I am sick and tired of all of the scam artists and made-up grading companies that are messing around with this great hobby!! Nobody who has the power seems to want to do anything to change it, and the people who don't have any power are ignored. I think the Coin Community Watch on eBay is a joke. Either they don't have people who are knowledgeable enough to handle the job or they're all to scared to actually do anything. Personally, I think they're scared. There has to be somebody out there who knows how we can make a difference and put an end to some of this. Most of the people I have talked with on this forum are knowledgeable and nobody seems to be shy. Why can't we get anything done????? Day after day it's the same thing - "Look at these fakes"; "Who is this new 'grading' company"; "Look how this seller is trying to rip people off". It's getting beyond frustrating. I know that I'm not the only one here who has tried to do their part, but when only 1 seller out of every 100 (or more) gets some (not even all) of their auctions pulled, it's like running uphill on ice. Okay, I feel better now. If anyone has any ideas of anything else we can do, post them. Maybe we can think of another way to fix this.
Oh Susan, The fight is much bigger than this. You are certainly not alone in this battle. I have worked with various people from the ANA to congressmen to add what I can to the hobby. Sometimes it is easy to feel all alone out there. Change is hard to create, and takes quite a long time. The biggest problem with Ebay is that they are involved in many other areas than just coins. They have to monitor all of these areas with the same limited number of people. The fact that they have begun to work with the ANA is a bright spot. Anytime you attempt to get change, it is a hard long fought battle. Joining with others in the fight helps. Just don't lose faith or hope. You are standing up to a large system that has made a living at ignoring the problems. That isn't an easy thing to change. Standing out from the crowd is often harder than anything else. You are making very good strides in that. You keep up the good fight, and eventually you will see the changes.
We do just what we did before before there was an eBay. Listen, if there are any new collectors out there, stay away from that snakepit. There ARE honest coin dealers that will be happy to have you as a customer. You don't have to take your chances on eBay.
Actually, small though it is, I got to see a change right after I started this thread: all of the auctions from the seller of the 1828 Peace Dollar were pulled a few minutes ago. I feel better now and go on with the fight - I just needed to see something .
Susan, My post was directed at so-called "newbies". Veteran collectors know how to protect themselves from fraud. An honest seller, with reasonable TOS, and attractive material, will move their product. It's the scammers that target the newbies, anyway.
Jody, I know that. It was taken lightly, believe me. I feel a lot better now. The Trade Dollar seller, east_antiques668, (from another thread this morning) had all of their coin auctions pulled about 30 minutes after I reported it. I'm sure it was due to others who reported it sooner, but that works too - I feel loads better That's two sellers we got just this morning!
One thing you have to keep in mind is that we will always have bad guys with us. Remember, they can be pro-active, finding new and ingenious ways to exploit others, while the "good guys", law enforcement, vigilantes, and everything in between, can only be reactive, responding to the "scam du jour".
Well said, Satootoko. Since I've spent my whole life flying in the face of popular opinion and banging my head up against brick walls, this really is no different. Even though the bad guys will always be there, I just want to be able to make some kind of difference. I also want to find a way that would be more proactive rather than reactive. I think I might be able to do that if I get admitted to the Coin Community Watch committee. At least, I hope so.
Hear you loud and clear... I got taken by Aboncom and SGS coin grading about a year ago. Even though it was for less than $50, I made it a point to read and learn before I made any more further on-line purchases. Also, they made my blood boil so that I always make sure to add my own 2 cents when the subject comes up. It is rewarding for me to get emails with thanks from other potential "victims" that tell me they would have bought until they found discussions on the subject in forums like Coint Talk. With that, I consider it a small victory. Forums like these have really helped me in many areas of numismatics. It has made me more educated on the subject and saved me dollars that would have been lost due to sellers that ruin it for the masses. Remember..."Evil wins when good does nothing" We are doing something here just as troops are doing something ELSEWHERE on a much larger scale and venture.
to be honest i wouldnt buy a coin over $100 off ebay its just to risky bullion aside. i think its worth taking the chance with stuff of value under this but for more specialised items with rarity then its a coin dealer i would see. its all the rare items that are faked no point faking a 20 usd morgan
Jimmy - You can also just buy coins slabbed by one of the major grading companies. The you don't need to worry about buying some fake
I think that a lot of ebay is good stuff. I've dealt with many nice and honest people. Let me assure you that there are many people who have been "taken" by an unscrupulous local coin dealer. It comes down to some simple rules that newbies need to learn quickly and not-newbies need to remember. Know what you are buying and who you are buying from.
