Who Needs Who? ANA Or Ebay

What a loaded question, ND

Since the ANA has shown repeatedly that they are very poor at self-promotion, their partnership with ebay makes perfect sense. I'm sure that they considered the exposure it would afford them. However, since ebay is (once again) getting very slow to act on fraudulent auctions, it could work against them. It makes the ANA appear ineffectual since the ANA cannot pull auctions, only make recommendations.

ebay, on the other hand, needed a reputable supporter so that they could appear to be an honest venue. Although I think it was originally just supposed to be lip service with the ANA name thrown around, I think they were taken by surprise when they found that there really were people out there who would "buck the system" so to speak. When the reports starting pouring in, they needed the ANA to lend credibility to their decisions and also to give them somewhere to pass the buck because ebay "is only a venue".

I think it was a mutual need - all for the wrong reasons. I would have preferred the ANA to want to get involved to make a difference and I would have preferred that ebay wanted the ANA so that they could be more effective. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be what's happening.

Protecting coin collectors is one of those things that are good intentions with bad conquences. The intentions of doctors dispensing antibotics, I guess, are good too. But I have long suspected that antibotics just make you weaker in the long run.

The ANA should stick to education, since that's what they do best. It's also what the membership is paying them for.

I suspect that unless ebay starts to seriously enforce the rules it established with the ANA's assistance and advice, that the ANA is going to pull out of its relationship just to protect its own credibility. As I see it now from the results we've seen so far, ANA is just wallpaper decoration, that ebay brought it aboard just to be able to tack its name and reputation on the wall to enhance its own credibility. Something's bound to happen unless ebay changes its mode of coin auctions and ANA will bow out.

What I think we are missing here is the money angle.! Is it possible that the ANA has sold the right to use their name to ebay for a given dollar amount.?

This is the same thing they did when they put their name up for auction when the slab companies were looking for their endorsement after the purchase agreement time limit ran out on Amos.

The ANA never put nor enforced restrictions on NGC as to their grading standards, service or anything else. Just maybe ANA is doing the same for ebay. Collecting a profit for use of their name.


catman

I believe it was a simple marriage of convenience, with ANA getting some exposure to people outside of coin collecting, and ebay attenpting to legitimize its shady operation when it comes to the coin market.
What they do with it, remains to be seen, ss neither one has shown any movement to inhance the other as of this date.

Very interesting thoughts. Thank you. I do not know if the ANA paid the endorsement or if ebay did. The ANA seems all too happy to "sell" their endorsement. What a sad thing for the collecting group that is supposed to represent us all. The PNG also sold their endorsement to NGC. What a sad way to do business.

I for one wonder what will the ANA and PNG do when a really low grading company comes along with a suitcase full of cash?

The numismatic magazines already sell their space to anyone with money irregardless of how bad the company is. Doesn't this in some form endorse the company? When CoinWorld is looked at as a referrence guide, the advertisers should meet some standard, right? They list their "standards" yet many of the ads within the pages do not meet them. So how can we believe anything offered?
We live in a cash and carry world, where ethics and standards are bought and sold everyday. In our little world (coin collecting) this is evident throughout the hobby. When the government steps in to put regulations on the hobby, everyone will scream it isn't necessary, but I think that most of us know better.

ND said:
"We live in a cash and carry world, where ethics and standards are bought and sold everyday. In our little world (coin collecting) this is evident throughout the hobby. When the government steps in to put regulations on the hobby, everyone will scream it isn't necessary, but I think that most of us know better."

quote:

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Originally posted by Susanlynn9

While I believe that regulation is necessary, I don't know that it should come from the government. They aren't even that great at regulating the things that they supposedly know about. I can't see them doing anything truly constructive in the numismatic world.

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Stop the presses! Susan and ND actually are not twins separated at birth!

Take that in the best way guys- you are two opinionated, knowledgable numistmatists who usually think alike and should and do support each other.

You sure know how to give a compliment.......