Can I trust ebay

I can see that, but my time (and liquidity tied up) is worth more than all that hassle. Besides, getting silver at melt at local auctions, if that's your thing and mine isn't, is a week in and week out thing here. The supply is HUGE and the demand is underwhelming. There is a huge supply overhang from 2010-11 overbuying and people are realizing they'll die before breaking even.

 

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Yeah, there's some cost there. But I'm lucky enough to be in a position where locking up a few hundred (or a few grand) for a couple of weeks isn't a big problem. As for the time, well, if I've got a few spare minutes and I'm in the mood to camp on new BIN listings, it's easy enough to do, and the return process takes a few minutes spread over a few separate interactions. I'm sure I could do better by applying that time to study equities, or take an online course, or something -- but those aren't entertainment, at least not for me. This is a good fit for my character flaws, I guess.

I'm not that much of a gambler by nature -- if it were a chance of winning $1K or losing $100, I'd likely sit it out. But browsing a few web pages and filling in a few short forms, with a substantial chance of winning $100 and no chance of losing any money? Yeah, even I'll go for that, at least on occasion.

Different sort of time-and-trouble investment. I always know where to find eBay, and can get to it with no travel overhead, whenever I'm in the mood. I know some of the "great eBay deals" are from people who paid even less at local auctions, but I'm not plugged into that scene, and I'm not eager to start scheduling my free time around public auctions.

 

This has been a common thread throughout my recent experiences buying on Ebay. There have been a number of times when I have gotten certified coins with scratches, spots and other problems that weren't apparent in the photos.

Keep in mind that coins can "turn" in their holders after being graded, particularly if not rinsed properly after a dip, so be especially careful when buying blast white MS coins. If the problem wasn't there when the graders looked at it, you may in fact have a "details" coin even though the holder is problem free.

Coins with dings or scratches may still qualify as "problem free" but are likely worth less than "cleaner" examples the same numerical grade. So if these issues do not show up in the photos and you are bidding on the coin in an open auction, you are probably paying more due to the coin being not as described. Therefore I have no qualms about returning coins if not satisfied.

It seems that Ebay auctions are good dumping ground for these types of coins which would explain why I've seen them more than once. And if this pertains to certified coins, I can only imagine what kind of dreck can be found in the "unsearched rolls" and "estate finds".

 

I would be extremely suspicious of ASE's at 15.48 each.

 

Out of respect for the many honorable ebay sellers on this forum, I should have been more precise with this comment.

Ebay has plenty of lunatic, impossible-to-satisfy buyers (fortunately they often reveal themselves by the way they word their complaints).

So even the best sellers are not immune to the occasional complaint.

I was speaking specifically about excessive bad feedback. Now, how much constitutes "excessive" is a subjective, gut level call, but if you spend enough time on ebay you eventually develop some instincts for identifying the red flags.

 

I've never found a 10-20 mile drive that daunting a hurdle. Beyond 30? Yeah, maybe worth recalculating. And there have been quite a few that with a bit of ambition, I could walk to.

 

Oh, believe me, I am. But after getting an AGE for $800 when gold was $1300, getting $300 worth of silver for $133, and a few similar episodes, it's easy for me to remember that sometimes it really does happen.

 

The most important never buy from china,china and of course hong kong.hong kong is part of china.I bought a lots of coins from eBay.so far,I am satisfied.i will get my refund if I didn't receive my purchase.u must see feedback and also feedback as buyer.if buyer had transaction with china.dont ever try to think dealing with them.by the way,I am also Chinese but I fom malaysia

 

I was recently at an auction in Manheim, PA with so much generic silver (I include ASE's in that category) in it that it completely saturated the local market's appetite for silver in 3 hours. By the end of the sale,clean problem-free silver was going for $1 UNDER spot.

 

Odd that nobody at the auction had sufficient liquidity to absorb that. Seems like a no-brainer to buy it up at that price, then ship it off to Provident, where they're still paying a slight premium above melt for generic.

It's almost enough to make me wish we were still in the west end of Lancaster. But, oh, those winters...

 

I just recalled back.i bought many china coins from this uk guy.i found out all these coins are fake.he doesn't know.luckily,I haven't done any feed back as a buyer.he refund me all my money back including postage.he is a good guy.remember,never buy china coins or other china stuff.after confirm everything,only do your feed back.always eye open buying things anywhere.seller always trying to get sales.always pay through pay pal?this is my view only

 

I know, right? But there was SO MUCH SILVER that it might have wrung all the willing liquidity out of the room. I mean, I had SOME liquidity, but I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than deal with generic silver.

But hey, wassamattawitchoo? You don't like commuting to work when it's 15 degrees out and snowing 2 inches an hour? Wimp.

 

Heh. I wasn't working -- I was sponging off my wife while she worked at Armstrong, er, that is, I was finishing up my dissertation. Still, I managed to blow out my shoulder shoveling snow during that nasty winter of 95-96, and it was years before I was willing to confront a snowflake again. (We moved south late in the spring of 96.)

 

95-96 was epic. I was in Reading then. 32 inches in one storm. Nothing like 95-96 has happened since. Started snowing in November, no clear rural ground seen until April, late April.

 

You're a smart man. I left Ohio about the same time for NC. Haven't missed it for a second.

 

Always ask questions. If you are unsure about or bad pic just ask the questions and if no reply or anything then you can decide if you want to buy or not.

 

This is a downward trending numismatic market. The buying deals you do in haste will kill you. Waiting is your best friend if you can do it. If there is anything even remotely sketchy about a listing, move on and have no regrets.

 

On ebay "unsearched" means searched, and that's that.

Bottom line for me, if it's a great deal and say under $100 or so, depending on the situation, I will sometimes take a chance with an ebay sale that is poorly presented such as fuzzy pics, etc. However if it's an expensive coin for me, I want clear, focused, large front and back pics of the slab, or I don't even consider buying the coin. But I still try and get a good deal if I can, through a best offer or auction.

With ebay, it's all about patience. Look for a good deal, and sooner or later it may arise. And if it doesn't then it doesn't on a specific coin, there are always numerous other coins to collect.

 

Just to follow up on this: I did, in fact, get the most likely outcome. Never heard a peep from the seller -- no "thanks for buying", no "your item has been shipped", no "I changed my mind here's your money back". Escalated it after 10 days, and waited a few days for the seller to respond. Apparently eBay didn't hear anything from the seller, either; last night I turned it over for a final judgement, and this morning I got my money back (and left the seller a neg, canceling out his one positive for a purchase he made, and leaving him back at 0).

 

Good to hear you're made whole. You sure do have a higher tolerance for "male bovine feces" on eBay than I do.