scotthilk
Well-Known Member
If you “add-on” it locks you but you can just cancel the add-on and start over. Unsure if it’s your primary.
Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)
- Thread starter Captainfog
- Start date
Btsvinylfarm
Active Member
Yeah, it's almost definitely more than replacement/reserve stock based on the past few months.
As far as limited/FOMO restocks, this appears to be the first time they've done "swap exclusive" restocks
Attachments
Okay I don't want to blow it out of proportion, I'm picky and I'm running a VERY finicky rig in so far as I can hear pretty much any little issue with these pressings for better or for worse. I went through 3 copies of Grace and all of them had some level of noise and crackling across several tracks. It was the same tracks each time so it was definitely a pressing issue within the run in my opinion, rather than just a couple iffy discs. The last copy I got was relatively quiet, though certainly not what I would consider great. The other issue is this VMP copy was supposed to be the Kevin Gray remaster from 2010 however it's not, it's the inferior Columbia master. I got a copy of the KG master and A/B'd them and it's not even close, the KG blew the VMP version out of the water on my setup. Now again, I'm running a pretty technical rig in terms of the "sound" of my system. I'd say your mileage may vary in terms of how much of a difference you can hear. The KG master is about $18 brand new and widely available. But it's not a pretty blue and doesn't come with the extra 7 inch. If you're running a very high end setup, I'd say just go for the $18 one. If not then the VMP would likely be fine BUT like I said, all of mine had crackle across several tracks so you MAY come across that issue, but you may not. I am, very unlucky with this stuff.
Bohnjaggs
Well-Known Member
Thanks... Just swapped for it
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
@Mather had numerous issues if I recall correctly.
EDIT: [scrolls down] yeah, I remembered correctly.
Ponman2003
Well-Known Member
With 5 of the last 6 ROTMs previously showing sold-out and now are all back in stock, I think I agree. I think they’re doing this bc their system sucks and they’re seriously trying to prevent oversell. But it could certainly be FOMO.
This is not the first time exclusives/ROTM backstock was SWAP exclusive. There’s a reason why ppl storm the SWAPs portal every month.
suzycreamcheese
Member
Nice stunt. Of course, as an international member I again arrive late to the party and all interesting swaps are gone. I really wish they would start communicating properly. Pretty pissed.
Gavaxeman
Well-Known Member
I have to say my decision to not renew for three month in January was a wise one..the only record from the last three tracks I was interested in was Aretha Now which I’ve brought separately without being committed...
Btsvinylfarm
Active Member
But based on the the amount of availability of prior titles that happened to "sell out" they're either terrible at judging demand or just stoking FOMO.
Ive never seen them label them as "swap exclusive" though. It seems like this will be a new ocurrance each month.
On one hand, it's good for members who don't like the tracks available. But when the tracks show immediately as out of stock, and these swaps are super limited, and the company social media is telling customers to wait and see if more tracks become available; it puts customers in a false sense of panic.
Launching at 7pm EST I'd horrible for Europeans
Nope it's Permaswaps now after the 1st , but you may be able to have CS change it for you.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
I emailed Customer Service to see if they would manually swap me over to Phrenology. Hopefully they will allow it. I personally have never emailed CS regarding a swap but many others have and typically they do it without issue as long as the album is in stock.
Ponman2003
Well-Known Member
Do we know stock #s for El-P and Mr Hands? Tough to judge otherwise.
Where did they do this?
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I know it sucks but I thought it’s pretty clear on the website that is the new system and has been for months. They ask you to confirm and say you cannot swap again IIRC. Either way I’m sure you can email CS to ask them to swap.
tonythegamer
Well-Known Member
they had Grace- Jeff Buckley, Bandana - Madgibbs, Irma Thomas - Wish Someone Would Care, and the Outkast ROTM labeled as Swap Exclusive this past iteration. All these previously OOS titles came back for swaps only.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Maybe I’m just not buying into this whole thing...but I think it’s their new system instead of holding back stock to sell for $40 later. They have a certain number of albums pressed each month. With Swaps there’s really no way to know which album will be most popular each month. For ease of numbers sake, say you have 12,000 members of VMP and 4K people on each track and you press 6K of each album. Let’s say a popular album comes out on the hip hop track— you will have people shifting over from another track to Hip Hop. The next month, the hip hop track might not be as popular so you have all those people still signed up for it from the previous month plus new people swapping over. The system will say it’s sold out. Not everybody swaps right at 7PM, so over the next few days, people will definitely swap and more spots will open up. And on top of that, you have new people joining.
It seems to me (correct me if I’m wrong) that once swaps are closed, lately all three tracks are marked sold out. This prevents people from adding on a track after shipments are locked in. I’ve never thought anything is actually sold out though in the first month. They have replacement stock on top of that which they seem to release somewhat quickly.
I personally think they are just really bad at estimating how much to press and which albums will be popular and sell out. Swaps are awesome but I also could see that being a logistical nightmare when they have multiple months in a row where only one or two tracks are great. But who knows, maybe I’m giving them too much credit and they really are just trying to screw everybody over to make a quick buck.
I didn’t see anything inherently wrong with that exchange they had. The fact is, there are limited number of swaps. If you want one of the swap exclusives that are hard to get, then swap for it now and don’t wait. If you want Blackalicious, there’s a very high chance the track will open back up as people swap over the course of the open swap window.
parnell17
Member
I'm not foreclosing on getting the Caroline Rose "Essential", but I'm definitely not going to buy it until I've heard the whole record.
keylime_5
Well-Known Member
It should work, I got them to swap to Mr Hands for me by emailing them.
Ponman2003
Well-Known Member
But I don't understand when you say they had them "labeled." Did they publicize them as such somewhere? Or did they just show up exclusively in SWAPs? (b/c that has happened many times in the past)