POLL: Is their REALLY such thing as an unsearched lot on EBAY? I am thinking...

TheLiberator

....NO. Have any of you ever bought these types of lots and gotten a surprise? I would not bid on these thigs because I don't trust many of those bulk sellers.

So I guess the question is this....what perdentage of those offerings are truly are unsearched? %5? %2? %0?

You know what...I think I'll make this a poll!! My first one...!!

CoinHunter2003

atarian

i believe it cause my friend at the bank was gonna sell a bunch of wheats he had . didnt go through them cause he didnt know what to look for . i bought for $20 for $10 worth ( 2 cetns a coin ) and got a nice 1931 and a few others. nothing like a 14D or 09SVDB but still better than all 40s and 50s

LincolnCentMan

I'm sure there is, but the % is probably below 1%. And anybody that selling them "unsearched" isnt going to use the term "unsearched" in their auction heading. THink about it. That's dominatly a term used in the numismatic world... and someone that has no clue probably wouldnt use it.

David

ziggy29

Honestly? I'd say 1%. I believe that a very select few are unsearched. But I also believe that most of those who claim it's unsearched are lying. It ain't zero, but it's close. I know it's not zero.

I personally know someone who bought 1000 Wheaties on eBay a couple years ago. He found an XF 1931-S and an XF 1924-D in there.

I would guess that was "unsearched" as far as the term is usually used. Anyone who "searched" it knowing what they were looking for would have snagged those.

ccex

"Unsearched lots" pf coins on eBay are no better than "average circulated" lots of old coins advertised at greater expense to the seller in printed coin publications. In either case, you should assume you are buying the specified number of coins out of the seller's junk bins.

When I started buying on eBay I paid for and received an "unsearched" roll of Barber Quarters, none of which were close to Good-4. A smaller lot of "unsearched" Standing Liberty quarters brought me one with a date and 9 without.

My best "pig in a poke" lot from eBay was 104 Liberty nickels which included a PO-01 1885 from a vintage glass seller who collected coins 50 years ago. His eyesight failed him and he threw in five nickels he considered dateless. None of the others graded above VG. However, it is still possible to find a nice surprise in unsearched lots on eBay, although I no longer bid against the oddls of finding a nice blind seller.

ajia

eBay sellers lie? NEVER!
Unsearched, of course they unsearched....by the buyer

atarian

OK think back ... way back to the 1885 nickel i got on ebay for 150$. they said it was AG3 i believe or G4 and when i got it home i posted on the board here ( does anyone know where taht post is. ) but i think they claimed it was G4 and i think i got that. some here think it wasnt but it had more detail than a ag3. there are some honest people. but i think you get shafted more times than not. the 1798/98 is another good example. they thought it was a ag3 1798 cent and when i got it home i knew it was a higher grade. not much but slightly.

so my experiences told me EBAY is more trust worthy and any coin dealer i have ever dealt with. ( honestly so far) i hope i find dealers out there who can change that statement

lordmarcovan

I happen to have gotten some very nice, obviously unsearched Darkside lots over the years. I've even cherrypicked colonial coins out of some of them.

I voted ten percent, which as of this post makes me the most optimistic one so far. (Besides the one sarcastic wag who answered "100%", LOL)

All depends on what you are searching for. If you collect what every Tom, Dick, and Harry collects, you're gonna have competition. If you go a little off the beaten path, you'll do better. (You don't need to go WAY off the beaten path and into the woods.)

numonebuyer

My experience with eBay is as follows...

If you purchase a raw Morgan on eBay, you WILL get a coin that is over-graded. There is no doubt of this fact. If you think otherwise, you are on the SS Titanic and the lookouts have forgot their binoculars.

If you purchase a certified Morgan on eBay (certified by any grading company other than PCGS, NGC, or ANACS), you WILL get a coin that is over-graded. Did the lookouts find those binoculars yet? Did the officer of the deck say something about ice burgs?

If you purchase a certified Morgan on eBay (certified by any grading company other than PCGS), their is a possibility (about 50%) that coin is over-graded (and certainly not under-graded). How many life boats did the engineer say was onboard?

Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer beware) is the eBay phrase of the day, every day. There are sellers on eBay that are very good at what they do.

291fifth

I have purchased only one "unsearched" lot on eBay. That lot came with an elaborate story about how they had been put away in 1964 and earlier. Because I had been collecting at that time I knew what an "unsearched" lot from that period should contain. The lot was absolute crap, obviously pulled from very recent purchases of circ. wheat cents and "junk" silver. After some effort I got my money back. No more "unsearched" lots for me.

hamiltonjh

only if I was that million-penny guy would I sell them unsearched....if they were not searched as my collection grew.

I wouldnt take the chance to lost that high ender for a mere pittance

dorkkarl

yes, i believe there are SOME. but only a very few.

K S

TheLiberator

Hmmm...interesting that darkside lots were relatively unsearched. That makes sense as I bet a lot of dealers just don't want to bother.

jeffnpcb

I think they salt the lots occasionally like the old gold mines!

KlectorKid

I say 2% of unsearched hoards on ebay are really unsearched.

Russellp23

Notice who the seller's are on those auctions. I've noticed many of them are dealers and sell many other coins. What person in their right mind would give you the oppurtunity to score on a rarity, something they've waited and waited for, I can't see it.

earlwbollinger

Well, in thinking about it, I think we should re-define what "unsearched" means.
I believe it means that the seller will scoop out a batch of coins, without looking at the coins that have been scooped out, and pour them in a bag or box or envelope and send them to the buyer. if they are fancy they may put the scoop of coins on a scale and weight them, adding or removing coins to get to the weight being sold.
It doesn't mean that the seller and his family, friends, neighbors haven't all gone through the pile checking them all.
Also it typically means that whatever junk coins are left over from other unsold sales get put into the pile as well.