M 

Mint - I don't use this grade.

NM 

Near Mint - A near perfect, probably unplayed record.

NM- 

Near Mint Minus - Near perfect but has one almost invisible defect.

VG++ 

Very Good Plus Plus - Near perfect but has one or two very minor defects.

VG+ 

Very Good Plus - Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.

VG 

Very Good - A used, reasonable copy. There will be obvious signs of wear and the possibility of light surface noise between tracks or during quiet passages, but still quite nice.

VG- 

Very Good Minus - significant wear and marks and usually quite noticeable surface noise.

G+ 

Good Plus - In the record world, 'Good' is not good! From here on down (Fair, Poor), we're talking about beat-up records.

SS 

Still sealed - in factory-fresh condition.

STRONG

Strong - a term used to describe a "in between" situation. Sometime it's a thin line between VG+ and VG++ or VG++ and NM-. When that happens we add the term "strong" to the lower grade.