Why you hate eBay or pcgs (or both don't let me box you in)

There seems to be a whole lot of pent up anger with companies. Both are the acknowledged leaders in their field. Personally I have only had positive experiences with both. Sure I wish my double struck penny got a 67 instead of a 66 but I'm not the grading expert. Anyway I'm looking for detailed reasons or experiences people had to give them negative views on these two companies.

Coin for the thread. Paid $410 thought it was a fair premium for the look. Feel free to comment on this purchase as well.



If you need proof I'll happily post a cat selfie.

 

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I'm not a huge fan of eBay fees and hardly any seller protection. That's my only complaint.

Nice coin and nice cat.

 

I've had a few times where I was sold fraudulent and counterfeit (and once both) items and eBay backed me 100%. Have you personally had some negative experience yourself to make that judgement?

 

the only thing I think I disliked on Ebay was someone bidding me up....a bidding war on a coin I really wanted but had to let go because it went way over what I thought it should go for. but on the other side sure I have been in bidding wars where I actually said screw the price I must have it at all costs (it was not way over priced). a coin I will take to my grave. lol

 

I don't disparage either company.

Biggest complaint about eBay - I can't refine my search for notes by grading company like you can for coins.

 

in my opinion, Ebay has became an internet flea market. if you fell like cyber rummaging through all the fakes and junk you might find a genuine gem. of course you can use search tools to define your search but some times you can miss out on what you are looking for because the title may not have any of the key words you entered or the coin is listed in the wrong category.

to me thats both fun and annoying.

 

I never had any problems with ebay so there's nothing to hate. I don't hate PCGS either, I hate all TPGs. IMO, their existence creates weakness and dependence in collectors who no longer have to swim upstream when it comes to authentication and grading.

But then what are they doing wrong? TPGs are only supplying demand by slabbing coins. Isn't supplying demand what business does? And collectors are only taking advantage of an easy out--just let the TPG priesthood decide what is and what isn't. That's what people usually do *follow* the path of least resistence.

With PCGS, I suspect their "cock of the walk" air is a big complaint with people. But on balance I think it helps them more than it hurts them. If you want people to perceive you as #1 then you can't go around saying: "Gee fellas, we're pretty sure we can do this grading stuff. We'll try real hard.."

But hey, at least we don't have to look at Hall singing: "I'm too sexy for my shirt..."

 

It seems sellers need to be protected from you. I noticed about half your purchases on ebay you left negative feedback.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...=joshscoinauctions&ftab=FeedbackLeftForOthers

 

I don't have any complaints about PCGS.
Anyway as an ANA member I use NGC.

eBay on the other hand has IMO serious problems.
It's rules/policies lean heavily towards the buyer.
And worse, their dispute system is seriously flawed.
Finally using "Customer Service" and eBay in the same sentence is a oxymoron.

And I haven't had any problems with them for the 15 years I've been a member.
But that's mostly because I am VERY restrictive about my selling practices.
I feel like Damocles every time I list on eBay.

 

I don't hate either but dislike some of what they do.
I wish that Ebay would go back to both buyers and sellers being able to leave positive or negative feedback. The feedback system has always been far from perfect but I feel it was better when both sides of a deal could post their side on the deal.
I also wish that Ebay would still show the member that is bidding on an item. I feel that keeps thing a bit more honest. It made it easier to spot shill bids.
With PCGS, I actually like most of the changes over the years. I don't care for the changes in grading standards and grading cost over the years. I still find the coin forum there a valuable tool for information. Same with Coinfacts.

 

I do feel like cyber rummaging through all the fakes and junk, and sometimes I get a gem because "the title may not have any of the key words you entered or the coin is listed in the wrong category", and everybody else misses it.

 

PCGS customer service has been horrible for years. That's my main complaint with them. NGC customer service has been wonderful during the same time. I attribute part of it to the fact that PCGS is a publicly traded company that is more worried about shareholders and profits than customer service.

I have no problem with PCGS grading, but I do have a problem with the perception that PCGS is so much better than NGC. That doesn't pan out in reality when the quality of coins is considered. PCGS does advertise and market their product a lot more, and I guess it might even help that they are self-proclaimed #1 (if you say it enough times, it must be true, right?) But, in the areas where I collect (e.g., world coins, tokens, medals, etc.), NGC is the preferred and (IMO) much more consistent of the 2 graders.

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eBay is where I purchase a lot of my coins. My main complaints with them would be their bias towards settlements in favor of the buyer. It needs to be more balanced between buyer and seller rights. A further complaint would be the constant changing of their interface...and "improvements" that are actually downgrades (e.g., the removal of wild card searches).

 

I don't hate FleaBay. I just think they've hired the wrong people to formulate policy decisions.

Chris

 

Ebay's bias towards buyers is probably hurting buyers. How many honest dealers just said it's time to go fishing? How many honest dealers who can't afford to go fishing are fishing for a new way to make a living?

 

Especially the FB with multiple four-letter words is very professional.

 

I don't think their fees are that bad at all. They are advertising fees, and when you factor in how many people will see your ad...their fees are actually extremely reasonable. Advertising is exceptionally expensive.

 

Where did all the ebay bashers go?

 

I'm not in love with eBay...but that has nothing really to do with eBay the company. I don't care for the fact that (for the most part) prices end up being more than full retail for less than quality items. But, that's the bidders...not the site. You just have to be willing to sift through it to find the good items.

 

Maybe it's not worth the negative energy being constantly angry about something you are powerless to change...

(Yes, I have called eBay and let them know the issues I have with their system, which I'm sure did NOT get recorded/forwarded in any way. But I have communicated my issues with them.)

With all the negatives (as a seller, and occasionally as a buyer), it does help me sell coins, and that's why I still have an eBay account. Would I rather just sell coins straight from my website? Yes. In reality, would someone rather buy the same coin for a higher price through eBay than for a cheaper price through my website? Yes.