I suppose this applies to all collectibles in general, but I'm seeing people using product reviews to alert others to fake coins, like this listing below. Problem is, it will show the same thing for all future coins listed with the same keywords (country, denomination and year). See this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1873-A-Gree...802004?hash=item3f6de71b54:g:LB4AAOSw0UdXtndU The review is from Sept. 10th and obviously was for a fake of the same coin (this coin was just listed tonight). The good samaritan action of the past is now hurting legit sellers. While I do think it's cool to be able to drop an alert to other buyers right on the item page like this, product reviews really have no place for coins or anything else where even two of the same thing are still unique. This ends up hurting sellers of genuine coins more than it punishes sellers of fakes, and vice versa when positive reviews appear on counterfeit coin listings.
I haven't the slightest idea what's being discussed - I see nothing resembling a "review" at that link. The word doesn't even occur on the page.
You don't see "1 product rating" right below the listing title? Or if you scroll all the way to the bottom?
Ah! Thank you; the rating didn't open until I clicked that link. Goes to show you how much stock I put into "Product Reviews."
It's really hard to "review" a coin. What would you complain about? General lack of strike quality? Bad design?
If eBay gave a pile of rat poo about policing the listings, I'd worry about this. Next time I do a review I'll specifically mention the fake listing and buyer beware this coin is often a counterfeit. But that's about it.
Unfortunately eBay cares more about "interference" such as calling out fakes on their site than it does about preventing their sale. Now if you could upload pictures to a product review, that might be better and not hurt other sellers who list genuine examples so much.
First of all, how does the reader know if the reviewer is (or isn't) holding a grudge against a particular seller for any reason, and this is more of a personal attack than an assessment of the coin? Secondly, one has to consider the qualifications that the reviewer has for him to be able to state that the coin is a counterfeit. "Well, gee, it certainly looks fake to me" shouldn't cut it in anyone's vocabulary. State the facts that drew you to that conclusion in comparison to a genuine item. And third, for eBay to police what is authentic and what is spurious would require the hiring of specialists, not only in the coins categories, but in many of the groups where fake items show up, and that's not something they are prepared to do. And it really isn't their job to do so.
See, that is the problem. These things should not even have to be unnecessarily considered by potential buyers. It should be between the collector, the seller and the coin. Commentary that does not even apply to the coin in question has no place in the matter. It's a distraction at best and sabotage at worst. They actually had volunteer specialist groups to police counterfeiting, as well as employees to interact with them and handle reports, in most collectibles categories up until about 2 years ago. Then ebay fired them all.
Because the review was written six weeks before this coin was listed, and concerned an 1875 5 Drachmai, not an 1873 1 Drachma....look here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/ukobke Ebay, as usual, constantly stretching our sense of disbelief with their ineptitude.
Sorry, Dave, apply Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity.
My favorite axiom. However, in Ebay's case the situation is caused not so much by sheer stupidity as it is pursuit of the very last hundredth of a Basis Point in profit. I'll concede it approaches "stupidity" when one considers what they're risking, if someone in Congress (Heaven knows I've tried, without success) decides to light a fire under FTC.
