ebay madness re: vinyl

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Let's be real here - obis are strictly so that a Japanese record buyer can store records on a shelf and have the titles on the spines in Japanese. There was no "mythic" reason for them.

[clifford_thornton]

For CDs, yeah, though most of the Japanese LP pressings I own (even of Japanese artists) have English text on the spines. The obis would not be visible unless one pulled them from the shelves.

[Bill Nelson]

It gets idiotic Stateside with completists who trim and save the hype stickers slapped on the LP shrink wrap.  No claims of 'aesthetics' or 'inherent artwork' should include stick-on marketing hokum. 

[JSngry]

Let me put it this way - if the lack of an OBI results in a significant price break, then the OBI's loss is my gain!

[Pim]

1 hour ago, Bill Nelson said:

It gets idiotic Stateside with completists who trim and save the hype stickers slapped on the LP shrink wrap.  No claims of 'aesthetics' or 'inherent artwork' should include stick-on marketing hokum. 

I always peel them off and put them on the protection sleeve but never realized this makes me an idiot. I’ll think twice now for sure.

About the OBI: I’ve always liked them and they definitely have some aesthetic appeal. I also associate them automatically with rare Japan only releases. I like to have them but it doesn’t prevent me from buying when it’s not present. It’s a nice extra

[jlhoots]

8 hours ago, Pim said:

I always peel them off and put them on the protection sleeve but never realized this makes me an idiot. I’ll think twice now for sure.

About the OBI: I’ve always liked them and they definitely have some aesthetic appeal. I also associate them automatically with rare Japan only releases. I like to have them but it doesn’t prevent me from buying when it’s not present. It’s a nice extra

+1

[clifford_thornton]

12 hours ago, Bill Nelson said:

It gets idiotic Stateside with completists who trim and save the hype stickers slapped on the LP shrink wrap.  No claims of 'aesthetics' or 'inherent artwork' should include stick-on marketing hokum. 

A couple of times I've written the hokum and therefore kept the hype sticker. 

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

A couple of times I've written the hokum and therefore kept the hype sticker. 

 

 

[JSngry]

I like the hype stickers and keep them, just because. And I don't let it ruin my day if they get lost or something.

[mjazzg]

Let's hear it for the hokum...

[Holy Ghost]

On 7/7/2025 at 1:02 PM, Royal Oak said:

I threw my Blue Note Connoisseur CD OBI strips out, when I should have saved them and sent them off for a Blue Note watch, or whatever the prize was. 

Finally, I have 12 Connoisseur OBI's; can I send them in and get my BN watch now?

[jcam_44]

On 7/8/2025 at 8:34 PM, JSngry said:

Let me put it this way - if the lack of an OBI results in a significant price break, then the OBI's loss is my gain!

Same. I have never once seen a record I want missing the OBI and thought, "I'll wait til I find one with the OBI. 

[Royal Oak]

On 7/9/2025 at 10:43 PM, Holy Ghost said:

Finally, I have 12 Connoisseur OBI's; can I send them in and get my BN watch now?

👍

I may send the inner sleeve coupon from my "Donald Byrd's Best" LP (and a cheque for $5) for a BN T-shirt. 

[Rooster_Ties]

On 7/9/2025 at 1:42 PM, JSngry said:

I like the hype stickers and keep them, just because. And I don't let it ruin my day if they get lost or something.

Me too. I definitely keep ‘em, for historical purposes — but don’t really care if I don’t have them either.

Not just obis (obies?), but stickers on the outside shrink wrap, which I re-apply somewhere to the liners or the tray-card, sometimes.

[jlhoots]

51 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Me too. I definitely keep ‘em, for historical purposes — but don’t really care if I don’t have them either.

Not just obis (obies?), but stickers on the outside shrink wrap, which I re-apply somewhere to the liners or the tray-card, sometimes.

Those outside stickers tear sometimes when you try to get them off the shrink wrap.

[Holy Ghost]

1 minute ago, jlhoots said:

Those outside stickers tear sometimes when you try to get them off the shrink wrap.

Well, being a CD hype sticker aficionado myself, and well-versed on this topic, what you should do, is you carefully remove the shrinkwrap from the CD product; next, arm yourself with pricision-like scissors and then cut around the shrinkwrap involving said hype sticker. Lastly, insert into CD booklet, and vaula, you have your hype sticker, safe and sound. 

[Bill Nelson]

Adding 'em to 'Sound Savers' or 'Factory Sealed for Your Protection'.  

Or, more specifically: 'Includes the hit single, 'What A Fool Believes' 

[jlhoots]

5 hours ago, Holy Ghost said:

Well, being a CD hype sticker aficionado myself, and well-versed on this topic, what you should do, is you carefully remove the shrinkwrap from the CD product; next, arm yourself with pricision-like scissors and then cut around the shrinkwrap involving said hype sticker. Lastly, insert into CD booklet, and vaula, you have your hype sticker, safe and sound. 

Thanks!! 😎

[JSngry]

https://www.stonesthrow.com/news/records-are-your-best-entertainment-value/

[Big Beat Steve]

15 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Me too. I definitely keep ‘em, for historical purposes — but don’t really care if I don’t have them either.

Not just obis (obies?), but stickers on the outside shrink wrap, which I re-apply somewhere to the liners or the tray-card, sometimes.

I learnt the pitfalls of these (oh so sticky) on-cover stickers the hard way in my early collecting days c.1977 - on the "Pres & Teddy" LP reissue on Verve. It had a diamond-shaped "Verve's Collectors Classics" sticker on the front of the cover that I tried to remove, but to no avail. Some glue stuck stubbornly, some paper remnants too. In short, the mess stood out like a sore thumb (and I had not heard of the hairdryer or oil removal trick yet). So, desperate for the visual impact, I decided to cover the mess up by cutting a similarly shaped diamond sticker from self-adhesive sheeting of an inconspicuoous color. Better than having to look at the mess each time ...
Many years later I managed to remove everything after all (don't recall if by hairdryer or oil or ...) with only a few inconspicuoous dings and nicks remaining. At any rate, the same diamond Verve sticker is still on the cover of my copy of "Pres and Sweets".

I sometimes keep the sales blurb stickers from the shrink wrap or the cover itself, but not always. It depends if they add a "period" touch or not. The other day I relegated a Jimmie Lunceford LP to my fleamarket vinyl crate but hesitated for a moment because it still has a fairly large UK "Recommended price" tag from the old pre-decimal currency system (priced at "19/11") on the front cover but found it would not remove easily so I did let it go.
What I systematically salvage, however, are the record shop self-adhesive labels they used to stick the open side of the inner sleeves shut before selling so no buyer would be able to return the record AFTER playing it. Don't know if this practice was current in the US, but over here it existed well into the 70s, and I've retrieved several (though of course they are always split in the middle) that remind me of long-gone and nostalgically remembered record shops. 

Edited July 12 by Big Beat Steve

[Royal Oak]

On 7/12/2025 at 8:25 AM, Big Beat Steve said:

I learnt the pitfalls of these (oh so sticky) on-cover stickers the hard way in my early collecting days c.1977 - on the "Pres & Teddy" LP reissue on Verve. It had a diamond-shaped "Verve's Collectors Classics" sticker on the front of the cover that I tried to remove, but to no avail. Some glue stuck stubbornly, some paper remnants too. In short, the mess stood out like a sore thumb (and I had not heard of the hairdryer or oil removal trick yet). So, desperate for the visual impact, I decided to cover the mess up by cutting a similarly shaped diamond sticker from self-adhesive sheeting of an inconspicuoous color. Better than having to look at the mess each time ...
Many years later I managed to remove everything after all (don't recall if by hairdryer or oil or ...) with only a few inconspicuoous dings and nicks remaining. At any rate, the same diamond Verve sticker is still on the cover of my copy of "Pres and Sweets".

I sometimes keep the sales blurb stickers from the shrink wrap or the cover itself, but not always. It depends if they add a "period" touch or not. The other day I relegated a Jimmie Lunceford LP to my fleamarket vinyl crate but hesitated for a moment because it still has a fairly large UK "Recommended price" tag from the old pre-decimal currency system (priced at "19/11") on the front cover but found it would not remove easily so I did let it go.
What I systematically salvage, however, are the record shop self-adhesive labels they used to stick the open side of the inner sleeves shut before selling so no buyer would be able to return the record AFTER playing it. Don't know if this practice was current in the US, but over here it existed well into the 70s, and I've retrieved several (though of course they are always split in the middle) that remind me of long-gone and nostalgically remembered record shops. 

These? 

Edited July 18 by Royal Oak

[Big Beat Steve]

Yes, like these. 👍

[Holy Ghost]

Like these stickers have always been a nuisance to remove; why couldn't the factory put these stickers on the outside of the CD case on the shrinkwrap? Some removed easily, but most left a string of sticky residue on the front and back, and that is if they nicely peeled off all the way. Most stickers splintered into several seperate pieces leaving more sitcky residue. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

11 hours ago, Holy Ghost said:

Like these stickers have always been a nuisance to remove; why couldn't the factory put these stickers on the outside of the CD case on the shrinkwrap? Some removed easily, but most left a string of sticky residue on the front and back, and that is if they nicely peeled off all the way. Most stickers splintered into several seperate pieces leaving more sitcky residue. 

@sonnymax showed me the trick to get these off many years ago.

You lift off the cover from the edge opposite the sticker by gently lifting up the piece of case that comprises the lower hinge pin. You lift the cover up and the plastic can be easily peeled off. Once done, carefully re-attach the cover.

[Holy Ghost]

3 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

@sonnymax showed me the trick to get these off many years ago.

You lift off the cover from the edge opposite the sticker by gently lifting up the piece of case that comprises the lower hinge pin. You lift the cover up and the plastic can be easily peeled off. Once done, carefully re-attach the cover.

Splendid advice 😁