Artificially Toned Coins on Ebay

I would like to know why certain sellers on ebay with AT coins haven't been exposed.
For example, I have been watching a certain someone's auctions for months and he continues to sell raw, wild colored coins and has a 100% seller's rating. he's also smart; I checked his buyer info and he's not buying the raw coins on ebay. btw, all of his coins are uncirculated.
So I did an experiment... I bought the most naturally looking coin he had (spent $50, looked MS63). Sent it to ngc, came back Artificially Colored UNC Details.
I wont mention names, but how has he been able to get away with this and how can he be exposed?

ps. he always mentions that his coins are not AT.

 

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He gets away with it because nobody reports him to eBay, and eBay is virtually unknowledgeable about AT coins, as well as fake coins.

 

Slow down Cowboy. Up here, we think all unique & toned coins should be scrutinized for originality. Unfortunately, we can't do that if we don't know who you are talking about. If you are not inclined to divulge the name of the certain seller, perhaps you could just quote and color if you know what I mean.

 

You can mention all the sellers/listings you want so long as they are not yours. As for you AT/NT, those are words like "excellent condition", just what does it mean. No one can guarantee any coin is AT or NT and that includes all the TPG's.

 

will this help provide more info...http://shop.ebay.com/allthatjazzjazz/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

 

Those AT coins go for big bucks, too.

 

Ebay is a risky world for coin buyers. I've bought several items there, and I've sure got skinned up a couple of times. You live and learn.

I bet this seller has not had many, if any, of his coins sent to a grader, as you have done. He probably ships fast, so sellers probably give him good feedback. They have a toned coin that's pretty, and they don't suspect anything is up.

I think the only thing you can do is contact Ebay and tell them that items are being misrepresented, but even then, the seller can just deny he knows anything about AT. In short, I doubt there is much you can do honestly.

There are a lot of members on this forum that hate Ebay. This is an example of why.

 

I'm one of them.

 

thanks for all the replies. but one thing to note with this guy is he states that his coins are not AT.

I think ur right about his great feedback...people rate him positive as soon as the coin arrives.
I know ebay is "buyer beware" in the truist sense, but I have developed a good relationship with one ebay dealer. (of course all coins are certified).

 

Why? If you search US Coins and type in rainbow, it is extremely easy to weed out the NT from the AT. The difficulty with AT is trying to weed out the AT coins that have made their way into NGC & PCGS holders.

 

That guy is doing absolutely doing nothing wrong - and he has a great return policy. Even if you could report AT coins (I assure you there is nothing you can do about that), he never says they are AT or NT. With all the counterfeit coins, etc. out there, you will have much better luck tilting at other windmills.

 

Because there is too much altered, garbage on eBay. When I buy coins I like to see them in hand, look at them through a loupe, and make a better informed judgement on the coins appearance, the sellers asking price, etc.

The only coins I buy online sight unseen come directly from the Mint, because I can trust the coins I receive from them are going to top quality products.

 

I agree with your point, but I still think it is very easy to weed out AT coins on E-Bay. FWIW, I buy the majority of my coins from Heritage Auctions.

 

Of course it's easy to weed out the ATs from the NTs, and fakes from genuines. However, I shouldn't have to go through all that to make a purchase, and I don't. That's why I buy raw, and some slabbed, coins locally from trusted dealers I've done business with for years and have a good relationship with.

One of them actually goes out of his way to send me emails about coins he thinks I might be interested in acquiring for my collection.

 

another ebay buyer beware story....I bought a silver eagle in a mint box. after receiving it, put my loupe on it and it was scratched with human hair inside the capsule at least the dealer took it back.

 

I guess it is all in the way you look at it. You find it annoying to weed through all the crap to find what you want. To me, E-Bay is like virtual roll searching. It may take you hours to find that one nice coin, but you are greeted by a feeling of warm satisfaction when you actually pluck a good coin from the bay.

 

He sells to noobs who don't know better, and don't find out until they already left feedback.

As for the second part of your question, educating people through forums such as this is about the best we can do. If you were really a devious type, you could buy a low-priced coin from him, and blast him in feedback.

 

I also buy from local dealers, but I'm just *****ing about people getting ripped off on ebay.
And thanks... I'll check Heritage Auctions.

 

Johndoe,
If you are new to the hobby, do yourself a favor and don't buy a coin from the Bay for at least a year. Get to know some good dealers (there are some here) or go to some coin shows and look at a lot of coins. No need to rush to spend a lot on coins. The very people that should avoid the Bay are the rookies who are the prey from which many E-Bay dirtbags make their living. There are good sellers on E-Bay but you need an amount of experience to be able to distinguish them.

If you've been around for awhile, then I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

 

I wish Doug were here to give his speech about personal responsibility. To summarize, the people getting ripped off on E-Bay have only themselves to blame for not arming themselves with knowledge before entering the numismatic battlefield.