Buying Coins From Ebay

From time to time I'll get a coin from ebay that was not the one I saw on the listing.
You need to read through and make sure that the sell is not using 'stock' photos to show a 'representative' of what you will get. I avoid these types of sellers now.

Also the gold tone on the nickels is quite natural - I have quite a few of the older ones that toned out goldish

I have been nearly swindled by stock photos. A very few sellers deliberately post valuable varieties, and then buried in the description is a throwaway mention of stock photos.

I have returned a small number of coins due to condition issues on arrival. Specifically, bright green or aqua spots or gunk inside the cheap plastic flips. That gunk probably happens after photos due to improper moisture conditions.

However, I have seen many, many listings where coins were carefully photographed to avoid highlighting scratches, dings, discoloration, and other problems. If I'm paying more than five bucks for a coin, I take a few minutes to really go over the photos in detail.

Also worth noting: I have seen many, many slabbed coins in substandard condition. As folks here say often, buy the coin, not the slab.

Regarding the 1955 proof nickel specifically, $15 feels way high. They aren't that rare. I wouldn't even pay fifteen bucks for a 1950 proof unless it was a truly fine example.

Ouch. Another 50% in shipping costs is rough. Good luck filling in the other proof nickels! =)

I actually have all the others from 1956 until 2004, with the exception of one of the 2004 coins. I'm currently deciding how far back I want to go.

check your local coin store. My shop has been cracking silver proof sets to pull the silver coins out of them and throwing the other proof in their face value pile. I have pulled out almost 2 rolls of nickels, 4 rolls of pennies, and about 40 proof dollar coins all for face value. They also sold me the proof Presidential dollars in the OGP (no box/COA) for $6 ($1 over face)

You may be able to get the 04 and up for cheap that way.

In general I have found ebay seller getting more and more lazy with their listings. I can't really say with coins as I haven't looked at many but I also collect non sports trading cards and it seems everyone relies on "see photo for description" as you know you can hide a lot with creative photography. I've seen you tubers advising to not bother with a description and to rely on photos because no one reads the description.

Many time this will suffice. If I'm looking at a WWII era pamphlet or magazine I can get a decent idea of the condition by looking at the photos but sometimes the photos don't match the title. The title says great condition but the photo shows a large stain on the cover and no description listed. Most recently I saw a couple of listings from one seller that simply said "may have writing inside." I translate that to be "has writing inside" and I will adjust bid accordingly if I decide to bid at all.

when I list something I will take close up pictures of everything I think might be an issue AND I describe what is in the photos in the listing as well ie picture #2 shows a small scratch on the lower left corner. If I'm doing a larger lot of older circulated cards I will describe them as such but still point out any major flaws. Often I will post close ups of what I consider to be the worst and best cards.

Having said all that I will say that 99% of the time items I have purchased have been fine. I attribute that to good fortune and the fact that generally if there is no description I simply won't bid.