I'm mad at the seller but I'm mostly mad at myself! I have been trying to get a pristine WWII commem proof set for some time and I finally got one on ebay. Whenever I bid on a set of any kind I ALWAYS ask to make sure everything is there. I did ask if the set was pristine but for some strange reason I never asked if all packaging was included. The seller was a little tricky and made the lot appear in his photo that all boxes were present so I guess I looked at the photos and fell for it as he was hoping. When I received the set, yes the coins were indeed pristine but to my disgust the box that holds the velvet case was missing. The velvet case was just sliding around inside the outer sleeve. I emailed the seller to see if he had accidently shipped the set and forgot the box and he replied that there never was an inner box. Now, I know it was my fault, I never asked to confirm that all packaging was there but I just wish sellers would be more honest and state in their listings when a set is not complete. I guess the moral of the story is, you can never ask a seller enough questions and make sure you know exactly what you are buying. Now I have to try and somehow find the missing box to protect the coins and case. With all the slabbed WWII commem proofs I see listed, there should be a lot of empty boxes laying around.
That my friend is why I stay away from the EBay type situations...I always go to the dealer or legit Auction House for what I really think are investment grade coins..Period!! Sorry to hear of your misfortune.. RickieB
I used to buy coins from Ebay, but no more. I was never badly burned, but the risk isn't worth it. It also seems that someone is always eager to overpay for a coin on Ebay, and the price will only be as good as the dumbest bidder. I've also purchased a few coins from internet dealers, but found that to be almost as much of a risk. I'll still buy an occasional slabbed coin or modern commem from internet dealers. Buying from local dealers also has its problems, at least with the dealers around me. All things considered, I'm pretty disappointed at the way business is conducted in the hobby. I know there are probably many pure-as-the-driven-snow honest dealers [someplace], but there is enough misrepresentation out there to scare off a casual collector like me. I know the answer is to become better at grading coins and only buy them sight-seen, but I'm just not high enough on the learning curve yet to be comfortable. So I haven't been purchasing anything that would be considered an "investment grade" collectible. It's sad.
1st make sure you have an ANA book to know what you are looking for. search around Ebay, look for sellers that have large pictures of NGC or PCGS graded coins ONLY. go to that sellers store page and look through them all. check a lot of DIFFERENT sellers constantly and you will get a feel for it. this will give you the best range of different coins in different grades possible. its not as good as seeing them in person but you will get a good feel for it.
I happen to have a green US mint box you can have. I will be happy to mail to you. It's free. I purchased a 1995 Civil War 3 coin set in Biloxi three weeks ago, It did not have the outer sleeve. My best friend in Mountain Grove, Missouri bought the two piece Civil War Set and is having the Coins mounted in a picture. He sent me the outer sleeve and box. It looks like you could use a green US mint box. I know what it is like to want to have it all complete.
All too frequent. On ebay you have to confirm everything. If you don't it will usually be a problem. Even if you do it might still be a problem. I bought a piece of hi-fi equipment (not something you would usually see anywhere) there and got ripped off (even with good pictures). I did buy some quarters there and it was OK. I asked for a lot of pics, checked feedback carefully and all went well. It was not a lot of money so I could not get hurt a lot. Sorry for your loss.
i've bought over 300 coins from ebay. only been smiten once. well twice one was a slabbed 1828 from pci. so now i look more closely at slabbed coins they make grave mistakes too. but without ebay i would not been able amass a good colection of bust haves.like you said you have to look hard. also a lot of these guys are selling a fine as xf and so forth.
I don't really want to call this dealer "bad". He never stated the set had all the original packaging so I guess that was my fault for not asking enough questions or the right ones. I wouldn't call him a good seller either. IMHO, a good seller would be up-front and tell you if something is missing or not right. All I know is that the coins were some of the best proofs I have seen in awhile, so I guess i would rather have good coins and have to find the package than vice-versa. I just decided not to leave any feedback.
Any dealer should be ashamed to list a commem and fail to mention that the inner box is not included. I'd return it in a heartbeat and scold him for being deceitful. With ebay, as with any other facet of buying, always try to know your dealer. READ their feedback, don't just look at the number. Find out how long they've been on ebay. What's their return policy? Are they an actual coin dealer with a store or just some guy listing stuff? With proper homework, ebay can be a great source of coins. You just have to watch out for the occasional landmine. Nick
I have purchased very little from E-bay. I usually like to look everything over unless it is slabbed by PCGS or NGC and then I want to see both sides of the coin and attribution.
Unless I'm away from the internet as I was for much of last month, I look at every Japanese coin offered on EBay, and I hate to tell you Nick, but there are more than "occasional" landmines. I haven't been "taken" since my own feedback was in the single digits, but I've been sorely tempted to gamble more than once. A couple of times it was only by very careful reading of lots of feedback that I avoided being caught. You are 200% correct on the homework comment. And, at least in the area of modern Japanese coins, consulting Krause is not enough. I'm sure the same thing applies in other specialties, where knowledge of the literature - in other words reading the book(s) - can make all the difference in the world.
RE:Ebay finally got me! (But not too bad) Here goes. First post. I've been buying and selling on eBay for quite sometime. I've got some exceptionally good coins without great pictures on certified coins. My advice is only buy coins that are pictured (i.e. no stock photo). If you don't know how to grade then you're not ready to buy. Bad pictured certified coins are okay if you are familiar with the certification company and their grading standards for the various issues (NGC does Franklins better and PCGS does Mercs better). And by all means, make sure the dealer has a return policy. Badly scratched holders or the occasional coin pictured not the one sent do arrise. I've only returned one coin because it was not the one pictured and the seller refunded shipping as well and his policy was to not. However he stated that the coin pictured was the one I would receive. Other venues like Yahoo!, Overstock, bidVille, ect., ect., are the same as eBay it this respect. My best advice when buying online is to keep in mind that SGS and FSG are fake certification companies that only certify their own coins and generally in the unrealistic grade of 70. PCI is usually downgraded by Heritage. All have their problems but I wouldn't hold a grading companies faults against a seller. I've received PCGS buffalos graded MS66 with corrosion. Was it the sellers fault. No, they probably didn't notice it if dealing in a large volume. PCGS made the goof and now I shy away from PCGS buffaloes and silver eagles. If buying a raw coin then look for good scans. About the only thing you can't see is the edge of the coin. Keep in mind that it might be cleaned and recolored. Learn to grade and most importantly make sure the seller has a return policy (online, mail order, walk-in-shop, whatever). If your seller had had a return policy you could have sent the commem back to get a refund because it did not have a box.
You are correct sir, many Asian coins on ebay, and any coin on ebay that's being sold by an Asian seller, is one big landmine. I'm sure there are exceptions but normally these are all dangerous items to spend money on. Nick
