The amount of coin fraud on ebay is numbing

The first two links you posted look fine to me.

 

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I have purchased hundreds of coins on eBay with no issues. The purchaser needs to pay attention when he or she is buying. Nearly all of the sellers I have used have a 99.9% or 100% positive feedback ranking and have been in the business for quite some time. When I find ones, and I do, that offer exceptional service, I go back again and again with no worries.

 

How does Facebook charge sellers? I don't use Facebook just because of the privacy issues, but I'd consider using it for some sales, if it's worthwhile. I have had a lot of luck selling on craigslist of all things (and eBay), but you have to really have a tight plan and screen your buyers there, because the potential for rip off is great for face to face transactions. I want to know the name, phone number (so I can do a quick background check) and then meet up at the local Court house or police station (cameras and good security) to do the deal, I also photograph license plates, and I'm very transparent about the whole process and my expectations, including that I'll be bringing my counterfeit marker to check the payment. Trust but verify. My taking steps for mutual safety and a good deal is appreciated, in my experience. I've really enjoyed buying in the Sales Corner here and I think I'll try it for some sales here when I'm ready.

 

I never go FB either John, to many issues. Thanks for the response. Be safe.

 

I see the same problems on Facebook it's almost become a joke. Silver Eagles for $9.99. Complete sets of Morgan dollars that all look the same and only contains 27 coins. Silver or gold so cheap you can't believe the pricing. I could go on but, what I don't get is why on Facebook if you put one wrong word in a post you'll get a warning but, these guys that are actually ripping people off nothing happens.

 

I looked at the links you gave, and they're both auction sales of Morgan dollars. The $5.50 you mention was someone's initial bid. It'll surely sell for much more than that. The vendor has a great record. I've never bought anything from the person, but with his record I would expect to get a good coin and service. Don't be so quick to cast stones.

 

Just put the id10ts on ignore. It makes CT a much more pleasant place.

 

What makes you think it's fake?

 

If I buy a fake coin I would hope to learn from that experience. Who are you to take away that opportunity for me to learn something new.
I would really hate to live in your world. It seems as though your posts are all about the bad stuff in the world. Stop playing super-hero and do something different.

 

All opinions are welcome. Yours goes right to the center of the table along with the candlesticks and flowers.

BTW - if you like fraud, you would LOVE identification theft. You can learn so much more from identification theft than simple coin fraud. With Identify Theft, one can finally learn who they REALLY are in the universe. It is a personal journey of self-discovery.

 

We all have an interest here in ensuring that there's a next generation of coin collectors.

If you buy a $20 fake coin you will almost certainly learn $20 worth of life tuition from it. But if you buy a $200 or $2000 counterfeit the worry is that you'll leave the hobby and never come back.

But I agree the answer isn't a blanket comment that you can't buy counterfeits. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

In fact last week I happily spent $220 on a pair of contemporary counterfeit 3 cent Silvers. I knew exactly what I was buying and I'm very happy to have them in the dark side of my collection.

 

If you read my post again you may understand it had nothing to do with numismatic.

 

Actually, GC does sell raw coins. Look near the bottom of the category list on their homepage. But it's a very small part of their offerings. I've bought many coins via GC with no problems. And I've chatted with one the owners, Ian Russell, a number of times at Long Beach. He's a very knowledgeable and straightforward guy. Their operation is comparable to Heritage, StacksBowers, and Legend except they don't hold live auctions or send out catalogs. That's why their buyer's premium is one half that of other auction houses.

Cal

 

Thanks for the correction. I never noticed it since I don't buy raw coins as a general rule and almost everything I bid on is more or less higher-end. But I'll take a look.

 

Umm - no. It is mostly a dealer driven alternative to ebay with fewer fees to the sellers and better control. Good prices, nah. Selection.... definetely nah. Buyers premium, for sure. High prices, built into the platform. Encouragment to use non-tracebale wire of cash! Check - 10% discount.

I just feel obligated to point out that the site is actively pushed here buy a select few who want to have a freer platform to sell coins without the intanglements of ebay (or government). That makes it, FWIW, inherently less safe. Like ebay or not, if has several buyer protections within it, and it annoyes sellers to no ends. Ebay knows it's customers are the buyers. That is not true with other protforms, and especially not true for "Great Collections". If you see a coin there that you want and the price is right, I wouldn't discourage you from bidding, but just don't go in blindly without understanding the nature of that platform.

Itis definetely not Stacks or Heritage and I'm not particularly a fan of them either.

 

When someone posts that it is OK to buy and trade in illegal fake counterfiet coins, which is business fraud, there is really nothing to respond with. It is spiteful and hateful to promote such fraud. There is always a troll and always aways someone who simply can't understand the difference between wrong and right when their own interests get involved.

It comes down to the old expression, on the internet, no one knows your a dog.

 

What’s wrong with buying and selling contemporary counterfeits that are identified and sold as such and have historical value? Should collectors destroy all of their Machin’s Mills pieces?

 

The general thrust of your opinion is fine, although I think using a Machin's piece as an example is a bit of a Strawman.
A widely known piece such as a Machin's, identified as such, and widely known historically, is not the a deleterious impact. It is the pieces, contemporary or not, that are counterfeit and are purchased not only because a collector wants it as an example for study, but is purchased for the purpose of re-selling to the unsuspecting. It is a daily and continuing occurrence at dealer B&M stores and at shows that persons try to sell it to a dealer....not because the person is trying to scam the dealer, but because the person does not know it is counterfeit.

A sideline comment concerning Machin's Mills pieces: would you be able to identify if it is an Atlee piece, or a Bailey/Brasher piece, or a British made George III counterfeit, or a genuine British halfpence? Sort of buying a counterfeit for a counterfeit.....

 

I would be more concerned about counterfeits of rare types or dates that were meant to deceive collectors. Buying one of those would support counterfeiting mills and could be bad for the hobby. A contemporary counterfeit that was intended to be used in commerce is something different entirely, especially if the counterfeit is worth as much or more as a genuine piece.

 

I don't disagree. It is still a sort of straw man position to separate "contemporary counterfeit ...intended to be used in commerce"' as an acceptable class, because ultimately any counterfeit piece is bought and/or sold as a result of commerce, no?

The type of "rare" pieces you mean are a very small portion of the problem, because the mass counterfeiters realize selling counterfeit big ticket pieces are not as profitable as more affordable pieces....Bust Halves, common Morgan's, etc..

Contemporary or not, is not the issue. Re. my question concerning Machin's pieces, can you readily identify differences?
Counterfeiters know this, and err on the side of human nature proclivity to covet, and greed. The majority of the time the counterfeiters are correct, as are the people that sell such pieces on eBay.

Truth in editing: changed There to The.