Why do so many people "Trash" Ebay?

So you are just mindlessly going to assume that there must be a negative reason why its priced better then your local B&M? Sounds like denial to me.

 

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When it comes to coins and bullion, ebay is no different than anywhere else. DYODD is the key to avoiding getting scammed regardless of whether you are buying online or offline.

 

I buy and sell on ebay. I have never had any problems that couldn't be worked out. You play the game the right way, you're gonna come out ahead.

 

A while back Doug made the comment that Dealers were one of the greater avenues of counterfeit coins getting into the coin population. I agree. You can get scammed just about anywhere. My grandfather told me at a very early age "Gary, most people are honest and can be trusted, but there's always someone who wants to sell you a coin." My mom bought a lot more coins raw than I ever did, buit she was careful and she knew quite a bit about them. I often wished I had learned more from her. To my knowledge, she never bought a counterfeit. Too bad she wasn't concerned with storage.

 

Even after all the fees, I still get a higher rate of return than I can selling to a local dealer. In fact, even the items that should have brought a lot more, I was still better off. I can't knock it. The only things I ever got burned on were my own fault when buying. Hopefully, I savvied up some ?

 

I`m sick of their fees because I have been selling on ebay since the late 90`s and have seen them rise even more so since they bought pay-pal. Sure there is no legitimate substitute.....How can there be since one would have to utilize pay-pal....which brings Us back to square one. (Ebay owned)

I have also sold a fair amount of various things on Craigslist as well....which happens to be free. As for those who feel that C-list is not safe....that`s fine, that`s Your opinion. I meet people in a public place, pack a weapon when in doubt, and have had no problems at all.

 

Craigslist is good if you live in a large city with a million people within a hours drive, but if live in a rural area its not that good of a place to try to do business.

 

This is a good point. But it also makes another point. Sellers are looking to make their profit, on top of you paying the 12% in fees and shipping. So is it really the cheapest place to buy? I'd say no. Shows are. But I can never wait just for the shows so I do enjoy looking through ebay and occasionally purchasing on ebay.

Why do people bash it? Because somebody can have 1000 great experiences and 1 bad one. Just like anything else. All they will focus on is the bad one and that's all you're going to hear about. There's definitely some bad apples on there. I've been ripped off twice. Neither sale were coins. Have sent a couple bad coins back and got refunded.

With ebay's buyer protection though, it's a very safe place for buyers now. Although it can be a hassle with the delays if you ever have to use it. But better than just being out. Sellers are the only ones that should have a complaint, for the most part. It's a buyer's market, it protects buyers more, and they lose the fees. Ebay could easily survive on 5% in total fees. But the stockholders wouldn't. Not much they can do.

 

Ah, depends on what you're looking for. I've used Craigslist to buy/sell many things small and large. Would never buy or sell a coin on there. Great for used electronics though!

 

is that js in kenwood?

 

Okay, here goes. I want you to prove to yourself why EBAY rots. Invent a reason to contact their customer service, go through their prompts. Makes zero difference if you choose phone support or online chat. Wait times are going to be nearly an hour. That is why EBAY rots. If they cared, you could reach them quickly. Or at least reach the former CEO'S illegal immigrant servant. Conscientious businesspersons behave ethically. Scabs violate the law. A scab turned EBAY into the lackluster monolith it is now, and now wants people in her state to vote for her. Ethics rolls down in organizations. Ebay is ungoverned and lawless.

 

I was also puzzled by the general negative sentiment towards EBay held by many CT members.

I think many people on this forum dislike EBay because they've had a bad experience with it. Many others who post here are very advanced collectors, and numismatists who would much rather see a coin in hand before bidding.

I think EBay is a great opportunity for the savvy buyer. There are some great deals to be had, but you have to protect yourself. Look at feedback, and sellers return policies, stay away from sellers who don't offer a full refund within at least 7 days. Pay close attention to the photos of coins, if the photo is lousy or out of focus, stay away.

Yes, you have to put up with snipers and shills, but if you follow a few simple rules, you can score great deals. I've won some great coins on EBay.

 

I would agree with what Vess1 stated except, I have been ripped off only once in the distance past, when Ebay did not have paypal protections. Sent an money order and never received the item.

 

BINGO! That was hard to figure out. LOL

 

I agree with the posters that say if the seller has posted fuzzy pictures, doesn't have a 7 day return policy and/or has a bad rating, then you should RUN away from them.

I have purchased a dozen, or so, coins off eBay. Four of them were UNC raw common date peace dollars. Once I gained a little more experience, I noticed that 2 of them had wear and one of those had been mechanically cleaned. Lesson learned on a 25 dollar coin is better than a lesson learned on a 500 dollar coin, I guess. I kept them and studied them so I can more easily spot those two problems.

I have bought slabbed stuff, too. However, I have found that the coin is usually weak for the grade. Mostly strike issues. I've sent some back without problem.

I'm pretty picky when I buy coins and I feel bad sending back coins to sellers because I know they still have to pay the fee. So, I only buy a few a year on eBay. Now the the leaves are falling there are plenty of shows to go to, so I'm not on eBay as often, anyway.

 

When I first got back into collecting, I got on ebay and wanted everything I saw. Now that I've learned about what to look for with problem/cleaned/damaged coins, I RARELY find something I want on there anymore. The vast majority of loose coins found on Ebay are poor quality. People bid them up because they don't know any difference. Was just looking at a 1891 half with several bids, up to $50+. Harshly cleaned. But they either did not know or care. I wouldn't have bought it for $20.

I want a 1920 Pilgrim commemorative for my type set. There's about 40 of them on there. Every one is either too low of a grade, cleaned, questionable, has a mark I don't like, or is over priced. A couple I'd buy if the price was right. Pretty much the norm.

Most of the slabbed coins get better, but even those you have to look at closely. One thing I learned is how much sellers manipulate backgrounds and lighting. They like to use colorful lighting to make shiny coins look different. Then you don't know if it's really MS or polished. No way to know if it's cleaned. They can hide cleaning with the lighting. Most anything with a poor, fuzzy picture should never be considered.

There's a lot of dishonest people and Ebay doesn't put enough effort into combating and banning the sale of counterfeits.