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 Replies: 20 / Views: 1,166 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
644 Posts |
I rarely buy coins on ebay, but I love to watch the auctions and see if I can guess what a coin will go for. Once in awhile I'll stumble over one I want.
Which is what happened recently. There's a coin that looks really good to me. The thing is, this isn't a cheap coin, at least not to me, and I do have a couple questions. I've tried reaching out to the seller, and he (I assume it's a he) hasn't replied.
This, to me, is a red flag. What if I bought the coin and there was a problem with the transaction (say the coin didn't arrive, for example)? Could I count on this seller to run a trace and find the coin, or give me a refund? This seller has been around awhile—I've seen his coins before—and he has good ratings, but my own experience doesn't give me confidence.
So as much as I really want this coin (and I really do), I'm going to walk away. I've made "emotional" buys before and regretted it. Maybe I'm going too far the other way, but for the price the seller is asking (looking at his store, this won't be a small sale for him either), I need the info I'm asking for before I buy, AND I need to have more confidence in the seller than I do right now.
I'm still learning. I'm counting on the folks here to give me the perspective of experience. Maybe I'm missing something or being overly cautious after making mistakes in the past. If not, maybe this post will help some other newbies avoid some of the mistakes I've made.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2185 Posts |
It depends on how much time it's been since you asked a question. I respond as soon as possible but sometimes that's 24 hours. I don't always have my phone.
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Valued Member
404 Posts |
Agreed with above - ebay is not usually the most profitable or rewarding medium of sale, so don't make the assumption that it will be priority no. 1. Also, Ill point out that you should avoid being a pest - if I see a fidgety buyer, I tend to assume that the transaction will go pear shaped owing to buyer impatience, etc., and thusly avoid making the sale. Its all about balance, and remember, some people suck at customer service, but it doesn't mean that their product is bad. With all the buyer protection, I would advise not to get too emotionally distant, as there are deals to be had on that platform, and literally (seemingly) a million ways for the buyer to return / get a refund on their purchase.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
644 Posts |
Thanks, guys. Yeah, I do assume the seller has a life, so I don't expect immediate response. But my first email (where I asked for some clearer photos) was 10 days ago, and the second (offering a lower price) was two days ago. I think if he was going to respond he would have by now.
I love the toning, and with the coin being graded (PR63), I don't expect any big surprises as to quality, but for what he's asking, I want to see the whole coin clearly before I decide. The pics he has posted, the lighting is angled across the coin to show off the toning, and parts of the coin are in shadow. The one head-on photo of the coin in its slab is obverse only, and I've tried expanding it but it's not possible to see the coin clearly. That's why I asked for better pictures. When he didn't respond to that email, I made up my mind to move on, but the coin was on my watch list so I saw it every time I checked in on the auctions I'm watching. After a week, I gave it some more thought and decided how much I was willing to pay for the coin, based on what I could see. He hasn't responded to my offer, either. (He hasn't had the coin listed that long, so I'm not all that surprised he's not ready to barter, but even just a "no, thanks," would be better than being completely ignored.)
The coin may very well be worth what he's asking. If I could see the whole thing I'd know. I guess another way to do that would be to buy the coin, and rely on his assurance that I could return it for a refund within 14 days, but I'd be out the money for postage to send it back (plus I'd have to go stand in line at the post office, and I'm trying really hard to avoid doing stuff like that because I'm caring for my elderly Mom). It's a lot of money to be out if I don't like the coin as much once I see it in hand.
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Valued Member
404 Posts |
@twslisa - 10 days is more than enough time for someone to reasonably respond - even if I'm off on business, vacation, etc., I usually check my messages at least one every 5 days or so (usually every 3), and respond to questions or let people know about delays in shipping. The seller might be on vaycay, but at this point, if you don't want to risk a return, it might be time to just delete the listing from your watch list - his or her loss. Remember, there is always another good coin out there to spend your hard earned money on :) Let it be a lesson to the seller that ignoring buyer queries doesn't pay.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
644 Posts |
Thanks.
I'll probably keep it on my watch list just to see if he ever gets that price. If he resists with a lower price I might jump on it. LOL.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3341 Posts |
was the coin listing set up to accept best offers, or did you just ask for a better price/discount? it makes a difference.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3584 Posts |
What has the seller stated (in writing) with the listing, concerning refunds, etc.? Is the seller a long-time, high volume, high rated seller? Or a relative newbie?
Edited by ijn1944
11/05/2020 5:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2185 Posts |
The lack of response over 10 days would be a deal breaker for me.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
644 Posts |
Yeah, silverwolf. I just realized that was a mistake. He didn't offer the "best offer" option. I didn't think it could hurt to ask, but I guess ebay doesn't like that. Hope they don't cancel my buying permit for a rookie mistake.
Ijn1944, I don't know how long this seller has been around. He does have a clear return policy and has a pretty good number of sales and good ratings. Nothing to cause me to doubt this guy is legit. I still want to see the coin better before I buy it.
Anyway, the coin is a no-go for me as it stands. I'm moving on. Thanks, everybody, for weighing in.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3584 Posts |
Yes, ebay frowns on buyers seeking/striking 'deals' with sellers outside the bounds of the listing as listed.
Now that you've moved on, could you post a link to the particular listing? Maybe someone else here might be interested.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4562 Posts |
Quote:
Yes, ebay frowns on buyers seeking/striking 'deals' with sellers outside the bounds of the listing as listed. And can possibly explain why you received no response. Key word possibly. So I agree a seller response or lack of can make or break a deal. So can an out of bounds inquiry from a buyer  Be curious to see the listing you are talking about.
Edited by scopru
11/06/2020 06:27 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4069 Posts |
There is nothing wrong, nothing violating eBay policy that I know of, with asking, politely for a lower price on a BIN listing.
However, you only ask once, and I normally ask 15% off at the most.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4559 Posts |
Quote:
There is nothing wrong, nothing violating eBay policy that I know of, with asking, politely for a lower price on a BIN listing. I think this is the most accurate statement on the practice of making an unsolicited offer. EBay only frowns on offers that will take the conclusion of the transaction off of the eBay platform (thereby denying eBay their profit on the transaction, and also removing some of the buyer's "protections"). There is nothing wrong with contacting the seller on a BIN item (with no Best Offer in the listing) and making an offer, if you plan to do the buy on eBay. I did this yesterday, and got an immediate response ("No discounts."), but have also had offers accepted in the past.
Edited by tdziemia
11/06/2020 07:52 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20166 Posts |
One of the many reasons I keep away from ebay
just carl
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Pillar of the Community
United States
644 Posts |
Thanks, guys. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. I hesitate to post the listing here because, while I'm not happy with the lack of response, this seller does have good ratings and I don't want to say or do anything to hurt his business. Who knows? Maybe he had a family emergency. Plenty of those going around these days. Anyway, knowing my taste (or lack thereof, in some minds) in coins, I'm betting that if I say it's an Indian Head cent, less than $1k more than $100, you wouldn't have any problem figuring out which coin I am talking about. But I wont make you guess. They lost a little color (if you can imagine that) when I compressed them.    |
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Replies: 20 / Views: 1,166 |
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Posted 11/05/2020 1:39 pm
