Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches.
The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc.