Do you prefer amateur eBay dealers or professional eBay dealers?

jmlanzaf

I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

Mr_Spud

If looking to cherry pick or get a bargain, that might happen easier with an amateur. But if looking for nice coins for sets then better to go with professional dealers.

Cougar1978

Buy from both - not worried about it. I then monitor shipping / Tracking.

I go for best price, the quality of the item, free shipping but scrutinize feedback. Purchases made there then are marked up for retail inventory. Beware of sellers discounting low end, problem coins. Look at the coin carefully before buying. I only buy TPG graded material.

U1chicago

It does not matter to me. I will purchase from either if the seller has something that I want to buy, the price is ok to me, and there are no obvious issues (no feedback that suggests multiple actual problems).

Walkerfan

I’ve purchased from both. If the quality is there and the price is right; I will buy, Regardless of the source. I only buy certified, so that kind of eliminates some of the problems.

JimTyler

I prefer non numismatic sellers. Sells mostly something else and ran into a few coins. Last two purchases were from great sellers like this wanting to move the coins at a fair price

coinkat

I rarely buy coins on eBay. Seems advantages exist either way. A dealer gets some coins as part of a larger deal and farms stuff through eBay to potentially move it faster which can create opportunities along the lines that you just described. A non-numismatic seller may offer decent coins but more often than not the listing will get attention followed by bidders.

Shurke

I can’t say I have a preference one way or another. It really comes down to the individual seller.

tyler267

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

I agree with you that is an odd interaction. I prefer working with knowledgeable sellers and just assumed everyone felt the same.

jmlanzaf

@tyler267 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

I agree with you that is an odd interaction. I prefer working with knowledgeable sellers and just assumed everyone felt the same.

Yes, there's that. But also the assumption seemed to be that the professional dealer was more likely to intentionally rip you off than the amateur was to just get it wrong. He said he would have liked harder at the images if he knew i was a "professional". An amateur would be more likely to accidentally miss or mis-describe something. Yet he seemed willing to give the amateur more leeway.

hedgefundtradingdesk

@jmlanzaf said:
Yes, there's that. But also the assumption seemed to be that the professional dealer was more likely to intentionally rip you off than the amateur was to just get it wrong. He said he would have liked harder at the images if he knew i was a "professional". An amateur would be more likely to accidentally miss or mis-describe something. Yet he seemed willing to give the amateur more leeway.

eBay has some professional scam artists "dealers" who crack out details coins, take deceptive photos, and re-sell as MS.

The buyer probably had the misfortune of interacting with these dealers rather than with more reputable sellers of pq certified material.

I wouldn't take it personally. There's a learning curve for differentiating good/bad dealers just like there is for differentiating good/bad coins and good/bad tpg.

Ebeneezer

The conclussion I gather from your post is that buyers such as this prefer amature sellers to secure cheaper purchaces which they themselves resell. Not necessarily on EBAY but perhaps Whatnot or FB marketplace. While the possibility exists that he may be assembling a set, the purchace of five has me questioning the motive and his followup. As for my buying prefference, I'm with the majority as it makes little difference between amature or professional. What does matter is the dollar amount being transacted, quality and listing.

WinLoseWin

You could offer to treat him unprofessionally if that will make him feel better.

mr1931S

A seller on ebay is advised to firmly establish from the get go that they are not an approval service, There are gobs of lightweight, self-styled "wheeler dealer" buyers on ebay who think they deserve special treatment. Sell only Certified by TPG using Buy It Now and increase the likelihood of connecting with good buyers, buyers who are likely to return and to make future sales to.

davewesen

I would rather buy from sellers that know what they have than those that do not. Although the new sellers that think they have something special are much worse than those that have something special and do not know it.

Check out this search, most items listed (with a few exceptions) on first page are worth less than a buck
https://ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=1967+canada+dove&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_sop=16

NJCoin

@jmlanzaf said:

@tyler267 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

I agree with you that is an odd interaction. I prefer working with knowledgeable sellers and just assumed everyone felt the same.

Yes, there's that. But also the assumption seemed to be that the professional dealer was more likely to intentionally rip you off than the amateur was to just get it wrong. He said he would have liked harder at the images if he knew i was a "professional". An amateur would be more likely to accidentally miss or mis-describe something. Yet he seemed willing to give the amateur more leeway.

No. I'm taking it the other way around. I'm surprised he was so honest with you, but what he was saying is the professional is more likely to know what they are doing, so he'd prefer dealing with someone he might be able to rip off.

jesbroken

Never entered my mind in that regards, just watched out for 0-20 feedbacks under 99%. Now that I think about it, I very seldom pay what a "professional" dealer asks, I always make a fair offer and if acceptable then fine and if not move on. On occasion a "professional" dealer replies they accept no offers, is what it is. Seems like amateurs either ask for a fortune or a more reasonable amount which require no offer. But then that's me.
Jim

Walkerfan

May I add: I bought my 1921-S Walker (Capstone coin to my entire registry set) from an unknown (to me anyway), smaller yet successful eBay dealer. The coin was choice, Legitimate, nicest for the grade I’d seen, priced fairly and the dealer was friendly and he shipped very, very quickly and efficiently. So yes, I will buy from someone who is not a huge nationally known dealer…Sometimes, you can do better that way. The important thing is to try to buy coins that are either PCGS Gold shield or newer NGC slabs, so that you can verify their authenticity (both Coin and slab) through images on the respective TPGS websites.

johnny9434

Either/Or ( i have both marked for buyers to make it help ) fwiw

rte592

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

Buyer was hoping for a diamond in the ruff cherry get lucky but.
Now that he finds out your a professional, his hopes are a little lower.
You should include your contact information in the shipping and see if he wants anything else. This will give you a chance to add to the customer list and save you both money.

oldabeintx

For expensive and elusive coins, I rely on professional dealers, often who specialize. For everything else, I just use the usual tells and my own abilities. For most transactions the distinction is blurred and meaningless.

jmlanzaf

@mr1931S said:
A seller on ebay is advised to firmly establish from the get go that they are not an approval service, There are gobs of lightweight, self-styled "wheeler dealer" buyers on ebay who think they deserve special treatment. Sell only Certified by TPG using Buy It Now and increase the likelihood of connecting with good buyers, buyers who are likely to return and to make future sales to.

Dude, I've done 100,000 ebay sales in 28 years, mostly raw coins and stamps. I have very few returns, but those returns are disproportionately slabbed coins in the $200 to $500 range.

rte592

What do you consider a professional eBay seller?
1000+ feedback or set up as an actual eBay sellers business?
I sell random items on eBay with just over 1000 feedback...my prices are good but I'll take a close offer if it's something the seller is going to use of keep and not flip.

jmlanzaf

@NJCoin said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@tyler267 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

I agree with you that is an odd interaction. I prefer working with knowledgeable sellers and just assumed everyone felt the same.

Yes, there's that. But also the assumption seemed to be that the professional dealer was more likely to intentionally rip you off than the amateur was to just get it wrong. He said he would have liked harder at the images if he knew i was a "professional". An amateur would be more likely to accidentally miss or mis-describe something. Yet he seemed willing to give the amateur more leeway.

No. I'm taking it the other way around. I'm surprised he was so honest with you, but what he was saying is the professional is more likely to know what they are doing, so he'd prefer dealing with someone he might be able to rip off.

Yes, I also think that was part of the equation. But he specifically said he would have looked harder at the coins if he knew i was a "professional ".

TimNH

Naturally a buyer wants a bargain, and the best type of seller is someone who doesn't know what they've got, just inherited a collection from granddad and is selling off "old junk". Of course everyone else shopping will see it and bid accordingly, but that's the hope.

With a professional seller, the chances of a true bargain are nil, pretty much by definition.

lermish

@TimNH said:

With a professional seller, the chances of a true bargain are nil, pretty much by definition.

This is not correct at all. The chances of a bargain on generic or very common coins is nearly nil.

However, MANY coin dealers just want their mark-up and are unaware (or just don't want to put the work in to find) varieties, cherry picks, etc.

I, and many others here, have had pretty big wins buying unidentified coins from professional sellers.

NJCoin

@jmlanzaf said:

@NJCoin said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@tyler267 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

I agree with you that is an odd interaction. I prefer working with knowledgeable sellers and just assumed everyone felt the same.

Yes, there's that. But also the assumption seemed to be that the professional dealer was more likely to intentionally rip you off than the amateur was to just get it wrong. He said he would have liked harder at the images if he knew i was a "professional". An amateur would be more likely to accidentally miss or mis-describe something. Yet he seemed willing to give the amateur more leeway.

No. I'm taking it the other way around. I'm surprised he was so honest with you, but what he was saying is the professional is more likely to know what they are doing, so he'd prefer dealing with someone he might be able to rip off.

Yes, I also think that was part of the equation. But he specifically said he would have looked harder at the coins if he knew i was a "professional ".

Yeah, but I don't know what to make of that. He should be "looking hard" at anything he is spending money on, if he cares about the money. And, conversely, need not "look hard" at anything if the money doesn't matter. Taking what he is saying literally, he's saying he'd be more willing to get screwed by an amateur than by a professional, and we both know that's not what he meant.

So, what he's really saying is that he has a higher likelihood to get one over on an amateur, and would want to be more careful with a professional. I still don't think that means he thinks the professional is more likely to screw him, but I do see how you could get that impression.

jmlanzaf

@NJCoin said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@NJCoin said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@tyler267 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

I agree with you that is an odd interaction. I prefer working with knowledgeable sellers and just assumed everyone felt the same.

Yes, there's that. But also the assumption seemed to be that the professional dealer was more likely to intentionally rip you off than the amateur was to just get it wrong. He said he would have liked harder at the images if he knew i was a "professional". An amateur would be more likely to accidentally miss or mis-describe something. Yet he seemed willing to give the amateur more leeway.

No. I'm taking it the other way around. I'm surprised he was so honest with you, but what he was saying is the professional is more likely to know what they are doing, so he'd prefer dealing with someone he might be able to rip off.

Yes, I also think that was part of the equation. But he specifically said he would have looked harder at the coins if he knew i was a "professional ".

Yeah, but I don't know what to make of that. He should be "looking hard" at anything he is spending money on, if he cares about the money. Taking what he is saying literally, he's saying he'd be more willing to get screwed by an amateur than by a professional, and we both know that's not what he meant.

So, what he's really saying is that he has a higher likelihood to get one over on an amateur, and would want to be more careful with a professional. I still don't think that means he thinks the professional is more likely to screw him, but I do see how you could get that impression.

Oh, I think that's definitely what he's saying...in part

mr1931S

@jmlanzaf said:

@mr1931S said:
A seller on ebay is advised to firmly establish from the get go that they are not an approval service, There are gobs of lightweight, self-styled "wheeler dealer" buyers on ebay who think they deserve special treatment. Sell only Certified by TPG using Buy It Now and increase the likelihood of connecting with good buyers, buyers who are likely to return and to make future sales to.

Dude, I've done 100,000 ebay sales in 28 years, mostly raw coins and stamps. I have very few returns, but those returns are disproportionately slabbed coins in the $200 to $500 range.

I don't want anybody unhappy with their certified coin bought from me so i will accept return for refund if coin is sent back to me within 5 business days of buyer receiving it. It's a privilege though. Abuse it, you lose it.

pocketpiececommems

I prefer dealers that have coins that I like or need

sm_delta

If there is any question about what this customer meant, I would suggest asking him directly. You might be surprised by the answer, and at least you will stop this speculation. Let us know the result

john_nyc1

As an amateur I prefer a professional. If I were a professional I might prefer an amateur.

mr1931S

@jmlanzaf said:

@mr1931S said:
A seller on ebay is advised to firmly establish from the get go that they are not an approval service, There are gobs of lightweight, self-styled "wheeler dealer" buyers on ebay who think they deserve special treatment. Sell only Certified by TPG using Buy It Now and increase the likelihood of connecting with good buyers, buyers who are likely to return and to make future sales to.

Dude, I've done 100,000 ebay sales in 28 years, mostly raw coins and stamps. I have very few returns, but those returns are disproportionately slabbed coins in the $200 to $500 range.

What denomination of slabbed coin is returned the most? I would guess silver dollars. Do you have a return policy?

Olympus620

10 years ago my mother requested my help in selling a coin collection made of mostly silver quarters(10 rolls) and half dollars(5 rolls). A pawn shop offered $400 which I knew was a ripoff and I feared leaving them alone with a coin shop for an evaluation so I used Ebay to sell them. I sold them for a value close to their silver content but over the years I have questioned myself and wondered if any of those coins held additional value for errors or rarity. I was aware they had never been evaluated by a professional because they had belonged to my father who took them out of circulation himself in the mid sixties. He saved them because they were silver. I am sure there are others selling on Ebay unaware or unsure of any additional value they might be loosing.

bronco2078

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

confirmation that you never saw ghostbusters

jmlanzaf

@sm_delta said:
If there is any question about what this customer meant, I would suggest asking him directly. You might be surprised by the answer, and at least you will stop this speculation. Let us know the result

I have PAGES of text from the individual. I don't think there's any real speculation. The question i asked want what he meant (cherry pick and distrust of dealers) but whether others felt similarly.

I personally prefer "professionals".

jmlanzaf

@mr1931S said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@mr1931S said:
A seller on ebay is advised to firmly establish from the get go that they are not an approval service, There are gobs of lightweight, self-styled "wheeler dealer" buyers on ebay who think they deserve special treatment. Sell only Certified by TPG using Buy It Now and increase the likelihood of connecting with good buyers, buyers who are likely to return and to make future sales to.

Dude, I've done 100,000 ebay sales in 28 years, mostly raw coins and stamps. I have very few returns, but those returns are disproportionately slabbed coins in the $200 to $500 range.

What denomination of slabbed coin is returned the most? I would guess silver dollars. Do you have a return policy?

It seems to be the price range more than any specific type. I've only ever had one return over $500 which was essentially bullion after a price drop - 5 months after sale, by the way. And the percentage of returns under $100 is tiny.

jmlanzaf

@Olympus620 said:
10 years ago my mother requested my help in selling a coin collection made of mostly silver quarters(10 rolls) and half dollars(5 rolls). A pawn shop offered $400 which I knew was a ripoff and I feared leaving them alone with a coin shop for an evaluation so I used Ebay to sell them. I sold them for a value close to their silver content but over the years I have questioned myself and wondered if any of those coins held additional value for errors or rarity. I was aware they had never been evaluated by a professional because they had belonged to my father who took them out of circulation himself in the mid sixties. He saved them because they were silver. I am sure there are others selling on Ebay unaware or unsure of any additional value they might be loosing.

That is why some people might prefer an amateur. The flip side, of course, is that the amateur is less likely to grade properly or attribute or authenticate properly. The amateur is also less likely to package properly or even stand behind their sales. (Yes, you have recourse on eBay but it's a bigger nuisance than a cooperative seller. )

jmlanzaf

@bronco2078 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

confirmation that you never saw ghostbusters

Lol. I'm pretty sure the amateur Ghostbusters would have been worse than Bill Murray.

bronco2078

@jmlanzaf said:

@bronco2078 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I just had an interesting (odd?) interaction with a new customer on eBay.

I listed a bunch of lower grade Flying Eagle and Indian cents on one of my eBay accounts (inexpensivetrifles). He came in and, within 10 minutes of listing, bought 4 of them and made an offer on a 5th, which I accepted. He then asked me if I was going to list any more soon because he would buy more and also liked better material.

I told him that I would not be listing any more for a few days. I told him that the "better stuff" was on my other eBay account (everythingvaluable), if he was interested.

He responded that the better stuff was "retail priced" and he preferred the less expensive stuff. I said, no problem.

He then told me that if he had known I was an ANA member and a "professional", he would have looked harder at the coins he bought to make sure there were no hidden problems. (There aren't.) He said that he had thought they were conservatively graded (they were) and bargain priced (they were). Yet he was more suspicious because I was "professional" than if I were an amateur.

It made me wonder if other people felt similarly.

confirmation that you never saw ghostbusters

Lol. I'm pretty sure the amateur Ghostbusters would have been worse than Bill Murray.

i meant you never want to cross the streams

messydesk

"Professional" sellers that are ANA members are some of the best and some of the worst sellers on eBay.

BillJones

The late Joe Levine bragged about how he bought rare tokens on eBay from buyers who didn’t know what they had. I suppose if that’s what you are looking for, you want to deal with the amateurs. The only time I spotted something like that, I got sniped, as usual.

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

lermish

@BillJones said:

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, the vast majority of raw stuff on eBay is junk. In addition to your comment above, you mentioned in another thread that it's not worth the money for a collector to have coins graded themselves anymore.

...but every now and again, there is something special to be found. As an example, this coin in not great condition and with awful pictures sold last week. It's essentially impossible to find this coin from a dealer but, in an XF Details holder at Heritage/SB, it would probably bring $2500-3000 instead of the $1k it brought on eBay.

Davidk7

@lermish said:

@BillJones said:

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, the vast majority of raw stuff on eBay is junk. In addition to your comment above, you mentioned in another thread that it's not worth the money for a collector to have coins graded themselves anymore.

...but every now and again, there is something special to be found. As an example, this coin in not great condition and with awful pictures sold last week. It's essentially impossible to find this coin from a dealer but, in an XF Details holder at Heritage/SB, it would probably bring $2500-3000 instead of the $1k it brought on eBay.

What's the significance of this trade dollar? Is it a rare mix of obverse/reverse types?

rec78

Makes no difference to me. If I want something what matter does it make who sells it?

lermish

@Davidk7 said:

@lermish said:

@BillJones said:

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, the vast majority of raw stuff on eBay is junk. In addition to your comment above, you mentioned in another thread that it's not worth the money for a collector to have coins graded themselves anymore.

...but every now and again, there is something special to be found. As an example, this coin in not great condition and with awful pictures sold last week. It's essentially impossible to find this coin from a dealer but, in an XF Details holder at Heritage/SB, it would probably bring $2500-3000 instead of the $1k it brought on eBay.

What's the significance of this trade dollar? Is it a rare mix of obverse/reverse types?

It's the 76-S Doubled Die Obverse. When considering both scarcity and desirability, It is THE trade dollar variety.

BillJones

@lermish said:

@Davidk7 said:

@lermish said:

@BillJones said:

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, the vast majority of raw stuff on eBay is junk. In addition to your comment above, you mentioned in another thread that it's not worth the money for a collector to have coins graded themselves anymore.

...but every now and again, there is something special to be found. As an example, this coin in not great condition and with awful pictures sold last week. It's essentially impossible to find this coin from a dealer but, in an XF Details holder at Heritage/SB, it would probably bring $2500-3000 instead of the $1k it brought on eBay.

What's the significance of this trade dollar? Is it a rare mix of obverse/reverse types?

It's the 76-S Doubled Die Obverse. When considering both scarcity and desirability, It is THE trade dollar variety.

If it’s your thing, go for it and put up with the eBay foolishness and grading gymnastics. All I know is the 1876-S is a common date. Doubled dies are not my thing.

lermish

@BillJones said:

@lermish said:

@Davidk7 said:

@lermish said:

@BillJones said:

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, the vast majority of raw stuff on eBay is junk. In addition to your comment above, you mentioned in another thread that it's not worth the money for a collector to have coins graded themselves anymore.

...but every now and again, there is something special to be found. As an example, this coin in not great condition and with awful pictures sold last week. It's essentially impossible to find this coin from a dealer but, in an XF Details holder at Heritage/SB, it would probably bring $2500-3000 instead of the $1k it brought on eBay.

What's the significance of this trade dollar? Is it a rare mix of obverse/reverse types?

It's the 76-S Doubled Die Obverse. When considering both scarcity and desirability, It is THE trade dollar variety.

If it’s your thing, go for it and put up with the eBay foolishness and grading gymnastics. All I know is the 1876-S is a common date. Doubled dies are not my thing.

No doubt, there is PLENTY of foolishness. But sometimes it's worth it (if not for this particular example, there are plenty of other ones. See @FlyingAl 's Proof Peace dollar)

pursuitofliberty

It's an interesting premise.

I think he expects that "professional" dealers use eBay as a dumping ground, and so he views that as a overall negative. I guess. Or maybe he just wants to cherry the non-knowledgeable, and figures he's not going to with dealers.

I look at eBay as a very diverse marketplace with everything from the obvious counterfeit, to the quite deceptive, to some occasional nice coins and currency at reasonable prices. So, I look. If something feels right, I go after it. If not, I pass. Easy.

BillJones

@lermish said:

@BillJones said:

@lermish said:

@Davidk7 said:

@lermish said:

@BillJones said:

Maybe there are some bargains there, but a lot of what I see comes from the CC, Canton, China mint, it’s overpriced junk.

Yes, the vast majority of raw stuff on eBay is junk. In addition to your comment above, you mentioned in another thread that it's not worth the money for a collector to have coins graded themselves anymore.

...but every now and again, there is something special to be found. As an example, this coin in not great condition and with awful pictures sold last week. It's essentially impossible to find this coin from a dealer but, in an XF Details holder at Heritage/SB, it would probably bring $2500-3000 instead of the $1k it brought on eBay.

What's the significance of this trade dollar? Is it a rare mix of obverse/reverse types?

It's the 76-S Doubled Die Obverse. When considering both scarcity and desirability, It is THE trade dollar variety.

If it’s your thing, go for it and put up with the eBay foolishness and grading gymnastics. All I know is the 1876-S is a common date. Doubled dies are not my thing.

No doubt, there is PLENTY of foolishness. But sometimes it's worth it (if not for this particular example, there are plenty of other ones. See @FlyingAl 's Proof Peace dollar)

I would rather deal with ANY AUCTION other than eBay.

DisneyFan

@lermish said:

@Davidk7 said:

What's the significance of this trade dollar? Is it a rare mix of obverse/reverse types?

It's the 76-S Doubled Die Obverse. When considering both scarcity and desirability, It is THE trade dollar variety.

Did you mean to say Double Feet version?