I have been an occasional collector for about the last 10 years and have recently been getting more and more interested in the hobby. I have talked to several people in my area that are selling sportscards and other collectibles on ebay to help them aquire the funds to add to their collection. I was wondering if something similar could be done with coins, and what everyone's opinions are on the idea. I have spent a lot of time going over the old post and respect everyones opinion so I thought you could provide some important insight. Any tips you can provide will be appreciated and also brutal honesty.
Sure it can be done with coins. Ebay is not for the newbie. Too many sharks swimming in them waters. It has the same rules as poker. If you can't spot the sucker, it is you.
Welcome, joshlm. Can't give you much first-hand advice on selling coins. (never sold one in my nearly 40 years of being in the hobby) I would, however, like to wish you good luck.
i haven't actually been collecting for very long (maybe 6 months since i got deeper into it) but like jody, i won't be of much help because i have NEVER bought or sold a coin at all. All my coins have been gifts or i found them in circulation, and to me, this is all i need to do to get my collection up. (and right now i can't really buy any so that's a good thing) ~Josh~
For buying raw coins on ebay...take the seller's grade and subtract 2 to 5 points for MS coins and for raw coins, subtract an entire grade (i.e., EF40 is really VF20 to 30). For selling raw coins, use good digital shots taken in a macro mode with indirect, non-flash light. As for grades, I use B.U. versus AU, or EF versus VF and state in my description that grading is a matter of opinion, so please take a look at my close up pictures and determine your own grade. With that said, that is the reason for the fascination and success of professionally graded coins. It is NOT the seller's opinion, but that of PCGS, NGC, ICG or ANACS (the top four and the most respected out of them all). You have a better idea of what you are buying and selling which helps in "sight, unseen" coin transactions.
If your feedback rating is low (like below 100) you may have trouble getting people to bid on your stuff.
I sell quite a bit on eBay and there are certain things that are a must if you want to get the best money possible with satisfied customers. First of all, take very clear, large pictures of your coins - obverse and reverse. It is always best to take them out of the holder if possible. Obviously, slabbed coins are different. If you are selling slabbed coins, provide pictures of the slab and close-ups of the actual coin. Always take a picture of the actual coin you are selling. Do not use stock pictures or pictures taken from a website. Secondly, include a detailed text description also. There are scratches and marks that may not show up in the pictures and some that look exaggerated in the pictures that are not that noticeable on the coin. Don't be afraid to explain that a blemish that is large in the photo is not noticeable on the actual coin. Digital images show a million details that the naked eye simply does not see. If you are going to attempt to assign a grade to raw coins, explain how you arrived at your grade in the description. What grading points did you use? Where did you get your reference (i.e., ANA Grading Standards, Red Book, Photograde, etc.) Make sure that you state your shipping/handling charge in the auction. Do not make people email you for shipping details. You will lose bids. If it is not stated, people feel that you are trying to scam them. If you follow these guidelines, it should not matter how high your feedback rating is, you should be able to make the sale. Even if a potential bidder does not agree with your assigned grade, if you supply large enough pictures, they can grade it for themselves. Hope this helps.
Thanks for all the help guys. I have finished reading the posts and will continue to watch ebay. Thanks for all the insight and I will let you know how it goes.
Had one more question if you don't mind. I have been watching a few pcgs slabs and was wondering how much one can rely on the accuracy of their grading. There is a couple hundred dollars difference from what it is graded at to the next lowest grade in greysheet. Thanks
PGCS is like any of the grading services. They are close most of the time, but none are 100% accurate. This is why we buy the coins, and not the plastic.
