Do you primarily judge online dealers by selection? Price? Service? Do you have any favorites at the current time? What about eBay? Do you find good sellers there?
No question returns or paypal (same thing lol)... otherwise it's go away. I'm buying from pictures so I insist on "returnablity". There are some very good dealers on ebay but no shortage of scammers either... Always check the feedback before buying is the best advice i can give
I don't buy very many coins anymore but I seem to keep going back to dealers I know that have a good reputation. Returning a coin is a pain. My last return was over 20 years ago but still want that option if needed. Good images are important. If I can't read the coin from the images, I just pass and move on.
I would meet with a dealer at a show live and build comradarie and a relationship before ever buying off a site. There are some excellent dealers out there that are reputable and have a great eye for quality coins.
It depends if they have material I would have use for and then price. Further more a fair return policy, quality professionalism, photos, prompt shipment, quality /positive feedback all a plus. The guy with a bunch of negs, blurry photos, wanabee lacking professionalism, dumbo just showing one side of the coin plus low or no fb - no. He’s not even fit to even be on the field lol.
I collect German issues and purchase often on ma-shops. Because most of those sellers are based in Europe, I try to look for sellers with large inventories so that I may purchase several items at once to spread out shipping costs. I like for items to be accurately described. For my collecting purposes, I am appreciative of a KM# in the listing for reference. I've found several good coins on eBay, but am often directed to a seller's main site by a business card tucked in the package, which I appreciate. Other than that, I'll agree with others that I like multiple pictures, a fair return policy and reasonable shipping costs with prompt mailing.
Photos, good ones, and the ability to enlarge and examine them on the site. I hate having to return coins that arrive and are not what the photo represented. I also favor FREE shipping, with return policies. Some little volume sellers try to make up a profit with ridiculous handling and shipping charges.
Good pictures. If their photos are poor, I don't need to go any further. Ideally I buy from people I have met at the shows over the years.
If I buy from dealers, I almost exclusively buy from the people I've met. I gamble on Ebay and buy at some reputable auction houses. But if I've met someone at a show, talked to them, gotten their card, I'm much more likely to visit their website later.
I buy on ebay quite a bit and there's plenty of good sellers there at least when it comes to tokens and medals. I've also bought gold coins on ebay with no problems excepting the high premiums! That's the worst thing about ebay, high premiums to the point of feeling disrespected!
What do I look for in an online dealer? Someone I know, preferably, with whom I have dealt successfully. In general, a superior dealer, with a known positive reputation. I have a big list of dealers I’ve bought from, and tend to buy from them, repeatedly. In addition, a large inventory of high quality coins helps a lot. Also, good pictures of the coins is important.
