Unreal

That just defies logic. At least my logic.

He must just scam every now and then or else how could he have 5761 ratings with a 99.8%? Or could it be possible that he does not know it's just a novelty coin?

My point was even the seller probably knows what's up, it's the bidders that I fault.

To spend that much on a commonly understood novelty coin that you can get for 5 bucks, I find unreal.

Like I said, the bidders have absolutely NO CLUE about coins and shouldn't be bidding on things they no nothing about.

quote:

---

Originally posted by mrcoin

He must just scam every now and then or else how could he have 5761 ratings with a 99.8%? Or could it be possible that he does not know it's just a novelty coin?

---

Jim and Pam keep their feedback score up by frequent "feedback mutually withdrawn" contacts with buyers whom they have scammed. It is not difficult at all for a fraud dealer to maintain a high feedback score, i.e., greater than 99%. Check out aboncom with a FB score of 99.2%; he's an expert at keeping the illusion he is an honest seller. These type sellers have made a mockery of the feedback system and ebay just lets them keep selling.

They know exactly what they are doing, fraud-wise. They have been doing it for many years, long before ebay came around. Jim apparently spent time behind bars for fraud a number of years ago. He is reputed to be fairly knowledgeable on coins, would have made a respectable dealer if he wasn't so greedy and wasn't ethically-challenged.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Errorcoins

Fred...... 99.2 % is a very low score for an ebay seller......VERY LOW.

---

I know that and you know that, but most of the thousands of aboncom's and estatedoctor's buyers don't know that. I gave a seminar last spring to newbie and wannabe eBayers and they thought in the same manner as a school student, that anything over 65% was passing, over 90% was an "A", and a 99% was an "A-Plus". Any seller, fraudulent or honest has no problem keeping his/her score above 99% through manipulation of the feedback system.

quote:

---

I think the feedback system works just fine, Except for that one negative I got from some newbie claiming I charged excessive shipping when it was clearly stated ($2.95). So I have a 99.9 instead of 100 percent.....thanks for not reading my auction newbie.

---

Actually, the feedback system is fraught with flaws such as the above mentioned manipulation by arranging "feedback mutually withdrawn" to remove enough negatives to raise the score back up and, most especially, feedback extortion and feedback retaliation by sellers ("You give me a neg and I'll give you one right back." and "I won't leave feedback until you do so I can nail you if you don't like my 11-point overgraded coin.").

A couple years ago, I wrote a long letter to Bill Cobb ( ebay N Am Prez) suggesting feedback be withheld from posting until BOTH buyer and seller had submitted feedback. The idea was to keep the feedback hidden from the other party until both had submitted. No answer from ebay.

quote:

---

As for abascam ... 99.2 is very low and I bought a coin from him kowning his very low feedback, because I bought the coin not the Slab. I left very postive feedback for abascam because I got a great deal on a great coin that I absolutely Love.

Peace

---

Aboncom doesn't care since his market targets are those buyers who do not know the system and who think 99.2% is a very good score. S/S estatedoctor. Both prey on the ignorance of their buyers. The same buyer market buys the slab, not the coin, trusting that the sellers are honest. And they obviously NEVER read the sellers' feedback. Barnum, Franklin, and Darwin at work.

I've had only one complaint on shipping about 2001 (no neg issued) when a buyer grumbled that it cost me only 37 cents to mail a Boy Scout patch, but I charged him 95 cents. I explained to him that the padded envelope in which I sent the patch cost 65 cents and it cost me a couple dollars in gas to drive it to the Post Office. Did he want to send me the difference? No answer, of course.

Best I can tell, most of the buyers who even look at estatedoctor's and aboncom's auctions (highly qualified numismatists excepted) are not particularly ebay, internet, nor computer savvy. Combine this with bidders' greed (they think they're getting something valuable for peanuts) and ignorance (very few have any idea how to grade nor authenticate a coin) and there's only gonna be one winner: the seller. Common sense should tell people to do a little investigation before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a coin, but common sense is an uncommon virtue among these buyers. I also suspect, reading all aboncom's and estatedoctor's feedback that the buyers are not the brightest bulbs on the old Christmas tree; poor grammar, spelling, inability to express themselves all tell me that the defrauded buyers are casualties looking for a war. Worse, I suspect many or most do not want to be educated; far too often, they would rather be defrauded, then complain later on a fraud which could have been prevented if they had expended a little effort and initiative on their own.

Troop, it's a question of degree and how much we are able to protect people from themselves. Many of us regularly report fraudulent auctions to ebay, a group of us started COINAF (Coalition of Internet Numismatists Against Fraud - see URL in below signature) with a heavy emphasis on education, and we have sent hundreds (thousands?) of messages to ebay suggesting means for combatting fraud on ebay (mostly with little or no response). One of the more innovative ideas we developed was for ebay (and other online auction sites) to emplace a link on all numismatic auctions at the top of each auction stating, in effect, "Before you bid on this coin, please read this" which would have lead to a site explaining the safe and sane way to buy coins. The ANA absolutely loved the idea, but of course, ebay did not; rather, the best ebay could come up with was the "report this auction" at the very bottom of each auction, a function which has had little impact on fraud coin sales and of which many/most eBayers are not even aware of its existence at the bottom of the page mixed in with several other hyperlinks. The point of all this is that at some point, buyers have to take responsibility for their own actions. We cannot hold their hand through each and every auction. There are hundreds or thousands of online coin sites which if only a potential buyer would read even one could prevent heartache and a very expensive lesson. However, we are dealing with human nature: although we attempt to reveal and otherwise nail fraudulent sellers, there is a certain percentage of the bidding public who either do or will not want to become educated (can lead the horse to water, can't make him drink) or who have the attitude that whatever they do, if they get defrauded, it is someone else's fault. We have already gone our 95% of the way by going after fraudulent sellers (obviously, not always successfully), but buyers have to come their 5% of the way.