Tips for buying coins on eBay

Here are some tips for buying safely on eBay,
from a fellow numismatist.

1. Always use PayPal (credit card) for payment.
No matter what the seller's terms are, it
makes no difference. If you do not receive an item,
or it is not described properly, you will ALWAYS
get your money back, if you follow the proper
procedure with PayPal or your credit card issuer.

2. Don't bid on items which have no stated return
privilege. Don't bid on items where the seller
has only private feedback. These are general rules, of
course, and you may wish to make exceptions.

3. Insurance is for sellers, not buyers. There is
no such thing as a seller being able to hide behind
a "you don't purchase insurance, you take the risk
of mailing" policy. It doesn't work. The buyer's
responsibility for the transaction ends when good
payment is made. The seller must deliver the goods
in every case, or issue a refund. If you use a credit
card with PayPal, you will get your money back, and win
in every non-delivery situation.

4. There is no Santa Claus in Numismatics. Bargains
can be found, on eBay just like on other venues, but
if something looks too good to be true, it probably
is. Be particularly wary of so-called "estate liquidations"
and such. Most of these are phoney. Lots of hype and
probable disappointment. Take a few moments to peruse
the "USA lots and collections" listings on eBay USA for a
crash course on hype and the methods some use to trap
the unwary.

5. Ensure that you get good slabs on valuable coins,
unless you REALLY know what you are doing, or are
dealing with someone with a good, professional reputation.

I believe these are sound pieces of advice, based on
my experiences.

Perhaps some others here have more tips!

Kind Regards,
John

John C. Knudsen
LM ANA 2342
LM CSNS 337

.

Relevant Pages

  • Adventures in Account Hijack Land
    ... The seller didn't know he was ... I found a CANON DM-XL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder for sale on ebay that ... After the payment was received, ... To submit the payment with MoneyGram Money Transfer, ...
    (alt.marketing.online.ebay)
  • Re: At least 25 people ripped off in 3 days!
    ... Unfortunately I've got to wait until Thursday before eBay will let ... Remember you paid Paypal not the seller. ... therefore the credit card is not liable as there are ... two seperate transactions, to my mind this is incorrect, as the CC logos ...
    (uk.people.consumers.ebay)
  • Re: At least 25 people ripped off in 3 days!
    ... Unfortunately I've got to wait until Thursday before eBay will let ... Remember you paid Paypal not the seller. ... any business that accepts credit card payments exposes itself to chargeback risk. ... I agree though that this is not particularly relevant to the buyer, until something goes wrong and they have to try and get the money back from both paypal and the seller. ...
    (uk.people.consumers.ebay)
  • Re: PayPal WARNING!
    ... Paypal recommends that you contact the seller ... > the payment through my credit card issuer. ... where there was a choice of payment method ...
    (rec.audio.pro)
  • Re: Seller changes his mind.
    ... politely but firmly remind him of the ebay Terms and Conditions ... Assuming the email is actually from the seller, ... Refuse to accept payment for an item at the end of a successful sale. ...
    (uk.people.consumers.ebay)
Loading