The Lore Scale
Condition is graded against one published standard, not a seller's mood. You self-grade with the criteria below; buyers can dispute within the confirmation window, and trained graders arbitrate. Discogs ran vinyl this way for decades at near-zero cost — the standard is the trust. Certified physical grading arrives later, only where the fee justifies it.
As shipped from the box or publisher. No shelf wear, spray crisp and unfaded, no spine lean, all inserts present, unread.
Read at most once, with care. Minute corner softening allowed; spray edges intact; no creases, marks or fading.
Light shelf wear or minor spray rubbing visible on close inspection. No structural faults. Displays beautifully.
Honest wear: mild spine lean, light edge fading or small jacket nicks. All pages and inserts clean and complete.
Clearly used. Noticeable fading, wear or a small crease. Complete and solid; no writing, water damage or repairs.
C5 and below: complete but flawed (inscriptions, damage, missing inserts). Listed with mandatory flaw photos; excluded from investment-grade sales.
Per-point photo criteria — exactly what a C9 spray edge or a C7 spine lean looks like — are published against each grade as reference photography lands in the census. Certified physical grading follows only where the fee justifies it.
A working standard, v0.2 — grade definitions and thresholds are validated against real sold-price data and collector feedback, not fixed in stone.