If there was no ebay .........

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 5:37AM

I would not be a coin collector nor a coin dealer.

It's like the biggest coin show on earth 24/7.

Ebay opens up so many possibilities to build an awesome business.

What say you ?

Smittys · February 4, 2015 5:41AM

Ebay is only a sideline for me, never been more than that. So without it'd be business as usual.

Jinx86 · February 4, 2015 5:42AM

Couldn't agree more, ebay is the reason I don't have to work my rear off in a factory 50 hours a week.

Bayard1908 · February 4, 2015 5:49AM

I say too bad for you. eBay is grossly mismanaged, and its days as the premier sales venue on the internet are numbered. eBay's best days are in the past.

lasvegasteddy · February 4, 2015 5:54AM

the internet and ebay evened the playing field with buying and selling coins

without those 2
i was done with coins

collector to collector networking brought light to a darkside of coins...no lie

ebay's days surely are numbered but the collector to collector internet/network is alive

astrorat · February 4, 2015 6:05AM

<< I would not be a coin collector nor a coin dealer.

It's like the biggest coin show on earth 24/7.

Ebay opens up so many possibilities to build an awesome business.

What say you ?

>>

I say ... I was a collector before eBay and I will be a collector if eBay goes away. That said, eBay has been a great venue and, with rare exception, has been a pleasant experience for me when buying and selling.

CoinZip · February 4, 2015 6:09AM

winky · February 4, 2015 6:10AM

No problem for me.

coinbuf · February 4, 2015 6:12AM

This forum would be dead without all the ebay threads.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 6:14AM

<< This forum would be dead without all the ebay threads. >>

LOL, so true!

AMRC · February 4, 2015 6:18AM

eBay is perhaps one of the safest forums to buy coins in. It comes at a cost to sellers, but there is no other market place like it. You do not have to like it, use it or agree, but it is a fact.

MGLICKER · February 4, 2015 6:24AM

<< eBay is perhaps one of the safest forums to buy coins in. It comes at a cost to sellers, but there is no other market place like it. You do not have to like it, use it or agree, but it is a fact. >>

Nothing to add.

2ndCharter · February 4, 2015 6:26AM

I was a coin and paper money collector long before there was a FleaBay and, since it came along, less than 5% of the additions to my collection have come via that venue. It's useful for less expensive ancillary items for my collections but the "good stuff" still comes from the major dealers and auctions (as it has for 30-plus years for me).

SaorAlba · February 4, 2015 6:33AM

I used eBay from ca. 1995-2009 and haven't since then. Just a matter of choice, especially didn't care for selling on there.

TopographicOceans · February 4, 2015 6:35AM

For top rated sellers with a store, you can pay 4.8% with a $250 cap, but you have to pay 3% to the evil red headed stepchild PayPal.
But the buyers are cheap. Still that's a pretty low rate for a worldwide audience.

eBay used to taut about the vast number of sellers that make a living selling on eBay, until somebody looked into it and found it's only a small percentage.

Most eBay sellers are just a guy with a camera and a computer and maybe can make a couple of bucks if they're lucky.

DoubleEagle59 · February 4, 2015 6:37AM

Ebay is a great place to buy and sell coins.

Like everything else, it has it's ups and downs, but with careful scrutiny and having an experienced sense of right from wrong, 99% of the transactions will be very smooth.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 6:42AM

<< , but you have to pay 3% to the evil red headed stepchild PayPal. >>

I also love Paypal. They offer a fantastic service for there fee. I also love the square service for credit cards.

Back in the day, spending time driving to bank to cash checks, waiting for them to clear, what a pain in the A.

So much simpler today and with paypal and the ebay postage / tracking label service that saves a ton of time.

TIME is the MOST valuable commodity on earth!

derryb · February 4, 2015 6:48AM

ebay took coin buying/selling public. Best thing for the hobby since silver.

MGLICKER · February 4, 2015 6:57AM

<< TIME is the MOST valuable commodity on earth! >>

Well money is pretty important as well as commodities go (guess I do have something to add after all).

Ebay can certainly set their rules as they please, it is their ball and court.

Problem though is their utter and reckless inconsistency. EOC, lets use you example regarding the benefits of Paypal. Up until a couple of years ago, two things were different regarding payments. One you could accept Money orders/cashier checks and Paypal offered E check payment for a very small fee.

On a high profit sale, the 2.9% Paypal fee may be only slightly more than a nuisance but on the typical 5-15% after Ebay fee margin coin, the 3% takes a substantial bit out of the sellers profit. Majority of my payments have always been through Paypal but it was nice to save $100 now and then when payment was tendered through an alternate method.

If I were to get restarted on the site, it would be on something other than very low margin PCGS and NGC graded coins. Most likely less expensive raw coins where a reasonable dealer profit can be captured.

ms70 · February 4, 2015 7:04AM

My take on eBay........ It enables me to buy when I have extra cash for my hobby. There's a great coin show right up the road from me each month, but the timing doesn't always coincide
with my financial abilities. eBay lets me be more flexible with PayPal and sometimes credit cards. If it wasn't for eBay I never would've been able to build the collection I have at the pace I did.
My coins came from every corner of the U.S. Plus it's open 24 hours. We all hate eBay for some of the things they do. They are further from perfect than they were when they started out.

We can only hope for improvement and though I only sell as a hobbyist, I completely see and understand the wrongs that happen toward dealers. I respect the dealer's positions very strongly
because in the end my purchases are with the dealers, not eBay, and the dealers need to be treated fair too. If the dealers aren't on eBay it would be worthless to collectors.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 7:05AM

<< 

<< If I were to get restarted on the site, it would be on something other than very low margin PCGS and NGC graded coins. Most likely less expensive raw coins where a reasonable dealer profit can be captured. >>

Bingo, we have a winner

roadrunner · February 4, 2015 7:38AM

<< eBay is perhaps one of the safest forums to buy coins in. It comes at a cost to sellers, but there is no other market place like it. You do not have to like it, use it or agree, but it is a fact. >>

It's not safer than me driving down to the local coin shop or coin show and selling/buying some coins with them. I either walk out with a check or with some coins. Ebay can't be safer than that.
Since >90% of my transactions with local shops are buys, I like being able to hand over a check and walk out with coins.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 7:43AM

<< [It's not safer than me driving down to the local coin shop or coin show and selling/buying some coins with them. I either walk out with a check or with some coins. Ebay can't be safer than that. >>

Ebay is way safer, car crashes can be deadly.

Besides I have never bought a coin at the local coin shops because they have ZERO coins that interest me.

Ebay has thousands of coins every week from across the country that interest me.

oih82w8 · February 4, 2015 7:44AM

ebay is the catalyst that revived my coin collecting interest, for that I am thankful.

MGLICKER · February 4, 2015 7:55AM

A final thought EOC. A number of friends and friends of friends began selling on Ebay about the time I did (early 2000's).

One by one they dropped off due to Ebay's erratic changes of terms and fees. First it was the clothing sellers, then it was the stamp seller, then the antique lady and finally the coin guys. I still have a presence but it is a fraction of 5 years ago.

Hope that things continue to go well for you on the site, I really do, just be prepared to alter course on a dime as Ebay may come up with a change that is not compatible to your method of conducting commerce.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 8:12AM

MGLICKER, Things are indeed going really well on ebay, that is why I can not understand the constant bashing.

Besides ebay, I have set up my own error coin website with over 400 higher end error coins on it. The thing is, all of those high end coins were paid for with profits from selling on ebay from coins that I bought on ebay. No ebay, no coin website, no coin business.

One thing I do know, and it seems really odd, but excellent photography adds value to coins. It really shouldn't because the coin is what it is. But I have found that great photography is one of the keys to making money on ebay.

It also sounds from the responses so far, that ebay has brought in many, many new collectors.

OPA · February 4, 2015 8:17AM

<< ebay took coin buying/selling public. Best thing for the hobby since silver. >>

and I might add: all forms of PM's.. Only place I know where you can sell your Palladium, Platinum bullion at a decent mark-up over spot.

Shamika · February 4, 2015 8:33AM

I was a collector before eBay, but I have to admit eBay reignited my passion for collecting. Plus it's been a better source for literature and coin boards than any I would have had otherwise. Regardless of its flaws, I hope eBay never goes away.

puffer · February 4, 2015 8:41AM

It is a real marketplace for many, many different sectors of commerce. Thank God for ebay. 4 years ago I would have been with the bashers. It sure beats having to ship your collectibles to an auction company and waiting for a check 2 months plus later! Many of the major dealers have joined ebay and actively buy and sell there. But with all their cutbacks of customer service people let's hope the scammers and bs gets managed.

MGLICKER · February 4, 2015 8:47AM

<< MGLICKER, Things are indeed going really well on ebay, that is why I can not understand the constant bashing. >>

Last question EOC and I am done for the night.

7 years or so ago Ebay really cracked down on the sale of raw coins. Many restrictions were put in place that restricted listing verbiage particularly in the title line. It is not irrational to believe that at a future time the sale of ungraded coins will be banished by Ebay. Would that influence your opinion of the beloved venue?

As I said earlier, the changes come quick and with little warning.

puffer · February 4, 2015 8:58AM

Raw coins and currency have been a real problem for numismatics. That and bullying and biased sellers who for years got away with peddling problem material that PCGS, NGC, ANACS, ICG, PCGS currency and PMG would not give straight grades to. Under $100 items it may not be that much of an issue. But people would have to have rocks in their head to buy uncertified material over a certain dollar figure unless they can physically examine it. Currency sellers can still get away with assigning numerical grades to uncertified material. That is not a good thing.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 9:10AM

<< 

<< MGLICKER, Things are indeed going really well on ebay, that is why I can not understand the constant bashing. >>

Last question EOC and I am done for the night.

7 years or so ago Ebay really cracked down on the sale of raw coins. Many restrictions were put in place that restricted listing verbiage particularly in the title line. It is not irrational to believe that at a future time the sale of ungraded coins will be banished by Ebay. Would that influence your opinion of the beloved venue?

As I said earlier, the changes come quick and with little warning. >>

I do buy and sell many raw coins and some graded coins on ebay.

Well duh, if for some reason I could not longer buy or sell raw coins on ebay then it would no longer be that good of a venue for me. I buy a ton of raw coins on ebay and hope that I will always have that opportunity.

If ebay did that, somewhere else would pick up the slack. There are trillions of raw coins out there and I believe that there will always be a venue for it. I prefer to buy raw coins myself.

puffer · February 4, 2015 9:32AM

If raw coins could not be sold unless certified by the four main grading services maybe those who get $5000 rare varieties for $50 would be disappointed and sellers with diamonds in the rough would do their due diligence and send their coins off for certification.

TwoSides2aCoin · February 4, 2015 9:33AM

If there was no ebay, I would have dated more women. In that respect, ebay saved me a lot of money and a few headaches.

jdimmick · February 4, 2015 9:48AM

Ill be the first one to say I hate the problem associated with selling, (dealing with schiester buyers, and ebay doing nothing) but I could not survive with out, sure there is a place to sell the good coins, they sell them selves, but a great place to get rid of stuff period. a coin show that runs 24 hours a day.

To make this easy, lets say you have a lot of 10 coins that you take to a show. You have to hope that in your little small town or show location, somebody is going to come through and need one or so of the coins you have currently selling. But on ebay you open up your inventory nationwide or larger because fo so many viewers

jim

TheRegulator · February 4, 2015 10:28AM

Without eBay, many of my collections would be pretty much non-existent. With it, I've managed to pick up some unique, nearly unique, likely finest/near finest known, and just hard-to-find pieces.

For those willing to put in the effort, eBay is a great place to find material before it appears in major auction houses or the inventory of specialists.

Elcontador · February 4, 2015 10:34AM

Wouldn't affect me in the slightest. E-bay is irrelevant to my coin collecting habits. I never buy a coin unless I can see it in hand, or ideally, someone I trust that knows more than I sees it in addition to my seeing it in hand. I have been collecting for decades and have never bought a bad coin this way. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

roadrunner · February 4, 2015 10:46AM

<< ...Ebay is way safer, car crashes can be deadly. Besides I have never bought a coin at the local coin shops because they have ZERO coins that interest me. Ebay has thousands of coins every week from across the country that interest me. >>

I've logged tens of thousands of miles driving to and from coin shows, coin shops, and coin auctions over 40 years. No crashes yet due to "coins."....lol.

By "safer" venues that obviously means not being screwed or ripped off. I've never been screwed or ripped off at the local coin shops. Can't even begin to say that about Ebay. Buying on photos will always lead to some problems. I get to see the coin in hand and check it for problems before tying up my money for up to a couple weeks or a month. Can't do that on Ebay. And my local shops always had something I could buy and make money on. During the go-go years of 2002-2011 I got used to making plenty of upgrades out of the local shops on a weekly basis. It was tough work but someone had to do it.

I guess you must be in an area with the "wrong" coin shops. I have several dozen shops within a 50 mile radius....but only a couple that are steady with top material. And there's always a strong regional show once or twice a month. For my larger sales and purchases I hit FUN, Baltimore, and NY City during the year. I can't ever sell anything to local shops as those guys are just too cheap....not even bullion....that goes out of state too. 98% of what I've sold over the years has been to national dealers who show up at the local/regional shows or I see on the larger circuit. The very best go to auction. Yeah.....without Ebay, we'd still be in the 1986-2002 "dark ages" where nothing got done .....

ms70 · February 4, 2015 10:55AM

<< If there was no ebay, I would have dated more women. In that respect, ebay saved me a lot of money and a few headaches. >>

dbldie55 · February 4, 2015 11:01AM

Not sure that much would really change if there was no ebay now. When it was an auction site, it was a lot of fun. Not so much any more.

ctf_error_coins · February 4, 2015 11:13AM

Roadrunner, I buy and sell error coins and NO local coin shop carries any significant amount of error coins, at least not in my area. And when they do, they are usually way overpriced. Not so on ebay as there is many unique coins to choose from in all price ranges. With ebay i can buy from coin shops across the country but way more important is buying coins from individuals who find unique coins themselves. I do not collect generic stuff, it bores the heck out of me.

Out of over 5000 transactions on ebay, I do not believe that I have ever been ripped off by a buyer or a seller.

Buying coins from photos on the internet is awesome. You couldn't really do that 25 years ago. I have only bought a few coin in hand.

As for buying at coins shows, no way, most unique items are way overpriced.

For anybody that has a narrow specialty, I don't see how a local coin shop could have items to meet there needs. Yes a big coin show will have the stuff, but you will pay up for it.

Nap · February 4, 2015 9:39PM

It would be a much smaller international coin market.

US coins would still be easy enough to buy and sell if you're located in the US, but good luck finding a good selection of international fare.

OPA · February 4, 2015 9:56PM

When it comes to PM's or graded so called "modern junk," it's unlikely that when a large seller such as APMEX, MCM or even Silvertowne has a "limited time sale" on eBay with free s&h and no additional fees for using your cc, that a local B&M shop can even come close to matching the price. And you can thank eBay for that.

ARCO · February 4, 2015 10:37PM

<< I would not be a coin collector nor a coin dealer.

It's like the biggest coin show on earth 24/7.

Ebay opens up so many possibilities to build an awesome business.

What say you ?

>>

Without Ebay i would not have started to collect and I probably wouldn't be a collector today. For myself, Heritage now is beginning to fill the gap of a waning / overpriced Ebay, but Ebay is why I am collecting and here now posting.

Tyler

MGLICKER · February 4, 2015 11:10PM

<< Well duh, if for some reason I could not longer buy or sell raw coins on ebay then it would no longer be that good of a venue for me. >>

Now you are getting the point. You have repeatedly noted that you could not understand the bashing of the site. Perhaps you now realize that outside of certain specialties, the place has become a difficult venue to earn a profit.

Baley · February 4, 2015 11:15PM

<< ebay is the catalyst that revived my coin collecting interest, for that I am thankful. >>

this

ricko · February 4, 2015 11:19PM

Years ago, I purchased many coins on ebay. That was before it was filled with junk, scams and counterfeits. I now use the internet (i.e. BST, collector to collector etc.) but do not deal coins on ebay. Cheers, RickO

OPA · February 4, 2015 11:40PM

<< 

<< Well duh, if for some reason I could not longer buy or sell raw coins on ebay then it would no longer be that good of a venue for me. >>

Now you are getting the point. You have repeatedly noted that you could not understand the bashing of the site. Perhaps you now realized that outside of certain specialties, the place has become a difficult venue to earn a profit. >>

I disagree with your comment. It only becomes difficult to those sellers, that do not know how to price their items. As with any successful business, researching the product you're selling. Timing your sales with peak demand, proper marketing & eliminating, instead of wishing for a turnaround, of your not in demand loosing merchandise asap.

MGLICKER · February 4, 2015 11:49PM

<< I disagree with your comment. It only becomes difficult to those sellers, that do not know how to price their items. As with any successful business, researching the product you're selling. Timing your sales with peak demand, proper marketing & eliminating, instead of wishing for a turnaround, of your not in demand loosing merchandise asap. >>

I disagree with your disagreement, Jerry. Ebay fees have tripled to quadrupled in my category since beginning selling on the site in 2002.

The products are fine. Pricing was never an issue as for the first 9 years as virtually all my sales were 99c no reserve auctions. Anyone that sells PCGS and NGC slabbed coins will at least agree that margins are minimal.

Those that sell doctored or counterfeit crap do not fall into that category. The OP has found a legitimate specialty that by his claim, works as well.

19Lyds · February 4, 2015 11:59PM

<< I would not be a coin collector nor a coin dealer.

It's like the biggest coin show on earth 24/7.

Ebay opens up so many possibilities to build an awesome business.

What say you ?

>>

Again, we are in agreement. Well, except for the not being a coin collector part. I'd still collect. Prolly all the State Quarters and Presidential Dollars like everybody else.

Walkerfan · February 5, 2015 12:12AM

Ebay was revolutionary. Bringing buyers and seller together as never before. I bought some of my most important coins off Ebay. I feel that they are still quite relevant.

If there was no ebay .........

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