Help With A 1914-D Auction

lol - yeah Thad, I know what you mean. I'm getting tired of asking people to read my whole post! =)

So? Why not buy an expensive coin that you can inspect in hand before buying? People get in too big of a hurry to buy key dates. Go to shows and look for a few months until the right coin comes along. You'll know it when you see it.

Also, lots of people give positive feedback when they buy cleaned, damaged, counterfeit and AT coins on ebay because they don't know any better. That nancye guy on ebay sells nothing but artificially colored wheats, yet he has glowing 100% feedback with hundreds of ignorant fools saying how great his coins are.

I am not saying that I trust all of the feedback I read on ebay. My point is that just because it is on ebay does not mean it is inferior product. There are reputable dealers that do business on ebay. Yes, the internet does have scammers, but it does have honest people as well. It is an opportunity to see millions of things all at once, and the best part is that you pay only what you are willing to pay. Is that such a bad deal? I have had some sour deals on ebay, but the good transaction far outweigh the bad.

The very things that people a leary about on ebay can happen right in their own local dealer's shop. ebay and Paypal have return policies that are slanted so far in the buyer's favor it is not even funny. And because there are so many items to choose from, prices tend to hang lower than in a coin shop or show. Do not get me wrong, I would prefer to by coins that I can see with my own eyes and hands first, but the convienence factor of places like ebay make it so much easier.

Does all of this bias also apply to the auctions we have on this forum? Who is to say a poster with 3000 post would not try and pull a fast one selling inferior coins to the unsuspecting? Who is to say that buyer whom you have had several conversations with in thread after thread would not try the old "bait and switch"?

We live in a technology rich world. The days of face to face meetings and deals made with a handshake are fading...FAST. Rental space in tradition "brick and mortar" stores are driving many folks out of business. The internet provides an arena to conduct business with minimal overhead. Welcome to the 21st century.

There is a real, really, realllllly big difference in the members on this forum and the possible nuts, crooks, etc on something like ebay. Anyone on Earth, China for example, is on ebay. Many, many individuals that sell or want to sell JUNK are on ebay. Yes there are many nice, honest, sincer people on ebay BUT, and a big BUT, how do you know who is who.
At least on this forum the member are coin people. Some are dealers. Some are kids. Some are just old fashioned coin collectors. HOWEVER, they are all coin coin people and are not really here to cheap someone. Yes there could be but the chances that a member of this forum being anything but a coin club member in good or better standing is slim.
Have you ever heard of a member cheating anyone out of anything here?
Have you ever heard of someone being cheated on ebay?