I Am Stupid (Ebay Lesson)

A 13 second read of this sellers negative feedback should have been your first
( only necessary ) clue . 98 per cent may be great on a history exam .
On ebay not the best . Every one wants a deal but you really do receive
what you pay for ..Ain't no Santa Claus in numismatics!

Glad you are getting it resolved. Stock Images imo can be fine for representative of a NEW boxed item, but not usually a good idea for used items especially with coins since the condition matters. I understand from sellers point of view (and being one) that you may have a big inventory, but it would save this type of problem if you can post actual photos and therefore prefer buying from sellers who do.

It is expected that new items are new condition and stock images are ok but of course sometimes the coins have variable quality there as well (which isn't the sellers fault) but can cause returns so there too posting the actual coin photos when not totally sealed may be helpful to prevent that.

My personal experience was mainly that a Niue 1oz Silver $2 Pac-Man 40th Anniversary Coin in TEP which was put in TEP by APMEX came with the TEP damaged and I would not have bought if I had seen the TEP condition. The coin is ok but the TEP is important in that product so again I ended up with something that would not have happened if they used actual photos or I saw in person, so just generally keep in mind to ask for actual photos if there is any reason why it would be helpful to decide on a product before buying.

I have bought quite a bit from EB and most has been a good deal ( I believe ) , knock on wood. I have had a couple of items that aren't quite as nice as I first thought but still fair for the price I paid. And a few items that I feel I won huge on .

One thing I have started doing is looking at a sellers other items . If all of the other stuff looks correct I get a better feeling about the purchase.

Living in a small town (metro area maybe 100,000 on a good day), there are very few coin shops. So for people like me if you want coins ebay is your only option unless you want to drive 100+ miles.

About a week ago, I took a few passes through ebay looking to do some cherry-picking. One thing I noticed immediately was that some sellers deliberately use stock photos of rare varieties when selling normal coins in volume. So if you don't check the listing details to see stock photos (and some of them bury that under a mountain of words), you might be tricked into thinking you have a shot at a sneaky cherry pick. What you are really buying is a sight unseen ordinary coin, which to be fair is what the listing (not the picture) actually says.

I never use store photos, I prefer what you see is what you'll receive in images or videos I post on ebay same with uncirculated coins ,carded, proofs and sets, always aim to keep buyer happy.

eBay's coin policy

"Must include photos of the front and back of the actual item for sale (stock photos are not allowed)"

emphasis added

LINK

ebay has lots of remedies if they wish at different levels of how hard they want to go after a seller. Its a balance as they need sellers to remain to sell.

If activity doesn't meet these requirements, ebay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the ebay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: administratively ending listings or canceling transactions, hiding or lowering the placement of listings in search results, lowering seller rating, restricting buying or selling, forfeiture of fees, loss of buyer or seller protections, restricting access to member communication and rating tools, removing feedback, and account suspension.