Another reason not to purchase from ebay

This one is not even close to the real thing…

 

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Sometimes I wish that Ebay were held accountable by law when a counterfeit listing is reported and it fails to take it down. Then again, Ebay would probably just react by banning the sale of any uncertified coins!

 

There's plenty of good stuff on ebay. You just have to avoid the fakes. For many of us here, this isn't a huge problem.

 

I agree with the above.....I have really good sellers whom I buy from on a regular basis and are quite open to questions...ie source, price and bespoke photos of particular areas that are not shown on their auction pictures.....For sure you need to know what you're looking at and have some kind of connection with the seller but the ebay is a good source....IMO.

 

eBay is a haven for junk and fakes. I have on occasion gotten some very good pieces there, but in the last couple of years the amount of material you have to sift through to find something good has gone through the roof. Add to this that fee hikes are chasing away the few good dealers still selling there, and what you have left is a minefield for everyone who is not very experienced and knowledgeable.

 

.....I agree...
But also a haven for little jewels and good deals too.

 

And the sales tax collecting, even on international buys, it's a big turn-off, hence my lack of new posts anymore.

 

........?? Is this more than auction houses 18-20% buyers fee? Plus extortionate postage costs?......Just wondering?

 

My budget is usually the dirt under the bottom of a barrel so if its 10.25%, which it is for me here in Ca. or some high buyers fee from an auction house which I never play in but Vauctions on a low occasion, it adds up. But nowadays they seem to be neck and neck with high shipping on ebay from most sellers now too.

 

I agree with @Aleph that the fakes seem to have gotten more numerous, and that sellers of genuine coins appear to be posting less (I guess they're making more at the auctions these days). It is getting to be a real chore wading through all the cheap and gaudy fakes, but I still do so about once a week. Bargains and "diamonds in the rough" are a lot fewer and far between these days.

I also agree with @Mat that collecting the sales tax is also a real turn-off for me. Combined with the increasingly more common exorbitant shipping costs from international sellers means I'm a lot more hesitant to bid on EBay coins these days.

That being said, with all the crazy auction prices currently, I'm not winning much on that front either. I did win a few coins earlier in the year, but nothing recently. Still, there will always be highs and lows. You just have to be persistent and patient.

 

Sadly many of my bargain sellers I knew of have been found and now get high prices or they have just stopped selling, as others have pointed out.

I've gotten more full-time in various other hobbies I have so I'm good.

I keep the ancient interest going through you other posters on here

 

Ahhh OK.....Yes I must admit I'm quite ignorant on the cost of overseas postage...If I ever (which is not that often) buy from an auction house it's always from Europe so the costs of postage aren't that different from standard letter post and you just build in the buyers fee to your bid.......Primarily on ebay I'm a buyer of Eastern coinage and the costs are still palatable even with tax and mailing...

 

I've got some nice coins on ebay before, I don't think they should be dismissed entirely, just probably not best for new collectors, at least not without consulting with someone else first.

 

I have been on e-bay for 8 years now and have been pretty lucky but cautious. The first fake was a Liberty Nickle that the FBI has now. Here is one that got by me in my early years. E-Bay sent a nastygram to the seller and the seller blocked me. so much for customer service. The dealer was a premium seller on e-Bay. I am hopefully smarter in my advanced age.

 

I don't think the coin is fake. I think it's just upside down.







Okay, I'm joking.

 

I have never purchased any coins from Ebay. Probably never will.

 

eBay charged me sales tax on a collectible coin purchase a while back and I opened up a case with them to dispute the sales tax, and after a couple of weeks, was refunded my sales tax.
I don't get charged sales tax on collectible coins anymore.

 

What percentage of ebay's coin listings are junk and fakes? 95%, 75%, or is it more like 1%.

 

What percentage of coins in general are "junk"? The prime stuff that we buy and show off here is a minority compared to the millions of low grade, common stuff that's out there.

Many of the things that I might not want for my collection, someone else might. That scruffy wheat cent that I considered just throwing in the CoinStar might make some 10 year old kid's day!

 

Agreed. Lots of dross to sift through to find just ONE thing in which you just might be interested. One is left to either visit eBay less often, as I do, or find another collecting focus that others haven't jumped on yet.