My Top Ten List of eBay Don'ts!!

I have buying and selling on eBay for almost 4 years and I thought I would share what I learned!!

My Top Ten List of eBay don’ts​

1. Un-searched
Do you really believe there are un-searched coins out there? Someone at some time searched the coins to find the key dates. However some may be unsearched for cherry pickers looking for varieties or other errors.

2. Unopened Proof or Mint Set
This is one thing I would never buy as it is too easy for the seller to open the mint envelope and then use a steamer to re-sell the set as unopened. I have found sellers that are selling brand new mint envelope with no coins on eBay.

3. Graded coins
If you are buying graded coins on eBay I would stick to NGC, PCGS or ANACS. You will get burned in the long run if you choose to buy any other 3rd Party slab. Other companies are famous to slabing problems coins or highly overgraded. Unless it is in a top grading service holder, it doesn't offer any protection against counterfeiting.

4. No Pictures
I would not buy if there is no picture(s) or just a picture of the one side. There are lots of lazy sellers out there that will take 1 picture and call it good. I am not saying that every auction with 1 picture is bad, but if it is a big dollar coin I would pass and wait for another one. Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions or ask for more pictures.

5. Raw Coins
It is very difficult to judge the authenticity and quality of a coin based on photographs alone, especially the less-than-expert photos often seen on eBay. And even if the photo is great, who's to say that you will actually receive that coin? Counterfeiters are known to use genuine coin images but then send out fakes. Avoid becoming a victim by never spending more than you can afford to lose when you buy raw coins on eBay.

6. Impulse Buying
Do your research before you pull the trigger on an auction. I can’t tell you how many times I find coins that go for more money than Buy-It-Now auctions already listed. If you do your research before hand you won’t get caught up in any bidding wars.

7. Don’t Overbid
Don’t get caught up in a bidding war. I do my research first and then write down my max bid that I am willing to pay for an auction. I also don’t put my bid in till the auction is almost over. Put your max bid in and don’t look back, don’t get caught up in the moment.

8. Buy Grab lots
I often find auctions that have Buy-It-Now’s and selling coins that you don’t know what you are bidding on. The seller will often say the coin has a value of $40 but selling coins at $13.95 with free shipping. First you don’t know how the seller determined the value and you most likely will be unhappy with the coin.

9. Chinese sellers
Always check where the seller is doing business. If you are buying US coins, why would you buy from anyone that isn’t in the US. Since 90% of all fake coins on eBay come from Chinese sellers.

10. Don’t buy into the Sellers Stories
A favorite practice of fake coin sellers is to claim that they aren't a coin expert, so you should judge the photo for yourself. They might claim that the coins belonged to a recently-deceased aunt or that they were bought at an estate sale. What these claims have in common is that they usually disclaim responsibility for the authenticity or grade of the coin, selling the coin "as is."


Just use your common sense, if something is too good to be true it most likely is!!

 

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I think the best one is the last sentence, about using your common sense. Lets face it, people are stupid, stupid enough to buy items with out return policies, and stupid enough to buy items with out pictures, or one sentence descriptions.
IMO, it is very unprofessional for any seller that has no pictures, and barely any description, and then no return policy, but some buyer will fall into it, and go kicking and screaming wondering why he get ripped off...
These tips are important to follow to people who don't know how to use ebay and good to hear again for people that even know how to use ebay. But to sum up really, don't buy without pics, don't buy without return policy, don't buy without the seller having good feedback, and don't buy without a good description.

 

I agree with the vast majority of what you posted. Especially the "common sense" part.

I do have a question about #2 above. Are you talking about the plastic sealed US mint and proof packaging? Or the plastic sets themselves?

 

Nice read, I hope a lot of the new collectors take some time and read this one before they buy too many coins from ebay. Wish I had read this before I learned a couple of hard lessons from bad purchases.

 

I am talking about the proof sets and mint sets that come from the mint sealed in an envelope.

Here is an example of a mint set
http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-UNOPEN...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50

Here is an example of a proof set
http://cgi.ebay.com/1964-PROOF-SET-...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50

 

Here is example of buying an envelope on ebay and sealing your proof sets as unopened!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/1955-1964-U-S-Proof-Set-Envelopes-NO-COINS_W0QQitemZ120442805550QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCoins_US_Individual?hash=item1c0af35d2e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1199%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

 

I see, those are the older sets. I have purchased several of those from other auctions. Those ebay tricksters. Never ceases to amaze what some folks will do for a few extra bucks.

 

I'd like to add a few things for those looking into buying ancients online:

• Don't buy anything "as is" or of unknown or unsure authenticity. A favorite tactic of fake sellers is to claim that they aren't sure of authenticity, so they are selling it as is just in case. I have never seen an auction like this that had a real coin in it.
• Don't buy anything without a good return policy. Even with the best sellers, a fake will occationally slip through. Because of this, any reputable seller will will offer a lifetime guarantee of authenticity or at least give you a rather long period in which you can check authenticity (since that can take a while). At the same time, keep in min that this doesn't guarantee a real coin, as some fakers have been doing this in hopes that it simply reassures the buyers so they don't bother checking.
• Don't buy from anyone on this list of fake sellers.
• Don't buy without checking the coin(s) against those in a database of fakes, particularly if the seller is someone you aren't familiar with or is otherwise suspicious. The main one I use is the collection of fake coin reports hosted by Forvm Ancient Coins, but Forgery Network is also very popular for this. If you find that the seller is indeed selling a fake, let them know and provide them with a link to your evidence, as they may not be intentionally selling a fake. If they don't take the coin down after being shown evidence of forgery, then you should not trust that seller in the future.
• Don't buy uncleaned coins from anyone who claims "Gold found!" The reason ancient coins get so dirty is that the dirt attatches itself to corrosion on the coin. Gold coins don't corrode, so they don't get the hard, tough to clean coverings of dirt like bronze or occationally silver coins do, meaning they would be obvious immediately upon being dug up. No one is going to throw obvious gold coins on eBay for $2 a piece. What these sellers do is occationally throw in a fake gold coin or sometimes a common modern gold coin so that they get a few glowing comments on their feedback. As for silver, it isn't impossible to find in uncleaned lots, but anyone selling uncleaned coins is going to look for any obvious signs of silver before selling them. Those who have gone through thousands of these coins rarely have more than 1 or 2 silver coins, and they're usually in poor condition.
• Don't buy uncleaned coins in hopes of getting early Romans or rarities. If there were any obviously valuable pieces in a collection of uncleaned coins (like 1st century sestertii), they would be removed just like any gold would be, since they could get far more for it than they would keeping it in an uncleaned lot. First and second century coins generally look far different than those of later eras, so they, too are usually picked out (you can sometimes find lots specifically of these uncleaned, but they're usually in poor condition and more expensive). Occationally you might find a worn first century quadrans, but aside from that, don't expect anything that old unless the lot specifically says that's what it's comprised of. What you're going to find are common Roman coins from around AD 270-400, with the vast majority from the Constantinian dynasty, followed by the Valentinian and Theodosian dynasties. You may also find occational Byzantine coins and barbarous imitations of Roman coins.

That's it off the top of my head. I may add more things late if anything else comes to mind.

 

Great stuff guys!

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this as well as those who added their thoughts also. Another thing I found helpful was everytime you do make a purchase from someone put in your seller favorites section. If you are very happy with them make a comment about them so you can remember them. If you are unhappy either unlist them and write down on a list or go on and leave in the favorites , but commant that you were unhappy.

Adding or subracting a seller from comments on Coin Talk can be a problem. Almost everyone may have a bad experience there will be those that have been very happy with the purchases they have made from the exact same seller.

There was a seller back a few years ago I had purchased several coins from and was happy each time. I got one I was unhappy with and sent it back. Although he advertised the buyer was responsible for return shipping he paid for that also. I point this out because with some sellers on ebay it is possible to form a decent working relationship. They are not all crooks by any means, many are quite reputable. I think sometimes the true nature of a seller is actually how well a return goes.

Once I won a coin, but the seller said he was going through a divorce, had a lot of personal problems, and wrongly shipped that coin to someone else. He said it was entirely his fault, and he would be sending me a different coin the same excpt better in grade. If I was in anyway unhappy he would take it back and pay for the return postage. I was very very happy with this transaction and kept the coin.

 

Bingo Bingo Bingo

ESTATE SALE = RED FLAGS :headbang:

 

You have a leg up on most kids in your age group if you already understand that, my friend.

 

Well we have all done stupid things and made mistakes, the only stupid people are the ones that continue to make the same mistakes.

 

Excelent post. So true...

 

My top 1 list of eBay don'ts.

#1. Don't buy on Ebay!
Why - because many eBay sellers are lyers and cheats. Don't get me wrong, not all are but why take a chance? There is no coin on eBay that you cannot (over time) find in a better grade/price. Also eBay policies favor the seller not the buyer - it's not that hard to find dealers that will more favour the buyer over time. A good relationship built with a fair dealer/dealers (even if long distance) will pay for itself 1000x's over.
EBay is history the sooner it dies the better!

 

There are always a couple eBay haters in every crowd.
Fortunately, most folks aren't drinking the same Kool-Aid.

Ebay has saved my life. When I got laid off back in January and haven't been able to find steady work since, I started selling off my coin collection on ebay. Thankfully, through running honest auctions, I've been able to help provide for my family and keep us fed and sheltered.

For many throughout this great land of ours, there are not an abundance of brick & mortar coin stores and online is the only way, we can have access to coins that are not readily available otherwise. EBay has opened up a the world to me personally as I have bought and sold with sellers and purchasers in England, Germany, Russia and Australia. There are hundreds of coins on ebay that you would not have access to otherwise, don't believe the hate speech for a second. It's all about access.

If you think before you buy, do some research and learn about the tricks some sellers use to get you to spend your money, eBay can delivery gems that will make you very happy and help you build a collection that would not have been possible otherwise.

Happy buying and selling.

Long live the BAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I agree with your top ten except #2. Personally I don't think alot of these sellers have time to go thru the trouble of putting a shabby mint or proof set in a new envelope for $20 or $30 dollars. They could buy the new envelopes and use them differently than you are saying. I have bought 4 mint sets and none of the envelopes looked new and all of my mint sets look really good.

Here is a copy of what I got out of my craiglist page today. The ad is alot longer than the part below this line, he has comparable prices listed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is what coin dealers are buying Mint Sets for. Also check them out if you don't belive me. Mint Set have both the Denver & Phili coins together. The earlier sets before 1950 have all 3 mints P-D-S. I will pay 15% more than their prices,.. you save shipping & get 15% more. So a $10 item would $11.50 to you,.. Damage, bad set or partial sets will pay less for. Just drop me an e-mail with a list of what you have & quanity so I know. Then we can arrange a meeting. Paid in cash.
So if you need some Cash and are tried of those sets just collecting dust.
http://www.americanrarecoinstore.com/sellproofsets.html

So you see some of these ppl are honest and some sellers put ads in craigslist across the US and that's how some sellers get them. As far as your other top tens, super advice!! :bow:

 

This is timeless and sound advice. A few things that I'd add.

#2 - I would also add NCS to the list of TPGs. I don't mind a cleaned or damaged coin for certain issues. NCS coins are genuine and the problem with the coin is stated up front on the label.

RAW -- certain coins are more prevelent raw. If you're in the market for Half and Large cents you should look for Early American Coppers (EAC) sellers. I also look for attribution and/or grading by one of the EAC experts - Bob Grellman for example.

 

Absolutely wonderful post!!:thumb:
I think all new collectors should be steered toward this one to read.
There are many scammers out there. And without very good working knowledge of the series of coin you are you are bidding on you can get burned quite quickly. I am thankful that it has not happened to me.
Especially when I was first starting out collecting when I was a kid.
I probably would not have gotten back into the hobby with such enthusiasm
if I had been burned when I was a kid.
I wonder how many new collectors we have lost due to being burned before they had a chance to learn.
Example: start a hobby, get burned , lose complete interest in the hobby

Stewart