Ebay has authenticity guarantee on $2000+ watches, will $2000+ coins be next?

Mizzou

We’re introducing Authenticity Guarantee to protect sellers of luxury wristwatches sold domestically for $2,000 or more with verified returns. Your listings are exposed to 174 million active buyers. With Authenticity Guarantee you can sell luxury watches with peace of mind and buyers can shop with confidence.

When a luxury watch sells with the “Authenticity Guarantee” badge, the seller will ship their item to our authentication partner for verification of condition and authenticity​​. Following verification, the authentication partner will ship the watch to the buyer. ​​eBay covers all costs in the authentication process including two-day secure delivery from the authentication partner to the buyer.

If a buyer initiates a return of an inspected watch, they will be required to send it to our authentication partner who will confirm that it's in the same condition in which it was sold. Our authentication partner will then return the watch to you. eBay covers all return shipping costs.

Jimnight

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Kliao

That'll be nice to have.

PerryHall

Most coins that are worth that much money have been slabbed so this service wouldn't be a benefit to most buyers.

MasonG

@Mizzou said:
eBay covers all costs in the authentication process including two-day secure delivery from the authentication partner to the buyer.

eBay cover all costs? Well, let's see... from eBay:

"The Services are provided at no cost to sellers and buyers for Authenticity Guarantee Eligible Items that are bought or sold on eBay.com. eBay reserves the right at any time, in its sole discretion, with or without notice to you, to institute, alter or amend fees or costs associated with the Services."

And there it is. Free- for now. Fees to come later.

edited to add...

And that's not all. Again, from eBay:

"You acknowledge and agree that if the third party authenticator detects fraud or suspects that an item is counterfeit, the item will be confiscated and not recirculated in the marketplace - neither buyer or seller will receive the item; in addition, eBay will work with the proper authorities as needed."

So if you sell something that eBay's authenticators (eBay doesn't say who they are) decide is not legitimate, you won't get it back. You know- like if you wanted to go back to the person you bought it from for a refund yourself. You're left holding the bag. "Suspects that an item is counterfeit"- yeah, that sounds real definitive.

Smudge

@PerryHall said:
Most coins that are worth that much money have been slabbed so this service wouldn't be a benefit to most buyers.

Or they certainly should have been.

MasonG

@PerryHall said:
Most coins that are worth that much money have been slabbed so this service wouldn't be a benefit to most buyers.

You're assuming the grading services have never slabbed a counterfeit coin. Not a safe assumption to make.

ricko

Interesting program.... and yes, there are counterfeit coins in slabs and even counterfeit slabs.... We shall see if this program expands to other products (art, coins etc.). Cheers, RickO

selling3

Ebay......Let me guess, "authentication experts" for coins would be volunteers from Ali Express.

airplanenut

@MasonG said:

@PerryHall said:
Most coins that are worth that much money have been slabbed so this service wouldn't be a benefit to most buyers.

You're assuming the grading services have never slabbed a counterfeit coin. Not a safe assumption to make.

But they, too, have a guarantee. Sure there’s a chance of a problem, but recourse with a TPG is much easier than with a seller you got a coin from years ago.

TwoSides2aCoin

Assurit-E-bay

Mizzou

Oh I forgot, I did not write the original post. I copied and pasted it from an Ebay email to share with other forum members that might find it as interesting as I did.

(Last time I copied and pasted an article on here some yahoo was calling me a fraud, threatening copy write infringement and said he was gonna take me to the YMCA or something like that)

dpoole

In theory, Ebay's threat to confiscate fraudulent and counterfeit items may discourage most hucksters from using the platform. What a happy change that would be!

2ltdjorn

I could see this as a useful tool on high end time pieces that have been altered or modified.

In the watch world they preach buy the seller...

Just like numismatics, buy from trusted dealers and sources....

And if you feel like you are getting a heck of a deal, you should think twice as you may be walking into a well set trap.

Love Rolex, Tudors. May have to look at eBay a little closer.

LanceNewmanOCC

@dpoole said:
In theory, Ebay's threat to confiscate fraudulent and counterfeit items may discourage most hucksters from using the platform. What a happy change that would be!

this has been done on and off for years with mixed results. there for a while sellers were "encouraged" to destroy the item, whatever it was, once ebay determined the item was counterfeit with evidence provided by the buyer. some interesting posts about that. whoo weee.

jwitten

I believe it is already the case. I think it has to be a graded coin if it is over a certain price point. I could be mistaken though.

amwldcoin

Seems like I recall a story years ago of a very expensive Violin being destroyed at ebay's direction. Pretty sure there was a lawsuit.

MasonG

@airplanenut said:

@MasonG said:

@PerryHall said:
Most coins that are worth that much money have been slabbed so this service wouldn't be a benefit to most buyers.

You're assuming the grading services have never slabbed a counterfeit coin. Not a safe assumption to make.

But they, too, have a guarantee. Sure there’s a chance of a problem, but recourse with a TPG is much easier than with a seller you got a coin from years ago.

Sure, but the eBay folks won't let you have the coin back in order to take advantage of it.

privatecoin

@MasonG said:

@PerryHall said:
Most coins that are worth that much money have been slabbed so this service wouldn't be a benefit to most buyers.

You're assuming the grading services have never slabbed a counterfeit coin. Not a safe assumption to make.

Lets not forget the fake holders and coins being created....