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 Replies: 7 / Views: 5,526 |
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New Member
United States
2 Posts |
Well, my poor hubby, who is a neophyte collector, spent about $3,500 buying what he thought were reliably graded "rare" coins from centsles on ebay. I found this forum this evening after googling "centsles fraud." Hubby thought he was doing a great thing, and when he received the coins, it finally registered that the grading company was unknown, unheard of and, if I have it right, Centsles is the owner/operator? I haven't gotten through all my reading of this forum and additional research on the web, but thought I would ask you nice folks: what would YOU do? Husband is beside himself, feeling guilty & stupid, and I don't have the heart to add to his burden. It's hard for me to believe that Centsles has so few negative feedbacks on ebay (I searched and searched through them and could not find even ONE)... what in the name of all that's Holy is this dude up to? Do we have any legal options at all? The coins appear to me to have at LEAST been cleaned, if not all-out forgeries.... also look as if they'd been slabbed YESTERDAY (they are mostly circa 1900-1914)... Thanks for reading this, and I welcome any constructive suggestions. BTW, all were paid for through PayPal, on a major credit card. Thanks, all! Many blessings... CeliaMarie |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1360 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1106 Posts |
Doesn't Paypal have a buyer protection built into it?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1626 Posts |
Looking at some of their auctions, they offer a return.
RETURN POLICY: Your satisfaction is guaranteed! You have 5 days after receiving your package to notify us that you are returning your purchase and to ship it back. Removing coin from holder you receive it in voids return privilege.We sell certified coins as a finished product and have many happy customers.If you feel that you are an expert and that your coin will grade higher or cross over into a different service then you are doing so at your own risk.
So, is it to late to return it?
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Welcome to the real world of numismatics, CeliaMarie. It's a shame that you should have to learn this lesson, but hopefully you will be able to recover your funds through a return. A few thoughts: 1) Be as objective as possible in your communication with the seller. By your own admission, your husband is a neophyte, so throwing possibly-untrue accusations around will only motivate the seller to be uncooperative, and allow him to defend himself by accusing you of incompetence. 2) Centsles' main Feedback page plainly states he's received 101 Negative Feedbacks. That's a statistic that stands on its' own, and represents an important fact for a relatively inexperienced Ebayer - high-quality sellers will not accumulate triple-digit Negative feedbacks, regardless of their volume. I personally will not buy from someone who has accumulated as many as 10 Negatives in their entire career, unless I read each and every one of them to determine why. 3) I understand your desire not to add to your husband's burden, but it's imperative that he develop both visual grading skills and street savvy regarding the ins and outs of ebay coin buying. Send him here to us at Coin Community. We will welcome him, educate him, and offer fact-based advice on any decision he wishes to make, for as long as it takes to empower him to stand on his own numismatically. He will realize that very few people ever really reach that point. Even the most experienced collector among us sometimes reaches into an area beyond his/her comfort zone, and needs to ask advice of the membership here. In that sense, there is greater safety in numbers, and we have the numbers to help. |
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Forum Mom
United States
5877 Posts |
First of all, welcome to our CC family. I'm so sorry that you didn't find us under better circumstances. Dave's advice to you and your husband is excellent. Numismatics has changed quite a bit from when I started collecting 35+ years ago. We now have third party grading companies and ways to acquire coins that are so much easier than when you had to find a shop or a show. Unfortunately, the need for self-education is more important now than ever since anyone can sell coins and it is very easy to scam people. We believe strongly here that it is vital to educate yourself before spending your money. We have a grading section and there is a topic in that section about cleaned coins. We are working on putting together an informational source with pictures of coins that have been cleaned with various methods in the hope it will help people be able to spot them for themselves. Please stick around and participate with us and try to get your husband interested also. For the most part, we have ALL been burned at one time or another (me included) - some for more money; some for less. It all adds up to the same, though: Education is the key to collector success! The more knowledge you arm yourself with, the greater the chance of truly finding good bargains and being able to enjoy your collection for a very long time.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6385 Posts |
Hello CeliaMarie,
I bought one NNC coin from centsles and thought it was reasonably attractive but clearly overgraded. I had no problem returning it and I received my refund promptly. It's certainly worth asking centsles if they would give a refund for at least some of your coins. The worst thing they can do is say no.
I hope this experience hasn't soured you and your husband on coin collecting in general. There are plenty of honest dealers who will treat you fairly and will be happy to share their expertise.
Good luck!
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New Member
 United States
2 Posts |
Well, thank you to all you kind folks who posted replies to my cry for help. We are going to try to return all the coins for refund, as the last poster suggested (thanks!)... This has been quite an education in itself... I don't think it will sour hubby on collecting, but I think he needs to reevaluate why he's doing it in the first place... I think a person collects primarily out of passion and love for the history, culture, and personal meaning ascribed to the object(s). Although hubby does this, he was also trying to "make a quick buck," which never, ever seems to turn out for the best when that is the motive. Ah well, another life lesson, well learned (hopefully). Thank you all very kindly for your thoughtful and informative replies.
CeliaMarie
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Replies: 7 / Views: 5,526 |
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Posted 04/21/2007 03:28 am
