Ebay Selling Is Often A Pain posted by Jackson

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90% or more of issues could be solved with simple questions and/or communication.

 

Most of us here have had some experience in dealing on ebay. Whether buying or selling, and whether or not we still are active on ebay or have sworn off any association, most of us have had our share of the ebay ups and downs.

 

 

 

I've been buying and selling primarily coins on ebay for over a decade. Rarely have I bought an item with the premeditated plan to turn around and flip it for profit. Most often I buy coins that I think are a good deal, find irrestibly attractive or am collecting an album or the silver hoard.

 

 

 

Most often my selling is when my numismatic interests appear to be trending more toward hoarding or accumulating than toward being a collector. What I consider too big of a collection may be small compared to others who have every proof or mint set for the past 40 or 50 years or who are trying to collect 10 different series, etc...but the dilemma is the same when we feel we've crossed our personal line of balance. What to do with the coins that don't fit your core set you've decided to keep?

 

 

 

For me it has most often been ebay. It is so simple to list an item and add photos, receive payment, pay fees, print labels etc..

 

The downside is that there always seem to be 1 or 2 complications with each batch of 40 or 50 listings when I'm purging. My last batch is no different and presented me with 2 hair pullers.

 

 

 

Issue #1...simple enough, the buyer wanted a refund. I responded to him-"no problem, mail them back ( 6 aussie mint sets)and I'll return your money for the winning bid." I did also ask out of curiousity what was the problem with the items he had purchased. He responded that there was nothing wrong with the sets, he had mistakenly thought that some of the coins were silver and that he didn't want 6 mint sets for $42 if they weren't silver..........time to pull hair and/or shake my head. I'm 99% sure that this guy will not understand why I'm not refunding the postage I had to pay to mail them to him and am only refunding the winning bid.

 

 

 

Issue #2. My auctions all ended on Saturday and Sunday. All buyers except 4 had paid by Sunday evening and so sunday night I packaged, labeled, padded, and secured everything to make a lunchtime trip to the post office to mail the items. By Monday evening 3 of the other 4 had paid and again I sacrificed my lunchtime on tuesday to mail away those 3 buyers items.

 

Finally the straggler paid however I did not make an effort to make a special trip to the post office the next day--figuring that he had taken 3 days to pay that he would not mind that I waited 2 days to mail. WRONG. Three days after paying and just 1 day after I had sent his small purchase via first class USPS, he opened an "Ebay Case" for an item not received. Again...the hair pulling, eye rolling, head shaking and sigh toward the heavens.

 

 

 

I've taken great pride in treating people right--the way I'd like to be treated. My 100% feedback is testament to my reasonableness and reliableness as both a buyer and seller--even at 2,000+ transactions. Yet there are always these types of issues springing up every 25 to 50 transactions or so.

 

 

 

The frustration is in the simple communication that could resolve all of it....a buyer can ask before bidding if a mint set has silver coins or if they are cuni ( or do a little research about 10 year old mint sets on his own)..or a buyer can simply click "Contact Seller" and ask for the status of a package, how it was shipped or when..first class mail states 3 to 5 days anyhow..

 

 

 

These are just 2 of the latest little issues that I've had--and they are relatively small compared to some of the schemers and scammers that I've mangaed to avoid over the years. Sorry to have vented such small things but since the journals are for sharing our experiences and thoughts as collectors, then this seemed like just the place.

 

 

 

On another note, I finally got the okay to sell the cases of plastic bins full of coins I wrote about in a previous journal. The thinning of my own over purchased items will be set to a backburner for now.

 

 

 

I think I'll begin by starting a thread on the Moneymarketplace here in the chat boards and give my fellow collectors first crack at most of this stuff. It will be a process just to list it all in a thread and I'll probably only do photos on request or of unique items..and maybe also allow much of it to go for Best Reasonable Offer.

 

 

 

The rest will eventually be on ebay. With all of its headaches and issues--98% of ebay coin buyers appear to understand how things work and present smooth transactions without drama.

 

 

 

My newest purchase..an 1899-S Barber Half. I won't be listing it in my Barber Half Set because I'm sticking with my criteria of all coins at fine to extra fine grade and also I'm staying with the "short set" for now of years 1900-1915.

 

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