You want me to bid? Offer a return. I'm not sure, but does Heritage, B&M, Stacks or the other big auction houses offer a blanket return privilege in their auctions? I’d be surprised if they did. You are not Heritage, or for that matter any big, well known auction house that has been and will be around for awhile. You are a complete unknown for bidders on ebay. My ask, $45. My bid, $35. No return privilege but I am a buyer of this coin at $35 provided it hasn't been removed from its sealed, archive quality, suitable-for-display holder as I've sent it out. So, let me get this straight. You have a coin you want to sell me for $45 that you value at $35? Yeah. Right. I got a $5 bill I will sell you for $7. I have been active on ebay for the past few years (not so much recently), have always offered a return, and out of over a thousand transactions had only 1 item returned.
Sure provide pictures tat accurately represent the appearance of the coin. . . on what equipment? I have several different machines that I use for surfing the net, and the same picture can look vastly different depending on which machine I am using to view it. Pictures are nice but they just aren't the same as seeing the coin in person.
That's an excellent point. There is indeed a wide range of computer monitors and settings that have a big impact on how an image looks on the bidder/buyer end of the sale.
More bids, saisfied buyer,good feedback. Question: How does a return work? Do they send coin back, then you send check to them? That means they have to trust the seller as he/she now has coin and money for a bit. There are some unscrupulous people out there we all know. I have never returned anything from ebay,but just wondering in case I do.
Well first you go by feedback to decide if both seller and buyer are honest. On a return no refund sent till coin is in hand and condition is verified same as was sent. You send a refund check first you have no leverage. If you got the coin you at least know seller is on the level and there shud be no fears in sending it back. Since you as buyer decided to return YOU make the first move to reverse the deal.
"I offered him 105% (a 5% profit) on every coin that he had purchased from us (over $5000 worth). He decided to keep all of the coins because he liked them."
Regarding your remarks that preceded the above, I prefer to keep the grading services out of the direct buying and selling equation because the grading services are not buyers or sellers any more than price guides are buyers or sellers. A person that buys a coin from me on ebay can always sell it back to me for a significant percentage of what they paid me for it. If I decide to get out of the business of selling coins on ebay, I'll "make good" on my offer by emailing the ebay buyer to see if there is any interest in selling those particular coins back to me. I will then "wholesale" the purchases locally and be out of the selling of coins on ebay for good. Again, my offer to "buy back" goes only to the extent that the coin must come back to me in its original holder as I sold it. Obviously, if one buys a coin from me and then immediately avail themselves of my offer to "buy back" they technically are losing money, on that individual coin, in the short run. Now, if I have a repeat buyer who can't get enough of my quality coins (every seller on ebay has quality coins, right?) he or she might well come out just fine in the "market at large." There is nothing preventing my ebay buyer, or any buyer for that matter, from doing just that.
I don't really care what the grading services might say about the numeric grade of a raw coin that I have sold. I use my experience, ANA, and PCGS standards in combination to arrive at a coin's grade whether I'm buyer or seller. I might be disagreed with (hopefully, not often) about the grade but I back up most of the coins sold by me on ebay with an offer to get them back at a specific price.
How much does it cost? What will you give me for it? Money for money.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
"You have a coin you want to sell me for $45 that you value at $35? Yeah. Right. I got a $5 bill I will sell you for $7."
It's called my "spread." You'll see tons of coins offered on ebay that you get the distinct feeling the sellers of which never want to see again under any circumstances.
By the way, I've got a $5 bill with a whole bunch of 7's on it that I received in change at a coffee shop in Las Vegas.
You won't be seeing it for sale on ebay.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
I have bought and sold over 500 item using ebay. Mr1874 I would never bid in your auctions basied upon your "spread" theory. While this fact will not concern you; baised on your tone and manor in this thread; you are losing sales and paying higher auction fees because of your way of doing business. I've run across auctions of coins slabbed or raw that I really wanted but passed on. Why? Because the seller did'nt offer a return policy.
IMO you are the kind of seller that is most complained about by collectors; I give you about 6mos in business before you go broke. Unless your just stinking rich and can throw money away
It seems that we have the same go arounds about return policy AND PreyPal over and over. Just because a return policy is not given top billing does NOT mean that the seller doesn't have one. After all I'm paying to promote my coins; not the incidentals. One side NEVER seems to convince the other of anything. Shipping policies and coins as investments or [shud you try to recoup what you spent] are also continuing topics that never seem to go anywhere!
I dont care if it's in a PCGS holder with a signed affidavid (how ever you spell it) from D Bowerse and D Hall saying that it's a PQ example. If it doesnt have a return privilege, I dont put a bid on it, PERIOD.
As a seller, I realize my stance on buying coins over the web are not unique to me. I'm convienced that allowing a return privilege gives me a larger bidder base, and thus gives me higher bids. In the year since I opened the buisness, I've had one coin returned. It was a $10 coin in a direct sell. I would say that not giving a return privilege costs more than giving one.
Why on earth would anyone want to sell a coin back to you and loose $10? Are you admitting that your $50 coin is only worth $40? You are confusing me!!!!
I disagree. What dealer is going to offer to pay 100% or more to buy back a coin at the time of the sell? All the dealer is saying is that the coin merits the price, and if you dont think so, I'll pay x amount for the coin if you ever need to sell it. That way the buyer knows that at worst, they'll lose x dollars on the coin. And heck... when you put it that way, it's almost like renting the coin for a while.
I sold a 35-S PCGS 66RD cent about six months ago for $750 with a 90% buy back. The coin was absolutly stunning. The buyer didnt want to go that high b/c they were trading for roughly half that at the time. He was, however, willing to make the purchase when I backed up my opinion with a strong buy back. ...the coin has yet to return, and I doubt it ever will.
A return policy just gives the bidder peace of mind... I've only had one return in all of my I've ever done auctions. As long as you have a large photo and describe the coins correctly... you'll never have a return or very, very few.
It's a good policy to place in your auctions. Unless you're doin' the ole "looks good to me" or "I know nothing about coins" or "this Morgan is worth $11,000,000 but I'll sell it for 50 bucks!" crap.... then you might want to reconsider the return policy!
<<<"If you don't like my price, don't buy.">>> I don't have anything to do with that because all my auctions start @ 1¢ with no reserve, the buyers pay what they want to pay, not what I want then to pay. I don't charge for shipping either but hey, I'm just a collector, not a weasel dealer trying to squeeze every red ¢ from the deal.
Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
I think it's wrong to equate a buy-back policy with a return policy. A nice buy-back policy will obviously help sell coins when you're asking strong money and it's a way to stand behind what you sell. But a return policy is not the same thing at all.
Every single coin is unique. People buy coins because they like to look at them, and everyone has different tastes and preferences. So if I don't get to see the coin first, and I can't return it if I don't like it, then I'm not interested. All the pictures and verbiage in the world is not a substitute for having the coin in my hand. If a seller doesn't say anything about a return policy, I will ask if there is one before bidding. If the answer is no, then I don't bid. I think people might underestimate how many bidders feel that way.
To allow a buyer 10 or 5 days to be sure he/she's satisfied is certainly warranted. And to say a blanket no-return policy is justified because someone, someday, might abuse it is a red herring. Why not give every buyer the assurance that a purchase is returnable within a reasonable time frame? If that day ever comes when someone's abusing the policy, sever ties with that buyer and move on.
A buy-back policy is standing behind what you sell for the long haul. A return policy is meant to ensure a buyer can have a few days to determine if he/she is satisfied with a purchase. If I want to return a coin that I bought sight-unseen the day after I got it, don't refer me to a "buy-back" program that means I'm not getting a full refund. That's just putting makeup and heels on "I charge 20% to look at my coins."
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
"I have bought and sold over 500 item using ebay. Mr1874 I would never bid in your auctions basied upon your "spread" theory. While this fact will not concern you; baised on your tone and manor in this thread; you are losing sales and paying higher auction fees because of your way of doing business. I've run across auctions of coins slabbed or raw that I really wanted but passed on. Why? Because the seller did'nt offer a return policy." "IMO you are the kind of seller that is most complained about by collectors; I give you about 6mos in business before you go broke. Unless your just stinking rich and can throw money away."
It would be helpful to know why you think I am the kind of seller that is "most complained about by collectors." Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. No Return Policy.
Let's see. I post decent image of coin. I describe coin to the best of my ability. I ask what $ I want for the coin so that I can "come out" on it after paying ebay fees, packaging costs, and gas to drive to and from the post office. Once sold, that coin is no longer in inventory and has to be replaced with something else in order for me to continue being a seller. After all, to be a seller a buyer one must be. There is no danger in going broke. The danger is in not being able to buy the quality and/or scarcity of coin at a price I'm willing to pay. Nothing to buy, nothing to sell.
How am I paying higher auction fees because of, in your words, "your way of doing business?" I understand that I might be "losing sales" because, as some in this forum have stated, "no return, no bid" but how does "no return" policy translate into higher auction fees?
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
Should return privileges be allowed for things like cellophane sealed L&C C&C sets since seller has no control over whats inside. Would you take something back because the same buyer could get it cheaper from another listing?
Ebay is a great way to get access to more buyers and sellers, but it will always have the negative that you don't get the chance to hold the coin before you buy it. I've been burned too many times on raw coins not to ensure that the seller will take it back if I don't like it. Plus, everything is negotiable. I've dealt with people who had no posted return policy who agreed to letting me Fed-Ex a coin in to PCGS on express service with an agreement to take the coin back if it didn't slab. (There were a few other issues, like my lowering the acceptable threshold of the grade he advertised versus the grade assigned and a small restocking fee if I returned it, but we were able to work out a deal that made both of us comfortable.)
It isn't an insult to your integrity if someone asks for a return policy. If you are selling quality coins, almost nothing will come back anyway, so what is the downside?
Robert Getty - Lifetime project to complete the finest collection of 1872 dated coins.
With me, the subject has never come up. I do not purposely omit a return privilege and have never had even one person dis-satisfied, let alone express a desire to return anything. The "ask the seller a question" feature is there for a reason and when the shoe is on the other foot and I am looking to buy, I use that feature and ask plenty questions including - "Do you have a return privilege?" If I'm uneasy and get no answers- he or she gets no bid!
Come to think about it, I don't recall anyone using this feature on me when I sell. No complaints, no requests for returns and 100% positive feedback rating. Just lucky , I guess!
Now I do recall saying on a few occassions, mentioning in the text that, "If this item isn't everything I have said it is and more and you're not happy-you send it back!" This sure made what could have otherwise been skeptical buyers comfortable because they paid some handsome premiums for these coins and left some of my better feedbacks- particularly on raw coins.
Good thread- but I'm not fixing something that's not broken. You buy something from me, particularly raw and you're not satisfied- send it back.. but the old standard regarding removing the coin from it's flip is therefore considered sold, goes without saying. No... I never thought about it and nothing has never come back.
Hi Hadleydog. Thank you for your thoughts. You said; “...You are a complete unknown for bidders on ebay.”
Let’s say a Seller has a 100 percent positive feedback of 200 or so with glowing comments from previous bidders. The coins he offers are rare, important, key or better dates, PQ and desirable. Everything is certified. This hypothetical seller’s opening bids are reasonable. However, lets say that this Seller does not offer a blanket return privilege (because it’s an auction not a retail sale). Are you saying that you would not consider placing a bid in this Seller’s auctions given those circumstances? Can an Ebay Seller be reasonably known by his feedback profile? If no, please tell me why not. Thank you hadleydog. matteproof
I have been selling coins on ebay for 5 years. I have had probably 10 coins returned over those 5 years....and they have ranged between $5 slabbed and $3500 raw coins. I have never refused to take a coin back.....I've even taken a complete raw Rosy dime set back! I wish my track record for dealing with other sellers was a good as mine....I've probably only returned 20 coins over those same 5 years BUT there have been probably 50+ other that I would have liked to return...coins that were gtossly misgraded (by why bother for a sub $10 coin), and coins that weren't as "nice" as the picture/description noted....coins where I knew that I woud take a loss trying to sell the coin! I "eat" those kind of losses as it's not worth the hassle with many ebay sellers. Its no fun taking coins back - I know that - and resorting to name calling and acquisitions isn't a very nice way to inspire confidence......had one of those recently on a $500+ coin. As said above, its not an approval purchase...if its GROSSLY wrong, return it otherwise, learn from your mistakes, ask questions before bidding (verify condition, retuirn policy etc.) and you'll learned not to get burned so often.....LEARN BY DOING!
Craig If I had it my way, stupidity would be painful!
A photograph is a very poor substitute for holding a coin in your hand, and getting a good look at it with a glass. Many buyers (including myself) will balk if there is no return policy, unless the coin is VERY DEEPLY discounted.
You offer a return policy to increase buyer interest, and attract more bidders. Well worth it, unless you’re selling coins with problems, which you don’t want to come back...
Dave
Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
Hello Matteproof, you paint a picture of a seller that appears to be trustworthy. However, every coin is different and really must be held in hand to properly evaluate (especially so if you are buying color). We all eventually aquire our own personal taste in what we like to collect and what we look for in our aquisitions. Who they are graded by and what grade they have on the slab just offers another opinion on a particular coin, but that by no means guarantees that it will meet our own personal criteria. I have made purchases from Legend, Anaconda and coingame2000................all fellow board members who I would say fall into the category you are talking about. They all offer high end pq stuff and all have glowing feedback. However, untill I had completed at least one transaction with each one of them I was still dealing with an unknown even though I have gotten to know of them through these boards. Interestingly, they all also offer a full return. I train horses for a living, and thus do a lot of buying and selling. I won't bring a horse in unless I have a 3 day trial, and I always sell them with a trial period. I don't ever want anyone getting stuck with the wrong purchase, I would rather lose the sale now and have long term, satisfied (read repeat) customers. Like coins, you can't tell everthing from a video or picture.
<< <i>Let’s say a Seller has a 100 percent positive feedback of 200 or so with glowing comments from previous bidders. The coins he offers are rare, important, key or better dates, PQ and desirable. Everything is certified. This hypothetical seller’s opening bids are reasonable. However, lets say that this Seller does not offer a blanket return privilege (because it’s an auction not a retail sale). Are you saying that you would not consider placing a bid in this Seller’s auctions given those circumstances? Can an Ebay Seller be reasonably known by his feedback profile? If no, please tell me why not. >>
I know you were asking hadleydog for his thoughts, but I'll throw my 2 cents in as well. IF I don't know the seller, then I still am a non-bidder even in the scenario you describe. There have been instances where people build up good feedback by selling trinkets and cheap junk. They wait a couple months until you can no longer view their previous auctions. And then, they start selling expensive items because they are going for the big ripoff. Collect a pile of money and run. This is also the way that people rip off buyers with stolen ebay accounts. So if I can't be sure that the seller earned that feedback by selling rare/expensive coins, then I would say that there are times where a seller can not be reasonably known by his feedback.
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
“...untill I had completed at least one transaction with each one of them I was still dealing with an unknown even though I have gotten to know of them....”
Hi hadleydog. Thank you for your comments and follow up. Your thoughts sound prudent and wise hadleydog. Nothing beats a "live look" of a coin - this is true. I'm the type who tends to see the glass half full rather than half empty.
Training horses sure sounds like a wonderful career hadleydog. It’s terrific to hear that you get to enjoy both beautiful coins and beautiful horses all in a day’s work!. Sounds like a winning combination and a wonderful life. Thank you again hadleydog. Matteproof
<< <i>A photograph is a very poor substitute for holding a coin in your hand, and getting a good look at it with a glass. Many buyers (including myself) will balk if there is no return policy, unless the coin is VERY DEEPLY discounted.
You offer a return policy to increase buyer interest, and attract more bidders. Well worth it, unless you’re selling coins with problems, which you don’t want to come back...
“...There have been instances where people build up good feedback by selling trinkets and cheap junk. They wait a couple months until you can no longer view their previous auctions. And then, they start selling expensive items because they are going for the big ripoff. Collect a pile of money and run. This is also the way that people rip off buyers with stolen ebay accounts. So if I can't be sure that the seller earned that feedback by selling rare/expensive coins, then I would say that there are times where a seller can not be reasonably known by his feedback.”
Hey kranky. Thank you for the comments. The scenario you described sounds awful. I had a thought after reading it: of what comfort or value do you think a “return privilege” would have under that scenario? Probably not much I’m afraid.
I guess I’ve been fortunate Kranky because I’ve acquired some very nice coins from Sellers who could fairly be described as “small” players. They all had good feedback profiles as best that I could tell. Many times (though not always) I’ve received more than I bargained for - the coins were nicer than the photos and description.
The Ebay feedback system is not perfect of course. However, I would say that the feedback system can provide a reasonable portrait of the person/company in many instances. Do you think the kind of “skewed” feedback profiles that you described are rampant on Ebay? I’d be saddened to hear if it were. Thank you again Kranky. Matteproof
"my guess is that most of your auctions will close with no bidders."
I may not have a return policy officially in place at this time but with BuyItNow it can never be said that I have shills working for me.
I like to think of BuyItNow as "instant snipe." One of my ebay buyers recently bought one of my items using BuyItNow 23 minutes after I started the auction.
If this buyer indicates to me in any way that he doesn't like the coin I think I will 100% refund his money.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
Comments
I'm not sure, but does Heritage, B&M, Stacks or the other big auction houses offer a blanket return privilege in their auctions? I’d be surprised if they did. You are not Heritage, or for that matter any big, well known auction house that has been and will be around for awhile. You are a complete unknown for bidders on ebay.
My ask, $45. My bid, $35. No return privilege but I am a buyer of this coin at $35 provided it hasn't been removed from its sealed, archive quality, suitable-for-display holder as I've sent it out. So, let me get this straight. You have a coin you want to sell me for $45 that you value at $35? Yeah. Right. I got a $5 bill I will sell you for $7.
I have been active on ebay for the past few years (not so much recently), have always offered a return, and out of over a thousand transactions had only 1 item returned.
monitors and settings that have a big impact on how an image looks
on the bidder/buyer end of the sale.
Ken
Regarding your remarks that preceded the above, I prefer to keep the grading services out of the direct buying and selling equation because the grading services are not buyers or sellers any more than price guides are buyers or sellers. A person that buys a coin from me on ebay can always sell it back to me for a significant percentage of what they paid me for it. If I decide to get out of the business of selling coins on ebay, I'll "make good" on my offer by emailing the ebay buyer to see if there is any interest in selling those particular coins back to me. I will then "wholesale" the purchases locally and be out of the selling of coins on ebay for good. Again, my offer to "buy back" goes only to the extent that the coin must come back to me in its original holder as I sold it. Obviously, if one buys a coin from me and then immediately avail themselves of my offer to "buy back" they technically are losing money, on that individual coin, in the short run. Now, if I have a repeat buyer who can't get enough of my quality coins (every seller on ebay has quality coins, right?) he or she might well come out just fine in the "market at large." There is nothing preventing my ebay buyer, or any buyer for that matter, from doing just that.
I don't really care what the grading services might say about the numeric grade of a raw coin that I have sold. I use my experience, ANA, and PCGS standards in combination to arrive at a coin's grade whether I'm buyer or seller. I might be disagreed with (hopefully, not often) about the grade but I back up most of the coins sold by me on ebay with an offer to get them back at a specific price.
How much does it cost? What will you give me for it? Money for money.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
It's called my "spread." You'll see tons of coins offered on ebay that you get the distinct feeling the sellers of which never want to see again under any circumstances.
By the way, I've got a $5 bill with a whole bunch of 7's on it that I received in change at a coffee shop in Las Vegas.
You won't be seeing it for sale on ebay.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
IMO you are the kind of seller that is most complained about by collectors; I give you about 6mos in business before you go broke. Unless your just stinking rich and can throw money away
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
As a seller, I realize my stance on buying coins over the web are not unique to me. I'm convienced that allowing a return privilege gives me a larger bidder base, and thus gives me higher bids. In the year since I opened the buisness, I've had one coin returned. It was a $10 coin in a direct sell. I would say that not giving a return privilege costs more than giving one.
David
I disagree. What dealer is going to offer to pay 100% or more to buy back a coin at the time of the sell? All the dealer is saying is that the coin merits the price, and if you dont think so, I'll pay x amount for the coin if you ever need to sell it. That way the buyer knows that at worst, they'll lose x dollars on the coin. And heck... when you put it that way, it's almost like renting the coin for a while.
I sold a 35-S PCGS 66RD cent about six months ago for $750 with a 90% buy back. The coin was absolutly stunning. The buyer didnt want to go that high b/c they were trading for roughly half that at the time. He was, however, willing to make the purchase when I backed up my opinion with a strong buy back. ...the coin has yet to return, and I doubt it ever will.
David
A return policy just gives the bidder peace of mind... I've only had one return in all of my I've ever done auctions. As long as you have a large photo and describe the coins correctly... you'll never have a return or very, very few.
It's a good policy to place in your auctions. Unless you're doin' the ole "looks good to me" or "I know nothing about coins" or "this Morgan is worth $11,000,000 but I'll sell it for 50 bucks!" crap.... then you might want to reconsider the return policy!
Anthony
SiranthonyAC Auctions
I don't have anything to do with that because all my auctions start @ 1¢ with no reserve, the buyers pay what
they want to pay, not what I want then to pay.
I don't charge for shipping either but hey, I'm just a collector, not a weasel dealer trying to squeeze every red ¢ from the deal.
Every single coin is unique. People buy coins because they like to look at them, and everyone has different tastes and preferences. So if I don't get to see the coin first, and I can't return it if I don't like it, then I'm not interested. All the pictures and verbiage in the world is not a substitute for having the coin in my hand. If a seller doesn't say anything about a return policy, I will ask if there is one before bidding. If the answer is no, then I don't bid. I think people might underestimate how many bidders feel that way.
To allow a buyer 10 or 5 days to be sure he/she's satisfied is certainly warranted. And to say a blanket no-return policy is justified because someone, someday, might abuse it is a red herring. Why not give every buyer the assurance that a purchase is returnable within a reasonable time frame? If that day ever comes when someone's abusing the policy, sever ties with that buyer and move on.
A buy-back policy is standing behind what you sell for the long haul. A return policy is meant to ensure a buyer can have a few days to determine if he/she is satisfied with a purchase. If I want to return a coin that I bought sight-unseen the day after I got it, don't refer me to a "buy-back" program that means I'm not getting a full refund. That's just putting makeup and heels on "I charge 20% to look at my coins."
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
It would be helpful to know why you think I am the kind of seller that is "most complained about by collectors." Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. No Return Policy.
Let's see. I post decent image of coin. I describe coin to the best of my ability. I ask what $ I want for the coin so that I can "come out" on it after paying ebay fees, packaging costs, and gas to drive to and from the post office. Once sold, that coin is no longer in inventory and has to be replaced with something else in order for me to continue being a seller. After all, to be a seller a buyer one must be.
There is no danger in going broke. The danger is in not being able to buy the quality and/or scarcity of coin at a price I'm willing to pay. Nothing to buy, nothing to sell.
How am I paying higher auction fees because of, in your words, "your way of doing business?" I understand that I might be "losing sales" because, as some in this forum have stated, "no return, no bid" but how does "no return" policy translate into higher auction fees?
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
always have the negative that you don't get the chance to hold the coin
before you buy it. I've been burned too many times on raw coins not to
ensure that the seller will take it back if I don't like it. Plus, everything is
negotiable. I've dealt with people who had no posted return policy who
agreed to letting me Fed-Ex a coin in to PCGS on express service with an
agreement to take the coin back if it didn't slab. (There were a few other
issues, like my lowering the acceptable threshold of the grade he advertised
versus the grade assigned and a small restocking fee if I returned it, but
we were able to work out a deal that made both of us comfortable.)
It isn't an insult to your integrity if someone asks for a return policy. If you
are selling quality coins, almost nothing will come back anyway, so what
is the downside?
Come to think about it, I don't recall anyone using this feature on me when I sell. No complaints, no requests for returns and 100% positive feedback rating. Just lucky , I guess!
Now I do recall saying on a few occassions, mentioning in the text that, "If this item isn't everything I have said it is and more and you're not happy-you send it back!" This sure made what could have otherwise been skeptical buyers comfortable because they paid some handsome premiums for these coins and left some of my better feedbacks- particularly on raw coins.
Good thread- but I'm not fixing something that's not broken.
Let’s say a Seller has a 100 percent positive feedback of 200 or so with glowing comments from previous bidders. The coins he offers are rare, important, key or better dates, PQ and desirable. Everything is certified. This hypothetical seller’s opening bids are reasonable. However, lets say that this Seller does not offer a blanket return privilege (because it’s an auction not a retail sale). Are you saying that you would not consider placing a bid in this Seller’s auctions given those circumstances? Can an Ebay Seller be reasonably known by his feedback profile? If no, please tell me why not. Thank you hadleydog.
it doesn't result in "higher" auction fees, it results in MORE listing fees when your items don't sell and you relist them again and again...
my guess is that most of your auctions will close with no bidders.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
If I had it my way, stupidity would be painful!
You offer a return policy to increase buyer interest, and attract more bidders. Well worth it, unless you’re selling coins with problems, which you don’t want to come back...
Dave
We all eventually aquire our own personal taste in what we like to collect and what we look for in our aquisitions. Who they are graded by and what grade they have on the slab just offers another opinion on a particular coin, but that by no means guarantees that it will meet our own personal criteria.
I have made purchases from Legend, Anaconda and coingame2000................all fellow board members who I would say fall into the category you are talking about. They all offer high end pq stuff and all have glowing feedback. However, untill I had completed at least one transaction with each one of them I was still dealing with an unknown even though I have gotten to know of them through these boards. Interestingly, they all also offer a full return.
I train horses for a living, and thus do a lot of buying and selling. I won't bring a horse in unless I have a 3 day trial, and I always sell them with a trial period. I don't ever want anyone getting stuck with the wrong purchase, I would rather lose the sale now and have long term, satisfied (read repeat) customers. Like coins, you can't tell everthing from a video or picture.
<< <i>Let’s say a Seller has a 100 percent positive feedback of 200 or so with glowing comments from previous bidders. The coins he offers are rare, important, key or better dates, PQ and desirable. Everything is certified. This hypothetical seller’s opening bids are reasonable. However, lets say that this Seller does not offer a blanket return privilege (because it’s an auction not a retail sale). Are you saying that you would not consider placing a bid in this Seller’s auctions given those circumstances? Can an Ebay Seller be reasonably known by his feedback profile? If no, please tell me why not. >>
I know you were asking hadleydog for his thoughts, but I'll throw my 2 cents in as well. IF I don't know the seller, then I still am a non-bidder even in the scenario you describe. There have been instances where people build up good feedback by selling trinkets and cheap junk. They wait a couple months until you can no longer view their previous auctions. And then, they start selling expensive items because they are going for the big ripoff. Collect a pile of money and run. This is also the way that people rip off buyers with stolen ebay accounts. So if I can't be sure that the seller earned that feedback by selling rare/expensive coins, then I would say that there are times where a seller can not be reasonably known by his feedback.
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
Hi hadleydog. Thank you for your comments and follow up. Your thoughts sound prudent and wise hadleydog. Nothing beats a "live look" of a coin - this is true. I'm the type who tends to see the glass half full rather than half empty.
Training horses sure sounds like a wonderful career hadleydog. It’s terrific to hear that you get to enjoy both beautiful coins and beautiful horses all in a day’s work!. Sounds like a winning combination and a wonderful life. Thank you again hadleydog.
<< <i>A photograph is a very poor substitute for holding a coin in your hand, and getting a good look at it with a glass. Many buyers (including myself) will balk if there is no return policy, unless the coin is VERY DEEPLY discounted.
You offer a return policy to increase buyer interest, and attract more bidders. Well worth it, unless you’re selling coins with problems, which you don’t want to come back...
Dave >>
Geez.....I'm sorry.
Hey kranky. Thank you for the comments. The scenario you described sounds awful. I had a thought after reading it: of what comfort or value do you think a “return privilege” would have under that scenario? Probably not much I’m afraid.
I guess I’ve been fortunate Kranky because I’ve acquired some very nice coins from Sellers who could fairly be described as “small” players. They all had good feedback profiles as best that I could tell. Many times (though not always) I’ve received more than I bargained for - the coins were nicer than the photos and description.
The Ebay feedback system is not perfect of course. However, I would say that the feedback system can provide a reasonable portrait of the person/company in many instances. Do you think the kind of “skewed” feedback profiles that you described are rampant on Ebay? I’d be saddened to hear if it were. Thank you again Kranky.
I may not have a return policy officially in place at this time but with BuyItNow it can never be said that I have shills working for me.
I like to think of BuyItNow as "instant snipe." One of my ebay buyers recently bought one of my items using BuyItNow 23 minutes after I started the auction.
If this buyer indicates to me in any way that he doesn't like the coin I think I will 100% refund his money.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein