When I buy a disc I expect it to be good when it says good, very good when it says very good and if it says near mint or mint the thing better be in decent shape. For the most part most of my discs rate 5/6 to 6 6/7. I just bought a collectoin off ebay and while they said very good they are pretty much trash. That being said, the discs are in decent shape. The Jackets are the things that are trashed. What saves the collection, the disc I bought the collection for is in nice shape. So, it is worth it just for that item. Now, I am ticked that the rest of the Jackets have splits, creases and other damage. That being said, what do you do when the stuff is just not up to what was described. I figure anything that says very good or good is going to be no better then good.

I find it depends alot on who the seller is, and how they grade. I have a Japan seller, who lists scratches on the disc etc, and when I received them it was so minimal you could hardly see them, and I've bought from them quite a few times. So they definatley grade the condition lower then what it really is.

I have another I buy from, that you could get something really good, or possibly bit rough shape with some scratches (thank goodness for Novus scratch remover) and if they have the LD listed as "acceptable" I usually won't buy it.

The only thing though, sometimes it's something rare I'm looking for, and you have to settle for what you might get even if "acceptable", as long as the disc isn't cracked, and still plays ok.

For me it is usually a given that the disc is in good shape. I am usually not happy about the jacket. If that is messed up it gets me more upset. Usually means the seller didnt take care of it. I have been spoiled though, lol. I should just be happy.

Condition It's never been a major factor to me ... when it comes to LaserDiscs. Price is my major concern ... if I pick up an LD for a low price ... two viewings and I have my money out of it. My personal experience with LD(s) is that most owners took very good care of the discs ... as far as covers ... most show shelf and mail order shipping ware.

Is this the same collection you got "The Iron Giant" and "south Park" in?
With most Discovision discs, they have creases. The seller that I purchased Frenzy from did not mention that a small portion of the paper coving jacket used on those older Open-top boxes was missing. And now is unsellable. However the discs are excellent except for Side 5 of course.

I'm very fussy about condition. I'd pass on a disc if it isn't up to scratch, although if it was mega rare I would buy it in the vain hope it has some redeeming qualities.
I don't know what it is about laserdiscs but you often get a pristine disc and a poor cover or vice versa - which makes me think there must be a lot of swapping going on!
Also common is to buy a perfect cover complete with what looks like a mint disc only to find it is totally rotted. So you end up having to track down a cheap second copy perhaps with some wear to get a decent playback copy!

I've a pile of duplicates that don't quite make the grade - most play perfectly but the covers and/or physical condition of the discs would not please me so I've pushed them to the side and waited for a better copy to come along. The majority of the LDs I plan to keep would be near mint overall or as close as I can get to that.

For me the cover is critical - I just couldn't bear owning a rare title if the cover was trashed. Rubwear, ringwear, and heavy creases really put me off a title instantly.
Side splits or small corner dings aren't so annoying in my opinion as they are not so up front visually. Often you have to look really closely to even notice that level of damage.
In such cases an OBI can act as a great means of hiding a corner ding!

Another tip for someone trying to track down a mint US cover is buy it from a Japanese collector rather than from someone in the US.
In Japan people look after their stuff and you will often find they have some of the finest copies of US titles in their collections which they imported.
They aren't cheap to buy as they had to pay the import duties however if you are after the best copies available then that is certainly one route you can go.

I make a habit of dealing with sellers I trust over and over again, ones who I know are honest in their assessment of the condition of a disc. For me, condition is certainly important, but not all-important. If I have a choice between 2 or more copies of a title, I will virtually always choose the one with the nicest jacket, even if I have to give more for it. Sadly, however, this is rarely an option for me. At the very advanced stage of collecting where I find myself, there is seldom a time when I have a choice between multiple copies of the same title. Many of the titles I own are ones I have never seen another copy of. I buy a lot of Hong Kong and Taiwanese imports, and these markets were very rental oriented, as opposed to targeting sales to collectors. Since many of these discs are former rentals, you often have to take what is available, when it is available. If you pass up a copy of a title you really want because it has a crappy jacket, it may be a VERY VERY long time before another copy surfaces. In fact, you may NEVER see it again. If you really want it, jump all over it! Like Robin Williams said in Dead Poets Society, "Carpe Diem, lads! Seize the day!"

David

Maybe that was what My problem was. I got the south park collection and there are 109 pristine copies of expensive movies (from a Japanese collector no less. the guy worked at Ken Cranes in 1999 2000) and I got another collection in and they were described as very good and I would be suprised if one if them was better then acceptable/good. The discs are ok, the jackets look like they have been stepped on, pooped on, used as traction devices for cars stuck in the snow and so on.

I'm slightly ticked off on some of the jackets and condiont the box or whatever holds the disc in when its shelf ware or whatever ware but that doesn't last too long. what lasts longer is the disc being cracked or warped or something

I understand shelf wear. It is the wear that looks like the jacket was used to pick up cow dung that bothers me.

Same here. I get really peeved if a disc is bad. However why do I collect discs (Discovision) where at least 70% are bad? Well, I guess it the feeling of getting something that is incredibly outdated and not available to the general public easily. I am a perfectionist when it comes to later releases however I can't be picky with 30 year old discs. As I mention in another post, if you want a brand new Discovision disc with no creases or dents, your going to have to fork out good money for it.

I will have to remember that as I have gotten sealed discs that have been perfect.

I actually find a huge difference in the condition of Japanese and American laserdiscs I buy. There seems to be an abundances of near mint discs and jackets over here (Japan). I've pulled out plenty of LDs even at junk shops that look like they've never been played. The discs literally with no marks or blemishes. However the discs I've bought from the States always seem to have some problem with them. Creases, marks, scratches on jackets and discs. I definitely think some of it has to do with the quality of the materials used (Japanese jackets being much sturdier). What else? I'm not sure, but I know when I get a Japanese disc in the post,I expect near mint condition and when I get a US Disc I expect a poorer condition of LD.

There are around four Sellers that I totally trust, when it comes to complete accuracy of condition details of each disc.

They take great pride in what they do and I totally appreciate there thoroughness.

I personally only purchase titles that are 8/10+, or brand new, as I cannot tollerate covers or disc's that have not been looked after.

I am willing to pay good money and so expect a good product, and of course well packaged.