Grab Bags - Just Another Scam?

It depends on the seller. Often times, they are a bit overpriced. I see no reason why someone would do that on ebay, since you need to photograph them anyway, but it does make some sense at a coin show. People often amass hordes of foreign coins (in the US at least) and they often end up at coin shops, bought for small amounts of money. When I was a child, it was fun to buy a bag of them to see what there was and it was an interesting and educational experience. Some are sold by the pound. Consider a box of unsorted coins that no one wants to take the effort of gleaning through, especially considering they have most likely have already been gleaned through. You grab a handful, pay a nominal price, and then move on, going through them at home in your leisure time. It's not far from roll hunting with rolls from the bank except that you know you can get most, if not all, of your purchase back on coins you don't keep when roll hunting. I have, however, found slivers of wood when roll hunting.

Grab bags (the idea and the execution) go back quite a ways--coins, stamps, small toys, trinkets, polished stones/rocks, sea shells, trading cards, etc., etc. As always, buyer beware.

For fun, go on ebay and search for 'grab bag'. Thousands of listings--coins, and much more. The grab bag idea is long established.

Littleton Coin Company still has some holiday themed grab bags. These things were popular with stamps and "on approval" monthly subscriptions when I was a kid. Fun to look through when you're just starting out but it doesn't take long to realize they're all a rip off.