Raw coins on Ebay, there are some good deals and nice coins...so post your tips here!!!
kryptonitecomics
Posts: 9,185 ✭
I tend to see a lot of threads across all the mainstream coin forums bashing Ebay, the crooked sellers, the misrepresented items, scams, items not received and frankly........I can't blame any of you as we certainly know the Ebay is a breeding ground for the internet criminal element and folks overseas and they use it to make a quick buck 
We always talk about knowledge being power and sticking with coin series you know, looking for good feedback, identifying quality sellers and sticking with them, if the deal looks to good to be true....it is etc etc etc. So now that we can agree on the fact that there are some real horror stories out there.....let's talk a little about the good sellers and the accurately graded problem free coins that can also be found on the old Bay of E.
We know they're out there......probably a good idea to post the names here for some of the newer board members to learn from.....if we can save some of the less experienced collectors some dough during the learning process then we gain bench strength on the boards
I just received a few Raw coins that I purchased off Ebay and you could say I took a double chance since the coins were both raw and Toned
. I got a fair deal on both coins, the pictures and descriptions were both accurate, and the seller shipped the coins promptly.......so good things can happen if you use some simple precautions.
What are your tips, tactics and safety secrets for a positive Ebay experience? I am not asking you to post snipping 101 rules etc....just some basic lessons learned etc?
Here are a few images of the coins I purchased......please feel free to post raw coins that you purchased on Ebay that were as advertised or better
We always talk about knowledge being power and sticking with coin series you know, looking for good feedback, identifying quality sellers and sticking with them, if the deal looks to good to be true....it is etc etc etc. So now that we can agree on the fact that there are some real horror stories out there.....let's talk a little about the good sellers and the accurately graded problem free coins that can also be found on the old Bay of E.
We know they're out there......probably a good idea to post the names here for some of the newer board members to learn from.....if we can save some of the less experienced collectors some dough during the learning process then we gain bench strength on the boards
I just received a few Raw coins that I purchased off Ebay and you could say I took a double chance since the coins were both raw and Toned
. I got a fair deal on both coins, the pictures and descriptions were both accurate, and the seller shipped the coins promptly.......so good things can happen if you use some simple precautions. What are your tips, tactics and safety secrets for a positive Ebay experience? I am not asking you to post snipping 101 rules etc....just some basic lessons learned etc?
Here are a few images of the coins I purchased......please feel free to post raw coins that you purchased on Ebay that were as advertised or better
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Comments
-- Buyers who don't sell coins infrequently. They barely know what they are, let alone know how to grade them. The downside is you usually have poor photographs, but with Buffalo nickels anyway, a full horn is relatively easy to discern, and it's a huge jumping-off point.
-- Consistent undergraders. They definitely are out there. Again with the Buffalo nickels, the whole grading system has been slid back a full notch, so a coin an old-timer who is liquidating his collection may very well grade a coin VF when today it is XF. Great opportunities in the right dates.
-- Return policy. That's mandatory, an absolute must, and worth underscoring though fairly obvious.
ahem.....whatever happened to that 3 leg buffalo adventure you took with grandads coin from the Florida guy?
On the other hand, weren't ALL coins raw at some point, or were they slabbed at the mint?
Nice 82-S morgan, your images are much nicer than the seller's. I was watching that one and forgot to load the snipe!
<< <i>I am glad you missed it
I'm just glad "dmplrainbow" did'nt get it!!
That should grade 64 easily -- probably has an outside shot at 65 with NGC.
For reliability:
* return policy
* decent feedback
* history of selling coins
* good pictures
* minimal hype in auction description
For good deals:
* relatively new seller (<50 feedback or so)
* genuinely selling a collection they have inherited (as opposed to claiming to be doing so) -- sometimes means older, conservative grades or no grades assigned
* coins in groups where everything but one or two pieces is common, i.e. a group of 7 BTW's where 6 are 1946's and one is a 1950-D, that kind of thing
* raw coins in better circ "collector grades" listed w/o grade in the title, by sellers who tend to sell low-grade AG & G stuff (If I clued you in to my favorite one of these sellers, I'd have to kill you)
* weird auction end times
* newly listed BIN's
* undetected varieties
* out-of-favor series
Having said all that, I've also come to the conclusion that it is barely worth my time looking, and I only go there for fun when I'm looking for mindless entertainment. I bring the same level of expectation I bring to watching TV game shows, and if I hit on something decent, well good for me. I've bought perhaps six lots off ebay in the last year.
Its more than luck RBinTex--If You can read between the lines you can pick out winners. Takes a little practice and taking a chance once in a while but most of the time you can come out on top.
i look for estate sales that are real estate sales, inheritanced coins that someone must sell to settle an estate,(note- NOT like blueridge1 who has been selling coins for years to settle an estate-i thnk this guys story is phony) sales from state treasuries, (they sell at any price and most times they don't know what anything is realy worth),sellers that sell coins but it is not their primary interest,non-specialists,newbies, etc.and everything that gyocomgd said.
will even buy from low feedback sellers if the conditions are right. With practice you can usually tell who is legit and who isn't.
Any other tips out their for the YN's and new members of the forum?