How to Buy Safely on Discogs

Don’t Assume Every Item is in Mint Condition

Each item listed for sale in our music marketplace includes a description of the item’s condition. While you can find both new and pre-owned music, we encourage you not to assume that every item is in what you would consider perfect condition.

Discogs sellers use the Goldmine Standard for grading conditions ranging from Mint (M) to Poor (P). Most new releases will generally be graded in Mint (M) condition. The most common grades for items in decent condition are near mint (NM), Very Good Plus (VG+), or Very Good (VG).

Look for grading under the condition label in a marketplace listing. If you have certain expectations with grading, ask a seller about their practices or check their before making a purchase.

Communicate Directly with Sellers on Discogs

You can sellers directly through Discogs before making a purchase, then continue communication through the order page after you have purchased an item. You can ask questions about the item’s condition, request tracking details for shipping, and more.

Good communication via the order page is the best way to handle most concerns. In the event that there’s a problem with an order, Discogs will reference communication on the order page to assist. We cannot assist with any communications or issues that arise between s that occur off-platform.

Request Tracking and Insurance

The easiest way to keep track of your new purchases is to request tracking and, if necessary, even insurance. Sellers will often clarify whether their shipping includes either of these options upfront. However, you can also review their Seller or them directly before you buy.

Provide the Seller with Your Correct Address

Make sure that your address is up-to-date in your buyer settings to ensure all of your purchases are shipping to the correct location. You do have the option to select a different address than the one listed on Discogs upon completing a payment; this address will be saved in PayPal, our trusted partner, and shown on the PayPal receipt.

Be Patient with Shipping

Sellers are not in control of shipping times. If the seller you’re buying from is in another country, the order may take considerably longer to arrive. You can view a seller’s location before making a purchase and use the order page to request tracking information.

Review and Provide

allows collectors in our music marketplace to share and benefit from each others’ experiences. Discogs will ask you to leave after completing a purchase. Review our guidelines to better understand what to expect.

If a Price Looks Too Good to be True, It Probably Is

Discogs publicly provides the median sales values based on the most recent purchases on our platform, which you can find in the sales history for each release page. We encourage you to use this data to compare prices in our music marketplace. If you see an item listed for a fraction of what it would normally sell for, exercise caution before purchasing. Items that are valued at $200 aren’t typically sold for $20.

Be Wary of Seller s with No or Low Ratings

and transparency are important to Discogs, which is why you can see reviews, ratings, and on a seller’s profile page. Brand-new s with no , negative , or low ratings can be considered suspicious.

Keep Communication Inside of Discogs

You can people in the Discogs community directly on our site. You can sellers through private messages before making a purchase, and then continue communication through the order page after you have purchased an item. However, if you chat outside of the platform, our team cannot review communication in case of fraud or a dispute and may not be able to assist you as a result.

Do Not Overshare Personal Information

Discogs will ask you to provide financial details only during a transaction via our trusted payment partner, PayPal. Never send your personal information – financial number, , address, details – through order communications or direct messages, and especially not outside of Discogs.

Do Not Pay for Items Outside of Discogs

Only complete purchases through Discogs. We are partnered with PayPal to process and protect all transactions, including in cases of fraud or a dispute. We cannot assist with transactions completed outside of PayPal if something goes wrong. For more information about PayPal’s protection program, please visit PayPal’s page.

Avoid Suspicious Third-Party Services

Discogs sends important communications through email or on-site, including notifications and direct messages, and we always identify trusted partners such as PayPal. For example, we do not offer live chat services; we only have a chatbot designed to guide you to useful help documentation. Discogs also does not offer phone , and we will never ask for payment information through chat or third parties like WhatsApp. You can review Discogs-approved vendors.

If You Suspect You Have Been Scammed, Act Immediately

your payment provider as soon as possible to explain the situation and request a refund. Then, report the fraud to Discogs through this form.

Your payment provider is the service you used for the order.

• If you paid with PayPal, PayPal .
• If you paid using a credit card, your credit card company to see what sort of protection or financial guarantees they can offer you.

Report Suspicious Activity

If you see a suspicious listing or seller, report it to Discogs through this form. We take fraud very seriously and will investigate reports immediately.