Authenticity cannot be settled on a video call. For records the common problem is not a counterfeit but a later pressing described as an early one — and the information that settles it is physically on the disc.
What to ask them to show
The blank area between the last track and the label, both sides, close and under angled light. Whatever is stamped or scratched there, a photograph of it can be read by somebody who knows the pressing history.
The label itself, square on, both sides.
The sleeve: front, back, spine and the opening edge.
Any inner sleeve, insert or sticker, photographed separately.
It played, if that is possible on camera. A live show is a good place to ask.
What a refusal means
These are not hard photographs, and a seller who collects records knows exactly what you are asking for and why. Vagueness about the pressing while being confident about the price is the thing to notice.
"It is an original" with no photograph of the area that would show it is a claim with its evidence withheld.
What this page will not do
It will not tell you what any particular stamping means, or how to distinguish a first pressing from a careful reissue. That knowledge is per-label, per-year, often per-plant, and a confident general version produces buyers who believe they have checked.
Photograph it, then ask somebody who collects that label.
What protects you if you get it wrong
A reissue sold as an original is not as described: returnable for 7 days whatever the store's policy says.
Ask about packing as well. Warping in heat and a split seam from a badly packed parcel do more damage in this category than misdescription — ask whether the record travels outside the sleeve, which is how careful sellers send them.
Questions people ask
Does a reissue have no value?
Plenty have value. It just has to be sold as what it is.
Should I ask for a play grade?
Yes, and ask whether it was played all the way through or sampled. Those are different claims.
What about a sealed record?
Sealed means uninspectable, and resealing happens. Ask about its history rather than trusting the wrapper.
More: spotting a counterfeit before you bid, Metzee's position on counterfeits, reporting a seller, questions to ask before bidding on records.