5 Worst Buys in Coin Collecting 2026 according to TheCoinGeek

@PerryHall said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@blitzdude said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:
For a list of the five worst things you can spend your money on as a coin collector (he said that in the first 10 seconds), how does "eBay fees" even come up? People buying coins through eBay don't pay eBay any fees for doing so.

And why not the almost irrationally hated Buyer's or Seller's Premiums at auction houses - all of which are higher than eBay fees? I just find it a very odd inclusion, especially when they remain the best bargain in retail. And, given the number of eBay sellers on this forum, we are apparently all a bunch of morons who can't do math.

eBay is a good place to buy and sell grandpas ole stinky socks. Coins, not so much. THKS!

I've sold over $2 million worth of coins on ebay profitably. So, you are demonstrably wrong. In fact, there's almost no place else to sell $10 or $20 coins that is even competitive with eBay.

Facts matter.

The BST is free and there is no dealer middleman and no sales tax. If your coin doesn't sell, you haven't lost anything.

Sure. What does that have to do with what I said?

And 90% of my coin sales this past year could not have been completed on the BST.

@rooksmith said:
Footnote: @PerryHall refers to "BST"
In the context of places to sell coins, "BST" stands for "Buy, Sell & Trade." It refers to forums or platforms where collectors and dealers can buy, sell, or trade coins with each other. These BST forums or sections are popular in coin collecting communities because they provide a space for enthusiasts to find good deals, sell coins outright, or trade coins with others. They are often worth checking regularly for exceptional deals on coins.

In the case of the BST Forum here, it's free so you have nothing to lose and there's no sales tax. Of course, if you are asking a high retail price or the coin that you are trying to sell is very esoteric, it may not be the best venue but it's certainly worth considering as an option.

@jmlanzaf said:

@blitzdude said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:
For a list of the five worst things you can spend your money on as a coin collector (he said that in the first 10 seconds), how does "eBay fees" even come up? People buying coins through eBay don't pay eBay any fees for doing so.

And why not the almost irrationally hated Buyer's or Seller's Premiums at auction houses - all of which are higher than eBay fees? I just find it a very odd inclusion, especially when they remain the best bargain in retail. And, given the number of eBay sellers on this forum, we are apparently all a bunch of morons who can't do math.

eBay is a good place to buy and sell grandpas ole stinky socks. Coins, not so much. THKS!

I've sold over $2 million worth of coins on ebay profitably. So, you are demonstrably wrong. In fact, there's almost no place else to sell $10 or $20 coins that is even competitive with eBay.

Facts matter.

But your "profitability" failed to factor in all the labor involved selling all them $10-$20 coins. Glad it works for you. I mean It did put momma through nursing school and got me back to The Commonwealth so success yes but way so many easier ways to make $$$$ these days. RGDS!

@Desert Moon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

Facts matter.

Everything from $2 to $10k.

There are things, like bullion, that shouldn't be sold on ebay. (Usually.) I've never said otherwise. I've also always said that things that not every coin belongs in every venue. You can't sell $10 or $20 coins at any auction house. Period.

But, if you are going to complain about ebay margins, then you also "can't" sell at GC, Heritage, Stacks etc.

Yes, facts matter. And the facts are that ebay is one of the largest coin marketplaces on earth with one of the lowest costs in the retail space.

I use GC all of the time, for coins over $1K, it has 10% fees, and, alot more bidders and prices are strong for quality offerings bc of the Great Photos which are the best in the buis and gives the bidder confidence to bid strong. Unlike the subpar images on most feepay sellers listings IMO. So who are you to tell someone where they can and cannnot 'sell', that has been the issue all along, there is not a venue that works for everyone, feepay does not work for me and never will but you seem to think EVERYONE should use feepay. I guess you are the feepay advocate, no worries, but you still don't show us what you list on feepay. How about a link? I would be surprised if your listing are commonly '$2 to $10k'. Link?

"Can't" was in quotation marks because you claimed ebay wouldn't work for you because of the cost. I really don't care where you sell your coins. I don't care if you never visit ebay. I do care if you tell people that "feebay" is too expensive when it is cheaper than GC.

I also said earlier in the discussion that not everything works in every venue. I acknowledged that in this thread and 100x previously when this has come up. I really don't knew what you're issue is.

This all started when I replied to Blitzdudes comment about smelly socks. And I mentioned that I sold $2 million in coins (20 years) profitably and that it was the best place for $10 to $20 coins.

At one point, i even told you i agreed with you. Your response appears to be that I'm a liar, even though I'm well known on this forum and quite open about all of my dealings.

Oh well, good luck to you.

@Desert Moon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Desert Moon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Desert Moon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

I have nothing against GC. They simply aren't cheaper than eBay which was the objection you lodged.

You think I routinely sell coins that are under $2 and over $10,000? That's a pretty broad range. You think I missed it?

I don't routinely sell $10k coins. That is the most expensive coin I sold on eBay. I've sold comics for as much as $25k. Currently, I have far more comic inventory than coins. But I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.

Are you literally suggesting that I'm lying or is it just that no one sells coins in the thousands on ebay? Go look. You'll find lots of such sales, even if they aren't mine.

It is easily confirmed.

I don't sell the coins you show on GC, and I do very well on GC when I consign to them, not the kind of stuff you show above. So those are your sales? I would suggest you provide a link here to your listings on feepay, you said above you list coins from $2K to $10K and now you are implying that is not the case? So why bring that up then in the previous post? I am not saying that some have sold at that price bc they do and folks overpay IMO bc of the feepay fees. I don't know where you got the idea that I said that when I clearly, without a doubt, did not. You stated above - $2K to $10K, okay then please provide a link to show that. Thank you.

No, I said $2 to $10k. You assumed $2k to $10k. Scroll up and look

So you are trying to prove that I'm lying. The listings i posted price that you can sell $10k+ coins on ebay. Doesn't matter whether I'm selling them or not.

The most expensive coin i currently have listed is around $1000. My plan is to be completely out of coins by December 31, 2027 do most of the better stuff is going.

No, those are not my coins

Everythingvaluable is my store name.

If you can sell in GC, you could sell on eBay more cheaply. You don't want to. That's fine. But don't suggest it can't be done. It clearly can be. My $2 million in coin sales prove that as do all the other sales happening daily on ebay. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. (Other than you think I'm a liar. Lol)

Just provide a link to your listings and this is all resolved............. Or previous listings that sold...............

I posted my store name. Just search it

What is resolved? I'm starting to get a little miffed at your insinuation. I've sold coins firm $2 to $10k. I've sold comics from $1.99 to $25k. People sell high priced items every day.

https://ebay.io/m/NdjaBG

If I sell a $10,000 coin on ebay (with a basic store) the total ebay fees are $468. You cannot beat that anywhere.

What you are listing is very different than rare numismatic coins. Certainly viable for feepay, nothing listing is mostly useful for GC or private listing websites. So sure what you do fits with feepay, but not all numismatic items do....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

You mean what I have listed now. Yes. As I've mentioned, I've sold coins up to $10k in the past, although mostly in the under $1000 range. I hope to have no coins remaining in 18 months. But, as I also demonstrated, there are numerous 5 figure coins currently sold on eBay by others. And as I've also demonstrated, eBay is cheaper than GC, HA and Stacks.

Quid Erat Demonstratum

And as I've also stated, I don't care if you continue to not use ebay for no reason other than you don't want to.

@Desert Moon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Desert Moon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

Facts matter.

Everything from $2 to $10k.

There are things, like bullion, that shouldn't be sold on ebay. (Usually.) I've never said otherwise. I've also always said that things that not every coin belongs in every venue. You can't sell $10 or $20 coins at any auction house. Period.

But, if you are going to complain about ebay margins, then you also "can't" sell at GC, Heritage, Stacks etc.

Yes, facts matter. And the facts are that ebay is one of the largest coin marketplaces on earth with one of the lowest costs in the retail space.

I use GC all of the time, for coins over $1K, it has 10% fees, and, alot more bidders and prices are strong for quality offerings bc of the Great Photos which are the best in the buis and gives the bidder confidence to bid strong. Unlike the subpar images on most feepay sellers listings IMO. So who are you to tell someone where they can and cannnot 'sell', that has been the issue all along, there is not a venue that works for everyone, feepay does not work for me and never will but you seem to think EVERYONE should use feepay. I guess you are the feepay advocate, no worries, but you still don't show us what you list on feepay. How about a link? I would be surprised if your listing are commonly '$2 to $10k'. Link?

"Can't" was in quotation marks because you claimed ebay wouldn't work for you because of the cost. I really don't care where you sell your coins. I don't care if you never visit ebay. I do care if you tell people that "feebay" is too expensive when it is cheaper than GC.

I also said earlier in the discussion that not everything works in every venue. I acknowledged that in this thread and 100x previously when this has come up. I really don't knew what you're issue is.

This all started when I replied to Blitzdudes comment about smelly socks. And I mentioned that I sold $2 million in coins (20 years) profitably and that it was the best place for $10 to $20 coins.

At one point, i even told you i agreed with you. Your response appears to be that I'm a liar, even though I'm well known on this forum and quite open about all of my dealings.

Oh well, good luck to you.

Congratulations. It takes many years on feepay to be in a tier where the fees are so low and you have to put up with their BS to do it. No chance in the next few years I could sellnhigh end items with such low fees as you have to pay up to feepay to get that benefit. I won't do it. Also, feepay doesn't really run auctions any more, it is all mostly Buy It Now, like most of yours. GC is a REAL auction venue. If one has high quality numismatic items, the sky is the limit on GC, if you list it for a saleable price on feepay, you might lose compared to an auction on GC. I have far out benefited in terms of price auctioning on GC than what I could get for a BIN on feepay multiple times, and the items might sit for a long time, GC is a set period. So will I pay a slight increase in fees for that? Absolutely as I win when the price is higher for a GC auction. Point is feepay does not work for everyone who sells numismatic items. Sure many newbies don't know how to find other websites yet (or don't realize they exist yet) where feepay fees are not added so some big time numismatic items might list on feepay and the consumer loses in terms of value if they buy that listing instead of going to the personal webiste. Informed numismatists understand that the best price is going to be on the private website. Problem is, some only see it one way when there are multiple options for selling and buying and depends on the items being sold. Reality check, there are more places to sell and provide value to the consumer, than feepay. My total fees for selling on my website are around $300 per year (FOR ALL COINS SOLD independent of value), and none of the security issues or ridiculous seller requirements that come with feepay and their f'ing f'ing rules. That means I can sell a coin for 5 to 10% less than feepay and the consumer wins, and I am secure with no f'ing feepay overlord requirements, and these are true plusses when the margins are tight for the seller as well as for the consumer. Both benefit compared to a feepay transaction. So for quality numismatic items, personal websites and GC, they can far out value feepay in many situations and for the right items. But some seem to think there is only feepay LOL.............

So in conclusion, please go ahead and sell on feepay but don't continue to suggest those of us who don't use feepay to sell are not doing as well. We are, and the consumer benefits...............

It doesn't take years to be "in a tier" where the fees are so low. It takes a few months to get TRS and 5 minutes to get a store. Even without TRS, the cost to sell a $10k coin on eBay is a little over 5% within 5 minutes of opening a store. Yes, that costs $23 per month, but that is the only cost and pays for itself if you sell $2000 per month.

Yes, if you are a low volume seller, your fees are higher.

For the 15th time, I NEVER TOLD ANYONE TO USE EBAY. You can continue to use FeeC or any other auction house you want. You can continue to list on your private web page that gets dozens of views. What I continue to say is to be HONEST about it. eBay is NOT more expensive than Great Fees or other auction houses. eBay is cheaper for higher priced coins (5% on a $10k coin as shown).

I am overjoyed that you don't use eBay. I'm so happy for you. I'm less happy that anyone who reads your post is getting misinformation about eBay and its costs. I want the story to be accurate. I have no interest in dragging anyone onto eBay.

@Desert Moon said:

@MasonG said:
@jmlanzaf said:
But more to my point, eBay is not for every coin, nor is GC or HA or Stacks. And nor is a private website that gets 12 views per week. But I wish people would at least tell the truth about it.

That would require admitting that eBay is not as expensive as it's made it out to be and that those insisting otherwise were either making uninformed pronouncements or being dishonest. Best not to hold your breath waiting to hear the truth from those people.

.
Er, don't get your hopes up, my website and dozens of other numismatic sites by dealers are very successful and have 100s to 1000s of unique visitors on their sites every week. And they can charge less because they are not paying fees to feepay, hence the numismatic consumer benefits. And, they don't have the security issues and overlord requirements that feepay has. And oh wait, no fraud that forces the feepay overlord to start an authentication program for every sold item. Yikes.

Yes, there's no fraud on private websites. Lmfao

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