Testing and grading

Grading

Below are the grading labels applied to all CDs for sale at Tortoise Music Exchange. This grading applies to the playings surface of disc(s).

Grading labels are not applied to the artwork, inlays, or non-playing side of disc(s) for sale. Please refer to the high-quality pictures available on each item page.

Broadly speaking, this grading scheme aligns with the Goldmine Standard as used by Discogs and other music shops.

NEW: sealed item, as new. Original plastic wrap will still be in place. Every effort will have been taken to ensure that it is not, in fact, a used CD re-sealed by another large second-hand music retailer.

NM / Near Mint: we do not use the 'Mint' grading, as no second hand CD is truly mint. Near mint is the closest grading to a new CD, and even this is very rare. 

NM- / Near Mint Minus: picture, if you will, a pristine CD, with the lightest of specks, which could even be mistaken for dust. This is NM-.

VG+ / Very Good Plus: some light scuffs or scratches. 

VG / Very Good: Quite a few scuffs and scratches. Some swirl patterns may be present.

VG- / Very Good Minus: a fair amount of the playing surface will have scuffs and scratches present

G+ / Good Plus: lots of scuffs and scratches all over.

G / Good: the lowest grade offered for sale. The playing surface will be covered in scratches.

 

All discs are graded conservatively, and if there are any doubts, the lower grade is opted for.

 

Testing

Any discs not graded as new or in the 'near mint' category are tested in full using software. This software reads the entire surface of the disc and scans for any integrity errors (that might cause issues with the timecode in a player, or skips). 

Unless every track on the disc passes this test 100%, it is not offered for sale. Simple as that. 

 

Condition of the rest of the CD

All product listings depict the actual product you will receive - 'what you see is what you get.' We do not use stock images. All attempts are made to portray the item as accurately as possible, so you can make your own determination on the condition of inlays, booklets, digipaks, or other elements.

Every effort is made to avoid listing CDs with severely cracked jewel or maxi-cases, but please review pictures carefully as some cracks may be hard to detect.