Has anyone used anti tamper stickers with serial numbers on their coins? I am trying to figure out the appropriate method to place them on my coins. Obviously, I don't want to put them directly on the coin or on the coin holder. Then I was thinking of putting the raw coin or coin holder or set into another enclosure (clear non-tear bag). In short, I want to secure the coins with a serial number that I clearly tie back to the coin without damaging the coin or holder. Just another way to deter the wrong crowd from trying to pull one on me.
I figured I am... I've honestly have only had 1 issue come up, however, anti tamper stickers are a great way to freak out a classic thief. Trying to eliminate the ol' swap a roo, you didn't send me this, you sent me this. I assume this is the cost of doing business and watching out for 0 feedback buyers.
A thief will always cover a lie with another lie. You can't prevent that from happening unless the dispute is resolved by Judge Judy. Chris
Yeah, just trying to think of new ways to deter problems. 1000 bags for $70 bucks... added cost of .07 per coin, perfect. I'll take it to solve my paranoia.
Buyer: "O noes you sent me bad coin EBAY GIVE ME REFUND PLS" You: "I'm sorry you're unhappy. I sent exactly the coin I described. Please send it back for a full refund." Buyer: (sends back pocket change) You: "That's not the coin I sent. I sent you a good coin in a tamper-proof housing." Buyer: "NO YOU DI'NT LIAR" eBay: (refunds buyer's money) At some point, eBay may catch on that the buyer is a bad actor -- or the buyer may spin up a new account for each fraudulent purchase. I don't know of any way to eliminate this risk.
Besides, if I have to take it out of the bag to weigh it and it proves counterfeit, I'm still going to return it...
Yea that won't work. What is to stop the buyer from saying you were an unscrupulous seller who sent them the wrong coin in a holder with a broken tamper seal?
You guys seem to know all loopholes.... keep your friends close, enemies closer. Just kidding. I 100% understand eBay is a sham of a company and sides with the buyer 99% of the time. When a thief looks at an auction he wants to scam and reads "this will be in a tamper proof bag", specific rules, notices the buyer understands how the game is played, looks for certain feedback, requires certain things.... I am hoping that if this makes them skip my auction even 20% MORE of the time then its a win-win. Put the thief to the side for a second, if an honest buyer gets the coin, looks at it visually threw the tamper proof bag and says "I've had second thoughts, I would like to return it". Maybe he didn't open the bag and now I have peace of mind that he didn't swap it. I am not looking for a one bag solves all eBay policies. I am looking for many cheap ways to make it that much more painful and structure process that will be TOO much work for a buyer to try to pull a quick one. To be honest, I wish eBay allowed you to choose which buyers (feedback requirement) to look at your auction. In my opinion, that would fix 99% of false claims. You aren't going to get to 1000 feedbacks 100% if you are causing issues with people you buy from.
I have the perfect solution to eBay.....an alternative auction house! Wow a million dollar idea.... oh wait, no one stands a chance against eBay because they have a monopoly on internet auctions and the government allows them to run their business. But jokes aside, I would like a middleman service that verifies your coin then allows you to post an auction, which eliminates almost all risk except it getting stolen in transit.
Couple problems with this. The tamper proof bag will make it harder for a buyer to scrutinize the coin. It will also make the buyer feel like you don't trust him, and a dishonest buyer may feel more justified in pulling a fast one on a seller that doesn't trust him. I don't think there's anything you can do to deter problem buyers that can be accomplished with a physical holder for the coin. What I do is mark all my auctions as "Returns Not Accepted". This raises the bar for a buyer to make a return, and while it may deter some honest buyers, it will hopefully deter all of the dishonest ones too. If you mark your auctions as "Returns Accepted" you are stating that your policy is to 100% unconditionally accept all requests for returns. This includes returns from obviously dishonest buyers, and eBay won't do a thing for you because you said your policy is to accept all returns.
I always use "Returns not accepted" (even though its garbage). 99% of the time, auctions go smoothly. If people consistently scammed the sellers, eBay would not exist because sellers would not sell. Do you really think a dishonest buyer is going to lurk in the shadows and try to stand proud and say "Ah-Ha! Screw you and your tamper bag, it did nothing!". Maybe, maybe not. The more red tape I can put in my listing, the better. I assume scam artists look for auctions who say "this will be shipped first class in a letter envelope, tracking/insurance available upon request". Could it be overkill? Yes, it probably is. Could I tick off buyers? Maybe. Could some buyers be impressed with the level of "security"? Maybe Not to mention, a tamper bag is actually quite sturdy and provides a coating of protection for coins (for some reason that the holder wasn't already good enough).
So I buy it, when it arrives I file a "significantly not as described" claim, ebay says to ship it back, I send back pocketchange and as soon as it arrives ebay give me my refund. The "returns not accepted" is worthless. Oh ad if you refuse to accept the package it will get sent back and ebay will still give me the refund.
With all due respect, perhaps you're a bit too paranoid to be selling on eBay. This thought comes not only from this thread/idea, but from your other regarding selling as well. Ebay is what it is, and there is no way, because of eBay's ridiculously excessive coddling of buyers, you're going to be able to totally protect youself short of avoiding the venue altogether; risk is simply part of the eBay game, and each individual must weigh it against potential reward when deciding if eBay is right for them. You are no different. I fear that your idea will cause more harm than good in that all of your buyers will be put at a disadvantage because of the added packaging. Perhaps, depending on the types and material you are selling, using such a sticker on the next-size up (quarter flip for a nickel, as an example) on a cardboard flip would be okay, even if only for your peace of mind, but this idea of using them on bags holding the holder holding the coin is, IMHO, a poor one. I wish you only the best of luck though.
I probably am paranoid. There is no sticker now. Now its just a tamper evident bag, which has a serial already. It is actually cheaper than going with tamper evident stickers. As long as the buyer is getting a good deal, I don't think they would care if it is wrapped up in a Walmart bag.
Perhaps, but the thing is that they will want to get into that WalMart bag first. Now I am sure the bags you are looking at are clear, but they are still going to take away from the buyer's ability to properly view the coin, and isn't likely to please many of your customers. I would be more concerned with turning good buyers off at this point than doing something to stop the bad, especially when its not likely to make a difference anyway.
