ebay items and cert numbers on slabs

devious

As an online buyer, do you expect to see the cert numbers on your slabs of coins you are purchasing? Do you think I would as the seller do better leaving the entire pcgs slab label exposed?

I just received a question:

"WHY IS THERE NO PCGS SERIAL NO ?"

And I responded

"Please read the auction description. I cross them out due to counterfeit slabs originating from China. But will gladly provide the number for those who ask:

http://www.pcgs.com/Cert/702....html" [I should had used the word potential and ... China and elsewhere, I do realize this now too late.]

In my auction I clearly state that it is crossed out with the same reasoning I just answered the question with [and is obvious in the image itself that there is in fact some scribble work going over where the cert number is].

So...do you think having the actual slab photograph with the cert number visible will bring more money than say a certified slab where it's graded with a top tier grader with the cert number crossed out?

Am I being a bit paranoid about cert numbers? Should I just show the entire slab and not worry? Is it doing a seller more harm than good by blocking out the cert number?

Sure this has been discussed here before, but being new, figured I'd take a shot and see what some of you have to say :-)

Thanks!

Aaron

drwstr123

"...China and elsewhere, I do realize this now too late." Yeah...those Swedish copies are a beatch!

19Lyds

I do not see any reason why posting the cert number in a photo for an eBay auction would bring any higher of a price.

Many sellers have removed these numbers from photo's but it was not to thwart slab counterfeiters as much as it was to thwart Registry Cert Number thieves!

devious

Okay, I answered my own question with the auctions ending.

Always display cert numbers on slabs in auctions. Comparing my auctions to other ended auctions shows a drastic price difference for mine which had the cert numbers covered and others where the cert numbers were shown. Maybe not a legit evaluation, but convinced me enough to NEVER EVER COVER CERT NUMBERS AGAIN!@#!

derryb

By blocking cert numbers, you give some buyers the impression that you lifted the photo from someone else's listing. This leads some of them to wonder if you even have the coin.

commoncents05

Don't bother crossing out Serial Numbers. Buyers may think you're using a stock photo, and you're not really accomplishing anything anyway.

-Paul

BECOKA

I believe if you have a TPG named in the title you are required to show the cert number. Otherwise if you anger someone they could report the auction and have it pulled.

MisterBungle

"Don't bother crossing out Serial Numbers. Buyers may think you're using a stock photo, and you're not really accomplishing anything anyway."
-----
Bingo!!

I won't buy any coin with a stock photo, or that I think may be a stock photo.
I want to see the coin I'm buying.

The whole thing with eBay is, you want to include as many potential bidders
as possible. You are not doing yourself any favors by excluding bidders.

JMHO

~

devious

Yup, lesson learned. And all good points, thanks for the different insights folks. From now on, I'll leave the slabs fully exposed. This was a very good lesson for my first time selling slabbed coins on ebay.

mozin

<< <i>"Don't bother crossing out Serial Numbers. Buyers may think you're using a stock photo, and you're not really accomplishing anything anyway."
-----
Bingo!!

I won't buy any coin with a stock photo, or that I think may be a stock photo.
I want to see the coin I'm buying.

The whole thing with eBay is, you want to include as many potential bidders
as possible. You are not doing yourself any favors by excluding bidders.

JMHO

~ >>

LindeDad

If you register the coin into your PCGS inventory it can not be stolen. I list showing the full slab. When I recieve payment I delete it from my inventory.
I saw your listings and was thinking about bidding on one of your coins. I did not bid because of the way the slab was doctored. Sorry but if you are going to photoshop that, what else could of been photoshoped.

devious

And by stock photo, I think I know what you mean, here was the slab photo I used:

derryb

One improvement that ebay could make:

Require that any photo used in a listing be a photo of the actual item, not another item just like the one being sold. No stock photos. The photo is an important part of the description and should be a picture of what the buyer expects to receive. No photo of actual item - No photo in listing....period.

This would take a lot of the guess work out of ebay shopping.