The Problem With Vinyl Grading And What Actually Matters

If you collect records long enough, you learn something quickly: vinyl grading is not an exact science, it is an opinion. There are recognised grading scales, and on paper they look precise. VG+, EX, Near Mint, neat little labels that suggest clear differences and clear expectations. But in reality, those labels depend entirely on the person doing the grading, and that is where things start to blur. The system gives structure, but the interpretation of that structure is human, and humans do not see things the same way.

Recently, we received two separate stacks of records, both graded VG+. On paper, these records should have been in very similar condition, almost interchangeable in quality. In reality, they could not have been more different. One stack had hardly any surface marks, clean, tidy, clearly well looked after copies that visually sat very comfortably in the upper end of that grade. The other stack was covered in surface scratches, visibly more worn, handled, and aged. If you laid them side by side under a light, you would assume they belonged in different categories entirely. But here is the part that actually matters: they all played brilliantly.

That right there sums up the issue with grading. There is no universal enforcement, no official inspection process, no global authority deciding what qualifies as VG+ and what does not. It comes down to the seller’s eye, their experience, their equipment, their standards, and sometimes their optimism. Some people grade visually under strong light and are extremely cautious. Some barely check beyond a quick glance. Some play test records as part of their process, while many do not. Some compare against near perfect copies, others against the roughest records they have ever seen. So two people can use the same grade and mean completely different things without either technically being wrong.

Grading also has a financial impact, which subtly shifts standards over time. A small change in wording can mean a noticeable change in price, and over years that leads to gentle grade inflation across the market. What used to be considered VG slowly becomes VG+. What used to be EX drifts closer to Near Mint. This is not always deliberate, it is often just gradual as perceptions adjust and the overall condition of surviving copies continues to age. Vinyl is physical, ageing media. A record that is 40 or 50 years old has lived a life. It has been played, handled, stored, moved house, taken to parties, and slid in and out of sleeves hundreds of times. Two copies of the same album can have completely different histories, and grading tries to compress all of that into two letters and a plus sign. It cannot fully succeed.

That is why grading should be treated as guidance, not a guarantee. A VG+ record might be close to Excellent, or it might be a well loved copy that looks rough under light but sounds great on a turntable. Both exist comfortably within the reality of how records age and how the market uses these labels. This is where the real question comes in: do we care more about playback or appearance? For most people who actually listen to their records, the answer is simple. Playback. Every time.

Vinyl is an audio format, not wall art. The entire purpose of a record is what comes out of the speakers, not how flawless it looks under a spotlight. A record with light marks that plays clean is a better listening copy than a glossy one with groove wear that sounds like frying bacon. That does not mean appearance is irrelevant. Deep feelable scratches, severe warps, or badly damaged sleeves can affect value, longevity, and collectability. But for most people spinning records at home, the priority is clear: does it play properly, is the noise level reasonable for its age, and is it something you will actually want to drop the needle on again? Your ears experience the record, not your eyes.

Grading helps set expectations, and it is a useful tool, but it will never be perfectly consistent. If two stacks both labelled VG+ can look completely different yet sound fantastic, that tells you everything you need to know. Grading is part science, part experience, and part human judgement, and human judgement will always vary. In the end, the best collections are not built from technicalities. They are built from records that get played.

As a result, we will be releasing our own grading scale on our site this month, with clear photographic examples of what you can expect at each level. Not to reinvent the system, but to make our standards transparent, consistent, and easy to understand. The goal is simple: fewer surprises, clearer expectations, and more focus on what really matters, how the record sounds when it hits the turntable.