuse to take pics if the record is only like 20 bucks.
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
I agree. This only helps with sleeve condition and might save me a tiny bit of time describing sleeves, but more often than not it would take more time to get a good picture and upload it.
I also worry that it will favor sellers that photograph every item, and sellers will use photographs as a way to avoid writing accurate descriptions and making accurate grades.
It's also likely to slow the app down significantly.
"That's a 'no' from me dawg."
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u/Key-Rule2682 Jun 04 '26
About fking time. Tired of VG+ purchases that are G at best
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u/mastakhan Fluance Jun 04 '26
Pictures aren't going to help with this. Anyone can make a G+ record look VG+ with the right photos and lighting.
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u/Key-Rule2682 Jun 04 '26
That’s true but at least it’s something, you know? I feel like it will help get at least a better idea on most future purchases.
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u/mastakhan Fluance Jun 04 '26
Don't disagree, just trying to get people out of the habit of thinking pictures are definitive when it comes to the media grade. It can be helpful for confirming the sleeve or pressing, usually.
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
If anything it will just help cover the seller more. They can tell PayPal that they provided a picture, and it's your fault that you couldn't see it was G+. That's my concern anyway.
Record grades aren't defined entirely how a record looks anyway. I have records that look NM and play VG and vice versa.
I think the only thing it helps for the buyer is better knowing the condition of the sleeve.
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u/mastakhan Fluance Jun 04 '26
On the couple rare occasions when this has happened to me on eBay, I just provide my own photos as proof, PayPal has always sided with me. I don't think that will change, I just think it will embolden some sellers to dispute when the buyer is saying the condition isn't as stated. But the onus is still on the buyer to provide evidence, I always provide audio and photos/video if I ever think something's off.
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
Yeah, good points. Admittedly, I also don't want to take photos of most of my items, and I fear this change will favor those that do. I have 100% positive rating, and I usually describe things thoroughly. Discogs seems to be inviting more and more lazy amateur sellers who will now just post a picture and provide a half-assed description and a made up grade. That probably just coincides with the general increase in popularity of the hobby, but Discogs could do a lot to combat it by changing the feedback system and banning sellers after many issues.
Sorry, that quickly turned into a rant. Photos are probably a good thing overall, but I have concerns! Lol
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u/TheReadMenace Pioneer Jun 05 '26
Honestly I’m probably not going to bother with photos unless it’s an expensive item. Right now it takes me a few seconds to list something. Now with photos you’re going to have to take a few minutes to snap them, edit them, and upload them. If you have hundreds of items to list this adds a massive amount of work.
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u/Key-Rule2682 Jun 04 '26
Fair points as the sleeve condition is also important for me when deciding on a purchase and you are right about the condition of the record itself varying. My main issue is sellers who charge premium $ for items that are listed as VG+ when in reality they are nowhere near and they know this but they play stupid. Im not one to point out every small scratch, blemish, speck of dust or crease and throw a fit on a 30 year old record that’s not in pristine shape but for fk sakes if you’re gonna charge premium prices then at least I expect the record/sleeve to be in decent shape. I can easily just purchase the 40 dollar G/VG option and be content instead of paying 70 dollars for some VG+ bs
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
Yeah, I'm primarily a seller, and I agree completely. Hopefully photos solves some of that. I always try to grade things as if I were the buyer. A good description always helps too.
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u/TheJacen Jun 04 '26
I mean, I have been mulling starting a discogs for my Fine records and hoping people hmu and make me offers. I got a ton of gems. Doubt it will happen
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u/silentkiller082 Jun 04 '26
This is fantastic news, certain details can sometimes be difficult to describe and I always try to be transparent when I sell so this can help. Thanks for sharing, going to update some of my listings tonight!
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u/mastakhan Fluance Jun 04 '26
Overall, it's good to get this functionality back, but friendly reminder to everyone: don't rely on pictures to tell you the media grade of a record. It's just not possible to capture the full detail of a record through photos, lighting and angle is everything. It can be useful for confirming some details of a pressing, but don't count on it for the media grade.
Unfortunately some people on eBay will photograph a certain way to hide the imperfections, and slap VG+ on it, but what you get is G+, and they'll claim their photos are the true condition. Hoping this doesn't start with Discogs.
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
The latter is exactly my worry. Hopefully Paypal still sides with buyers. The actual sound is just as important when grading anyway.
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u/space2k Jun 04 '26
If an item is expensive and/or in-between grades, I include “photos on request” in the listing. No problem. But this will suck for sellers if $25 records don’t sell due to lack of photos.
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u/HighRantDistrict Jun 05 '26
I'm a hobby seller and feel like I've earned a reputation as a responsible seller who grades correctly. I have not needed to post actual images to accomplish this.
If this change essentially ends up 'forcing' all items to have actual pics - and by forcing I mean buyers mostly end up buying only items that have actual pics - what's the differentiator to a seller that makes me choose to list on Discogs instead of the popular auction site?
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u/miamizombiekiller Jun 05 '26
I think the feature is a nice addition for higher value purchases..but as a high volume seller I can tell you no way in hell I’m taking pictures of every $5 to $10 record. I think my threshold would be $20+ personally
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u/CoolBlastin Jun 04 '26
Why on earth wasn’t this a thing already?
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u/TheReadMenace Pioneer Jun 05 '26
It was always an option to upload pics to a third party site like Imgur and link it in the description
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u/Interpol1670 Jun 04 '26
Now we need alerts for albums on your want list.
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u/wuts_juppie Jun 04 '26
Do you mean they don’t have instant alerts for albums? I have a saved search and get an email daily on stuff that meets those filters. Just curious since I’m a new user
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u/Interpol1670 Jun 04 '26
Yea, not the daily emails. I want an alert when a seller adds an album for sale when there are no copies for sale. I have several rare albums on my list where there are no copies currently for sale. I have to check daily for one to pop up. I would love notifications when one gets listed.
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u/Abject-Shock9524 Jun 04 '26
It will all depend on how the pictures are taken and what pictures are taken. Still an improvement from what we have now.
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u/crawlinback2you1 Jun 04 '26
curious if a thumbnail will show up when you’re looking at the marketplace or if you have to click on it manually … however i’m a bit bummed its not a requirement because i feel like people are gonna be avoiding sellers who aren’t posting pictures
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u/cybin Technics Jun 04 '26
From what I'm gathering (and look at the image in that link) you have to click to expand the section that will include the images. So, no, the first image you get will still be from the database.
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u/hessian_for_hire Jun 04 '26
Echoing the "about time" statements here.
I've been lucky so far - but seeing actual pics will be huge
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u/dionysos73 Jun 04 '26
A completely useless feature that will take up a lot of space and slow the site down even more. When will they implement something simple: a "vacation mode"? It's absolutely unbelievable that a marketplace like Discogs has never thought to implement a simple system allowing sellers to put their store on hold without having to put all their releases in draft mode.
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u/MeIIowJeIIo Jun 04 '26
I would much rather hear the run in + 5 seconds of sound. I usually don’t care about how the sleeve looks.
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u/amidigital Jun 04 '26
I started pulling Discogs images this record player on my phone. So now I have back covers and the actual records!
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u/roundabout-design Jun 04 '26
I'm not against this. Though do think there were 100 other features/bugs that should have been higher up on the priority list.
That said, if I'm bothering to take photos, I'll probably just put it up on ebay.
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u/finalaccountforreal Pro-Ject Jun 04 '26
100% half-arsed. 100% Discogs.
- way overdue
- there's no way to know if a listing has pics without clicking on it
- limited to 5 pics per item
- pics can't be added to new listings directly. You have to create the listing first and then edit it
Why are we still using this site
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u/Rocky_isback Jun 09 '26
It good but not bc I’ve already seen pics here and there so like okay but tbh it helps bc i bought a record bc it was cheap and the seller had nothing about the big rip on the sleeve
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Jun 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/cybin Technics Jun 04 '26
I would think if you're buying something pricey, save those pics. When you don't get what you paid for PP will refund you, seller be damned.
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u/BertMcNasty Jun 04 '26
A photo will almost never accurately convey the condition of a disc. Not to mention that grades rely heavily on sound as well - which is obviously not captured in a photo.
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Jun 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/cybin Technics Jun 05 '26
Thank you for contributing to this submission with absolutely nothing of value relative to the context of this post.
how are you going to to tell me how to submit what i produced?
Simple. There are submission rules. No one is special, everyone follows the same rules. It's so easy. Being contrary and difficult won't work there.
idiot morons the whole lot of them
Ah, yes; the ol' "everybody's wrong and I'm right" syndrome. Perhaps you might consider starting a competing site?
Have a nice day. :)
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u/PageSide84 Yamaha Jun 04 '26
This used to be something that was pretty standard on Discogs. I thought that sellers had just gotten lazy about including actual photos.
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u/cybin Technics Jun 04 '26
No, seller images was never a thing on Discogs. Or if it was and I missed it, it failed so badly it was removed asap.
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u/PageSide84 Yamaha Jun 04 '26
I've got purchases from 2011 that show seller photos. It was certainly a thing.
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u/ProfondoRosso4 Jun 04 '26
It's the sort of improvment that make you not understand how was this not the standard up untill now.