Rant - Quality (or expensive) products supplied in paper inner liners

[Oxfordian]

Sorry but I need to vent my frustrations.

I decided to treat myself to Eric Clapton's The Definitive 24 Nights Live box set compilation, a bit of a luxury but what the hell you only live once.

The Royal Mail were on the ball and delivered a hefty package this morning, content is excellent and there is a lot to go through in the days and weeks ahead.

But, and it is a big but;

Why oh why are the LP's inside paper sleeves Mr Clapton, why aren't they in poly lined sleeves, this is a premium product and it is sent out in a gritty dust magnet paper sleeves, I remove each LP and there is dust everywhere.

For the price that is being charged surely it is not too much to ask for the LP's to be supplied in poly lined sleeves is it?????

Rant over. Apologies.

 

[Al ears]

I can sympathise with your feelings. Decent sleeves don't cost a lot so no idea why they would use paper unless printed of course.

 

[Oxfordian]

I can sympathise with your feelings. Decent sleeves don't cost a lot so no idea why they would use paper unless printed of course.

If the sleeves had lyrics or images, or something then that would be fine and that would have made them part of the package but no, these sleeves were paper, plain white, with a hole in the middle to show the label.

A complete let down in what appears to be a well put together package.

 

[Al ears]

If the sleeves had lyrics or images, or something then that would be fine and that would have made them part of the package but no, these sleeves were paper, plain white, with a hole in the middle to show the label.

A complete let down in what appears to be a well put together package.

Then I concur with your rant.
Unacceptable.

 

[nopiano]

That’s disappointing! Back in my regular LP buying days I had a bulk pack of Decca-branded lined sleeves and would invariably swap them if the new record had a paper liner. Usually the luxury remastered or similar versions would have lined sleeves, like MoFi use.

 

[plastic penguin]

I have a number of albums with flimsy inner sleeves. Mind you once they do show signs of wear they are throwaway, whereas the card ones with lyrics and/or patterns, chuck them and the album loses its integrity.

I make sure there's plenty of paper glue to hand.

 

[WayneKerr]

What! You expect them to care that much about their product and the end-user? Of course they don't, they expect you to care as little as they do.

I guess at best it'll be a thorough dusting down and a new poly-lined sleeve, at worst get the record cleaner ready I do commiserate though, no care or attention to detail, very poor.

 

[Oxfordian]

That’s disappointing! Back in my regular LP buying days I had a bulk pack of Decca-branded lined sleeves and would invariably swap them if the new record had a paper liner. Usually the luxury remastered or similar versions would have lined sleeves, like MoFi use.

I have a pack of MoFi sleeves, the vinyl is now in these decent sleeves, it is just so wrong that we have to buy what should be provided with the package.

 

[Oxfordian]

I have a number of albums with flimsy inner sleeves. Mind you once they do show signs of wear they are throwaway, whereas the card ones with lyrics and/or patterns, chuck them and the album loses its integrity.

I make sure there's plenty of paper glue to hand.

Haha, yes I have had to get the glue out once or twice, one or two of the older nicely printed inner sleeves have needed a help hand to keep it together in their old age. I would have been fine with some printed sleeves with images or lyrics on, but no what was provided was beyond cheap.

 

[Oxfordian]

What! You expect them to care that much about their product and the end-user? Of course they don't, they expect you to care as little as they do.

I guess at best it'll be a thorough dusting down and a new poly-lined sleeve, at worst get the record cleaner ready I do commiserate though, no care or attention to detail, very poor.

Everything got a wash in the cleaner, there was a fair bit of muck in the bottom when I emptied it so definitely worth doing, but as mentioned elsewhere, now all clean and put away in those MoFi sleeves.

I have to say that the vinyl is very good, it scrubs up well and the Orchestral album I played this evening is excellent.

 

[plastic penguin]

Haha, yes I have had to get the glue out once or twice, one or two of the older nicely printed inner sleeves have needed a help hand to keep it together in their old age. I would have been fine with some printed sleeves with images or lyrics on, but no what was provided was beyond cheap.

You can't even complain unless you send a letter to whoever puts the LPs into the sleeves.

They will probably say, "paper is more enviro-friendly than coated board". Which is true but it doesn't justify the flimsy sleeves.

 

[Oxfordian]

You can't even complain unless you send a letter to whoever puts the LPs into the sleeves.

They will probably say, "paper is more enviro-friendly than coated board". Which is true but it doesn't justify the flimsy sleeves.

But as vinyl is hardly an environmentally friendly product that argument doesn’t really hold up. I thought about contacting the label and having a moan but the trail of who does what with the multi-conglomerates is nigh on impossible to establish.

 

[DCarmi]

I keep a box of poly-lined sleeves. The first thing I do is replace the naff paper and cardboard ones. I retain the cardboard inner sleeve, of course.

I also dislike CDs that come in cardboard outer sleeves with a glued on bit of foam to theoretically hold the disc in place. I also dislike dual CDs in a carboard sleeve where the openings are in the middle where the fold is, because you cannot get the piggin' things out easily.

 

[nopiano]

But as vinyl is hardly an environmentally friendly product that argument doesn’t really hold up. I thought about contacting the label and having a moan but the trail of who does what with the multi-conglomerates is nigh on impossible to establish.

Yes, maybe the LPs should be 170 grams and the spare 10 is saving the environment and contributing to the liner sleeve?!

BTW, Spincare sell nice lined sleeves and usually have an offer for a sample pack for a few quid. They appear on eBay and Amazon but you get a discount code if you buy direct.

 

[Oxfordian]

I keep a box of poly-lined sleeves. The first thing I do is replace the naff paper and cardboard ones. I retain the cardboard inner sleeve, of course.

I also dislike CDs that come in cardboard outer sleeves with a glued on bit of foam to theoretically hold the disc in place. I also dislike dual CDs in a carboard sleeve where the openings are in the middle where the fold is, because you cannot get the piggin' things out easily.

I will only keep the supplied inner sleeve if it is a good quality poly lined sleeve or if the sleeve is integral to the album, i.e. it has pictures, notes, acknowledgements, lyrics etc, if it is a plain paper insert it gets recycled, all my vinyl has to be in a poly inner sleeve which maybe inside the supplied inner sleeve.

As for CD's in cardboard, I understand the reduction in plastic waste and being kinder to the environment, but yes the CD's are all but impossible to get out of some of the packaging, nightmare.

 

[Oxfordian]

Yes, maybe the LPs should be 170 grams and the spare 10 is saving the environment and contributing to the liner sleeve?!

BTW, Spincare sell nice lined sleeves and usually have an offer for a sample pack for a few quid. They appear on eBay and Amazon but you get a discount code if you buy direct.

I have some Spincare sleeves both inner and outer, I also have Mofi inners and various Vinyl Storage Solutions outer sleeves.

The 200g, 180g 'quality' vinyl could easily be reduced to save the environment, a 160g vinyl LP would still be perfectly acceptable, after all many of my most played LP's are from 70's, 80's and 90's and the are 140g or 150g and play just fine.

 

[npxavar]

Maybe they are well-aware that vinyl lovers take discomfort and extra expenses to the chin and carry on.

 

[DCarmi]

As for CD's in cardboard, I understand the reduction in plastic waste and being kinder to the environment

I get that, I don't object to CDs in cardboard, just the naff way it is produced. For example Dave Gilmour, "On an Island" CD came in a cardboard flip cover with the CD held in by a foam circle. After a couple or so years the glue holding the foam gave out and the CD fell on the floor.

 

[daytona600]

Premium price not the same as a premium product

 

[Din5]

They must be rice paper inner sleeves !

 

[twinkletoes]

I get that, I don't object to CDs in cardboard, just the naff way it is produced. For example Dave Gilmour, "On an Island" CD came in a cardboard flip cover with the CD held in by a foam circle. After a couple or so years the glue holding the foam gave out and the CD fell on the floor.

The worst one I’ve just bought is the new foo fighters album. The opening faces the spine you have to bend the whole thing in half just to get a grip on the cd

 

[Oxfordian]

Maybe they are well-aware that vinyl lovers take discomfort and extra expenses to the chin and carry on.

And this comment hits the nail fairly and squarely on its head.

 

[Oxfordian]

The comments about cardboard CD cases has made me realise that this lovely box set with the paper LP inner sleeves also has 3 Blu-Ray discs at the bottom of the box.

Now these are Blu-Ray discs in cardboard outers but.........................................



They are in plastic sleeves inside the cardboard.

 

[NADman]

i always wash new records and replace the inner sleeves with poly liners before i even play them, my issue is with the occasional dished or warped discs!
rant over