eBay and online scams
CoinResource
Posts: 1,113
For the education of new forum members and new collectors: what are some of the eBay and online scams you have seen occur in the past? I would like to try to develop a full list in this post. This should help a lot of people, hopefully. Thanks, -cr
0
Comments
eBay is a safe place to trade - just like their ads say
My posts viewed
since 8/1/6
More times than not any more the sellers don't have a clue what they have and it shows. Unfortunately the bidders don't know either and end up paying high prices on a bunch of crap. Doubled dies that aren't is the most overkilled horse there, and people fall for it all the time, hook, line, and sinker. I have seen a very vast number of people robbed of as much as $200 on coins that were simple, common machine damage doubling. You might immediately say it's their fault for being stupid, but some of the blame falls on the sellers too. I know of a number of sellers who have been regulars in this category selling total crap as die varieties for a number of years, and there's nothing anyone can do about it - I've been to eBay about the issue and they will do nothing, stating caveat emptor.
So that's it in a nutshell. If you intend on collecting errors or varieties and intend on looking through the pages of eBay for potential pieces for your collection, DO NOT do it without some education first. Over 75% of what's there is either grossly overpriced or is absolutely NOT what the seller says it is.
The Lincoln cent store:
http://www.lincolncent.com
My numismatic art work:
http://www.cdaughtrey.com
USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
I don't really need to bring up the sellers of ACG and NTC-graded coins, do I?
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
2. Quoting the PCGS price guide as the "value" for a raw coin, or for a coin slabbed by a third-tier grading service.
3. Intentionally using poor photos while representing a raw coin as a particular grade
4. Using "estate sale" as an excuse for not accepting returns
5. Hijacking an established seller's account to use for fraudulent auctions
6. Not revealing the shipping/handling fees in the auction, then charging exorbitantly for them once the auction is over.
7. Delivering a different coin than the one shown in the auction
8. Auctioning reproductions or copies but not disclosing it in the auction
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3034722363&category=11973
Linky To Jokey
Basically outright lying about a grade. -cr
Before slabs came along, I didn't know of a single coin shop dealer who didn't do this either on the buy end or the sell end. Not one, and I knew a LOT! Of course 20 years later we'll hear howls of protest how there are a few bad dealers but most are basically honest, but this is simple nonsense as anyone who collected/sold coins in that era will testify. (if they are willing to tell you the truth)
Grade inflation/deflation was the primary source of markup back then. It's one reason why shop dealers have greatly declined in the last 20 years since this method no longer works in the world of slabs. Now most shop owners are "jackpot" dealers who only survive by offering 10-25% to widows and orphans for estate collections.
myEbay
DPOTD 3