This could be the worst feedback I have ever read: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=coinbee&iid=8373256092&frm=284
It's a shame, because a friend of mine, who just go into coin collecting bought a coin from them, and is still waiting weeks later they say.
I avoid Ebay because of all the crooks on it. I had a similar experience to your friend and my feedback was KILLED. Last time on ebay.
People just have to be patient if they want to bid on coins from Ebay, especially if a check is involved so that it can clear.
This site gives a much better guage of what's going on than the EBay profile, by pulling out the neg and neutrals, along with the "withdrawn" feedback. Just paste the line in your browser and delete everything after "neg" to get to the input page. I also like to click on the "From Sellers" tab in the EBay Profile, and see his buyiing activity. In this case he has perfect feedback there, which makes his percentage even worse if you only include "From Buyers" comments. He's been on my "ignore his auctions" list for quite some time.
I buy from ebay quite often and so far have been pleased. I only bid on items with clear pictures and never go by the sellers grade and I also avoid sellers with poor feedbacks. I also tend to avoid the ones who like to charge rediculous shippng fees.
Ebay Buyer Beware That said ebay is fine. You have to read, do your research, and be cautious. If you take a chance with a new seller or a seller with bad feedback you just have to accept that on occasion you might get burned. To be fair sellers get burned too by bad buyers. One must exercise common sense and caution. Interestingly enough I took a chance on a coin from someone that never posts pictures of the coins - no idea why but I did and I have to say that he sent me the best coin I have ever bought on ebay. Photos can be dodgy and I don't buy from people that just post blurry ones taken from a distance with no reverse view.
looks like the same feedback from the place i got my humidor from that i still haven't recieved. but got my money back. i only buy low dollar coins or from someone who has really good feedback. rich
The only thing I can say is.. do your research! If you are going to do business through EBay, do it right. The only safe way is to only buy from people who are Paypal verified. If they don't then you aren't going to be protected because it's very hard to prove that you paid for the auction. As said above, only buy from trusted sellers and make sure that you aren't looking at a stock photo. Auctions with stock photos are very fishy unless the seller sells a particular product by the thousand. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The more you are shelling out, the more careful you should be. Look at the feedback, look at their other auctions to determine how good of a seller they are. Yes it's very possible to get burned on EBay. If you are a seller or decide to be one someday you should take precautions before doing so. Describe your item as well as possible. Do not try to scam people. Don't profit from shipping. Take detailed and accurate pictures. Only accept Paypal, money order or cashier's check. Send all of your items priority insured with delivery confirmation. You can never be too careful.
