I have never sold on Ebay, although have bought a lot. Recently, I have noted a lot of posts regarding how bad it is there now. Where is the best place for a non-dealer to buy and sell online? Why? I am considering selling some of my collection.
You need to give more info. If you are selling 1804 dollars then definitely Heritage. If you are selling rolls of wheats then definitely eBay. If you are in a hurry, eBay is much faster then Heritage. They also have much lower fees.
In my opinion as rim's stated, I believe all factors considered, unless you're selling unique Numismatic material even Heritage sells on eBay. I've tried many venues, and as far as service, ease of sale, diversity of auction potential participants, protection, transactional costs, expedience of payment and sale, etc. I've not found a better resource than eBay. People love to whine about eBay, but if you want to learn about the frustrative factors of buying/selling, try some other venues as here, eBid which has a World-wide audience with "no fees", Amazon, etc., before using eBay. I personally believe you'll develop an appreciation for the beneficial facets of eBay. JMHO
Amazon should not even be a consideration. They don't even have the proper categories for people to find your coin listings, not to mention the lack of people looking to buy coins there.
Forget Amazon. I don't do eBay. If you have anything Heritage would be interested in selling, keep it. Otherwise, wait for a local coin show or find a reputable dealer.
My collection is mixed. I have no really high end stuff like 1943 copper cents, 1804 dollars, etc. My main thing to sell is a Type Set in a Dansco 7070 album. Its about 60 of the 76 or so coins. Mainly missing are the higher denomination silver in the back. I have tried to obtain high end, but circulated. At this point, I am not even sure whether to sell it as a set, or individually.
The reason I ask, is because I have read so much about EBay buyer fraud here. A table at a coin show is nice, but time consuming, requiring travel, modest investment and lost weekends, unless you sell way under value. Dealers? Only a small handful here, with whom I have dealt, and they pay barely more than just throwing the coins away. One gave me such an insulting offer, that I always turn off the radio when his ads come on, in anger. I think he thought he was buying from a thief who would be impressed with his insulting offer.
I have sold coins and collectibles in many different venues; flea markets, antique co-ops, antique shows, coin shows, and through specialized coin auctions such as Heritage, and still do. The key is to understand where to place a specific group of coins. Rarities are best sold via a large coin auction house such as Heritage or CNG, etc; however the time frame is 3-6 months minimum if not longer. I have sold coins on eBay since 1998 and have coins for sale on eBay at present. Ebay is not seller friendly, and you can and will get bad buyers now and again, (less than 5% is my experience). However you control the timing of the sale and you will have you cash, (less commissions), much quicker. Dealing with problems on line is the cost of doing business. Really common stuff, such as pre-64 silver you can get the best price at coin shows or local coin shops where they need to buy in order to keep the doors open. Common sense suggests that the dealers at a coin show paid money to set up and are actively looking to buy and sell. Just offer to show you coins to a dealer who is handling the type of items you are looking to sell. Don't try to sell ancient coins to a guy dealing in modern proof and commemorative coins.
I don't know what I am doing right, but I have mus less that 1% with bad buyers. Actually, I probably have more of a problem with the sellers.
