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 Replies: 14 / Views: 2,452 |
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Valued Member
United States
84 Posts |
Just curious, when you encounter a scam seller trying to push coins that are in average circulated condition (vg-xf) as "super rare" error coins in AU condition, what do you do? I usually see them come up in a google search of something specific, usually posted on Etsy, trying to sell these low-value coins for thousands of dollars. Do you post complaints with the site they're selling through? Do you report them to the FTC or similar governing body? Do you post comments to their posting saying they're full of *** Edited by Staff | The bad word filter is in place for a reason. Bypassing the filter and making the intended word obvious anyway is completely unacceptable. *** and should be ashamed of themselves? How often do you think ignorant people actually buy these grossly overvalued coins for that kind of money? For example:  |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1682 Posts |
Money laundering always crosses my mind when I see this sort of thing.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
Ignore them and move on .
You will have NO Life trying to be An Internet Sheriff !
There are way more constructive things to do these days !
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7617 Posts |
You know it's fraud. You know not to deal with it.
Just move on to a better place.
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17911 Posts |
The best thing is just to laugh about it. and post pictures and links in our 'Worst Coins on ebay' topic! I'm quite intrigued at the moment as I've just sold a coin on ebay to someone who is currently listing some really common UK coins for silly prices! I'm wondering whether he'll relist my coin on ebay for s ridiculous amount...  Edited by NumisRob
04/05/2020 5:06 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19139 Posts |
Thousands of years ago people were being defrauded. Sadly, it's part of the human condition.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5239 Posts |
I believe that Etsy is worse than ebay. Bobby and some others can get ebay to remove some kinds of listings, but simple grossly inflated prices are there to stay. |
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Valued Member
United States
425 Posts |
Part of the joy of collecting is the education. Part of the education is being able to spot the less than honest out there. More of that education is steering clear of those types. I have been blessed to have many good and honest sellers to work with, and even learn from. That is my focus, for there are more of the good than the bad.
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Quote:
Thousands of years ago people were being defrauded. Sadly, it's part of the human condition Wow , I didn't know e-Bay was around thousands of years ago .   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
At least it IS an error, though a minor one. Its clearly a MAD. Something I would keep, but not really worth a lot.
As mentioned, what are you going to do about someone asking too much for something? Laugh and be done with it.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Just sort of human nature you know. Kind of like all those UNSEARCHED rolls of coins or similar.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
And asking way too much for a coin is NOT fraud. Quote:
How often do you think ignorant people actually buy these grossly overvalued coins for that kind of money? Not very often, but it doesn't take too many for a decent income. If he can move one of these every 6 months that's $50,000 a year incomes, and as the saying goes there's a sucker born every minute. |
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Valued Member
United States
117 Posts |
"A fool and his money are soon parter" Thomas Tusser. I think the most insightful comment was the idea that money laundering comes to mind. I have worked with clients in my tax practice who had fallen prey to various money con's. I try to be proactive with every new client. I tell them if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. When engage equals enrage it is typically a sign that someone is attempting to scam someone. In my limited experience, I can share one encounter. An individual had posted 12 " Morgan silver dollars" for the price of $160. I saw it and thought there might be one nice variety in the mix and I could sell the rest for melt value. I asked if they were still available? Immediately the seller responded that they were. My next post was a simple question, do you have pictures of both the obverse and reverse? The reply was no, but he could take some. Then he said, he wasn't interested in having someone on a sight seeing trip. He has someone who wants them and was going to send him a postal money order. If I want them I could do the same. Still thinking this was a legitimate seller, I said I was interested and could give him cash that day. Then I gave him my reason for wanting the pictures or see them first, they were not all New Orleans minted coins as one of the dates was after New Orleans stop minting coins. ENGAGE - ENRAGE response. He went into a reply of what an idiot I was suggesting they were not all New Orleans minted coins. He then blocked me from any reply. Immediately I posted a query to the site controller to warn them of the potential scam. Report when you are able. Some sites do not give you opportunity to do so. There may be a fool born every minute. Our friends, family do not have to be one of them when we help them understand that most opportunities do not have to acted on today. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if you evoke an enrage response by legitimate questions - RUN AWAY |
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Moderator
Canada
10456 Posts |
Quote:
Ignore them and move on .
You will have NO Life trying to be An Internet Sheriff !
There are way more constructive things to do these days ! Jack, you are wrong. I think Mike Marshall's efforts would prove that statement completely wrong. He was a squeaky wheel to both ebay and the RCMP in the early days, and got made-in-China fakes removed from not only their Canadian platform, but all ebay platforms. Mind you they still persist, but more have listings removed than people being suckered. The proof? https://www.PCGS.com/news/PCGS-rewa...ng-collector The "internet sheriffs" here at CCF are very helpful to the hobby, a small and dedicated group of collectors work with our moderator (nss-52) and hundred of bad listings are removed every month from ebay. To me, that is constructive use of their time, for the sake of our hobby. "Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert OppenheimerContent of this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses...0/deed.en_USMy eBay store
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
There is a difference. Mike was able to get the fakes removed in Canada because under Canadian law even MARKED copies are illegal and he was able to get the government to go after ebay. In the US Marked copies are OK, but many if not most of the fakes being sold on ebay were probably purchased form sites offering them as marked copies (legal) but shipping them unmarked. Now if we could get the US government to enforce the Hobby Protection Act we could probably get the same result, but trying to get them to do so is like tilting at windmills. (under the latest revision of the HPA, anyone who facilitates the sale of fakes or unmarked copies is also guilty. Once ebay is informed of a fake being sold, if they allow the sale to continue they are facilitating it.) Our Governments'idea on how to solve a problem is to pass another law, not to enforce the laws they already have on the books that cover the situation. |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 2,452 |
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Posted 04/05/2020 2:21 pm
