​Discogs sellers claim that new fees and restrictions are pushing them away

Discogs sellers are claiming that new fees and restrictions are pushing them away from selling on the platform, per a new report from The Verge.

The publication spoke to a number of sellers and label owners who regularly use the platform, which brands itself as the largest online music database and marketplace, first launched in 2000.

In May, and for the first time in 10 years, Discogs upped its selling fees from 8% to 9%, and added the same fee to shipping costs for the first time, meaning those regularly selling records worldwide would see a cut in profits.

Read this next: Vinyl distributor and record store Unearthed Sounds will close this month

Speaking to The Verge, one seller who operates without a brick-and-mortar storefront but employs four people, explained that selling on Discogs nets his company around €20,000 a month, but sales have shrunk by half in the last year.

The same seller added that he’s now making efforts to build his own website and move away from using Discogs, as users also claim to be frustrated with the outdated site itself.

“I’ve made my living with this company for the past decade,” a seller from Connecticut told The Verge. “It’s just the frustration that you have no control over what they’re doing, and it doesn’t even make any sense.”

Read this next: Pet Shop Boys' CD becomes one of the most expensive ever sold on Discogs

Discogs suggested that users should up their prices by a percentage after the fee change was made, and in an email to sellers, also suggested that they offer free shipping to avoid fees.

“In their communication, it was beyond insulting the way they framed it. Like, ‘Oh, you can just not charge for shipping,’” the Connecticut seller said. “The sudden fee increase was a huge, huge blow to a lot of people.”

Mixmag has reached out to Discogs for a comment.

[Via The Verge]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter