Selling Coins online

Common law contract law recognized in all 50 states - you agree to it and get what you bargained for.

 

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You guys are fusing over small stuff. I was more bothered by the monopoly of PayPal being the sole payment method (which is or was until recently an eBay company). I wonder if this is kosher under fair competition and anti-trust laws.

 

After selling a few items way back in the late 90's on eBay it was clear this company was built to make $$. I went out and bought stock in it. Just split this year with PayPal now it's own company.

Use the ebay calculator to help understand all the fees.

http://www.fees.ebay.com/feeweb/feecalculator

 

Despite being listed separately, it's still a final value fee.

eBay is not a common carrier like UPS, USPS or FedEx. eBay only assists in the sellers purchase of postage (with a discount from prices charged by USPS) and printing of labels.

Those free boxes? They are not really free. Shipping rates are higher because of them.

 

Are you forced to use eBay shipping? Are you forced to use eBay over all? In my opinion it's simple, if you don't like eBay's policies or fees, don't use their services, then your problems with eBay are solved.

 

Why when a forum member ask a simple question does he or she get the 3rd degree? People act surprised and immediately start talking down to people or act like they are holier than thou? Every single person in the numismatic world has started out wet behind the ears and I am sure they have posted silly or misunderstood questions so they can learn what is right and wrong or guidance on what and what not to do. Many of the people on the forums (If the shoe fits...)act like they know everything or are horrified if someone questions them. Get over yourself and act humble. Then people who just want simple answers won't make those mistakes that cause others to make fun or ridicule them. They feel that if they asked a question they would be subject to embarrassment on the forums. This does NOT apply to everyone on these forums. Many people help a lot of people here. Others just need to have the decency to do it in a mature and respectable manner so that it is beneficial to all. You can flame me all you want; but I thought the forums were a place to talk and ASK for help without ridicule? Am I wrong?

 

I am lacking context for this post. What post(s) are you responding to in this thread?

 

I have used GC.

First of all, the customer service was oustanding. Second, the process was really easy - fill out the forms and mail the coins. All my items sold quickly and the check arrived reasonably soon after.

The drawback was the prices realized. I cleared out a bunch of slabs and A few raw coins I had no interest in. They were $50 - $400 coins: including toned CC dollars, old holder walkers, a toned buffalo, and a proof ASE. I let GC set the opening bids, which were low. Most coins got one or two bids and sold cheaply. After their commission and my postage costs, I probably could have gotten similar money by selling them to the local coim shop.

If I use them again, I will set my own opening bids at the minimum I would accept.

 

I don't understand the whole big deal about eBay.....they provide absolutely no value!

I would never pay a (harsh) fee to get this kind of service when I can walk out my door have MILLIONS of buyers right at my finger tips just like eBay.

 

If you sell through them (GC), make sure to have the coins graded yourself whether the coins are raw or are being submitted as crossovers. Their service in submitting coins for CAC and to the grading services is abysmally slow.

 

You can't beat Great Collections for service and convenience. I have used them to sell coins before. Their fees are lower, yes, but...

The prices realized on GC are usually pretty low. I get the impression that a lot of bargain hunters and dealers looking for wholesale go there. Their customer base isn't wide enough to attract enough spirited bidding to get to the retail level. As others have mentioned, you will probably get more value from other venues.

I have also noticed that many of the opening bids on GC are really high (probably because people have not been getting the numbers they want). Because of this, many coins languish on GC, when they would have sold quickly in a true auction.

 

PayPal is not and never has been the sole payment method acceptable. You ned to read their rules. Try reading this http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html. Even checks and money orders are permitted under some circumstances.

 

When was this last updated? I was told by a very good friend who I consigned most of my stuff through that eBay would not give him the option to include in the listing anything other than PayPal. I had similar experiences when I tried myself with a few cheaper (junk) items myself.

P.S. If the Justice Department was able to go after Microsoft for bundling Internet Explorer with its operating system, then I fail to see how making PayPal the default payment option and making it difficult to accept other methods would not similarly fall within the purview of the Sherman Antitrust Act. It was argued IE gave Microsoft an unfair advantage in the web browsing competition; how would bundling PayPal into eBay not do the same to other PayPal like services? Arguably, PayPal reached the point it did largely because of its coupling with eBay or at least, it helped to give them a huge advantage. Just my humble opinion...

 

And that is exactly why payment was not limited to PayPal - and never was. And those have been basically the same rules since eBay began requiring electronic payments (note that is not requiring PayPal). I have been selling for nearly 15 year and they have NEVER limited payment to PayPal although some of the others have come and gone (I believe). CC have always been accepted as have nearly all in person methods.

Re; you question when the policy was updated, here is is in 2010 https://www.cointalk.com/threads/e-bay-question-regarding-payment.97976/#post-838581