Grading
Introduction to Metrowax Grading:
Metrowax Records grades for sale records in a strict and detailed manner that is also very simple to understand. Unfortunately, we are only a virtual store, so you will not get the chance to hold the product in your hands prior to buying it. This is why we think it is important to provide condition information that is as accurate as possible upfront. Lower grade records are listed in some cases, but all grades of records that we sell are guaranteed to be playable, and not to skip or have unplayable tracks, unless noted in the description.
All of our items are strictly graded by the standards below and are guaranteed to be in the condition described.
Our Vinyl Grades:
Vinyl is graded by sight, and records that are questionable are play-tested to make sure they are good enough to sell. We check for all types of problems, including scuffs, scratches, warps, skips, stickers, writing and all others. Everything we ship is cleaned and restored and any damaged inner sleeves are replaced.
MINT (M) - A record that has never been played and is perfect in every way. If it is still sealed, it is assumed to be mint. Very rarely used in our listings; if it is, it will be perfect. 10/10
NEAR MINT (M-) - A record that has not been used, or shows very little use. It may have one or two very minor scratches or marks, and will look new unless examined closely. Playback should be of outstanding quality. 9/10
EXCELLENT (EX) - A record that shows only minor signs of use. Has a clean appearance, with only a few minor scratches or marks that can be seen without close inspection. Scratches will not dominate the record surface. Playback can be expected to be of excellent quality. Equal to other sellers VG+ or VG++. 7.5/10
VERY GOOD (VG) - A record that shows moderate signs of use, and has been played many times, but not abused. It will have multiple minor scratches and scuffs, and they will appear all over the record when examined closely. Playback will be of very good quality overall, but may crackle, pop or hiss in spots, but never continuously and never so much that it is louder than the music. 5.5/10
GOOD (G) - A record that shows moderate to heavy signs of use, and has been played many times. It will have multiple scratches and scuffs, and they will appear all over the record without close examination. It may crackle, pop or hiss in spots, but should play through, even if a little noisy. 3.5/10
FAIR (F) - A record that shows heavy signs of use, it has been abused and shows heavy wear. It will have multiple scratches and scuffs, many severe, and they will appear all over the record without examination. It will be noisy with crackling, popping and hissing, and may even skip. It should still play. 1.5/10
Our Cover Grades:
Metrowax grades covers, and we note the type of cover. Items that are missing the original cover will come with a generic sleeve. We always grade generic sleeves at M- by default, not to be deceptive, but rather because we will replace them as necessary. We are a green company and try to re-use sleeves whenever possible, so in reality you may receive a sleeve that has been lightly used. We do have standards so don't expect a wrong sleeve or a damaged generic replacement sleeve. Original cover types are graded with the same standards as vinyl, and are rarely M- due to shelf and box wear over the years of storage and moving.
MINT (M) - Only used for brand new items and even a sealed item will have to be particularly sharp to achieve this grade. 10/10
NEAR MINT (M-) - A cover that appears nearly new. Only the most minor wear is allowed under this grade. The cover will be nearly perfect with no ring wear, very little corner damage, and no significant problems. 9/10
EXCELLENT (EX) - The cover will be used and handled a little, but overall in excellent shape. May have slight corner, edge and ring wear, and may be a little discolored from wear or dirt. Normal shelf and/or box wear issues usually fall under this grade. Any defects will be relatively minor. 7.5/10
VERY GOOD (VG) - A cover that has been frequently handled, but shows about normal wear and tear and is still good for protection of the record. May show moderate corner, edge and ring wear, and may be discolored from wear or dirt. Could have minor splits and/or water damage, as noted. 5.5/10
GOOD (G) - A cover that shows heavy use and handling. Will have significant wear on the corners and edges, significant ring wear, and may be creased, soiled, water damaged, or split. Not very attractive, but still intact and should suffice for record protection.
3.5/10
FAIR (F) - A cover that shows very heavy use and abuse. The corners and edges will be well worn and rounded. It will most likely be split and tattered, and is no longer good for protection, but still basically in one piece. 1.5/10
Our Abbreviations:
Metrowax notes stickers, writing, ring wear on the cover, cover splits, hole punches, and several other condition details in our listings. We use several abbreviations in these cases to help speed up the entry process.
WOL - Writing On Label
SOL - Sticker On Label
WOC - Writing On Cover
SOC - Sticker On Cover
CS - Cover Split, one side, also noted separately if many sides are split
CC - Cut Corner
NC, CO - Notch In Cover
HP - Hole Punch in cover
CWD - Cover Water Damaged
LWD - Label Water Damaged
PS - Promo Stamp on cover
WARPED - Record is clearly warped, though will be playable
SLIGHT WARP - Record is warped, but not very much
VERY SLIGHT WARP - Record is warped only a little bit, only seen from the side.
SS - Still Sealed, assumed to be mint.
OG - Original USA pressing
Our Cover Type Definitions:
PICTURE COVER - The original picture cover that came with the record.
ORIGINAL STICKER SLEEVE- The original jacket that came with the record. Usually a color printed sticker with artwork is affixed to the sleeve, which can be either a generic or factory sleeve.
FACTORY SLEEVE - A cover that is original and made by the record label. It is original issue, but does not identify with the record alone. We only list records as having this cover if it is the correct one for that year and release.
GENERIC SLEEVE - A generic plain cover, usually white or black. We include these with records that are missing the original cover, or in addition if the cover is severely damaged. Some records do come original with generic sleeves.
More Information About Our Grading and Listings:
DJ Cue stickers - Stickers that are actually on a track, preventing play of that track, used to cue up tracks for mixing records, but this defect is severe and noted.
Blacked out labels - When the label has been completed colored so that you can no longer read the track information. Often done by DJ's wanting to hide their tracks from wannabes.
Multiple LP sets that have varying record grades are also noted.
Small cracks and severe scratches are noted. Sometimes a record can be deemed useful even with these severe defects.
LP inserts, such as inner picture sleeves and lyric sleeves are noted. We have also seen comic books, stickers, booklets, autographs, extra promotional items, and gatefold covers, and we will note those in our listings.
A note on reissues; We do not sell many, if any reissues, and if we DO sell one, it WILL be clearly noted in the description as REISSUE. Whether it states OG / original pressing in the listing or not, assume your item is an original pressing. Since the vast majority of what we sell is original, we choose not to note this fact very often in our listings; it usually will only occur where a reissue exists for that title and our research has determined ours is original.
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