Advice on selling raw

Blade

Oh wise & sage board members,
I've got 3 nice type coins that are raw and I don't have an interest in getting slabbed. They are only worth about $100 each. Not worth the approx. $70 cost with fees, shipping & insurance. I'm concentrating on gold type for now and will eventually upgrade these pieces, so I'm looking to sell. They are:

1850 large cent - purchased as AU58 slider with red-brown surfaces. I can't see any wear at all so I appreciate the dealer's honesty if there is some.
1881 3CN - purchased as MS63
1907 10c - purchased as MS63.

These are nice looking coins. I could sell them back to the local dealer where I purchased them and take a 25% hit. I have never sold on E-Bay but think I could do better against the spread if I find another collector to buy them. But what is the success of selling nice raw coins on E-Bay? I have seen so many skeptical posts in this column, that I wonder whether selling unslabbed on E-Bay is even worth it. Thoughts?

its4real

Blade - the number of inexperienced buyers who "fixate" on a coin is amazing. Almost every day - people overpay for stuff thaey have no idea what it's worth.

just yesterday - an auction ended where someone bought a "1933 double eagle" - one of the TV knock offs - for over $100. I cou;dn't believe it. Was it due to the ignorance of the buyer, the seller, or both?

But then again - people in the general public tend to do things like that - make totally uninformed decisions. I have done it and so has most everyone. (present company excepted)

My real experience has been that a good advertisement will get you a pretty good sales price on a good coin.

itsnotjustme

I think if you provide an accurate high res scan, an honest description, and a return priveledge that is clearly stated in the auction, you can do all right. They would go for more in the slab, but as you not spending $25 each after all the expenses may not be worth it. Of course, with the coins you have, each point makes a difference... raw people will bid based on a coservative grade unless they feel confident they know what it will grade.

BigD5

The problem with trying to sell raw stuff on Ebay is that 90% of the bidders are going to think you are a scam artist of some kind, and not bid aggressively on the raw stuff. Some people find a way to do it, but I have terrible (for the most part, of course there are exceptions) results with raw material on Ebay. Try the BS&T board first.

Blade

Brian - I have no problem offering a strong return policy like 7 days. I'll have to figure out how to get the best image. I've got a digital camera but it doesn't do well with closeups. I need to get some additional lenses. I want to do that anyway and this gives me a good excuse.

BigD - That was my fear. I too would be skeptical about buying raw. Plus, I have never sold on E-Bay so I won't have an raters. That might be a bidding killer. Other than putting forward a good business policy as Brian suggests, how do you build buyer confidence on E-Bay if you haven't sold before?

cacheman

TTT