http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280635822406 This is an auction I ran last week. It ended Sunday night and the coins shipped today. My auction and rambling were a bit unorthodox and there was only one bid ~ so how successful was I? It was absolutely legit! Would you have done it differently? Would you have opened the box? If this did not sell, I would have absolutely opened the box to see what was inside. I have mixed feelings about the sale. I am very happy for my friend but I really wanted to see what was inside. The new owner is on the west coast and I do not think they will communicate what they find. A mystery that for a short period, I had in my home. 49 years and no one ever looked to see what was in the box. I do not know how anyone can go that long without opening the box! LOL ~ Just wanted to share my frustration/success! Best Regards ~ Darryl
Coin collector in me says take a look, may find something neat. 1962...unless they are perfect gorgeous coins, probability says don't waste the time and sell unopened. If opened, nothing neat found, lots of pictures, individual auctions, much more time, more fees, etc. Coin collector wins out....I open the box.
while I acheived my objective, I wish I could have seen them but I believe I would have been disappointed if I had opened them. Still, you never know!
I voted: "Would have sold it similar to how you did" I may have edited the narration a bit, leaving out much of the friend and father's details, but the story was a good build up to wanting to know WHAT IS IN THE BOX!!! Really nice touch with the 'notary' idea! That is something that could be employed for every unopened box being sold out there, especially when the contents are of higher value. I might also write a follow up to the new owner and inquire a while later what they found... or watch to see if they don't start listing items they uncovered, want to profit from finding or unload because its of no interest to them. I guess if you haven't heard from them by now, you are likely not going to get the box returned unopened for the pleasure of doing so yourself, but if you do/had, you would have to open it and sell them differently since you already tried the unopened idea. In the end, you helped your friend out and did as you promised.
I wish I'd have seen the auction!!! $31 per mint set isn't that bad... darn.... shoot just the Franklin in it is worth close to 20 bucks! I REALLY wish I'd have seen it..... ;( ;( ;(
I wanted to make sure the buyer new I was serious about the condition and the number of people that could verify it to avoid claims that the box was open when they received it. I did write a followup letter that went with the box thanking them and asking if they could let me know as there were many following the story. It should get there early next week. we will see. The rabble just really captured how I felt and the conditions of the sale so there was no misunderstandings! Thanks Chris!
I thought about posting in the open section and felt kind-of funny about it. 1 ~ I was afraid someone would talk me out of the ebay sale. 2 ~ I was afraid someone would talk me into a private sale. I have been burned once and didn't want to take a chance with my friends coins. Sorry!
I think ya' done well with your handling of the sale. I hope you will follow up with this thread if you learn anything about the contents from the new owner.
You can get them at a better price than that all day long on eBay. I've picked up a couple basically at melt (which is edging up toward $22).
Absolutely will ~ btw my friend is extreamly happy with how the entire thing was handled and how much he got for the large box of coins. I talked with him about all of his options and gave him a complete inventory of what he had. In the beginning I gave him a rough figure of what I believed he would get for the entire box after fees. I was under on my estimate by $37 all said and done. It was a good experience for both of us.
Did some research prior to the listing and you are correct. After fees the seller is better off going to a dealer in many cases. Less risk of a flaky buyer pulling some stunt.
isn't that the truth... more and more ebay is looking worse and worse. Although SOMETIMES you hit a jackpot and wonder, "why didn't ANYONE ELSE see this listing" ---> I had just bought a lot of 16 NGC PR69 silver IKES for $103 shipped --- but those are few and far between... and the seller was super-cool to ship them, he knew how bad a deal it was for him...
I saw that thread - Nice deal! Sometimes there is a good buy if you look often enough especially at the off times for endings.
Seems to me you answered your own question because if you were a 60s silver proof set nut you could've easily paid your friend a fair price and had at 'em. But the odds are you would've "been disappointed"—gotten average stuff—and then would have had to get rid of them at certainly a lower price. This way the buyer paid for the "element of surprise" and your friend did well. Congrats; I would've done the same thing.
Thanks! As many times as I have thought it through over the last two + weeks I kept coming back to that same conclusion. I have limited experience selling but felt this was the best way to go. Best Regards ~ Darryl
WOW, there is no way I could have let it go without knowing for sure what was in the box. My hat is off to you good sir! Thanks so much for sharing a really great story. P.S. you did the right thing, very commendable, and classy!
