Rules you should know BEFORE buying coins on eBay. Buyers/Sellers PLEASE HELP!
tlhoy
Posts: 2,204
This is an educational thread. It is intended to help anyone that's about to buy coins on eBay.
Buyers/Sellers: Please add your rules to this thread.
Thank you,
Glenn
Now for a couple of my rules.
Feedback is VERY important. Read the sellers feedback before you bid.
Poor spelling or poor English auctions, should be ignored. If the seller doesn't care about his/her spelling, then he/she doesn't care about what they are selling.
Edited because I'm silly.
Buyers/Sellers: Please add your rules to this thread.
Thank you,
Glenn
Now for a couple of my rules.
Feedback is VERY important. Read the sellers feedback before you bid.
Poor spelling or poor English auctions, should be ignored. If the seller doesn't care about his/her spelling, then he/she doesn't care about what they are selling.
Edited because I'm silly.
0
Comments
<< <i>Poor spelling or poor English auctions, should be ignored. >>
I've pulled some of my best scores from sellers who would flunk a kindergarten spelling bee.
I'll add one of my rules:
Unless the auction explicitly states that the image is the actual coin/set being sold, eMail and ask.
Russ, NCNE
Oh yeah, if it's too good to be true ...
Joe.
Ask for larger or clearer photos. Sometimes the seller will oblige.
Beware of most sellers in Asian countries.
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
A DAMMIT BOY from Jonesy 1/25/05
Lieutenant, Covert Operations
Subcommittee
my first POTD award 7/16/05
the cat ate my blue fish.
My EBay Store/Auctions
<< <i>if it isn`t in a slab then don`t believe the grade that it says it is, grade it for yourself >>
The same applies even when it is in a slab.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>Yeah, raw coins 99% of the time are about one grade below what is stated in the description of the coin. You should expect that and bid accordingly; value the coin a grade lower than what is described. >>
Do you define one grade MS64 down to MS63? Or MS to AU?
There are sellers that I see on ebay that regularly overgrade their coins 1 to 2 grades up (calling a VF an XF, calling an AU an MS, etc.)
A DAMMIT BOY from Jonesy 1/25/05
Lieutenant, Covert Operations
Subcommittee
my first POTD award 7/16/05
the cat ate my blue fish.
Winter is better than summer to sell. Those stuck in cold climates have nothing better to do than to bid.
Never post with an ending time before 4 pm. People have to work!
WS
Down a grade, yes, if it states ms-64 then don't expect better than ms-63.
My EBay Store/Auctions
Here are some, many have already been mentioned:
- Sellers feedback should be very close to %100 positive
- If buying an expensive item make sure seller has done many transactions like it before
- Don't guess, ask questions
- Make sure to add in shipping fees to your bid to figure out your final cost
- Estate sales usually aren't from estates
- Unsearched rolls usually have been searched
- Many unopened proof sets have already been opened
- Raw coins are usually optimistically graded (over graded)
- Even detailed photos can hide problems, insist on a return policy or pass
- If something looks fishy it probably is
Doug
Thank You
SilverDollar
One word- "Don't"
Chicolini: Mint? No, no, I no like a mint. Uh - what other flavor you got?
I actually emailed a seller the other day, and told him that I had read his feedback - and was there any reason that I should not trust him and/or receive goods as described. He looked iffy, but he emailed back.
Read the fine print - and Yes, always check on combined shipping if not stated. I recently bid on two auctions by the same seller - I still ended up paying 6.50 for a 3.50 package. Another guy flat would not combine shipping period. What a jerk/rip off. My fault.
What the auction does NOT say is what you need to be on the look out for. Roll of circulated Franklins = all forties, unless stated otherwise, and similar cases.
When listing - use the little 25 cent pic for gallery - some people like pics. Also, always use BUY IT NOW when listing. At least half of my sales have been to impulse shoppers. You will always get your main action when item is first listed and within last 24-hrs. of auction end.
Don't leave positive feedback for A-holes.
Buy from bad spellers if they have 100% feedback, bid is low and item looks good. Everyone isn't a genius like us.
Remember that eBay time is for those weirdos in Californey - and adjust your end time to their schedule - altho weird - they do buy.
Accommodate your customers, always be polite and always ship promptly. Do not ship item until checks have cleared bank. Altho since '99 I have never had a check bounce.
Adjust your price for item to accommodate eBay, Paypal and USPS rip off fees. Don't bother selling items that use up your juice.
Well that's all for now - I am heading for food.
ps. just remembered a few more - Don't use bad or blurred photos for coins. It doesn't fool people. And don't enhance your photos either - we are on to you. Don't use LQQK in your title - it irritates people.
-YN Currently Collecting & Researching Colonial World Coins, Especially Spanish Coins, With a Great Interest in WWII Militaria.
My Ebay!
<< <i>I don't bid on anything from a Seller with less than 99.7 or 99.8 - even that makes me nervous. >>
Know from whom you are buying! Feedback is something of a joke.
Considering that about 5%+ of auctions end with non-paying bidders and those are all potential negs to the seller as extortion there must be smoething fishy with 99%+ feedback.
Totally not true ebt!
One word- "Don't"
Oh, come on.... Buying on ebay can definately be worth the risks, as long as you are intelligent about it and know what to look for/avoid..... Some of the nicest coins I have in my collection have come from ebay sales and have been better deals than ANYTHING I can find in a local coin store...
I think the feedback issue is an interesting one...... in some ways it is meaningless, because I've seen terrible sellers with a nice percentage of positive feedback. Or you can have a great seller that's been negged many times by complete idiots... I think you have to read through all of the negatives and see how they "clump" together- are there many complaints about overgrading or coins not arriving/poor customer service? Then it may be time to reassess how much you're willing to lose on a bad ebay deal.....
- Keep Records - You should keep accurate records, especially if you have very many auctions, so you'll know whose auction has been paid for and whose needs to be mailed, who gets what, etc. EBay has pages for keeping track of all that and is very helpful if you'll use it. It helps keep my feedback rating at 100%.
- Duration - I like 3-day auctions. Most of my stuff are under $50 and listed over and over. I start at a respectable ending price, while still under market, so one bid is enough to satisfy me. If an item don't sell I usually have good success at relisting. Anything over 3-days is a waste of my time. Anything under 3-days and I don't do as well. You want to pick up "watchers", especially if your item is pricey and the more time you use the more watchers you pick up. If you have a high priced item, you should use at least a 7-day auction.
- Have Fun - If you can come up with a "gimmick" maybe people will send it to other people to see. I've seen some very funny and enterttaining auctions that generated many more bids than usual simply because they get emailed around as entertainment.
- There's more, but I have spent my bankroll here already. Good luck with your auctions everyone and Happy Christmas Shopping!
My EBay Store/Auctions
1. Good pictures (especially toned coins).
2. Pick your title so there are searchable keywords. You want people to find your item. I never scroll thru a category - its all about searching. If the item is toned, say tone or toned or toning as someone like me will search by ton* and it will pickup any of those versions of the word.
3. If the item is slabbed, put the holder and grade in the listing title.
4. Personally, I like the gallery option - yes, its $.15 cents more but a picture when your searching is KEY and will cause someone to click and read your listing.
5. Specify your shipping and insurance upfront....no matter whether its $10 or $1.
6. If you're selling raw coins, please try to be upfront about the condition - there's nothing worse than a receiving damaged coin (whizzed, cleaned, bent, scratched, dinged) etc when the seller says its a "no problem coin".
7. End auctions at a time whn people are available to bid. Ending an auction at 4am eastern, 1am pacific is dicey at best. I personally like Sunday's about 6:15pm pacific (9:15 eastern). You want people to be available to bid - we've all missed auctions ourselves because it was mid afternoon or we were sitting down to dinner or......
8. Try to treat others as you would like them to treat you. people ask stupid questions sometimes - do not reply with smartass answers...respond in a polite and eductional sense. people appreciate being forthright. Be as professional as you can.
9. Keep people informed. I send emails to mu buyers when I sent their items.....there's no guessing - they KNOW their item is in route.
10 Be prompt. Your auction ends Sunday night at 6:15pm, a buyer pays at 7PM - - get the package ready to go. Check PayPal again about 10pm and again about 7pm on Monday morning before you go to the PO. (east coast payers). Ship fast, email status and you'll get rave reviews and ++++ feedback. Hey, its customer service at work!
If I had it my way, stupidity would be painful!
See now - tlhoy wouldn't buy from you. Altho maybe typo and spelling is two different animals. I know that I make typos myself - altho it does look bad in auctions.
Maybe 3 days auctions are great for coins - but for some items - 10 days is great, as it gives more people, more time to see your item - AND it encompasses two full weekends.
Billy
no matter what.......