Why eBay Coin Dealers Drink for Joy Episode I: Lost and Found

airplanenut

There have been a lot of threads on how things go wrong for dealers (and they're often plenty amusing if you're not the one writing them... and sometimes even if you are), but today, I have a different one to share.

Early last October, I sent off a package to Argentina. Two months later, the buyer let me know he hadn't received it yet. Whether or not he was telling the truth didn't really matter since I didn't have and scans showing it arrived, so either I was going to send a refund or PayPal was going to take a refund. I sent him a refund--a few hundred dollars.

Late last week, I got an email. The package turned up and my buyer needed to know how he could send the payment again. It took five months, but he has his coins and I have my money. There are plenty of bad eBay stories to go around, but it never hurts to remember that there are some pretty good people out there, too.

Cheers!

yspsales

Had a guy in Brazil refuse and fail to pay $100+/- import duties.

Hasselblad medium format camera w/lens comes back months later with no warning.

Cheap rat wants a refund.

Too late and the guy is a total jerk.

Auction it for him and he loses $300 in the deal.

About the only issue in 1000+ ebay transactions.

yspsales

Then there was the $5000 Leica M9 sent to Indonesia or Malaysia...

Guy says... I got a rock instead of a camera.

Dummy admitted to the fraud thru emails.

Told him I reported camera as stolen to Leica International and they would intercept it when serviced. (Total lie)

He panicks and broke down and claimed roommate played a joke on him.

Paypal claims CS laughed about it, but asked WTH was I thinking?

Knocking on wood.

MasonG

I sent a registered mail package to Italy once. A couple of months later, it hadn't been received and I refunded the buyer, figuring it was gone forever. Not forever though- it was returned to me nearly six months after having been mailed.

AUandAG

I sent a buyer a 100oz silver bar in a priority box. A month later it didn't show (PO could not find it). I refunded. Then another 6 weeks goes by and it gets delivered. Buyer sent me the funds. It was so small and heavy that it went to the bottom of the canvas tote bin at the PO and nobody bothered to turn in on it's side and retrieve it for 2.5 months. They knew it was there but just didn't care.
bob

winesteven

I occasionally sell on eBay, but will only sell and ship to a person in the U.S. with a U.S. address. Potentially lost sales, but it keeps things simpler.

Lakesammman

Nice to hear it turned out well.

YSPSales - you have more courage than I sending high end cameras internationally. I won't even buy Leica internationally!

mustangmanbob

I send several packages a week internationally, and use the ebay Global tracking, so both the buyer and myself can watch it the entire way. It is by far the cheapest way to ship.

Only had one package lost. It showed clearing Australian customs, and then was never delivered. Ebay refunded the buyer, and I retained the purchase price, so both of use turned out OK. He ordered a replacement, and it was delivered without any problems.

JimTyler

I bought an Indian cent about 100 bucks on eBay, Florida to Chicago. A week later last tracking was still Florida. Another week tracking hadn't moved. I contacted the seller and said there could be a problem, never asked for a refund. Couple hours later I had a full refund. About 10 days later the coin shows up in my mail box. Tracking went from that original scan to delivered. I immediately sent him his money back. I bought several coins from that guy and they all graded high. He sent come to GC. A 38-D buffalo with amazing color that graded MS67 ( same as the 37 I bought from him) worth a couple hundred bucks sold over 2k, he had some amazingly original coins.

Aotearoa

@winesteven said:
I occasionally sell on eBay, but will only sell and ship to a person in the U.S. with a U.S. address. Potentially lost sales, but it keeps things simpler.

Boo! Hiss!

airplanenut

@winesteven said:
I occasionally sell on eBay, but will only sell and ship to a person in the U.S. with a U.S. address. Potentially lost sales, but it keeps things simpler.

I get that sentiment, but it also depends on what you sell. I sell a huge amount of foreign material, and there's such a big market out of the country that it's a huge actual loss--not just potential--to not serve it. Even with the problems, it more than pays for itself. But if I sold only US material, I might be less likely to deal with the hassle.

davewesen

I had a similar thing, but I was the buyer. I bought a set early December a few years ago. It did not show up until May, when I bought it again (because I was refunded after a month). The transaction details were in PAYPAL history so paid and then told them it showed up after 6 months.

Timbuk3

Interesting stories, thank you all for sharing !!!

Outhaul

When I sell, I only ship to the fifty and APO addresses.

I know a lot of sellers won't ship to an APO address. But, it is the USPS, it's not foreign mail.

Cheers

Bob

Coinstartled

@airplanenut said:

@winesteven said:
I occasionally sell on eBay, but will only sell and ship to a person in the U.S. with a U.S. address. Potentially lost sales, but it keeps things simpler.

I get that sentiment, but it also depends on what you sell. I sell a huge amount of foreign material, and there's such a big market out of the country that it's a huge actual loss--not just potential--to not serve it. Even with the problems, it more than pays for itself. But if I sold only US material, I might be less likely to deal with the hassle.

Glad it went well, JK. Vast majority of Ebay sales do go without a hitch.

My few international sales had some sort of problem about a third of the time. I'll leave that segment to the experts.