eBay has issues with my reporting of counterfeit coins (mostly) in counterfeit PCGS holders
MFeld
Posts: 13,534 ✭✭✭✭✭
Earlier today, I received the below-copied email from eBay.
Most of the counterfeit coins I report are in counterfeit PCGS holders. And I don’t send reports unless I’m certain that the coins are counterfeit.
If you’re reading this post and frequently send reports to eBay, have you received the same message from them?
“Some issues with your recent reports
eBay
We received your report but have concerns
Hello —————————
We’ve noticed a pattern of unfounded reports from you. Please see our emails following up to your previous reports for examples.
What this means for your account:
We know this might have been an honest mistake. As of now, there is no impact to your ability to submit reports.
If this continues to happen, your reports will automatically be closed and your ability to submit reports will be temporarily suspended.
Why do we have this policy?
Users shouldn’t misuse our reporting processes – when they do, it’s disruptive for our community. Under the eBay User Agreement, eBay may stop processing reports from those that frequently misuse our reporting process. You can read our guidelines below.
Review our User Agreement
What you can do in the future:
When flagging problematic content, make sure you submit clear evidence of a violation in your reports.
Thanks,
eBay
Please don't reply to this message. It was sent from an address that doesn't accept incoming email.
eBay Document ID: 146019816001
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Visit our Privacy Notice and User Agreement for more information.
Learn more about account protection. If you have a question, contact us.
eBay Inc., 2025 Hamilton Ave., San Jose, CA 95125, United States
© 1995-2024 eBay Inc. or its affiliates”
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Comments
Not surprising. Criminal element has become the victor.
Sounds like ebay will allow these items because their cut would be effected.
I have been shot down on numerous occasions trying to report a bad item.
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In the past I have been less inclined than a lot of people to automatically hold ebay accountable for some of the garbage people list. But, if ebay is going to allow it's nonsensical AI rejection of counterfeit reports to label the reports as "unfounded" and then penalize the initiator, then I am all in on holding ebay responsible as a co-conspirator.
What they mean is that they know eBay has become a graveyards of garbage and don't want to be told about it because it stands in the way of making money on more garbage sold to the ignorant or unsuspecting.
Truly remarkable!!!
Perhaps that letter was composed by AI. It certainly displays no real I.
That’s just sad
Mr_Spud
Not surprised at all.
Successful BST with BustDMs , Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino (CBH's - 37 Die Marriage's)
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
sickening
i have not received such an email
I now expect it
AI at work. I hope this isn't the future.
I report any fake raw coins that are priced like real coins, and get the same results. I'm not going to bother anymore; caveat emptor. It only serves to damage their reputation when the buyer finds out.
Very frustrating.
They do not have the capability to accurately assess "clear evidence of a violation",
so they should be more aware of their considerable limitations.
The best solution they could implement at present would be to use a credentials / experience based rating to designate some ebay accounts like yours as subject experts.
We shall see 😕
Is PCGS Set up to take action ? It is their product being targeted and their reputation be tarnished with counterfeits on Ebay .
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I emailed a seller the other day and told him he needed an ethics check selling a common Washington quarter for 1,000 bucks.
Get this! He wrote back and agreed.
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they had a department with some specialists trusted reports but they did away with that years ago. some people on here were reporters they took as reputable
we really brought them down when that was up, and truthfully, we weren't reporting much more than the ridiculous fakes we do now. so "trusted" and "reputable" weren't hard to maintain when reporting the junk
it's so bad now. forget about the ai ones, we get emails saying cs reviewed it and rejected it. with what we report, it's off the rails bad
you can say that, but if the buyer doesn't find out but the heirs do, even they may not know it came from a pathetic ebay
Sad but not surprising.
Afterall it is ebay.
The fact that this message was sent anonymously with the statement “Please don't reply to this message. It was sent from an address that doesn't accept incoming email” indicates a discussion about it is not desired. It is unfortunate because ebay could learn something that could improve their business. Ultimately, it is their loss, as it might have longterm negative consequences.
"clear evidence"
It's all about the money anymore!! A lot of companies have become greedy, not caring about the consumer, only their profit!! If ebay can start blocking more people that report these bad listings, that's just the chance of them making more money. It wouldn't surprise me that sometime in the future, ebay will start implementing a waiver of responsibility, telling buyers to beware and buy at their own risk and that ebay will end NAD returns.
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No company wants to improve any longer. That's why they have phone trees and operators who can only read a script.
Well almost no company. Minwax had a knowledgeable person answer the phone after I was stubborn enough not to hang up because of the phone tree. Have you tried calling a bank. Until recently none of them even answered their phone. Maybe they can't afford a phone tree to hang up on you.
One time I handed a clerk two pieces of a belt that broke the first time I wore it and she checked "Didn't like style" on the return slip. I guess they didn't have a box for "We sell garbage".
They should be. Maybe Mark can find a PCGS person that can report fraudulent slabs for automatic removal. EBay does not want to stop sales as that is how they make money. But if they have companies telling them they do not like eBay allowing counterfeits to be sold, it might make a difference.
This is a question for the lawyers. Does ebay have any liability for providing a platform for the sale of counterfeit PCGS holders? I would think the investors of PCGS might not be happy with this situation. I apologize if I’m opening a can of worms. This problem could also be relevant to PCGS’s competitors as well.
https://www.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee/
e.g. https://www.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee/watches
not sure about the practicality of it, but over $500 might be doable or are there too many?
Brush it off. There’s no cleaning it up. Find the cherries.
If eBay doesn’t like the free labor you provide for them, then stop doing it. Seems rather simple to me.
I've received these emails as well. I hope someday eBay gets crushed by a massive class-action lawsuit. They are now an accomplice in criminal behavior.
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A conduit for criminality. The Rule of Law is rapidly vanishing in this country.
The "Authenticity Guarantee" categories do including PSA slabbed trading cards,
so not much different from PCGS slabbed coins.
But my guess is that "Authenticity Guarantee" is something the sellers pay extra for,
because the some sellers like APMEX have a similar "direct from APMEX" blue text below their items in a summary matrix view.
So apparently ebay wants to find ways to get paid higher fees on non-counterfeits.
They don’t know of your Kingdom
You should let them know😉
Martin
Do they know who they’re messing with?
Dave
It's simple: they think you are trying to eliminate your selling competition.
Natural forces of supply and demand are the best regulators on earth.
Caveat emptor -- buyer beware. Too many dimwits with too much money.
Ebay is there to make money for its owners. If you don't like Ebay then don't use it -- Quit complaining.
That's a pretty strong comment from a new member.
What was your old username before you got banned?
Ebay is screwing around with the wrong guy. I hardly deal with ebay in the past four years.
I no longer like paypal as well.
Well... ...sure.
If there were any human beings left at eBay smoebody could just email them this thread. But it's all AI except for a few who come in every week and collect the profits.
Might be difficult for Ebay supporters to defend this action.
@MFeld Have you tried talking/chatting with ebay? It's actually not that hard to get in touch and chat or call ebay support and explain the situation. I'm still not optimistic they'll come around on this, but maybe you can get the right attention over there. I mean there's always a chance.
You have a great point
If he can’t convince them of fake and counterfeit coins, it will be impossible to convince them he is a King
Martin
Mark,
Have you thought about bringing media in on this? Starting with something like NN?
This doesn't look good for ebay since, as you stated, you don't do it unless you are 100% certain...and you certainly have the background. You aren't some "joe blow" out of nowhere doing this.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
On the few times that I have tried this I’ve found the person that I’ve talked with to be quite reasonable and agree with my assessment. However, nothing ultimately happened because that person was only able to pass along my information to their “team of numismatic experts” that made the final decision about whether or not to pull the listing. I’ve not been successful in having the eBay support person put me in contact with that group.
I don't know that we need to "defend" it. I do, however, understand it. We have no idea how many incorrect complaints they get. And, as @MFeld mentioned, he's largely reporting fake coins in fake slabs. They are simply putting too much faith in the slab or too little credence to the existence of fake slabs.
It's also worth pointing out that it is simply a form letter likely triggered by the number of reports made.
The same personnel housecleaning that happened with Twitter needs to happen at ebay.
I knew it would happen.
" numismatic experts”
How dare you try to protect eBay’s customer base!
Seriously though, that is a discouraging letter.
I look at the letter as a badge of honer; I've received 4 and still testing their reporting system.
Reporting shows they will have an updated process that you can use now; one interesting note with that is a statement your seller info may be shared with the seller...
Might be difficult for Ebay supporters to defend this action.
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If I were eBay, and I’m not, I would employ a staff of professionals from across the board in various disciplines. They can afford it. These advisors would do just as Mark has done. They would weigh in as professionals on obvious and egregious listings. Not as full time employees just as concerned patrons of the hobby.
Yes, this is a pie in the sky idea but, imagine how much cleaner the eBay market “could” be? Maybe this idea had previously been studied and subsequently been voted down, I don’t know. I’m just brainstorming ways to improve a venue we all are familiar with.
My 2c. Please don’t kill me.
John
WTB: Barber Quarters XF
They put entirely too much faith in their AI. Once I got the first message about a listing I reported being checked by AI and not finding an issue I stopped reporting anything. This is their problem to fix.
Collector, occasional seller