Tough Selling

How are you packaging the coins?

if something is quite heavy always ALWAYS get a free flat rate box from the post office that costs $8.95 up to 70 pounds

You can pad your coin then put it in a Manilla envelope, send it certirfied, and insured for a $50 sale for $3.95
Fixed and reserved prices also lead buyers away, I have seen people pay more the second time around after a fixed price when started at .99 with no reserve.

Go figure

Here are my observations and best advice I can give:

First of all, why are your listing private? I, and many others like me, will not bid on a private listing. It communicates that you have something to hide. I think that is the first thing that is turning people off.

Secondly, your shipping charges are definitely way too high. I understand that it is necessary to include insurance with high-cost items. Right now, I have gold Eagles and Double Eagles running that I needed to include the insurance in the shipping amount and the shipping on these is $10-$12. This is only because these coins are going to sell for over $500. Normally, insurance is optional and we have a chart at the bottom of the auction. Regular shipping for a single coin is $3.00 with insurance optional. Additionally, we combine our shipping so that our buyers only pay the single highest shipping amount and all other items go along for free. Keep in mind that people generally don't want to pay the insurance amount for a coin with a value below $30 or so and will resent having to pay it.

Thirdly, reserves turn buyers off, as do high starting bids. We start all of our auctions at .99 and have done very well. Yes, it's taking a chance, but it gets more bids earlier and the more bids an item has, the more it will get. We have found this through years of research. Morgans that start at $9.99 will rarely go very high and definitely get a lot less bids than an auction started at .99. Once bids start coming in, people are willing to get into a bidding war and this tends to drive the price up.

Your pictures are good. I do feel that your grading is a little liberal. This should not hurt you very much though, since your pictures are very clear, but the 1914D is only a Fine. Putting VF in the title could be seen as keyword spamming and many buyers are knowledgable enough to feel that you may be misrepresenting the coin just to get people to look. I would suggest posting pictures of your coins here for grading opinions prior to listing them. You will get very knowledgable responses and develop your own grading ability.

As Dave has pointed out, we are coming up on the worst time to sell. Our last auctions end tonight and we won't be listing again until after the new year. For the most part, people want to get their items by Christmas and, even if you state that you will get them there, the second week of December seems to be the end of the selling season. This is based on selling for the last 5 years on ebay.

We have done very well with our sales. Please click on the Our Coins For Sale link in my signature and take a look at how our auctions are set up. I think it may be helpful to you.

Please do not take any of my comments above in the wrong way. This post is truly meant to help you and I feel that being honest is the best way to do that. We are always willing to help.

Susanlynn
I will change the private Ids. I was completely backwards on that.
the lowest valued coin I have listed is in the books and on pcgs and NGC at $270 most have been the 400 - 2000 range (maybe that's my problem I should sell the lesser items for a while.

I would option for insurance but a few experiences in my past say no no.
1 was mine I sold a bike on ebay packaged nicely by a bike shop and shipped. It either got damaged in transit or the new owner fell with it, returned it I paid half the shipping both ways and there was no insurance boom I was out over $1000, In my last position one of my jobs was in charge of shipping for a saddle company. Do you know how often UPS loses Items the size of a saddle!! one in 20 I would say with out insurance that company would have lost $80,000 last year alone I can't speak for USPS. and third a friend of mine sold a vintage poster this summer. It was damaged in shipping (I don't know why I didn't see him pack it) again no insurance. It was returned to him and is now on his wall to remind him not to do that again.
A coin would have to be pretty abused to get damaged in shipping. but an unslabbed forty thousand dollar coin could get a rip in the box fall on the floor pop the capsule and get picked up by a greasy fingered postal worker. yeah it's outrageous but if you saw the conditions of boxes that I saw at my last employment you wouldn't think that's so far fetched.

Grading that gives me a question to ask. that penny in my opinion on the reverse was fine on the obverse it was edging to very fine. I'm new at grading so I have been taking the info off the cataloging that has been done by my father and his dealer. that was listed as Very Fine I added the fine anyway. When you have a coin that is fine on one side and Very Fine on the other whats the grade the lower of the two or ? I am now assuming it would be the lower of the two.
I am thinking of just not listing a grade when the pictures are good unless it's certified.

I have been thinking about the timing and I just really doubt people would buy coins as presents or spend extra cash on coins when they are buying presents. I'm with you and Dave no new auctions til mid Jan

ps no matter how much I do the justifying thing I really do apprieciate all of your advice. and I am listening
I don't think I will be listing any MS 70 gold buffalos with no reserve for a while but I might dig into the circulated stock pile when the new year comes around

Thank You
anyone want a gold plated Eisenhower dollar?

Sure
Heres the reciept

Total Postage Value:
$3.73 USD
Signature Confirmation Cost:
$1.75 USD
t Coverage Cost:
$4.60 USD ( I have no Idea what t coverage is)
Total Shipping Cost:
$8.33 USD


Service Type:
First-Class Mail® Parcel (2-5 days)
Package Size:
Package/Thick Envelope
Weight:
0 lbs. 6 oz.
Mailing Date:
---------
Delivery Confirmation:
Free
Signature Confirmation:
Yes
Total Insured Value:
$271.00 USD

That's my cheapest postage to date for one Lincoln Cent.
I'm not really worried gas since I walk to the post office sometimes

A couple of things about your mailing costs:
1. You need only advertise the cost of postage + materials/handling, so the first example should be listed with $4.50 postage; the second $3.00. Insurance should be listed as either required and the total computed after the sale, or optional and stipulated that the buyer accepts all responsibility. Signature receipt is for the sellers benefit and should not charged to the buyer.
2. What was the cost of insurance on the first example? Could that be the "t-coverage cost"?
3. What was the value of the proof set ... $10 seems high for insurance unless it was valued over $750

The end result ... first auction: First Class postage should have been around $2 for a single coin. Insurance would be a bit over $4 for a $300 coin. List the coin with a $3.50 shipping cost with insurance required. Let the buyer estimate insurance based on their final bid. Add the cost of insurance to the final invoice based on final value. Eat the cost of signature confirmation (I personally don't think it's necessary with insurance).

You're sure to get a flood of other opinions on this ... these are my opinions. Good luck.

I just got lucky someone said my shipping was to high
I got to answer on the aution about how that includes estimated insurance
I got bids whoooo hooo!

Thanks everyone
SusanLynn tnwalker & SeatedNut I do apprieciated all the great advice

thanks Lear