What about eBay?

Discussion in 'Frequently Asked Questions' started by jody526, Jan 30, 2005.

  1. SuperDave

    SuperDave Free the Cartwheels!

    Not to mention, they likely have "regulars" who demonstrate the infinite human capacity for self-deception regarding value (as well as everything else). They may not get their price from you, but they'll eventually get their price. The coin business offers profitability in direct proportion to capitalization in most cases, for that exact reason.
     
    tommyc03 likes this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. GoldFinger1969

    GoldFinger1969 Well-Known Member

    True...it's just that I would expect this more at eBay where you have the masses participating rather than at HA which you go to pretty much because you are a coin expert and/or enthusiast. But as George Jefferson once said to Mr. Whittendale: I could be wrong !:D

    I just thought that if the price for that 1879-S CAC MS-67 were stable throughout the last year (I haven't checked CDN monthly but I will bet that was pretty much the case for that coin and most Morgans) then I would think that on HA you'd NOT see the price vary that much month-to-month. It's not a rare coin so it's not like in May or September someone sees it available and they think "Hey, I better bid even if it's way above market, I may go months or years without seeing another one."

    Again...throw out the one you say was an MS-68 and assuming $800 (what I paid) is the market.... to see so many coins selling for 50% or more over that price was very surprising to me. At a quick glance, I did NOT see that same phenomenon with 1924 or 1927 Saints (albeit there are less variations here and there are more fo them available).

    But as you said, SuperDave, maybe the eagle-eyed Morgan buyes are seeing differences in each coin that is not in the description or the grade(s) that accounts for the higher bidding. Clearly, I am not good enough to see that on my own. I just seem to be WAY OFF on guestimates for Morgans after a year or so of research compared to my learning curve for $20 Saints at the same time.:(

    Anyway, I'm definitely learning alot so keep chiming in, picking apart my comments, whatever. Only way I will learn !:D
     
    Ericred likes this.
  4. cnew22

    cnew22 New Member

    I see a lot of "estate lots" on ebay. Are they worth the money??
     
  5. BooksB4Coins

    BooksB4Coins Newbieus Sempiterna

    Made you look, didn't it? Think of it this way... if "estate sale" automatically meant a better deal for the buyer, which also means less for the seller, why would they bother?

    Point is its generally a gimmick meant to draw people in, especially those who don't know better and/or are "deal hunting". Contrary to what they want you to believe, the items offered are usually some of the worst buys around, but as with everything should be judged on an individual basis.
     
  6. cnew22

    cnew22 New Member

    Thanks for the info. I didn't have a good feeling about it when I was looking. Figured it was one of those its too good to be true things. Thanks for reinforcing that for me.
     
  7. Gary Scott

    Gary Scott New Member

    I buy some on the Bonanza and seller fees are far cheaper,If i sell my coins that is where i will sell
     
  8. Ericred

    Ericred Active Member

    NOS I am glad I read your post, fees of 50-60%, cheaper to do business with a loan shark, thanks for your info, I was going to give ebay a try but now no way. I also read a story where people are complaining when they do business with some people. Someone gets their package and then complain the items broken, well; they gey their money refunded from the person who sold the item via threats and the person who bought the item well its almost impossible for the seller to get his item returned, but ya know I think it would be hard to show how the coins or bars are broken, I've learned that some buyers just cosmetically damage items.
     
  9. Ericred

    Ericred Active Member

    Hi, is there a membership fee? Is that all you have to do is type the word Bonanza?
     
  10. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Whoa, slow down.

    The post you quoted is from 2005. Around that time, eBay had raised their fees by 50-60%, not to 50-60%, and only on certain kinds of auctions.

    For years now, eBay's seller Final Value Fees have been 10% of the final price (including shipping and handling). If you're going to be selling a lot, you can open an eBay Store, and get lower rates -- 6% on coins, I believe. You lose around another 3% of the total to PayPal fees, so the final hit is around 13%.

    Yes, life was better for sellers when final value fees were 5% or less, but those days are long gone. (So are the days when FVF didn't include shipping costs, and sellers could leave negative feedback on abusive buyers, and PayPal kept your balance in a money-market account that yielded 5%. And when you could buy gold for under $400 an ounce.)

    eBay's current policies make some people reluctant to sell there, including me. But plenty of people are still making plenty of money there. I'm not sure the answer is to sell on a third-tier online auction where the fees are 5% (or 0%), but the audience is a hundred times smaller, and final bids are 20% or 40% or 90% lower than the prevailing eBay price.
     
  11. Ericred

    Ericred Active Member

    Hey, thanks for setting me staight, you made me think that's why I like this site, knowledgeable; and cool people sharing what they know and also sometimes setting people straight. Thanks
     
    tommyc03 likes this.
  12. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Welcome aboard. The way the forum displays dates here is usually good, because it keeps them in the background where they won't distract us from the topic of discussion, but every once it a while it comes back to bite us. Believe me, you're far from the first one to land on an old post without realizing it. :)
     
  13. Electron John

    Electron John Active Member

    The two links in the initial post of this thread no longer work. FYI
     
  14. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    Those threads are 12 years old. Check the dates on this thread. It's long dead.
     
  15. Electron John

    Electron John Active Member

    Yes I know. But this thread is listed in the FAQ so I figured if it is not up to date someone should know to either fix it or remove those links. Standard forum maintenance stuff.
     
  16. serafino

    serafino Well-Known Member

    I love to see those old posts get revived. We can still learn from them.
     
  17. Camreno

    Camreno Active Member

    I love eBay, been using it for many many years. However I don't use it to sell and make a profit, that would require me to find cheap coins some where else and sell on eBay 10-13% higher to yield a profit, yeah right... I have sold before, but mostly just random junk that I want to get rid of, so really all I do is buy, since there is no fee :) Just about everybody knows what the prices of coins, including eBays, flea markets, antique shops, and gold/silver stores. I honestly dont know how these major eBay coin sellers make their money, but I want to know their contact!
     
  18. Mario3269

    Mario3269 New Member

    The "trick" to selling on fleabay, is to keep ur feedback at 99% or better so as not to impose the wrath of fleabay, higher costs for items sold, the only good thing they did was to regulate shipping. Unfortunately this can turn into sell it a buyers heaven as their feedback can ultimately screw u, the seller, over... I have not sold their in a while, but we have a member of my local club that does all the time, and some very high end coins too...plus he ships all over and has had to learn the hard way on where to, or not to, ship as well as dealing with fussy customers even disonest ones who have tried to switch coins on him.... all in all be very clear and provide enuff to cover your own butt if it goes south!!
     
    tommyc03 likes this.
  19. jmccarty

    jmccarty Active Member

    Is ebay no longer dealing in coins? I can no longer search for any graded coins of any type. I have been out of the market for about a year!
     
  20. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Not sure what you're seeing, but it still works as always for me.
     
  21. jmccarty

    jmccarty Active Member

    At my office now, and I get only one option. PCGS.
    PCGS Grade 1.JPG
    See all shows only PCGS as well.
    PCGS Grade 2.JPG
    Anyone else have this issue?
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page