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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Jaelus, post: 2075754, member: 46237&quot;]Good advice. Taking a chance now and again can pay off, but it&#039;s really important to only buy within your comfort zone and take precautions.</p><p><br /></p><p>I took a risk on a listing last month. The pics were bad, but clear enough that I could tell it was a scarce variety and likely a condition rarity. I asked the seller for better pics. I was sent some low res scans which were hard to make out, but were better than the auction pics. The seller said he couldn&#039;t take better pics because of an equipment problem (red flag #1). Though I saw and asked about a couple apparent minor issues, the seller (who is a dealer with a shop by the way) assured me the surfaces were completely original with no issues significant enough to preclude grading. He has decent feedback so I take him at his word.</p><p><br /></p><p>We settle on a price, but then he asks me to go outside of eBay and that he will send me a PayPal invoice for &quot;services&quot;. For those that don&#039;t know, if you pay for services via PayPal your transaction is not protected as it is with goods, so don&#039;t do it. Having the seller ask for this was red flag #2, but I still took a chance on the sale, insisting though that he do the transaction through eBay.</p><p><br /></p><p>Well I end up getting the coin and it has no original surfaces at all. Though significantly retoned, it had been whizzed to death; even the edge of the coin had been whizzed, completely obliterating the reeding and damaging the rims. This was hidden by the seller by photographing the coin in a holder that covered the edge.</p><p><br /></p><p>I inform the seller of the condition of the coin and he immediately offers to renegotiate for a significantly lower price (less than a third of what I paid), so obviously he knew about the condition before sending the coin. Luckily I was protected by eBay buyer protection as well as PayPal buyer protection because I insisted on doing the transaction through eBay, and I got a full refund quickly.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have taken similar risks in the past that have paid off, so I don&#039;t regret taking the risk. The biggest risk as a buyer with eBay is if you buy something you aren&#039;t familiar with and don&#039;t know enough to assess the condition properly. Make sure you understand how eBay and PayPal buyer protection works; you can always call their customer service and ask if you have a question. Make sure you read the auction description completely, understand the seller&#039;s return policy, and evaluate the pictures of the coin thoroughly before bidding. Also, if you are buying a problem coin, make sure you know the market value and don&#039;t pay a problem-free price.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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