Japanese record grading and terms: obi, 美品, 盤質 and the rest

Used records in Japan come with a lot of small print. A price card at a Tokyo shop can carry a letter grade, two or three kanji compounds and a note about the obi, and online listings on Japanese sites are written the same way. None of it is hard once you know a couple of dozen words. This guide covers the ones you'll see most, using the definitions Japanese shops publish themselves.

Condition grades: diskunion's scale

There is no single Japanese grading standard. Each shop uses its own scale, but diskunion is the largest used-record chain in the country and publishes its scale in full, so it is the one most worth learning. Many smaller shops use something similar.

diskunion writes two grades, sleeve first and disc second, in the order 外装 / 盤質 (packaging / disc condition). So "A/B" means the jacket is grade A and the record itself is grade B. The grades are:

A "+" or "−" can be added to any grade. diskunion's FAQ adds two details worth knowing: S is only used for items still in their original shrink-wrap or caramel pack, and the grade describes the item when it was listed, so jackets in particular may not match the grade exactly when you see them.

美品 (bihin, "beautiful item") is the word you'll see most outside of formal grades too. On a hand-written card or a marketplace listing it simply means the seller thinks it's in very good shape. It's a claim, not a standard.

English grades in a Japanese shop

diskunion also uses Western-style letters alongside its own, and says how they relate:

• NM = 美品
• EX = 良品 to 並品
• VG = 並品 to 難あり品
• G = ジャンク品 (junk)

This is the part that trips people up. The Goldmine scale that you see on Discogs listings goes Mint, Near Mint (NM or M−), Very Good Plus (VG+), Very Good (VG), Good Plus (G+), Good (G), Fair and Poor. There is no "Excellent" in it. Japanese shops use EX a lot, and diskunion's own definition stretches it from "minor marks" down to "visibly used". So don't read EX as VG+ by default. Read the notes, and if the record matters, ask to listen (more on that below).

Abbreviations on the card

diskunion's grading notice also lists the short codes it puts on price cards:

• CUT: cut-out mark on the jacket, usually new old stock
• CC: corner cut
• DH: drill hole
• PH: punch hole
• CS: company sleeve (the label's printed inner sleeve)
• PS: picture sleeve
• MAT: matrix number
• SOC / SOL: sticker on cover / label
• TOC / TOL: tear on cover / label
• WOC / WOBC / WOL: writing on cover / back cover / label

The obi (帯)

The obi is the paper strip wrapped around the left edge of most Japanese LPs, with the Japanese title, catalogue number and price. Kobe's Kanko Record sums it up as "the thing that hangs on the jacket", found mostly on Japanese releases. It doesn't change how the record sounds, but whether it's still there makes a big difference to rarity and price, as Music First's glossary puts it.

The words you'll see:

• 帯付き (obitsuki): with obi
• 帯なし (obinashi): without obi
• 帯不良 or a note about the obi's condition: the strip is there but torn, faded or stained

diskunion's FAQ notes that outer parts, obi included, can have cracks, rubbing, creases, dirt or fading even within a grade. If the obi is why you're buying the record, check it separately.

Promos: 見本盤, 非売品, 白ラベル

Japanese labels pressed promotional copies for radio stations and shops. Face Records' guide describes them as records given out by labels to radio and similar outlets, often with a white label and sometimes a "not for sale" mark.

• 見本盤 (mihonban): sample / promo copy, often printed or stamped on the label
• 非売品 (hibaihin): not for sale
• 白ラベル (shiro raberu): white label, a strong hint that it's a promo, though coloured-label promos with 見本盤 printed or stamped on them also exist, as the musicphotolife guide shows

Some promo jackets also carry a PROMO or SAMPLE sticker.

Pressings and packaging

• 国内盤 (kokunaiban): Japanese pressing. Usually comes with Japanese liner notes.
• 輸入盤 (yunyūban): imported pressing. Cut-outs and drill holes are common on these.
• 再発 (saihatsu): reissue, a second or later pressing, often with a different catalogue number.
• 未開封 (mikaifū): sealed.
• シュリンク (shurinku): the thin shrink-wrap film over the jacket. "シュリンク付き" means the original film is still on the opened jacket, which some collectors care about.
• 歌詞カード: lyric sheet.
• ライナー / 解説: liner notes. On Japanese releases these are part of the package, and missing ones lower the value.
• インサート: insert. Shops don't agree on this one: Kanko Record uses it for paper that isn't the liner notes, such as a lyric sheet, while Music First uses it for any insert at all.

Damage words

These turn up in grading notes and in the comment line of online listings.

• スレ (sure): rubbing or scuffing. Music First describes it as light wear that rarely affects the sound.
• キズ (kizu): scratch.
• ヤケ (yake): fading or clouding. Face Records uses it for a disc that has lost its shine and gone cloudy, which brings constant surface noise. On jackets it usually means sun fading. Music First calls clouded vinyl ビニヤケ (biniyake).
• シミ (shimi): stain, such as water damage.
• 反り (sori): warp. Kanko Record calls it fatal damage; Music First notes bad warps can make the needle skip.
• ノイズ (noizu): crackle or pops.
• 針飛び (haritobi): the needle jumps a groove, from a warp, a pressing fault or a scratch. Often written together with 音飛び (otobi), the same thing heard as a skip.

Shop words

• 中古 (chūko): used. 新品 (shinpin): new.
• 買取 (kaitori): the shop buys records from customers. You'll see it on signs and on shop websites; it's not something you need as a buyer.
• 試聴 (shichō): listening before you buy. Music First recommends it to check for warps and cloudy vinyl. Policies differ by shop and by store, so ask at the counter.
• ジャンク (janku): junk, sold as-is.

Returns on used records

Grading matters more because returns are limited. diskunion's FAQ says a defective used item gets a refund rather than an exchange, returns are accepted only if the item differs significantly from its description or is defective, and you have seven days to report it. A sealed (S) item can't be returned once it's opened. Other shops set their own rules, so check before you buy something expensive.

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A short checklist

1. Read the grade as two parts: sleeve / disc.
2. Treat EX as a range, not as VG+.
3. Check the obi separately if it matters to you: 帯付き, 帯なし, and any note about its condition.
4. Look for 反り, ヤケ, 針飛び in the notes. Those are the ones that change how it plays.
5. Ask to listen in the shop when the price is high, and keep the receipt.