eBay advice on counterfeit coin

Well, in the words of master forger Mark Hoffman:

"If I can produce something so correctly, so perfect that the experts declare it to be genuine, then for all practical purposes, it is genuine."

 

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Noone has proved it is fake and whilst some strongly suspect it, ebay dont say you cannot return it, only that you do not have to. If he relists it then ebay can nab him, we shouldnt be judge and jury here.

 

No one here seems to understand eBay policy very well.

 

you included it would seem.......read it, it says does not have to keep it. If it was an honest mistake, then he can return it as its not against ebay rules. he is bound to asssist in its proper disposal, disposal does not mean throwing away, by correct disposal you could say ' i returned it to the guy who made an honest mistake and he wont be selling it on ebay he assures me'

 

If you suspect the coin to be counterfeit, the buyer is not required to return. If it is proven to be counterfeit, do not return under any circumstances. The option to return remains intact until the coin in question is proven to be fake. The problem with eBay's policy lies with unscrupulous buyers who purchase raw coins and then declare them to be fake, even when genuine. It happens, but not often. Regardless, eBay's format is buyer driven, and they always have the upper hand. That's why buying on eBay is 100% safe, despite what some CT members tend to believe.

 

buying on ebay is the best thing since sliced bread!

 

But selling is like slicing bread with a dull knife.

 

agreed.

 

Doesn't matter... eBay will refund from the seller's account.

 

yep, doesnt matter what you say, ebay will take the buyers side and the money will be removed from your account and you would likely be removed from ebay. Noone said it was fair, but sellers are defecated on from a great height by ebay which is a shame because without sellers there would be no buyers and vice versa.

 

I don't think your coins a fake. Scratched yes, fake no.

The weight is within tolerance and the other aspects that were pointed out exist on authentic trade dollars.

 

I which case you have a bargain.........ooh the plot thickens, now you have a dilemna.

 

Oh great. Morgandude11, save me...

 

If you can bear the 100$ just hang on to it and get it authenticated.

 

Best advice yet!

 

Hey, I'll just sell it to you!

 

Thus far the OP has only (differing) opinions, a belief (his) based on conjecture, and has in no way proven the coin fake. He was willing to take the gamble when buying, and now does not want to invest the money to verify the authenticity of his purchase; both decisions made without a gun to his head. While I could see the logic behind not returning in a case of a clear scam, obvious fake, etc, these do not apply. Ebay's rules are what they are, but what they are not is an excuse to steal, which is exactly what the OP would be doing if he kept this coin without actual proof, and even then it should be understood that not all fakes are sold by those trying to rip someone off, so just as he would want to opportunity to recoup his money, the same consideration should be allowed the seller.

 

He does not have to verify his profession, regardless of if the fact he told you what he (supposedly) is, since this has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Without looking at the listing or seller's history, chances are the guy is not trying to rip anyone off, and perhaps he told you about being a cop in the hopes it would give you comfort. I don't know the situation, and aside from your belief that the coin is not genuine, at least give him the benefit of the doubt and treat him as you would hope to be if roles were reversed.

While I understand your point, unless you pay for and decide to keep the coin, you've no right to be judge, jury, and executioner in removing it from the "market". If you do not want the coin, simply secure your refund and return it.

 

This is true, and the coin in question may well be genuine. However, if there is doubt in the buyer's mind, it should be noted that eBay/PayPal require just one third party verification of authenticity. If you take your coin to the LCS and it's declared counterfeit, that's enough proof in the eyes of eBay/PayPal. The following statement has been issued by PayPal regarding their counterfeit policy:

"..and in general we may ask a buyer to destroy counterfeit goods if they supply signed evidence from a knowledgeable third party that the goods are indeed counterfeit. The reason why we reserve the option to ask the buyer to destroy the goods is that in many countries, including the U.S., it is a criminal offense to mail counterfeit goods back to a seller."

 

Unfortunately, the doubt in the buyer's mind is not coming from fact, including from the so-called dealer's he has spoken to, so even though this may be ebay/paypal policy, it does not make it right and/or anything other than theft if followed through on. As for their quoted statement, and if what you say is true (not that I've any reason to doubt you), it is sad that a "knowledgeable third party" can be any schmuck with a storefront and automatically considered to be a knowledgeable professional. I cannot help but to wonder how far this could be taken: would one of the kids that pop in here from time to time claiming to be a dealer be considered an acceptable third party? If a certain CT member followed through with his plans of starting a pre-grading and appraisal service, would his "expert" opinion be good enough? Is it the storefront makes someone knowledgeable, a business license, or perhaps even a DBA?

I realize that you're only passing on information and not giving your personal opinion, but if it is worth noting what ebay/paypal requires, it is also worth discussing what qualifications one must have for their opinion to be deemed acceptable.