Beware: eBay seller listing coins from "an old family collection"

[TomB]

I remember back about 4 or 5 years ago there was a true estate sale going on on Ebay. Soo many killer coins from an old time collection. At the time I was strapped as I had just bought some others. Some nice coins got away! An old lady and a man named Harold. She listed for about 3 or 4 weeks then all were gone..

If I recall correctly, Harold and his wife were a huge scam.

 

Do you remember Miss Haversham? At about the same time as the Harold/Deb collection hit eBay, Miss Haversham's hoard of Buffalo nickels also made the rounds. She was the mysterious little old lady who buried 50-gallon drums of old nickels in her back yard. They don't make little old ladies like they used to!

Yes, I remember Miss Haversham. Hadn't you listed a spoof ebay auction around that time including an image of a pickup truck after collision with a train and then rambled on about how valuable the coin must have been that was lost in the wreck that claimed your wife?

[gmarguli]

 

Are you going to let her (or him) know that you know, now? Maybe tell her/him that you will report the lies to Ebay?

 

 

I will let them know that I know they are full of....

 

Anyway, apart from their dishonest little background story, have they really violated any listing rules? They are not claiming the coins are problem free and aren't even claiming a particular grade. I really don't see eBay caring too much about this when all is said and done.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. I guess you could report the listing under "stolen property", since you have proof that the seller is lying about where the item was obtained. Then let Ebay and the seller hash it out.

 

I guess you could report to the police that the seller molested your child. Then let the police and the seller hash it out.

 

I hope no one is stupid enough to report these as stolen items to eBay. I can assure you that if someone tried to ruin my business and reputation by falsely claiming that I was selling stolen property, they'd find out that my lawyers are ruthless. I don't care what state they live in. And don't think for a second that eBay won't give up the info on the person reporting it.

[MarkFeld]

 

Are you going to let her (or him) know that you know, now? Maybe tell her/him that you will report the lies to Ebay?

 

 

I will let them know that I know they are full of....

 

Anyway, apart from their dishonest little background story, have they really violated any listing rules? They are not claiming the coins are problem free and aren't even claiming a particular grade. I really don't see eBay caring too much about this when all is said and done.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. I guess you could report the listing under "stolen property", since you have proof that the seller is lying about where the item was obtained. Then let Ebay and the seller hash it out.

 

I guess you could report to the police that the seller molested your child. Then let the police and the seller hash it out.

 

I hope no one is stupid enough to report these as stolen items to eBay. I can assure you that if someone tried to ruin my business and reputation by falsely claiming that I was selling stolen property, they'd find out that my lawyers are ruthless. I don't care what state they live in. And don't think for a second that eBay won't give up the info on the person reporting it.

Greg, there's a big difference between trying to ruin a person's business and reporting someone to Ebay, under the circumstances here. The seller is likely a liar, a thief or both and if anyone reports him, it is because he has already made misrepresentations. And you probably already know it, but your analogy was way off.

[shirohniichan]

I remember back about 4 or 5 years ago there was a true estate sale going on on Ebay. Soo many killer coins from an old time collection. At the time I was strapped as I had just bought some others. Some nice coins got away! An old lady and a man named Harold. She listed for about 3 or 4 weeks then all were gone..

If I recall correctly, Harold and his wife were a huge scam.

 

Do you remember Miss Haversham? At about the same time as the Harold/Deb collection hit eBay, Miss Haversham's hoard of Buffalo nickels also made the rounds. She was the mysterious little old lady who buried 50-gallon drums of old nickels in her back yard. They don't make little old ladies like they used to!

Yes, I remember Miss Haversham. Hadn't you listed a spoof ebay auction around that time including an image of a pickup truck after collision with a train and then rambled on about how valuable the coin must have been that was lost in the wreck that claimed your wife?

 

I miss Haroldine.

 

I told her not to drive the pickup with an empty bed on a rainy day, 'specially over train tracks!

 

I wish I would have saved that auction description. It took me a while to come up with all that drivel.

[gmarguli]

 

Are you going to let her (or him) know that you know, now? Maybe tell her/him that you will report the lies to Ebay?

 

 

I will let them know that I know they are full of....

 

Anyway, apart from their dishonest little background story, have they really violated any listing rules? They are not claiming the coins are problem free and aren't even claiming a particular grade. I really don't see eBay caring too much about this when all is said and done.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. I guess you could report the listing under "stolen property", since you have proof that the seller is lying about where the item was obtained. Then let Ebay and the seller hash it out.

 

I guess you could report to the police that the seller molested your child. Then let the police and the seller hash it out.

 

I hope no one is stupid enough to report these as stolen items to eBay. I can assure you that if someone tried to ruin my business and reputation by falsely claiming that I was selling stolen property, they'd find out that my lawyers are ruthless. I don't care what state they live in. And don't think for a second that eBay won't give up the info on the person reporting it.

Greg, there's a big difference between trying to ruin a person's business and reporting someone to Ebay, under the circumstances here. The seller is likely a liar, a thief or both and if anyone reports him, it is because he has already made misrepresentations. And you probably already know it, but your analogy was way off.

 

Providing knowingly false information to eBay about a person's business in the anticipation that eBay will prevent that person from doing business will likely get you sued. Claiming that a business engages in theft of property and the sale of stolen property will also likely get you sued.

 

Assume you report to eBay that these are stolen items and the seller gets suspended from eBay. You knew it was a false allegation. Assume the seller makes $10,000 a month selling on eBay. Who should be on the hook for that loss of income? I believe a jury is going to make you pay for that loss of income. And the best possible outcome for you is that you don't have to pay the seller any money, just your attorney ten or twenty thousand dollars to defend you not to mention all your lost time.

 

The seller may be a liar, but that is not against the law or eBay rules.

 

You also have no proof whatsoever that the seller is a thief and/or selling stolen property. If fact, and I'm sure you'll admit this, the seller is extremely likely not a thief, but rather purchased these coins out of the Heritage auction and is the rightful owner of them.

 

Remember: $75 to file a lawsuit. Thousands upon thousands to defend yourself against the lawsuit.

[MarkFeld]

 

Are you going to let her (or him) know that you know, now? Maybe tell her/him that you will report the lies to Ebay?

 

 

I will let them know that I know they are full of....

 

Anyway, apart from their dishonest little background story, have they really violated any listing rules? They are not claiming the coins are problem free and aren't even claiming a particular grade. I really don't see eBay caring too much about this when all is said and done.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. I guess you could report the listing under "stolen property", since you have proof that the seller is lying about where the item was obtained. Then let Ebay and the seller hash it out.

 

I guess you could report to the police that the seller molested your child. Then let the police and the seller hash it out.

 

I hope no one is stupid enough to report these as stolen items to eBay. I can assure you that if someone tried to ruin my business and reputation by falsely claiming that I was selling stolen property, they'd find out that my lawyers are ruthless. I don't care what state they live in. And don't think for a second that eBay won't give up the info on the person reporting it.

Greg, there's a big difference between trying to ruin a person's business and reporting someone to Ebay, under the circumstances here. The seller is likely a liar, a thief or both and if anyone reports him, it is because he has already made misrepresentations. And you probably already know it, but your analogy was way off.

 

Providing knowingly false information to eBay about a person's business in the anticipation that eBay will prevent that person from doing business will likely get you sued. Claiming that a business engages in theft of property and the sale of stolen property will also likely get you sued.

 

Assume you report to eBay that these are stolen items and the seller gets suspended from eBay. You knew it was a false allegation. Assume the seller makes $10,000 a month selling on eBay. Who should be on the hook for that loss of income? I believe a jury is going to make you pay for that loss of income. And the best possible outcome for you is that you don't have to pay the seller any money, just your attorney ten or twenty thousand dollars to defend you not to mention all your lost time.

 

The seller may be a liar, but that is not against the law or eBay rules.

 

You also have no proof whatsoever that the seller is a thief and/or selling stolen property. If fact, and I'm sure you'll admit this, the seller is extremely likely not a thief, but rather purchased these coins out of the Heritage auction and is the rightful owner of them.

 

Remember: $75 to file a lawsuit. Thousands upon thousands to defend yourself against the lawsuit.

I'm not proposing that which you have stated would cause so many problems for the person doing the reporting.

 

I would suggest contacting Ebay and letting them know that it appears that the seller is misrepresenting the items. I would also explain how/why it appears that way, and suggest that one possible explanation is that they are stolen. Then Ebay could do its thing by checking with the seller, or not, and or taking action or not. I don't believe I would have any liability.

 

It looks as if you seek to use a very different, much more relaxed standard of proof to find me guilty than you would apply to a case of fraud involving a coin doctor.

[DWLange]

Miss Haversham? Well, with a name like that, I wouldn't have any great expectations about what I would find buried in the yard....

 

You little Dickens...

[Conder101]

One comment about estates sales, you don't have to be dead to have an "estate".

[shirohniichan]

One comment about estates sales, you don't have to be dead to have an "estate".

 

That's true.

 

But it does get suspicious when a widow claims coins came from her husband's collection and that he died years ago, and then new coins show up in the deceased's collection.