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What's This I Hear About eBay Stopping Coin Sales in 2021?

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  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 23, 2020 5:20PM

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Look at the link I provided

    https://trends.edison.tech/research/2018-ebay-vs-amazon.html

    I'll try to find the dollar weighted chart.

    You only say that because you're a coin guy who doesn't buy their clothing or electronics from eBay.

  • coinpalicecoinpalice Posts: 2,453 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think that's why e bay is pushing their e bay master card so hard, I got one and I am ok with it. over 3 percent cash back when you redeem the points and a 30 dollar statement credit when you purchase 150 dollars or more within the first 30 days, with a very high credit limit, you could easily buy a car with one of these cards.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Here's the dollar values for 2013. The entire coin & stamp categories account for $1.4 billion in gross merchandise sales out of a total of $76 billion which is slightly less than 2%

    https://statista.com/statistics/242246/ebays-total-gross-merchandise-volume-by-category/

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BLUEJAYWAY said:
    If this were to be implemented there goes many of the arguments,er excuse me, discussions. Would hit this forum hard in the subject matter department.

    There's always CAC...

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ianrussell said:
    Just checked my calendar, it's definitely not April 1st.

    Is that when the Great Collections eBay platform opens?

  • hammer1hammer1 Posts: 3,874 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 23, 2020 6:02PM

    @jmlanzaf said:

    SNAD causes about zero headaches for eBay. The cost and details fall on the sellers. Not to mention that coins and collectibles do not have unnaturally high return rates relative to other, larger categories like clothing.

    LOL.
    Tens of Thousands of calls to customer service tying up hundreds of thousands of lost hours billable to eBay.

  • logger7logger7 Posts: 8,513 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Is there anything that ebay prohibits except for illegal and hot items?

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @hammer1 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    SNAD causes about zero headaches for eBay. The cost and details fall on the sellers. Not to mention that coins and collectibles do not have unnaturally high return rates relative to other, larger categories like clothing.

    LOL.
    Tens of Thousands of calls to customer service tying up hundreds of thousands of lost hours billable to eBay.

    Source for those numbers?

    I have never called ebay over a SNAD. I doubt most professional sellers have.

    Since we're making up numbers, 97.6% of all SNADs are automated. 😈

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @logger7 said:
    Is there anything that ebay prohibits except for illegal and hot items?

    Yes. Lots

    Anything Cuba or Sudan, for one.
    Fire arms. Anything with swastikas. And that's just off the top of my head.

  • AbueloAbuelo Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well, if they cannot be sold under the new payment system, you very likely can still pay by PayPal. Even if coins are only 2%, that 2% is huge and I do not think they will neglect it. I am sure eBay sales are huge, and the 2% of huge is a lot, they will not close that venture I am sure.

  • GRANDAMGRANDAM Posts: 8,506 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don't even see coins listed on any of the pie charts.

    GrandAm :)
  • BryceMBryceM Posts: 11,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Interesting.......

  • keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I looked it up once. It was approximately 2%.

    those sales won't be missed and dropping the categories might even be a net gain for them in certain ways. it's only a big deal because it interests us. also, to hear the way so many here complain about eBay it surprises me members would care about it.

  • davewesendavewesen Posts: 6,125 ✭✭✭✭✭

    what is 'managed payments' and did everyone get enrolled in this that sells?

  • TurtleCatTurtleCat Posts: 4,600 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Coins amount to about 85% of what I’ve bought on eBay over the years. If it went away, though, I’d find other venues. On the bright side there would be fewer counterfeit coins sold as genuine out there. They would go back to being the occasional antique store and flea market type fodder.

  • maplemanmapleman Posts: 1,052 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @dpoole said:
    What the heck is Adyen? I thought PayPal handled Ebay payments.

    Ayden as far as I know is a b&m store in N.NJ with an ebay store. At one time a few years ago I would stop in when in the area. Not much on display but good for bullion Otc purchases. Nice people good prices but it's been several years since I've been there.I made one or two ebay purchases.....

  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,286 ✭✭✭✭✭

    EBay would be better off without us coin geeks.

  • AzurescensAzurescens Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I hope ebay stops selling coins. I don't know about you guys but it's gotten really bad on the buyer end of things. Sure deals but so many more scammers, glamour shots, weasely sellers etc.

    I'm okay spending +10% at GC or any other website. I'd pay more simply to change brands of online coin venues just to feel better about buying coins. It shouldn't be stressful. I shouldn't have to worry if this is the one time the seller goes off the deep end and scams me for 6k or whatever.

    I'm already buying from people who (apparently) advertise here and had no idea. So leaving ebay is already saving me money and leads to better coins.

    At this point may as well shoot an email and find no fee payment and everybody but ebay wins. I'd like to see coin forums become bustling economies. I know it's a lot to ask and I don't have any solutions myself. But ebay has been bad for some time, search engine optimization is terrible, filters are terrible, the reporting system is terrible, notifications are terrible, eBay bucks got gimped. It's all a joke. I'm almost embarrassed our hobby existing there in such a capacity. Every other hobby still has healthy niche markets outside of eBay.

  • OPAOPA Posts: 17,119 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 24, 2020 6:29AM

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    I thought it was far less than that.

    https://cedcommerce.com/blog/top-selling-items-ebay-in-2020/

    "Bongo drive 1984 Lincoln that looks like old coin dug from ground."
  • amwldcoinamwldcoin Posts: 11,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 24, 2020 7:09AM

    I have to LOL at this! No one is forcing you to buy coins on ebay. The funny part is...I stopped selling on ebay around 2000 because I could get a lot more for my coins at coin shows. Fast forward to 5 or 6 years ago and I started selling on ebay again to much more confident buyers. Ebay has done a pretty good job of making it a safe venue to trade for buyers...not as much so for sellers. The short story is...my ebay sales are now double to triple what my coin show sales are or were before the pandemic and my only source of sales and exposure for my off ebay customers to see my inventory.

    @Azurescens said:
    I hope ebay stops selling coins. I don't know about you guys but it's gotten really bad on the buyer end of things. Sure deals but so many more scammers, glamour shots, weasely sellers etc.

    I'm okay spending +10% at GC or any other website. I'd pay more simply to change brands of online coin venues just to feel better about buying coins. It shouldn't be stressful. I shouldn't have to worry if this is the one time the seller goes off the deep end and scams me for 6k or whatever.

    I'm already buying from people who (apparently) advertise here and had no idea. So leaving ebay is already saving me money and leads to better coins.

    At this point may as well shoot an email and find no fee payment and everybody but ebay wins. I'd like to see coin forums become bustling economies. I know it's a lot to ask and I don't have any solutions myself. But ebay has been bad for some time, search engine optimization is terrible, filters are terrible, the reporting system is terrible, notifications are terrible, eBay bucks got gimped. It's all a joke. I'm almost embarrassed our hobby existing there in such a capacity. Every other hobby still has healthy niche markets outside of eBay.

  • derrybderryb Posts: 36,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @cameonut2011 said:
    I hope so. Maybe it would stop all of the eBay cheerleading threads.

    works both ways. lol

    "Interest rates, the price of money, are the most important market. And, perversely, they’re the market that’s most manipulated by the Fed." - Doug Casey

  • derrybderryb Posts: 36,793 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 24, 2020 7:01AM

    @GRANDAM said:
    Where the #1 & #2 PCGS Board Member defenders of eBay?

    Can you explain how this will be a good thing?

    That is an uninformed ebayer posting incorrect info on an ebay blog.

    Per ebay customer service:

    "Certain items are not allowed to be listed by sellers participating in managed payments, even though those items may be allowed on eBay."

    "Why does eBay have this policy? When eBay manages the end-to-end payments experience, there are additional restrictions on what items can be sold. We are working to expand the types of items allowed by sellers in managed payments, and ensure we are compliant to support them in the future."

    "Interest rates, the price of money, are the most important market. And, perversely, they’re the market that’s most manipulated by the Fed." - Doug Casey

  • JBKJBK Posts: 15,540 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This news/rumor is ludicrous but it is believable because Ebay has done ludicrous things in the past.

    There is more to lose than a couple % points in business. Is someone builds another platform where the prohibited items can be sold, there is no stopping them from selling other things that would cut into ebay's business.

  • logger7logger7 Posts: 8,513 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Coin collectors are a lot more demanding in terms of an eye for quality than other ebay categories. I know ebay sellers in other areas who never get returns; in numismatics many buyers are flippers they don't want to take any losses or hope to flip for a profit, which is quite an anomaly for other hobbies. I'm curious what the arguments the executives at ebay are hearing to change acceptable items.

  • ms70ms70 Posts: 13,954 ✭✭✭✭✭

    From what I read there it looks like coins will still be allowed but those in the "managed" payment system can't list them.

    There's also talk of the same for vehicles.

    Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.

  • ms70ms70 Posts: 13,954 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 24, 2020 7:33AM

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    I'd believe it. I think 99.99% of eBay sales is just random crap. Either way, I would think whatever percentage coins & bullion are, the category HAS to be a giant money maker.

    Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.

  • abcde12345abcde12345 Posts: 3,404 ✭✭✭✭✭

    eBay coin sales (excluding bullion) is approximately 1.8% of total sales yet account for 18% of all escalated eBay complaints. One source states coin sales are "break even at best" for the business.

  • Cougar1978Cougar1978 Posts: 8,200 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 24, 2020 7:38AM

    I have bought and sold off eBay since 1997. It has gone smoothly on both sides of ball for me often surpassing shows which can have substantial fixed costs before you sell a single item. Nothings perfect.

    Let’s see what they finally say on this. I can’t see them giving up a huge revenue source.

    Coins & Currency
  • ms70ms70 Posts: 13,954 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Here's the dollar values for 2013. The entire coin & stamp categories account for $1.4 billion in gross merchandise sales out of a total of $76 billion which is slightly less than 2%

    https://statista.com/statistics/242246/ebays-total-gross-merchandise-volume-by-category/

    That said, I can't picture any corporation turning away $1.4 billion in gross sales.

    Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.

  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ms70 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Here's the dollar values for 2013. The entire coin & stamp categories account for $1.4 billion in gross merchandise sales out of a total of $76 billion which is slightly less than 2%

    https://statista.com/statistics/242246/ebays-total-gross-merchandise-volume-by-category/

    That said, I can't picture any corporation turning away $1.4 billion in gross sales.

    Totally agree. Never mind the percentage......1.4 Billion is 1.4 Billion! :)

  • derrybderryb Posts: 36,793 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 24, 2020 8:09AM

    @abcde12345 said:
    eBay coin sales (excluding bullion) is approximately 1.8% of total sales yet account for 18% of all escalated eBay complaints. One source states coin sales are "break even at best" for the business.

    and your reliable source for this data?

    "Interest rates, the price of money, are the most important market. And, perversely, they’re the market that’s most manipulated by the Fed." - Doug Casey

  • JBKJBK Posts: 15,540 ✭✭✭✭✭

    A few types of items bring me to Ebay largely to the exclusion of other sites. If I can't go to ebay for the main things Ibuy then I will establish a new routine for all shopping elsewhere.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @derryb said:

    @abcde12345 said:
    eBay coin sales (excluding bullion) is approximately 1.8% of total sales yet account for 18% of all escalated eBay complaints. One source states coin sales are "break even at best" for the business.

    and your reliable source for this

    The sales data is correct. The escalated complaints....???? Inquiring minds want to know.

    The total complaints in clothing and electronics dwarf coin complaints by orders of magnitude. It's hard to believe that more of the coin complaints get escalated.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @DIMEMAN said:

    @ms70 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Here's the dollar values for 2013. The entire coin & stamp categories account for $1.4 billion in gross merchandise sales out of a total of $76 billion which is slightly less than 2%

    https://statista.com/statistics/242246/ebays-total-gross-merchandise-volume-by-category/

    That said, I can't picture any corporation turning away $1.4 billion in gross sales.

    Totally agree. Never mind the percentage......1.4 Billion is 1.4 Billion! :)

    Except that is gross sales. eBay, at most, gets 10% of that which is $140 million. GROSS. What's the net?

  • selling3selling3 Posts: 166 ✭✭✭

    @derryb said:

    @selling3 said:

    @giorgio11 said:
    A very murky thread, among others. I don't know what Managed Payments are, and don't know what Adyen is, either. I've gotten used to PayPal, and I'm just one not very high-tech guy trying to make a living. (My tech support is mostly me. Gulp.)

    And after 4 pages there's no comment by Ebay to clear this up?

    The second post in the ebay community blog provides an ebay link that says this: "Certain items are not allowed to be listed by sellers participating in managed payments, even though those items may be allowed on eBay."

    So, it stands to reason that some items allowed on ebay that are not allowed to be listed by sellers participating in managed payments will have to be paid for using a different method. Most likely direct acceptance of credit cards by the seller. I would look for the fuller rollout of the "managed payment system" to be an effort by ebay to rid itself of paypal.

    Coffebean provided a link. Ebay did not post a reply.

  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:

    @ms70 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Here's the dollar values for 2013. The entire coin & stamp categories account for $1.4 billion in gross merchandise sales out of a total of $76 billion which is slightly less than 2%

    https://statista.com/statistics/242246/ebays-total-gross-merchandise-volume-by-category/

    That said, I can't picture any corporation turning away $1.4 billion in gross sales.

    Totally agree. Never mind the percentage......1.4 Billion is 1.4 Billion! :)

    Except that is gross sales. eBay, at most, gets 10% of that which is $140 million. GROSS. What's the net?

    OK....again 140 Million is NOT chicken feed!!

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ms70 said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    I'd believe it. I think 99.99% of eBay sales is just random crap. Either way, I would think whatever percentage coins & bullion are, the category HAS to be a giant money maker.

    Why? If it is 1.8% of sales - which it is - why does it have to account for even 2% of gross profit? There's nothing in coins that is more profitable than other categories. In fact, final value fees are HIGHER in OTHER categories.

    And of that 1.8% of sales, how much of that is bullion from Apmex who pays only a couple percent in final value fees.

    You folks need to stop thinking like coin people and start thinking like retailers.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @DIMEMAN said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:

    @ms70 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    Here's the dollar values for 2013. The entire coin & stamp categories account for $1.4 billion in gross merchandise sales out of a total of $76 billion which is slightly less than 2%

    https://statista.com/statistics/242246/ebays-total-gross-merchandise-volume-by-category/

    That said, I can't picture any corporation turning away $1.4 billion in gross sales.

    Totally agree. Never mind the percentage......1.4 Billion is 1.4 Billion! :)

    Except that is gross sales. eBay, at most, gets 10% of that which is $140 million. GROSS. What's the net?

    OK....again 140 Million is NOT chicken feed!!

    Agreed. But, again, that's gross.

    A lot of people on this thread (without reason) also think coins have more SNAD and escalated complaints. If that were true - someone please find data - then the net receipts may be significantly impaired.

    Further, if continuing the coin operation requires creating a completely separate payment system than the one eBay is using, the costs might well NOT be worth the $140 million in business.

    [Note: not that I think they are going to give up without a fight.]

  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @ms70 said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    I'd believe it. I think 99.99% of eBay sales is just random crap. Either way, I would think whatever percentage coins & bullion are, the category HAS to be a giant money maker.

    Why? If it is 1.8% of sales - which it is - why does it have to account for even 2% of gross profit? There's nothing in coins that is more profitable than other categories. In fact, final value fees are HIGHER in OTHER categories.

    And of that 1.8% of sales, how much of that is bullion from Apmex who pays only a couple percent in final value fees.

    You folks need to stop thinking like coin people and start thinking like retailers.

    I'm not thinking as a coin person here. I am thinking as a MONEY person here. ;)

  • MasonGMasonG Posts: 6,261 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @DIMEMAN said:
    OK....again 140 Million is NOT chicken feed!!

    That's just a number, with no context. There is a cost to eBay to obtain that $140M. If they direct the money spent on generating that income into another area, can they increase their income? I don't know, but that's the question eBay will be asking themselves.

  • shorecollshorecoll Posts: 5,445 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don't have stats, but 99.9% of eBay stuff is not random crap...lots of companies like Dell use it for dumping massive quantities of overstocks and discontinued items. I am a business consultant, if eBay was a client and told me that 30% of their problem resolution costs came from 1% of their volume, I would tell them to dump it. Again, we don't have access to the truth here.
    SNADs and returns can also lead to credit card chargebacks. Card companies watch chargebacks like a hawk, and even eBay can get fined if chargebacks reach a certain level. In things like adult categories, many card companies do not allow such items because they might have 60% chargebacks. Porn vendors don't care, but processors do.
    You can even get fined for ACH electronic transfers if your return rates go too high. Even the banks handling the transactions are subject to fines.

    ANA-LM, NBS, EAC
  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @DIMEMAN said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @ms70 said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    I'd believe it. I think 99.99% of eBay sales is just random crap. Either way, I would think whatever percentage coins & bullion are, the category HAS to be a giant money maker.

    Why? If it is 1.8% of sales - which it is - why does it have to account for even 2% of gross profit? There's nothing in coins that is more profitable than other categories. In fact, final value fees are HIGHER in OTHER categories.

    And of that 1.8% of sales, how much of that is bullion from Apmex who pays only a couple percent in final value fees.

    You folks need to stop thinking like coin people and start thinking like retailers.

    I'm not thinking as a coin person here. I am thinking as a MONEY person here. ;)

    Well than, as a money person, let's assume for fun that 70% of the 1.8% of sales is from bullion sellers like apmex who pay only about 2%. Let's assume everyone else pays the 6.15%. That means that eBay only gets 3.24% of the $1.4 billion. That means that the gross receipts from the coin & stamp category is $45.5 million

    Total eBay receipts in 2019 were $10.72 billion

    That would make coins 0.42% of eBay receipts. LESS THAN HALF A PERCENT.

    To preserve that half of a percent, eBay would presumably need to create a completely different payment system.

    It does not necessarily pay to do that.

    Of course, it is far more likely that eBay negotiates something with Adyen to allow them to use that system. But, as any true business person knows, not all business is worth having.

  • bigjpstbigjpst Posts: 3,098 ✭✭✭✭✭

    But eBay does not need to create a new payment processor for coin sales. Just keep using the one that has been working for years.

  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @DIMEMAN said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @ms70 said:

    @DIMEMAN said:
    It's hard for me to believe that coins only account for 2% of Ebay sales.

    I'd believe it. I think 99.99% of eBay sales is just random crap. Either way, I would think whatever percentage coins & bullion are, the category HAS to be a giant money maker.

    Why? If it is 1.8% of sales - which it is - why does it have to account for even 2% of gross profit? There's nothing in coins that is more profitable than other categories. In fact, final value fees are HIGHER in OTHER categories.

    And of that 1.8% of sales, how much of that is bullion from Apmex who pays only a couple percent in final value fees.

    You folks need to stop thinking like coin people and start thinking like retailers.

    I'm not thinking as a coin person here. I am thinking as a MONEY person here. ;)

    Well than, as a money person, let's assume for fun that 70% of the 1.8% of sales is from bullion sellers like apmex who pay only about 2%. Let's assume everyone else pays the 6.15%. That means that eBay only gets 3.24% of the $1.4 billion. That means that the gross receipts from the coin & stamp category is $45.5 million

    Total eBay receipts in 2019 were $10.72 billion

    That would make coins 0.42% of eBay receipts. LESS THAN HALF A PERCENT.

    To preserve that half of a percent, eBay would presumably need to create a completely different payment system.

    It does not necessarily pay to do that.

    Of course, it is far more likely that eBay negotiates something with Adyen to allow them to use that system. But, as any true business person knows, not all business is worth having.

    Where in the World do you get the idea that 70% of coin sales is Bullion! Probably 95/5 in favor of coins.

This discussion has been closed.