eBay Authenticity Guarantee Program, now for coins
slimbert
Posts: 46 ✭✭✭
I didn't see any post about this yet...looks like eBay's Authenticity Guarantee Program is now coming for coins.
Essentially, coins $500 and above will go to eBay's "authentication facility" before going to the buyer.
They already have this system for cards sold on eBay...anyone here have experience buying/selling through that?
Here's their FAQ: https://pages.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee-coins-seller/#faq
Here's the message from eBay:
On August 18, 2026, we began rolling out Authenticity Guarantee for eligible coins listed on ebay.com. We’re excited to inform you that your coins will be eligible for the service beginning next Tuesday.
Why this matters
Coins are a high-trust category where authenticity, condition, and grading influence buyer confidence and value. Authenticity Guarantee helps your customers feel more confident before they purchase and gives you added protection after the sale. Importantly, eBay covers the cost of authentication.
What is eligible
Authenticity Guarantee is available for single graded US and World coins, and single raw US coins, $500 and above. Eligible coins must be listed on the US site (ebay.com) and fall within the following categories:
U.S. Coins = 253 [Raw & Graded]
Coins & Paper Money › Coins: US
Canadian Coins = 3377 [Graded only]
Coins & Paper Money › Coins: Canada
World Coins = 256 [Graded only]
Coins & Paper Money › Coins: World
Note that sets, lots, collections, and mystery products are not eligible at this time.
What you need to do
Keep listing as normal. If your coin is eligible, the Authenticity Guarantee badge will appear automatically. There’s no opt in or opt out.
When an eligible item sells, ship it within your stated handling time to the authentication address shown in your order details.
Upload tracking after you ship. If you buy labels on eBay, tracking will be uploaded automatically.
Ship each Authenticity Guarantee order individually. These items should not be combined with other orders.
How it works
The blue Authenticity Guarantee badge will appear when you list an eligible coin.
When an eligible coin sells, you’ll ship it to the authentication facility.
Our partner team of experts will verify the coin’s authenticity and confirm that it matches the listing through a multi-point inspection.
Once authenticated, the coin is packed securely and shipped to the buyer with tracked delivery.
Note that coins are not graded nor re-graded as part of authentication.
Next steps
Review your active and upcoming coin listings to ensure your item condition, title, photos, item specifics, and descriptions are accurate and complete. This will help support a smooth authentication experience.
Please visit our seller page for more information.
Sincerely,
eBay
Comments
If they do a good job - and I’m certainly not taking that as a given - their sales volume might decline considerably.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
This will be an interesting thread to follow for sure!
Surprising that we haven't heard an announcement about this directly from PCGS:
https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-authenticity-guarantee-collectible-coins/
I think this is a good thing. I like it as long as eBay will pay for the lost or damage after they receive the coin and verify the coin.
Will all coins over $500 be shipped to the verification, or is it only initiated from specific buyer request? And how is this service being compensated financially?
My questions were answered under the FAQ:
Can a buyer choose not to have the item authenticated?
No.
Will I be charged a fee for Authenticity Guarantee?
No. eBay covers the cost of authentication.
It appears there is no flexibility. This is clearly throwing a bone to the uneducated buyers who spend lots of money on Ebay. Not a fan myself, although I would categorize myself as a knowledgeable numismatist that is confident taking big risks on raw coins. I see it as a loss, because I would like my item quickly and don't need more people's opinions to open up cans of worms.
There was recently a contemporary counterfeit bust half sold on ebay for $709. It was an unknown variety, big premium. The listing failed to disclose "contemporary counterfeit." Theoretically, if sold today, it would be sent to the authenticator and automatically returned to the seller with the sale canceled.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
I believe is all coins sold for 500 or above will go to eBay address. eBay already do this with jewelry and watch couple years ago
For jewelry or maybe watch once eBay verified it is authentic then buyer can’t file not as described. I am pretty sure coin will be the same
For those that like to add in a free bonus, it seems like you might no longer want to do that:
Ineligible items will not be authenticated. Furthermore, eBay may refuse to accept ineligible items (including, but not limited to, additional coins or items that are gifted to buyers as a bonus and free of charge) and is not responsible for storage, delivery, return, damage or loss of such items. eBay reserves the right to donate or otherwise dispose of such ineligible items in our sole and absolute discretion.
The FAQs mention that the authentication process should take 1 to 2 business days. Given how backed up PCGS is already, will they be able to meet that timeline? Or will normal grading become even slower to meet the eBay deadlines?
what do they do with multi-coin sets? maybe only 1 is over $500
The email specifically says single coins. Sets are not eligible for the service.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I suspect there will be lots of one ounce "gold" coins sold for $499 on ebay in the near future.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Long overdue, Still, it comes as a surprise.
Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't an optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.
My mind reader refuses to charge me. . . . . . .
And anyone who buys one deserves what they get
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
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Or offered in pairs at a higher price.
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Maybe so.
But let's not forget that the real person to blame is always the scammer, not the scamee.
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Even over $500 it's sill largely buyer beware for gold as the authenticity program doesn't apply to the bullion category.
So, my above & beyond, 3 layer, extra careful coin packaging (including but not limited to a sealed aluminum pouch for NFC scan-blocking) will be opened and traipsed through by an "authenticator" at PCGS. Then repackaged in what? a 20-coin box? a bubble mailer?
How long will my package be "delayed" in getting to the buyer?
What if the "authenticator" scratches/scuffs the slab, when I know that it was not scratched one bit?
Can-o-worms... Hmm.
Get ready for some Neutral & Negative feedbacks...
Of course.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
"Once the item goes through inspection and is sent to the buyer, you are fully protected against any negative or neutral feedback"
genuine coins once in genuine holders?? protected if sold with juiced photos?
Fair enough, but the damage has been done, reputation wise. The buyer may not come back, knowing that there could be a delay, or another damaged holder caused by the "third party" that eBay inserted into the equation...
I guess a "third party" disclaimer might need to be drafted up to be included in my listings.
For sure, it complicates things. There are both pros and cons to a program like this. I am interested to hear feedback from the card and watch sellers about what they think of the program and what issues they may have had.
they really need stamps too
That is a concern. I can think of at least one other contemporary counterfeit that I believe went for over $500. It was also listed as a genuine coin, so it does happen.
In theory the buyer could message the seller once eBay cancels the sale. Tell them they know what it is and would still like to buy it. Have them list it as a buy it now for the same sale price, but in the bullion category or something that doesn't have the authenticity program requirements. There is probably a way around that specific situation, but a lot sure could go wrong along the way.
I wonder what the penalty is for a seller that ignores this rule and ships directly to the customer.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
There are numerous reasons why that won't fly. Do you collect stamps?
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Sellers get the shipping address from eBay. If they don't tell you what the buyer's address is...
I find it interesting that people are complaining about this. They want ebay to take the word of random people who haven't seen the coin in hand, but it's going too far to insist on an actual TPG opinion.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Really? It's eBay. What else might one expect?
Lol. I said "interesting" not "surprising".
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I find that it could be a positive but it is unclear how certain scenarios will play out.
Pro:
~third party helps lower the number of returns
~protects buyers from fakes
~protects sellers from buyers switching an item (or sending an empty package) when returning
Con:
~extra time to get to the buyer
~extra trips in the mail (seller to center and then center to buyer), potentially doubling the chances of lost packages
~potential for authenticator to damage coin or slab
~free gifts to the buyer might be tossed
~no contemporary counterfeits (unless labeled as such?)....this will impact very few people so not much of a worry
Unclear:
~what happens with a coin that is genuine but the eBay photo was enhanced?...think toned coin or dmpl Morgan...does the authenticator fail it for not matching the in hand look (probably the better decision) or approve it as authentic and that prevents the buyer from returning it (not good)?
~what happens when a slab or coin is damaged at the authenticator? (does eBay compensate the buyer; does the seller have to refund; or is the buyer stuck with it?)
While this seems to be a silly requirement for ebay approved TPG coins, I guess this will rid ebay of almost all expensive coins in fake slabs.
What about expensive raw coins that are genuine but are misrepresented by juiced or deceptive photos? Will the buyer still be able to return the coin or file a SNAD?
raw/tpg can happen either way
Yes, of course. Lots of dog TPG coins on ebay with juiced and deceptive photos
If the coin authentication is like card authentication, if the coin is sold with at least one other coin it will not have to go through authentication. Some card sellers of more expensive cards will add another cheap card to the listing so the sale is for more than one card. Ebay does not require two or more cards to be sent in.
lol
I kind of like it but as I've never had a problem this will only serve to delay how long it takes to get my purchases. It wasn't clear to me if this will end up adding any cost.
At this point, the page says there is no fee for this service. That could change in the future. If it does, my guess would be that there still will not be a fee for the service; instead the eBay final value fee for selling will increase to cover eBay's costs of running the program.
Actually no. Anyone buying anything priced so far below market is either trying to take advantage of the seller, or is buying it to take advantage of someone else.
No one buying or selling Chinese counterfeits is innocent, other than maybe buyers paying full market value for a genuine coin who have no idea what they are doing. @jmlanzaf is exactly right here if someone thinks they are taking advantage of an unknowledgeable seller, and/or buying stolen, but genuine bullion for far below true value. They do indeed get exactly what they deserve, and, in fact, it's that greed that is the only thing that allows the scam to work in the first place.
How many buyers of these type of coins has received them from a seller who tapes them up so much it is difficult to open them?
This has happened to me repeatedly and I wonder how long it will take for Ebay to issue seller packaging requirements! LOL...
Ebay already transships global shipping without issuing requirements. And PCGS doesn't have specific requirements for the outer box.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I've purchased and sold dozens of cards through the program. I LOVE THE PROGRAM. When they announced it for cards a couple of years ago, people were skeptical/negative about it -- but I think it was LONG OVERDUE.
As a seller, I no longer have to worry about the buyer's feedback, whether it's a new buyer, scammer, etc... Once it is Authenticated, I get my money and it's out of my hands (PSA the card grading service like PCGS handles delivery to the buyer).
As a buyer, I no longer have to worry about being scammed. Seller shipping an empty box, counterfeit card, fake slab, etc... No longer a concern as PSA will Authenticate it and then ship it to me. They also give the option for cards to be stored in their PSA Vault (instead of shipping the card to me). I do this mostly for any cards I plan to re-sell, as it's very convenient to list the item for sale from the PSA Vault. When the card sells and PSA gets paid, I get paid (via ACH deposit to my account). I don't have to worry about shipping the item, and whether their are any shenanigans with the buyer claiming lost, empty package, not as described, etc... Maybe PCGS will offer that VAULT service down the road? That could be beneficial for some. Oh, and a side bonus of keeping my cards stored in the PSA Vault -- no sales tax is charged when purchasing the card. since the Vault Address is in a state where there's no sales tax.
Or stolen as well? Or that area is included in the "lost" comment.
Lots of glass half empty opinions here. I see little downside.
Maybe exposes high-priced counterfeit overseas material in a big way hopefully.
Seems like the only down side is a little extra time in delivery. Why be so negative about this service? For a very long time, we have been complaining about eBay and counterfeits, give it a chance.
Thank you for the insight. Sounds like lots of good things about the project.
I can see both sides of the argument. Hopefully this will be a net positive in the long run.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
If you sell "no returns", no matter what, the buyer can't return it. I can see many sellers switching to that, and also, high end coin sales going down, since you will no longer be able to say "not as described".
The problem with that is, if the coin is not like the photo, and the authenticator thinks it is close enough, you are screwed for good.
For the seller, he is golden from the dreaded, "not as described".
I personally do not like the fact that someone is going to look at your images and decide if a coin is close enough, whether I am the buyer OR the seller.
The buyer can ALWAYS return it. No exceptions. You have as many as 3 opportunities if you pay using PayPal: ebay directly, PayPal, and the Credit Card company.
There is no such thing as "no returns" on ebay. (Unless you paid in person by cash or check.)
And, as a seller, you WANT returns on ebay. Ebay will require return and track it. The CC company will make no effort to track the return or mandate it.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.