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| Hazards of buying 78s online |
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| 30th May 2024, 2:51 PM | #1 REPORT | |
 | mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points | Today I received a 78 I have been trying to find for a while… unfortunately it was broken!! It’s quite a rare one by Don Porto on Eclipse, with Bob and Alf Pearson on vocals: https://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/779uk Very annoying as I always contact the seller first to check if they are experienced with sending 78s. If they are not, I advise them how to package them. I did that, and the seller ignored my advice, sending it in an LP mailer with some bubble wrap. Not happy. This usually seems to happen with rare records too… Don Porto 78s come up on eBay all the time, but not this one. I bought it on Discogs ages ago and the seller cancelled my order as they couldn’t find it. Usually, I’m the only bidder, but this time, someone else was bidding against me. Maybe a Cavan o’Connor collector, as he’s on the other side. I used to get a few broken 78s in my early days of buying online. Nowadays it’s rarer but a lot of people clearly don’t realise they’re fragile. |
| 30th May 2024, 3:30 PM | #2 REPORT | |
 | getalife So many questions, so few answers Member since Nov 2010 877 Points Moderator | Never posted a record but maybe in the future. What would you advise for 45s, LPs and acetate.  |
| 30th May 2024, 3:41 PM | #3 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points |
getalife wrote:
Never posted a record but maybe in the future. What would you advise for 45s, LPs and acetate.
If it’s vinyl, less risky, and you could just use a custom-made mailer. Acetate I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever received any broken vinyl in the post! |
| 30th May 2024, 4:36 PM | #4 REPORT | |
| getalife So many questions, so few answers Member since Nov 2010 877 Points Moderator | Save me doing google search and not knowing what I’m looking at, were should I be looking for “custom-made mailer”. Thanks in anticipation  Edited by getalife on 30th May 2024, 5:40 PM |
| 30th May 2024, 6:03 PM | #5 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points |
getalife wrote:
Save me doing google search and not knowing what I’m looking at, were should I be looking for “custom-made mailer”.
Thanks in anticipation I just googled “record mailers uk”, found these Lil Packaging DS Smith Defenda Pack Covers 33 |
| 30th May 2024, 6:27 PM | #6 REPORT | |
| getalife So many questions, so few answers Member since Nov 2010 877 Points Moderator | Thank you for taking the time to help, much appreciated. Not as expensive as l thought. I thought post being post l would need something like thin plywood both sides and sealed with duck tape knowing how the post get thrown around. Cheers |
| 30th May 2024, 7:29 PM | #7 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points | Glad to help. I don’t think you need to be so careful with vinyl - it’s quite sturdy. It’s shellac that needs a lot of protection. |
| 31st May 2024, 8:30 PM | #8 REPORT | |
 | Pridesale Member since Mar 2013 805 Points | I dunno, I had buyers moan at me for sleeves that got crumped at the edges (on singles and LPs). I dont know what you can do about that, the sleeve on the (triple LP) was shrinkwrapped from the factory and basically had tightened over time and in the packaging I used ( thinking about it I should have used the "flip over jacket" LP Mailers but I had run out of any accessible ) . Such LPs do wrinkle though - its a fact that sleeves are "thinner" than the discs (and I am sure company 45 sleeves were considered almost disposable by manufacturers in the 50s/60s/70s) and so you get the ring wear, edge marking , the "clariofoil" splits off , its all part of the patina and therefore one has to be carefull, something indeed may be new - and thus the disc has to be guessed at as being mint, and the sleeve for the LP I called near mint - as in it hadnt been used by ones grandchild as a colouring book ( seen that in places !) and priced below an overall "very good" alternative so It could not be said one gets what one pays for ). For shellacs (and I guess some of the styrene LPs/45s, postage (even carrying themselves on the bus I worry) I use a mix of sacrificial cheap discs, bubble wrap of assorted bubble sizes card and cardboard, but it does mean they go way over the size limits of royal mail etc. I have exported to Australia and Germany (and had a problem once in the US- the mailman couldn't fit it in the "box" at the end of the driveway and left it on the ground - the homeowner came home and ran over the box with their 4x4 car - I told them to claim on their home insurance as the postal person delivered it according to their rules. Generally, no amount of packing is going to prevent issues with postal companies putting large amounts of weight atop things or playing football with them in the sorting offices. Indeed, the issues record companies had with 78 distribution- and that was using their own fleets or dedicated contracts with the likes of what became say British Road Services - with breakages was one reason for developing the LP and 45 formats. While a question for biscuit world has anyone actually managed to find a packet of rich tea biscuits these days that have not disintegrated to lumps or dust as you file them into the biscuit barrel (I have had to swap to ginger creams which are too sugary). Edited by moderator on 9th Jun 2024, 4:46 PM |
| 1st Jun 2024, 4:21 AM | #9 REPORT | |
 | fantasista Member since Feb 2015 435 Points |
mister_tmg wrote:
Today I received a 78 I have been trying to find for a while… unfortunately it was broken!! It’s quite a rare one by Don Porto on Eclipse, with Bob and Alf Pearson on vocals: https://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/779uk
Very annoying as I always contact the seller first to check if they are experienced with sending 78s. If they are not, I advise them how to package them. I did that, and the seller ignored my advice, sending it in an LP mailer with some bubble wrap. Not happy. This usually seems to happen with rare records too… Don Porto 78s come up on eBay all the time, but not this one. I bought it on Discogs ages ago and the seller cancelled my order as they couldn’t find it. Usually, I’m the only bidder, but this time, someone else was bidding against me. Maybe a Cavan o’Connor collector, as he’s on the other side. I used to get a few broken 78s in my early days of buying online. Nowadays it’s rarer but a lot of people clearly don’t realise they’re fragile. I've bought some 78s online and had good luck for the most part, but with eBay sellers in particular it is a bit of a crapshoot. A few years ago I received a thin cardboard envelope containing one piece of bubble wrap and the shellac record - it miraculously arrived unscathed, but that was also the last time I bought a record on eBay. And while I know ours is a niche hobby, I can't help but think that someone who doesn't even know these records can break may be, hm, a little lacking in culture  Edited by fantasista on 1st Jun 2024, 4:32 AM |
| 1st Jun 2024, 7:40 PM | #10 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points | In my early days of collecting, I picked up a 78 from a charity shop and it broke that day. Luckily, it was Such a Night by Johnnie Ray, so not rare. I wouldn’t let that experience put you off buying on eBay. The reliable dealers will mention their packaging in the product description. I tend to look at their feedback ratings too. If they aren’t a dealer who specialises in 78s, I’ll contact them. I had a 78 from Discogs which arrived intact in an LP mailer. I complained to the seller, and he said something like “it arrived safely, what more do you want?” So many sellers think they have nothing to learn. |
| 2nd Jun 2024, 7:50 PM | #11 REPORT | |
 | carryonsidney a happy disposition is an omnious sign.... Member since Feb 2010 1707 Points Moderator | I have noticed about 78s that they can have a subliminal crack, a wrong bit of slight pressure and bingo they will break. Lost a couple on the way home from the shops just recently. It is a risk unfortunately these days because of their great age. |
| 2nd Jun 2024, 9:01 PM | #12 REPORT | |
| getalife So many questions, so few answers Member since Nov 2010 877 Points Moderator | Listing my brother in laws 78s was an ordeal l would not want to repeat, some being a hundred years old and in mint condition. |
| 2nd Jun 2024, 11:59 PM | #13 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points |
carryonsidney wrote:
I have noticed about 78s that they can have a subliminal crack, a wrong bit of slight pressure and bingo they will break. Lost a couple on the way home from the shops just recently. It is a risk unfortunately these days because of their great age.
I’ve noticed some look okay but there seems to be some kind of crease in the label, suggesting signs of cracking? |
| 5th Jun 2024, 8:24 AM | #14 REPORT | |
| carryonsidney a happy disposition is an omnious sign.... Member since Feb 2010 1707 Points Moderator | Yes thats an example. Other types will appear as a vague straight line bump in the platter. The one positive thing about 78's that if you get a clean straight break you might have a good chance of fitting the parts back together and taping down one side to a bit of card so you can play the side you want. Done that a few times, because the grooves are so big, if the parts go back together ok then you dont get the click you would on a 45. (doesnt work well when the crack is curved though) I’ve noticed some look okay but there seems to be some kind of crease in the label, suggesting signs of cracking?[/quote] |
| 11th Jun 2024, 9:24 AM | #15 REPORT | |
| Pridesale Member since Mar 2013 805 Points | I have had strange clean breaks - though I tend to bin them , which literally took the disc in half but going round the label. Maybe it was pressing heating and pressure that created that as the weakest spot ? |
| 14th Jun 2024, 5:41 AM | #16 REPORT | |
| 23skidoo Member since Jul 2014 4080 Points | I've seen vinyl mailers sold in record shops and even post offices. They're very sturdy cardboard. I'd use one of those and then bubble wrap the hell out of it. And wrap it up in a T-shirt or something to boot (call it a bonus!). Of course if someone is paying $5 one might not put in the effort, but 78s in the collector market aren't going for $5 (or you might be sending it as a gift). Obviously this depends on the location sending and receiving, but I wouldn't trust any postal service with such an item - courier. A friend sent me a CD once that arrived in 2 pieces because at some point Canada Post had a) dropped it in water and b) run over it with some thing with tires (the tire markings were on the envelope). It wasn't insured so all we got was a "sorry for the inconvenience." Luckily it was a burned CD - not an actual album or anything - so my friend simply made up another one. But it could have just as easily been a $100 collectible. |
| 14th Jun 2024, 2:43 PM | #17 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points | I wouldn’t use a vinyl mailer for sending 78s. What’s needed is a cardboard box. Sandwich the 78(s) with cardboard sheets, and wrap that in bubble wrap. Fill the box with packing chips, foam or newspaper. There are guides online: http://www.claxtonola.com/shipping78s/# “Never use an LP mailer to ship a shellac 78!” http://oldtimeblues.net/2016/06/04/a-guide-to-properly-packaging-78-rpm-records/ https://nesprs.wordpress.com/mailing-a-record/ Unfortunately this week I received another damaged 78. This seller had made some effort, and previously sent me two 10” 78s which had survived, but this 12” arrived with a chunk which had broken off. I think this was probably because the record was not cushioned enough at the sides. Not a 78 I had desperately been searching for, but it seems scarce nonetheless, sadly. |
| 14th Jun 2024, 4:06 PM | #18 REPORT | |
| Pridesale Member since Mar 2013 805 Points | In the old days retailers would return broken discs for grinding up to make new discs, they literally only had the value once sold. I dont think they took back ones customers broke, maybe they did |
| 22nd Jun 2024, 12:33 PM | #19 REPORT | |
| mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points | I’m having quite bad luck at the moment. Today I got another broken 78 from eBay! The seller just sent it in an LP mailer sandwiched between some cardboard. Hopefully this proves the point that LP mailers shouldn’t be used for sending 78s. Last week it was This Year of Grace (Selection) by the London Pavilion Orchestra on 12”. Not very common. Today it was Vera Lynn’s The Love of My Life / What a Day We’ll Have. Hopefully not as rare. |
| 22nd Jun 2024, 12:47 PM | #20 REPORT | |
| danceband91 Member since Nov 2020 119 Points | I don't buy single 78s off ebay, but one tip I've heard is to buy a few more 78s from the same seller and get them to sandwich the desired one in-between, so that the added thickness will help protect it. Of course that puts the price up somewhat, but perhaps worth it for a record you really want. |
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