I don't have time to develop face to face relationships with the few coin stores that are in a 100 mile radius of me, and they are all grossly overpriced with very slim inventory of what I collect anyway.
Necessity creates opportunity, and I have found
ebay to be rather easy to find good sellers that get to know you and you can follow them and it works out well.
The main reason is supply. A lot of the world bullion I collect, especially back issues, not even places like
APMEX or
JMBullion carry, and when they do they are very high priced.
I am able to find sellers in other countries (once I trust them) that have what I need, negotiate good prices and have quality items. Yes, the exist. But I have been an
ebay member for over 15 years and have learned a lot of what not to do and how not to get frustrated in those 15 years.
ebay has many scam artists.
Most of my single coin purchases will only be in the U.S., only with legit pictures and not stock photos and only dealers who offer returns, etc.
But oddly enough, most of my go to sellers that I have learned to trust and buy from on a regular basis-- are from other countries, and often use stock photos.