# Amazon Sellers?



## Guest (Mar 17, 2013)

Do any of you sell CDs on Amazon? I do, and I occasionally get emails (got one this morning) that ask these exact same questions:

*I would like to know the catalogue number or barcode,
Which country is the cd made(stated on cd itself, not on prints or box)?
What is the condition of the cd ,does this cd have scratches on the playing surface ?
What is the condition of the booklet ?
Can you take a close look on the inner ring of the disc to see if there is any sign of "ifpi", which is very small in size?
*
I wouldn't mind taking the time to answer the questions, but NO potential customer who has asked and received an answer has ever bought the disc in question! (I've recognized a few names, but sometimes they are different.) Does anyone have a clue what's going on? Is it a mild form of a prank? I find it odd that the wording is always identical, as if there's a fixed set of questions among collectors or something! Anyway. I have just quit responding these days.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I used to be an Amazon seller, and received those messages. I think maybe there was one sale involved. It probably is a 'fixed set' of questions. There was/is a similar coterie of LP collectors, who ask the equivalent questions.


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## Sudonim (Feb 28, 2013)

Try this:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ifpi-question-those-numbers-in-the-ring-on-cds.211008/

Sounds like there is some sort of urban legendish thing out there about these "IFPI" numbers.

My initial thought was that this is some sort of rather ham-handed attempt to spot someone selling bootlegs, but the link above leads me to believe otherwise. The link also alludes to how the seller did not seem to be a native English speaker, which also seems to be the case for your queries (note the misuse of articles and prepositions, always a giveaway).

Are there really people who "collect" CDs in the sense that they think the discs will one day be highly collectible (i.e., worth money)? I find it hard to believe that will be the case. I know some OOP discs can command astronomical figures even now, but I've always thought that was due to people actually seeking the _content_ of the disc, not the disc itself - which I believe is different from many LP collectors, who seek the LP for _itself_ more so than what it contains. (I admit I could be totally wrong about this, however. I am not an LP collector. I grew up in that era and was glad to move away from the medium. )

_Edit:_ On further reflection, maybe the questions are fairly legitimate for someone who lives in a country where certain controls are not in place - maybe they ARE trying to spot a bootleg. I can easily see lots of second- or third-generation copies being made of legitimate discs and marketed as the "original" in some countries.


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2013)

Maybe these people are just verifying the authenticity, but I find it strange that they all use the _exact_ same wording!


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Re exact same questions, I'd guess a-n-a-l and/or control freaks who saw it somewhere, thought it a good idea, and began using it. The frequency of, and one-way communication aspect, I suppose could qualify it as an Urban Legend. Ignoring it is the best tactic.

Super-serious collectors (likely domiciled in Japan) are interested in rare and unopened.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

i ask questions like that sometimes.
sorry.


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