Ebay Delemma

Honestly. Here's what I think you should do.. Handle this guy first, if the other two are understanding. But further more, your 14 so you may want to lay this down with your parents, they may be mad, sad, disappointed or however it is. I speak only as a parent myself when I say family is family and they may be able to help you out or at least give you advice on dealing with this matter.. Even if they ground you from selling anymore coins.

I think this really is a great experience for you and while it may seem like the end of the world--it's not.. So my recommendation would be:

• Seek advice and help from your parents. Tell them the truth and don't sugar coat the situation.
• Offer to payback and work off the debts owed to them.

I will leave you with a favorite quote of mine from a great leader. Not that it may make any sense at 14.

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - John Wooden

 

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Cody, one more thing is DON'T even consider (this option) the individual gets to keep the coin and you offering a refund. As a long time (10+ years; greenfdhog) ebay trader who's been in some hairy situations, stick to your guns. If you do decide to repay the $250 then the individual should return the same 1936 dime, period. No discounts or feel-good paybacks...

When you counter with "return the coin and I'll return the $250" I'll bet they say "forget about it." Also, don't let the buyer try to add on the TPG processing fees either. Greed costs...

Ben

 

Ben:
He is the seller.

 

See if the buyer will send you a photo of the PCGS graded Dime. That should convince him to keep the coin or ask again for a refund.


Rhubarb

 

Rhubarb:

Your signature line: "Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day. Teach a man to fish and he will feed himself all his life. "
Shouldn't that read "Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day. Teach a man to fish and he will drink beer all his life."

 

Yes, I know Cody is the seller, it was simply an error on my part.

 

Did you know it was cleaned? or how do you know he isn't the one who cleaned it?

He had to have known what he was buying and he was obviously happy with it when he received it. Now because of a grading company he doesn't want it?

TOO BAD it's his...no refund
If you still have the page listing where it states your policy, copy it, and unless you stated 'never cleaned', I wouldnt fret the small stuff. Like I said, how do you know he didnt clean it before sending for grading?

 

what's that old saying... buyer beware. greed does cost and if the buyer thought he was getting a proof for 1/10th the book value, then he knew going in the coin probably was not a proof. it's a lesson for both the buyer and seller. for the buyer - beware. for the seller, fools and their money are soon parted.

with that said, Cody, being an honest person does not mean you can't sell coins. i believe you misrepresented the coin and as such are on the hook, morally and ethically, but not financially. i do not see that you need to refund the money - the buyer chose to buy the coin at that price. that's the price of buying without knowing.

i would reply back stating that the refund policy was clearly spelled out in the auction and that the time limit has expired.

life is not fair. i hope you have learned a lesson and don't ever do this again.

-Steve

 

On a light note. This is a true country saying. My uncle used to say "Never buy a horse that's been to a dentist." If you know what I'm talking about then you may laugh or smile if you don't know what I'm saying then just forget it...

 

When the seller sends photos or the coin back that would be easy to tell. When Cody auctioned it off the photos in the auction showed alot of toning....if the buyer cleaned it chances are really high that he would have taken away the toning. If the coin isn't in the same shape as when it was sold I think Cody has a better leg to stand on....as it is right now I don't even think he is standing....

True....

Speedy

 

Im just new to buying coin from ebay but I never take someones personal grading opinion as 'truth'.

It's buyer beware and you don't owe him anything. Don't be a doormat.

 

:thumb:

 

Cody,

Here's a solution that

1. maintains your reputation,
2. buys you time to raise the money.


Send the guy a check for $20 and instruct him to send it to ANACS for grading. ANACS will slab a cleaned coin and indicate such on the slab. They will also indicate whether its PF or MS. Instruct the buyer to send you a high resolution picture of the coin once he gets it back.

Once you get that picture, post it here.

If it comes back MS or cleaned and the toning matches your auction picture, then send the guy a full refund (shipping included) once you recieve the coin back.

If it comes back PF or the toning does not match your picture exactly, politely explain to the guy that no refund will be forthcoming and that he should be happy that you just paid his fee to get the coin slabbed.

 

He clearly stated his return policy as per Ebay rules

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/your-return-policy.html


Cody..in the future maybe you should add that the coin grade is 'your opinion' and that they should judge for themselves

 

I agree with those who recommend that you tell the buyer to return the coin and you will refund the money. You apparently cheated him unless future events prove otherwise. You didn't mean to, but that doesn't change the fact. If this thread was reversed, and you had purchased a "proof" that turned out to be MS-cleaned, folks here would be offering 100 ways to get back at the @#$% seller. Either borrow more money or sell your coins to process the refund. Consider it a life lesson that you are young enough to recover from, and never forget that when you make claims with a pretty professional looking EBAY ad and 100% positive feedback, people are trusting you with their money and believing that you will deal honestly with them.

 

that's not Cody's problem. regardless of his intentions (honest mistake or willful deceit) the buyer has the responsibility of knowing what he/she bought. if Cody had purchased the coin, i would be pointing out he chose to buy the coin and it was a mistake to trust the seller. a deal too good to be true is.

the buyer gets no refund, Cody gets to keep the money, but now Cody has to live with that on his conscience. hopefully he will never do this again.

-Steve

 

This is an interesting thread but I think everyone is missing the obvious: Cody is only 14 and therefore cannot legally enter into a contractual agreement (Im no lawyer, learned it from Judge Judy)

You must be 18 to post on EBay as well.
Did someone post the coin for you Cody, or did you do it yourself?
Who is Mid West Numismatics?

Could be a legal issue here
Opinions on this can of worms?

 

Legally, OP can keep the money, but I personally believe in taking the high road. There is apparently some doubt that the listing description was accurate.

I still vote for my suggestion, send the buyer the money to have the coin graded by ANACS. They may not be the best TPG, but they are somewhat reputable and WILL SLAB a cleaned coin.

This will buy the OP time and will let the OP make an informed decision on whether to refund the buyer his money. At a minimum, the buyer gets a slabbed coin.

 

What I am saying is if Cody posted the coin on EBay himself he violated EBay rules and therefore legally cant sell the coin and is on the hook for it.
That is why I wanted to know who Mid West Numismatics is

I think the buyer would throw a fit if they knew Cody is only 14!

 

Cody:

Unfortunately, these facts have no bearing on the case. Your ability to issue a refund has nothing to do with whether or not your buyer is owed one. Try to keep these two things seperate while figuring out what you're going to do.

An old adage that comes to mind is this one:

Conscience is what you do when people are looking.
Character is what you do when nobody is looking.