Mistakes eBay coin sellers make astute buyers take advantage of
abcde12345
Posts: 3,404 ✭✭✭✭✭
What are some of the errors sellers make coin buyers are able to take advantage of? It's been a while since I've checked, yet I was able to pick up a few 20c pieces sellers mistook for quarters. Generally, they'd sell for about half or less if the coin was listed properly.
Your neat finds or are the days of these type of mistakes pretty much over?
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Comments
Bad Pictures
Selling at the wrong time
Making listings private(screams shill biding)
Too much hype...rare,found in a safe,estate purchase,etc
over grading
Auction ending at an obscure time. Have won several good buys due to this.
Mistakenly entering the starting bid as a BIN.
Smitten with DBLCs.
Have seen a few doilies listed without the designation.
Misspelling the name of a country can make a good deal to a dark-sider......
Bad pics and not knowing about mainstream varieties (1918/7 Buff, 1901 $1 DDR, etc)
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
When in an auction setting, I’ve seen some of these go for the same or even more than if the word doily was mentioned (same with some type 1 Franklin Proofs from 1956).
Yup. Everyone thinks they are getting a steal.
Not mentioning metal content (or mentioning the wrong metal) can make a difference with world coins or more obscure items. This helped me buy a coin for under spot once.
Another error from sellers is only showing a photo of one coin in the first picture and then showing the others part of the lot in the next pictures. Most people just see the first picture and miss that it is actually multiple coins being offered.
I used to search the quarter listings for 20c pieces all the time, my best find was a well-worn broadstruck 1875-S listed as a normal quarter. Lately I've been looking for coins housed in very old staple-style 2x2s where the seller simply echoes the grade on the holder, many of those were graded by old-timers with much stricter standards than today.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
I have not been fortunate enough to find 'mistake' listings.... I have seen error pricing at gun shows though.... picked up a couple of nice firearms that way....Cheers, RickO
Using some outdated price guide to set a value for a BIN. Picked up a 1936 proof cent for $50. It graded 64. Even it it was at $200 BIN. It was worth hitting the button. Or it’s just not fully understanding what is valuable or being too lazy to find out.
WS
Got this off ebay for a "song" some years ago. Pop. 1/0 !!!
Selling a real coin as a fake. I bought a Gallery mint museum copy $2 1/2 gold quarter eagle from an eBay seller who listed it as a Chinese knockoff for ten bucks. The pics were fuzzy but it looked like others I had acquired so I took a chance. It was the real deal....
Listing a coin on ebay, accepting an offer off ebay to an address not correct in paypal. A asute, but not honest buyer.