Is It Me Or Are Ebayers Asking To Much?

Look in economic theory the market place determines prices with free interaction between knowledgeable buyers and sellers.

ebay is a place where listers (sellers) offer goods that they feel are special (their coins) and feel they are going to make a profit on "their investment" in short they are often somewhat in "love with their inventory".

Buyers tend to (far) over estimate their knowledge of the market {remember all those coin stores are getting inventory from somewhere...they are not dependent on local private purchase ...there are jobbers and wholesalers that supply this market {for old/issued coins , the mints are not minting back dates except for posssibly some unauthourized ones in China etc.}
We get hung up terms like "collections" etc. AND REMEMBER you are looking at pictures the seller took...

I'm sure any small differentiated market ....le buying a small business is no different in valuation...there's just more back and forth between the buyer and seller.

The only other caveat is that private collectors should be aware that they are buying in a retail market. Therefore they ought to be in it primarily for enjoyment. The likely hood of earning a profit is slim to none {try going to a dealer and getting his offer on you coins}, so we all go to this "tulip bulb" market ( ebay) looking for the "bigger fool".

That said any seller is free is to list at whatever price he feels he can get....buyers have no obligation to purchase {assuming there is no misrepresentation(s) of the "asset"}

@RickV, yes, inflated asking prices seem to be extremely common now on ebay, and not just for coins.

There is a perception that ebay buyers will pay more.

I understand that some sellers feel that they need to charge more to recoup their selling costs.

Whether these higher asking prices are obtained is for the market to decide. Someone pointed out correctly that most "buy it now" items with inflated prices do not sell.

I for one have mostly given up on ebay. I can get far lower prices from dealers/ coin shows.

The advantage of ebay for the buyer is that the selection is greater than in any store. So unless the price is reasonable/ the item is hard to obtain, I would not even bother.

Agree with joeysanders627. I don't think there's such thing as a coin's "true value". The price listings are averages of what other people have paid for coins of like grade, but there's no accounting for variations in eye appeal or individual taste. I check the Red Book and the PCGS guide whenever I consider a purchase, but it's just a ballpark figure.

And ultimately if you've looked at the coins on the market and that's the one you want, you may be willing to pay more for it. If a seller is patient and his coin is better than average, he might find a buyer willing to pay a higher than average price. I've seen plenty of ridiculously priced coins, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I can understand why a seller is asking for more.

The whole thing in a nut shell is : Coin Prices Are Not Written In Stone , no matter where you go to purchase coins . I believe the price you pay is up to each individual on how bad we need a certain coin .Price guides will give you a ballpark figure; you can take it from there . If your finding E-Bay is getting too expensive , try and get to local coin shows no matter how small they may be . If you know your stuff and not afraid to haggle ,you will walk out of there with a smile on your face .
This said ,I can understand why E-Bay sellers are in a rant over Fees causing them to raise there prices .

You guys are great. I appreciate all the answers that I received. I guess I was looking at the price guides as the coin bible. I know that the prices vary between guides and that the prices are just an estimate. I guess with the fluctuation in Silver lately, the cost of listing on ebay and the cost of TPG the prices are in range. I wasn't thinking about all the variables.

Sellers fees are not a real issue. ebay gives a dealer access to a world market for coins, that was never available when I had a local shop. Quite frankly a lot of buyers just want something ( not only coins) and ebay is where they go and cost is somewhat not the major consideration.
We get MORE on ebay for Morgan's than at a show. Heck major shows are where we buy from wholesale dealers to SELL on ebay.

I've found that the best "price guide" for me is the Coin Dealer's Newsletter (grey sheet, blue sheet, green sheet, etc.). It covers dealer to dealer bid/ask, and is a mite more realistic than some of the other price guides that are available. You may have to pay a little more than another dealer, but, in the long run, you'll save money. Over time, the money saved will more than pay for the subscription.
And, too, should the day arrive when you decide to sell your coin collection to a dealer, you'll get a better idea of the approximate price the dealer will pay.
One thing I've heard so many time over the years that I think its a normal part of my thought process........."A coin is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it".

Yes, toned Morgans are in a world of their own.