I like buying coins off eBay, there are good deals to be had but always keep your head on a swivel. I noticed a new seller that had familiar washed out garbage photography and had a suspicion it was the same photography as Auction Kings. The only coin I've ever purchased from Auction Kings was a NGC graded slab. Not much room for buyer error there. Tonight I saw some similar photography, and sure enough, I searched my purchase history and Auction Kings is now CoinShopArizona. Just a heads up, I'm always amazed the amount of volume they do with their absolutely deceptive photographs.
But eBay's been requiring sellers to post actual photos of the actual coin* for YEARS, and now they're even requiring sellers to pick a grade for raw coins! Surely that's more than enough protection for buyers. * except in cases where, well, I don't know exactly what the exceptions are, but there are apparently lots and lots and lots of them.
I think MORE information is always good. As for sellers having to grade....give me high-quality HD or 4K pics and I can guestimate the range most likely. If it's a raw coin, you know there's going to be a range from any non-professional "grader." A 48-hour notice that one is returning the coin upon receipt would also equalize things.
I am an eBay fan, but the lack of quality control makes me very cautious, so I am extra careful to check the seller by percentage (100% only) and length of time he has been a seller on eBay. I've learned the hard way without satisfaction from eBay! Buyer Beware...
I have not noticed sellers having to grade. In fact, eBay doesn't allow listings to be posted by grade in the title unless it's PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or ICG. At times that rule falls between the cracks, a SEGS or PCI will slide in there. They do require sellers to describe in their listings details whether the coin is circulated or uncirculated. And that is not always accurate either, it's an opinion.
"We have altered the policy. Pray we do not alter it further." https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ne...ments-for-coins-on-ebay.422078/#post-26825290
Ah.......it's not in force until June. That's wild. Crazy. And stupid AF. It seems eBay is hell bent to destroy their own coin selling format. They have enough issues without creating more. If they just shored up their policing of counterfeits (the obvious ones, ones that Ray Charles can see), they'd be better off. Thanks for the link, had not seen it.
It is a great place to cherry pick rare die marriages and Redbook varieties. Almost all of my seated half collection came off eBay, mostly as raw coins. The collection was financed in part by cherry picking overdates and rare die marriages off of primarily eBay but also the major auction houses. I still use it to find upgrades for my SLH collection. Here's a thousand dollars' worth of coins cherried in 70 days for $338 total. My R8 1874-S WB-4 found on eBay, one of three known. Two recent upgrades to my collection from raw coins purchased off eBay and submitted to CACG. CACG XF45 1856-O CACG XF45 1869-S It is a shame what has happened to eBay, though, turning into largely a storefront rather than an auction house, and now becoming a huge outlet for Chinese counterfeiters.
You are exactly right. It's a great place to find unicorns but a dangerous place for new collectors without experience.
Don't disagree with you on the counterfeiters, but I avoid things anyone would find worth counterfeiting. But I prefer storefronts to auction houses any day of the week. I only ever buy things with a "buy it now" option; I hate competing, I hate waiting, I just want to exchange my money for things I want worth what I paid and be done with it. In all my years buying stuff from eBay only got a fake once (that would have been worth about $15 if real) and really only had one seller (not the same one that sold me the fake lol) that I had a negative experience with. Yes you can be ripped off if you're not careful but well, be careful. eBay's not the only place you can be ripped off if you don't know what you're doing. There's plenty of things in my collection I would have had a lot harder time ever finding if not for eBay so I still see it as a net positive. Just be well-informed, pay attention, and have a healthy amount of skepticism especially among things worth faking.
Well said. Life's not fair, and sometimes it's just downright mean. Like I said, keep your head on a swivel. While there are extraordinary deals to be had, there are a lot of bad deals, more heavily weighted on the latter end. My biggest gripe with fleaBay is their lack of interest in stemming the flow of counterfeits. And that is a huge negative not in their favor. I will say this. After all the complaining, all of the rejections of eBay's bots rejecting comments about counterfeit coins, sometimes the effort works out. Mr Jack Young cornered one dealer who sold thousands of coins and many counterfeits in the process, and forced him to tuck tail and run off the platform. I'm happy to have contributed in their demise!
