I have a friend who I consider a professional/expert in the arena of coin classification and grading. He is not a certified anything, or true professional, as he does not work for anyone but himself. He posted some auctions on ebay (which he does frequently) and used MS as a grade in the title. The listings were pulled because that is not allowed, and is reserved only for the "big" company sellers. If he used MS it is because it was uncirculated (MS-60?) I am a layperson and still learning...so forgive me this. He is a perfectionist, and does hours of research before anything is posted. His photos and descriptions are immaculate, and the listings are some of the best I have ever seen. Has anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like a racket to me, and I don't like it one bit. I would like to complain on his behalf, but to whom, and will someone actually give a hoot? Any input or suggestions are appreciated.
I have no idea what rule he may have violated . . . but certainly he can put "Unc" or "BU" in the title, and then say "MS" in the description, no?
Yes, that's exactly what they said when he called them. He has regular bidders that watch many of his auctions and they are all timed to end within minutes of each other. He offers freebies for those who win more than one auction, so he really encourages the cross bidding. He now thinks that they think he is a loon because he had listings pulled for violation. I cannot find where is states that he cannot use the MS in the Title. I think that if some can use it, that all should be able to.
I'd like to hear more about what eBay said to him. We all know and count on listings stating MS65, MS66, etc so we can search them. I don't know, did he use MS without a numerical grade?
This is a common mistake self-graders may make in their eBay listings. eBay will end such auctions that use these terms to describe coins not certified by a TPG. eBay usually says something like this:[FONT=Arial, Verdana] [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Verdana] [/FONT]I made this mistake once and received the above message. Hope this helps you guys understand eBay's position/policy.
I don't sell on eBay but I know their policies when it comes to currency and your friend probably should have read up before selling currency. Ebays policy states: "A raw or uncertified coin is defined as any coin not graded by one of the authorized grading companies. Sellers can list these items on eBay as long as: A numeric grade is not included in the title of the listing, such as MS-65, VF-25, etc. A numeric grade may only be included in the description of the listing. The grading company or price guide is not referenced in the title or description. A dollar value (even if personal opinion) is not included in the title or description. The listing includes a photo of the coin with the appropriate markings. Images that are dark, out of focus, edited, or otherwise deemed misleading are not permitted. Stock photos aren’t permitted." It's not a racket, it's meant to protect people from being mislead.
Yeah, I find this funny, while they'll allow that International Numismatic Bureau guy self grade his own stuff. I'm mean, the guy doesn't even have a website.
Thanks Krispy. That was exactly what I was looking for. This is the message he received. Statequarterguy...he did recieve the message krispy posted. He can still use MS 60 in the description. Currently, he is just stating that "it is my opinion that this coin is ms-60" but he cannot list that in the title. I understand a little, and then I don't. I would not be able to sell something that I did not know something about. If I knew enough to be able to grade it, that's what I would post. There are good guidelines, and this person, like many of you, has studied many a coin from all over the world. He knows enough to not have to pay someone to certify what he has already determined. As a buyer, you should be able to clearly see in the seller photos if the description or grade is clear enough. By the way, this policy is changed as of about 4 or 5 years ago. Surely it was pushed for by the certification people. Not your everyday coin collector.
Yes, it was pushed for by the everyday collector and the ANA mostly because of listers and unscrupulous TPG's who don't know their butts from..... There were many out there who's grading skills (or more likely morals) left a lot to be desired. If you will read a lot of threads around here, you can find all kinds of illicit grade that was offered. I once bought an MS64 so I could get a nice AU coin and felt lucky it was AU. I also bought another with that one and returned it. It was not only not MS, but was also cleaned.
Yes, ebay's rules do seem overly restrictive in this area, but they have been burned by countless sellers who sold coins 'graded' by a fly-by-night TPG, Like SGS and NNC. These unprofessional 'grading services' are also called SSS's (shameless self-slabbers). SGS's average grade is about MS-67 and is often not really relevant to the actual coin being sold. They sell many coins labeled MS-70. I have personally seen very few coins in my lifetime that warranted a 'perfect' grade. ; ) If you want to learn about coins, the best resources I have found in 50 years of collecting are the ebay listings and ebay's Coins and Paper Money Discussion Board. You can learn more in a year that way than in a lifetime of attending coin club meetings. ; )
