File under ‘why did no one think of this before’.

Brussels-based Vlek, home to local artists Cupp Cave/Ssaliva, Squeaky Lobster and Sagat, has launched a new pricing system for 2014 that aims to simplify the process of ordering vinyl online and dealing with postage.

While the internet has made it easier than ever for indie labels to sell to fans, it’s also made it more confusing to figure out which vending platform gives you the best deal for postage. Vlek’s solution couldn’t be simpler: you pay for what you get.

Taken from the label’s announcement on their blog earlier this week:

We thought those shipping prices were confusing, so from now on, all VLEK vinyls will be priced: 1€ per inch Post & Package included. So yeah, that’s 12€ for a 12”, 7€ for a 7”, 10€ for a 10”.

The only exception is for customers in Japan, the USA, Australia and New Zealand for whom a 5 Euro surcharge applies. Despite this the cost of the 12″ vinyls for customers in those countries remains unchanged from previous times and 10″ and 7″ vinyl is now cheaper.

There you have it, an innovative approach to a problem that has no doubt plagued many independent labels in recent years. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone follows their lead.

You can benefit from Vlek’s new pricing system by ordering directly from their shop which includes the entire back catalogue of 12″, 10″ and 7″ releases as well as digital bundles. If you’re not familiar with Vlek, we recommend checking the vinyl as it features some outstanding, hand-made covers.