The Standards By Which We Sell Coins

xshift, I think you have put something into words that was on my mind: it's about taking responsibility for resolving the situation.
I also think that if you set a high level of ethics towards buyers, this encourages a response in kind. Good will begets more of the same.

Since you asked, I'll share my thoughts even though some may be contrary to the majority:

I won't argue with your premise that CCF is a great alternative venue. I will say that there have been a lot of listings that are basically "chaff"--sellers could improve their sales and listings could be measurably improved if sellers did some more research into what they owned and what comparable examples are selling for elsewhere. A bonus would be if sellers provided their research information in their listing, with links whenever possible.

The seller's own grade doesn't matter to me in the slightest, as the price they set is the true measure of their esteem for their coin. If I think something is worth the asking price, I will buy it. If I know I can get something nicer at the dealer's or on Teletrade or ebay for less, I will just ignore it rather than try to convince the seller that what they think is a VF for $120 dollars I (and the market) consider a Fine worth about $68. On the other hand, if I am selling something, I would love to hear comments about whether anyone thinks my price is out of line, and I don't get offended by constructive criticism. Since CCF is primarily a site where I come to learn and to discuss, I don't think the educational value of the site should be lost simply because commerce is involved. For that reason, I believe topics in the Buy/Sell/Trade section should be open for comments just like any other thread on the site, as long as comments are on-topic and designed to be constructive. I welcome comments on my listings anyway.

Regarding shipping: It's the responsibility of the seller to ship the coin for a reasonable cost to the buyer in an appropriately confirmable manner. Remember: problems can occur all along the way, sometimes by forces outside of the control of either buyer or seller. That said, I admit that I have been guilty recently of a significant delay in shipping an item, and I have apologized and given the buyer several extras to make up for my lapse. If they decide not to deal with me again, I have no one to blame but myself.

Regarding returns: If the buyer does not like the coin and wishes to return it, return shipping should be at the buyer's expense, and the buyer should not expect the original shipping cost to be refunded. If the buyer feels that the coin was misprepresented, then it is appropriate to politely request that the seller pay the return shipping cost and refund the cost of the coin including the original shipping charge. It is the seller's answer to the polite request that determines whether or not a buyer should deal with them again. A buyer should not expect a seller to bear the total cost of shipping--even when the buyer believes there was a misrepresentation. It starts to get a little bit petty if you demand a seller pays shipping both ways. Why? Because your claim for shipping costs is based on your opinion. Even if the vast majority of reasonable numismatists would agree with your very reasonable, correct, and valid opinion, it is still your opinion. I just think that getting into a spat over who pays the shipping is not a fruitful way to spend time that could be used in looking for nicer coins from better sellers. If a seller has a 'no questions asked' returns policy and clearly states that shipping is the responsibility of the buyer, I think you state your case for shipping costs once, and then let it go.

I have more thoughts, but I won't bore you any more with them--good topic.

Halfabustisbetter pretty much sums it up.If you are educated enough to know what you buy OR sell and there is a discrepancy in the transaction,don't be petty. Solve it and move on.

I sell a fair amount on the for sale section.
I do offer an open return policy. My biggest problem is determining a value for the items I sell. I welcome people posting to tell me my prices are way out of line. I normally only deal with one type of coin and my knowledge is lacking in most other areas of numismatics. Slabbed coins are easier as I can check prices from companies like teletrade and heritage for actual sale prices. Raw coins especially ones from series I am unfamiliar with are a different story. I try to include reasonable pictures and make a stab at grades and values. But in some cases I suspect I am way off. There are those who tell me I should learn about the coins I am selling but I have limited time to spend on my hobby and I prefer to allocate those meager resources to my primary focus. Most of the chaff I sell comes from bulk purchases I have made in order to get one coin. The for sale section requires a price to be listed and for the most part I agree its a good idea. I could auction my chaff but I have found that far more members frequent the for sale section.

Just a note: my reference to 'chaff' had nothing to do with the quality of coins contained in any particular listing--I was referring to listings themselves. Of course people are going to use a for sale section to sell coins they either don't want or aren't interested in; it's how they sell that matters.

What a relief--nice to hear it worked out!

Good to hear!