Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)

A big box (just 1!) arrived from VMP today, with 8 records in it. I haven't opened them all up yet but did go straight for the Oliver Nelson Skull Sessions. Its clearly not what was advertised (and let's face it, @Edd completely smashed it for the Wax Buyers Pressing) but I'm actually ok with it. It's still a cool looking variant (the blue side is better than the red) and im all for the audio quality over fancy pressings. The package itself is great, with a thick spine, gatefold with decent photos etc. Still, I can imagine there will be a LOT of variation in these and there will no doubt be some very unhappy people.

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Ethos99 said:
Not defending VMP here, but has anyone considered that VMP gets quantity discounts and that individual shipments don't cost them more? Or enough more to make a big deal?

Edit: or that shipping too many records together is the reason for so many damaged and warped records that they have to replace.
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It would be pretty fucked up if they are purposefully shipping out records individually to save money (I somehow doubt though that sending out 6 separate packages is cheaper than sending out 1 with 6 records in it) while simultaneously telling customers that they cannot mail out albums because they have to be bundled...

And as seen above this, people are shipped multiple items in one box. I've had up to 5 in one box and didn't have any warps...
 
MikeH said:
It would be pretty fucked up if they are purposefully shipping out records individually to save money (I somehow doubt though that sending out 6 separate packages is cheaper than sending out 1 with 6 records in it) while simultaneously telling customers that they cannot mail out albums because they have to be bundled...

And as seen above this, people are shipped multiple items in one box. I've had up to 5 in one box and didn't have any warps...
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Back in the days when they used to bundle properly and the forum and goodwill a lot of us would regularly have double figures of records boxed monthly. They were terrors for squeezing 5 into a box that should have been for 4 with bubble, or 9/10 into an box that should have been for 8 with bubble. Used to cause murder, the shitty listening notes with classics used to cause all sorts of warps with the tight fit and used to get plenty of bent corners. Then the mailer was too wide for single records and they used to rattle around inside the sleeve so nearly every inner was split. Fine for paper, just replace, infuriating for printed!
 
Joe Mac said:
Back in the days when the used to bundle properly and the forum and goodwill a lot of us would regularly have bearing double figured boxed monthly. They were terrors for squeezing 5 into a box that should have been for 4 with bubble, or 9/10 into an box that should have been for 8 with bubble. Used to cause murder, the shitty listening notes with classics used to cause all sorts of warps with the tight fit and used to get plenty of bent corners. Then the mailer was too wide for single records and they used to rattle around inside the sleeve so nearly every inner was split. Fine for paper, just replace, infuriating for printed!
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Yea--I do remember that, but squeezing too many into a small box is an error that can be fixed. Multiple packages for that situation makes sense. But I just got shipped 6 records between preorders, replacements and ROTM from my 3 month sub and they were all in a separate mailer, mailed from the same warehouse. It's inefficient from every angle in which you look at it hah.
 
MikeH said:
Yea--I do remember that, but squeezing too many into a small box is an error that can be fixed. Multiple packages for that situation makes sense. But I just got shipped 6 records between preorders, replacements and ROTM from my 3 month sub and they were all in a separate mailer, mailed from the same warehouse.
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Or just use the bigger box and bubble to fill, still a single shipment, we used to beg them to do that...
 
Joe Mac said:
Back in the days when they used to bundle properly and the forum and goodwill a lot of us would regularly have double figures of records boxed monthly. They were terrors for squeezing 5 into a box that should have been for 4 with bubble, or 9/10 into an box that should have been for 8 with bubble. Used to cause murder, the shitty listening notes with classics used to cause all sorts of warps with the tight fit and used to get plenty of bent corners. Then the mailer was too wide for single records and they used to rattle around inside the sleeve so nearly every inner was split. Fine for paper, just replace, infuriating for printed!
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Damn, this has brought back memories. I have quite a few damaged records because they just shoved as many as they could into a tight box.
 
roffle24 said:
I mean in all honesty it seems people will complain either way. People complained that their big box shipment got held up over specific records, and now people complain that they're getting everything as fast as possible, but in separate boxes.
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Where are these people getting things "fast as possible"? I just received 3 records, in 3 separate boxes, packaged on the same day and deliverd across different days; these were records that were supposed to ship in July.

It's the worst of both worlds.
roffle24 said:
I'd gather to imagine that logistically this can be challenging
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It's not that challenging, and you'd think a business that touts itself as one of the largest retailers of vinyl records would bring someone in with experience in logistics to help steer the ship. Other vendors seem to have no issue.

Joe Mac said:
Or just use the bigger box and bubble to fill, still a single shipment, we used to beg them to do that...
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Wait. Hold the phone. They make BIGGER boxes?

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Selaws said:
A big box (just 1!) arrived from VMP today, with 8 records in it. I haven't opened them all up yet but did go straight for the Oliver Nelson Skull Sessions. Its clearly not what was advertised (and let's face it, @Edd completely smashed it for the Wax Buyers Pressing) but I'm actually ok with it. It's still a cool looking variant (the blue side is better than the red) and im all for the audio quality over fancy pressings. The package itself is great, with a thick spine, gatefold with decent photos etc. Still, I can imagine there will be a LOT of variation in these and there will no doubt be some very unhappy people.
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Many thanks, I mean it. It is not the first time that our ROTM are also an exclusive at VMP (this wonder Nina Simone, Harold Alexander, and Ofege I think).
But this is the first time that "a lot" of people have compared the two. This is, of course, very flattering. But let's stay objective: it's largely related to the fact that VMP is having difficulties. I'm extremely proud of the records we put out (you have to listen to The Brooks), and I know their quality, but if VMP hadn't messed around we would be talking much less about WaxBuyersClub.

If this interests you and you have the time, take a look at our archives and at the artists maybe unknown on your side of the ocean. French 79, The Waxidermist, Brace! Brace !, Extraa, Baston, The Bongo Hop.
I try to alternate well-known artists, who bring people in, and others much less. On each of the vinyl records, the work is the same. The goal is the same: to make you discover a record that we love.

With very confidential pressings (<1000), we cannot be compared with VMP, and I do not wish it (although, and despite their mistakes, it is very very flattering).
 
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Edd said:
Many thanks, I mean it. It is not the first time that our ROTM are also an exclusive at VMP (this wonder Nina Simone, Harold Alexander, and Ofege I think).
But this is the first time that "a lot" of people have compared the two. This is, of course, very flattering. But let's stay objective: it's largely related to the fact that VMP is having difficulties. I'm extremely proud of the records we put out (you have to listen to The Brooks), and I know their quality, but if VMP hadn't messed around we would be talking much less about WaxBuyersClub.

If this interests you and you have the time, take a look at our archives and at the artists maybe a month known on your side of the ocean. French 79, The Waxidermist, Brace! Brace !, Extraa, Baston, The Bongo Hop.
I try to alternate well-known artists, who bring people in, and others much less. On each of the vinyl records, the work is the same. The goal is the same: to make you discover a record that we love.

With very confidential pressings (<1000), we cannot be compared with VMP, and I do not wish it (although, and despite their mistakes, it is very very flattering).
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In addition. Even though both clubs cannot compare I would like to add that WBC is exactly what I enjoyed first with VMP. You subscribe for a record, you receive that record and you spin that record. That's it: stress-free. During my last year with VMP, I probably spent more time checking every single record that I received than to play them (and I used to order a lot from VMP). It took off the fun of having a record shipped to me, the fun of unboxing my records and the pleasure to look at it and play the music.

If you guys feel the need to buy many exclusive variants of many different records, maybe WBC is not for you. If you want to receive a record per month and are ready to give a chance to, mostly, unknown artists, then WBC is for you. By the way, the next records are, if I cracked the guesses well, from a bluesy-rock band à la QOTSA next month, another Sam Records release by the end of the year and, hopefully, one of my favorite album of the 2010s and a real hidden gem early next year (released in 2013 but only available on CD).
 
Skalap said:
During my last year with VMP, I probably spent more time checking every single record that I received than to play them (and I used to order a lot from VMP).
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Oh man, you are so right. The first thing I do now when I received a VMP package is to open up each one and put it on the platter. Not to play, but to check for warps.
 
Selaws said:
I have to admit that for the longest time I assumed it was a placeholder for the actual album art. I completely agree with you, its just lazy. The article that was released at the same time states "we worked closely with Fiona and her team to re-imagine the artwork for this album.". Looking at the 'artwork' I assume they just quickly and cheaply produced that and gave it to Fiona's team for approval. I would be shocked if any artist produced an album of such personal merit then proposed to package it in something so lacklustre.
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"we worked closely with Fiona and her team to re-imagine the artwork for this album." = her pet wrote the title in crayon and they used that.
 
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