A eBay seller we need to shut down!

And I remember when you used to go online to eBay and buy an XF coin and get one that was cleaned and might rate VG. Or as many found out, they had a picture of an entirely different coin. And, BTW, it was fairly common to buy a coin and get nothing. The main reason I got into certified coins was to avoid and much of that as I could.

Which crap needs to go? I think reading his meaningless tripe, but getting what is advertized is much better that what I used to get.

 

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It boils down to buyer beware, which is why I prefer to buy my coins in person. There is a downside to online buying, I admit that but if you are dumb enough to fall for this sellers crap, then I don't have much sympathy for you.

 

They are a scuzball seller. Most of us have filed complaints with ebay! But they are still wheeling & dealing. I wish all of the novice coin collectors could see the small print & know better to purchase from him, in due time they will leard the errors of their ways. I doubt they will every get shut down. Ebay makes good money off them & that is what it ALL boils down to with ebay!

 

While I understand your frustration with sellers like this, you have to walk a very fine line in approaching this issue. It is blatantly obvious that there are some sketchy tactics being used here, but you have no definitive proof that the seller is lying/misleading. As far as ebay is concerned, this seller is well within their rights to list their product in the manner used, and they are not, as far as I can tell, in violation of any of ebays policies.

The best you can really do here is advise people to stay away, and always read the item description before making a purchase. Attempting to shut this seller down will probably not work - especially with nothing other than the circumstantial evidence and opinions you are providing.

Please do not take this as me defending this seller, I'm just throwing in my two cents.

 

Well the seller is in the wrong for spinning tales, but in the description he clearly states that they are copies. He also has pictures of the coins and whatever else he has.
The seller knows what he can get away with and exactly what to say. He can say anything he wants as long as he ships out the items in his description. Its up to the seller to read the fine lines and know what they are getting into.

 

I quit buying coins on ebay the day I recieved a 1999 silver proof set that I had bought..... and recieved it with fingerprints on one of the coins.
Granted the buyer gave me my money and shipping back, but ever since then I have trusted no coin sellers there.

 

Ebay sellers do not need to be shutdown. Consumers need to be educated.

 

Very true. The more educated you become, the less you will find yourself on ebay.

You can shut down a seller, or more accurately a seller's name, but they'll be back with a new handle selling the same old items in the same manner.

 

haaa, I was just going to post this and I saw yours....I had several LOL moments!

 

Detecto , You can't change the world, you can only change your self

I hope to see more positive stories from you.

maybe you should avoid ebay LOL

 

I'm not quite sure what the OP's agenda is regarding this particular seller... there are many similar auctions running on eBay, and some have been running for years. There is nothing wrong with what they are doing, it's merely a "sales pitch", and most knowledgeable buyers would instantly recognize that. Oh I know, what about the "uneducated innocence buyer", throwing his money away on junk? Well, some people just have to learn the hard way. Or maybe the OP should contact eBay with the idea of starting another "watchdog" group, similar to the CFe group, with the ability to use gestapo like tactics in order to shut down questionable auctions. Protect us all from our inability to think for ourselves.

 

I agree with jloring. Yes Ebay is full of bad people and bad coins but if not for Ebay coin values may be a lot higher if not for the availability to the masses for check and balances.

Caveat emptor "Wikipedia"
Under the doctrine of caveat emptor, the buyer could not recover from the seller for defects on the property that rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes. The only exception was if the seller actively concealed latent defects or otherwise made material misrepresentations amounting to fraud.
Before statutory law, the buyer had no warranty of the quality of goods. In many jurisdictions now, the law requires that goods must be of "merchantable quality". However, this implied warranty can be difficult to enforce and may not apply to all products. Hence, buyers are still advised to be cautious.

 

There is no way to shut the guy down. He plays by the rules. The guy knows the system.

 

No, "WE" don't. If people stop to read the text of the auction, they will be aware of what is being sold. Is the pitch a bit on the sleazy side? Yes, indubitably. Does it rise to the level of fraud? No.

 

Uninformed buyers are their own worst enemies. If you have not dealt with a specific seller before, do some research on them. If they are indeed shady, then you will run across posts similar to this one. I do have to agree with the major consensus that the aforementioned seller is not breaking the eBay terms and conditions. (I am not defending him/her, just legally they are not in the wrong.) My opinion is that if you are new to numismatics, ask questions on forums such as this, local dealers, and fellow coin collecting enthusiasts about a certain coin you are interested in and you will find many good people to help you along. The final decision is up to you to waste your money or use it wisely. The world is full of crooked people, if you don't have the life skills to be wary of such people, well....sucks to be you.

 

Gotcha, thanks! But you do see my point.

 

Life is too short short to be advocating such things detecto. You may not agree with the seller's sales tactics, but I'm sure a vast majority of the board members have never dealt with the guy. Common sense is, if a seller exhibits what we like to call "red flags", we just move on and don't consider bidding. Let the actual clients of this seller speak their mind and just move on with your life. Or your going to spend the next ten years feeling miserable trying to get the other 500 sellers with similar auctions banned as well. It's not worth it pal.

 

Hey! I only picked one minor point out of your whole commentary to amend.

 

I think our beloved OP is the "uneducated innocence buyer", probably had a sour experience. He just needs to contact eBay personnel and plead his case, and not take every one of us on his sinking ship called "le reasoning".

 

There is nothing wrong with buying from one seller, then trying to flip it for a profit. People do that all the time. Why do you think you have a hard time getting deals at auctions? Because a lot of people buy at those venues to resell either at local flea markets or eBay. There is nothing illegal or unethical about that.

And, there is a fine line between scam and marketing ploy, but the line does exist. It's thecontents, not the story that determines the value of the merchandise. It doesn't matter whether he bought the coins from another eBay seller, or found them in his grandfather's attic, or discovered them in a clock bought at an estate sale. We can educate each other (the purpose of this forum) and our family and friends, but if a buyer ultimately bids based on the story, without actually looking at pictures or reading the description, oh well. The old adage about a fool and his money applies. I am not a member of the Coin Buyer Enforcement Bureau. We can discuss the ethics, but it's the legality that's important. You have a choice. Like you've been told earlier, research is the key.