What Responsibility Do Ebay Raw Coin Buyers Have?

RCDB

First of all, happy Valentines Day to all.

I always like to think in terms of how to improve any existing situation. On that note, in the 2 years or so that I have been buying coins on EBAY, it became clear very early on that buying raw coins was at best a crap shoot. No surprise, right? It also did not take long for me EXPECT that the coins I would bid on were at least one grade lower than the seller stated they were in the auction. Of course my bidding and the amount that I was willing to pay would reflect that as well.
I personally think that overall I have been relatively successful. I would say that about a third of the raw coins that I have purchased have been what was stated or better. About a third have been close,and in the subjective world of grading close enough. About a third have clearly been at least 2 grades lower and clearly, if you took the time to look through a loupe, could not be mistaken for the grade stated in the auction.
I generally stick to toned coins and am as interested in the pattern of toning as well as the coins condition, so when a receive a "MS65++" Morgan where Miss Liberty looks like she's been through 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in his prime, and believe me his jab was really working that night, I just laugh to myself and think what might have been. Why couldn't she take a dive in the first round?

Well, not once have I ever E-mailed a seller to discuss that fact that they had clearly over graded the coin and explain exactly why that was. Beacuse I have chosen to accept the "crap shoot", have I become an enabler? Am I, by my failure to act, then part of the problem. I certainly by my failure to act cannot be part of any resolution.

Let's hear how successful each of you think you have been buying raw from EBAY. Do you attempt to educate sellers and at least attempt to educate those who have no intent to be dishonest in any way. I would be very interested in your thoughts.
Have a great day.

darktone

I think most of the ebay coins are overgraded just like most of the coin shops overgrade their coins but in person a smart collector will pass by these coins without a thought. The ones that get hurt financialy are the new collectors and the ones that never figure out how to grade for themselfs and this includes dealers- in fact the longer I have been around coins the more it amazes me that many dealers can't tell a cleaned coin from an uncleaned one and think the shiney one is alway's the better coin. Buying sight unseen( which buying from a picture is) anywhere is risky at best although I do my share of it . mike

razorface1027

I started out with purchasing many raw Morgan Dollars, haphazardly I'll add. In addition, amidst these haphazard purchases, I became anarchic toward the grading factions due to the fact that my ignorance was prevalent. My thinking was ...LIKE WOW, what's happened to what used to be a fun and simple HOBBY, where'd all these grading companies come from? In a short time, recognizing that the coin COLLECTING arena had taken a turn for the worse/better; I'm still ambivalent in that regard, I found myself falling into the "Plastics trap" and sold all of my raws for the graded material (today I realize it's the best thing I've done being a collector). I, like you, purchased the coin, only to find that when it arrived it wasn't the grade the seller stated and never made a stink about it because of my impatience, ignorance, and plainout just wanting to complete a collection as fast as possible. On some occasions I'd be so pissed off at a particular vendor that I'd buy two more coins from another vendor just to appease my anger. Sick huh! I've always looked at things, such as coin buying at ebay, like this..."screw me once, shame on me, screw me twice, shame on you." Since joining these boards, my learning curve is on the upward swing. So, to answer your question...NO, I don't have a responsibility to make waves for a particular vendor when "I feel I've been had." Knowing that grading is very subjective, how can I make waves for someone who thinks that their grading skills are up to par. I live and learn. The only responsibility you have after reading this post is...DON'T PURCHASE COINS AT EBAY THE WAY I DID AT FIRST... , come here and learn from the "Pros"...