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Expat

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    USA
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Expat's Achievements

  1. Beauty! Poor Paul is looking less dignified in every iteration of the coin, nearing a Pinocchio like nose and Gordon Gecko like wet gel hair... also, his beard seems to be moving towards uniting with his chest hair... Of course, reported.
  2. Reported - let's try again.
  3. They did internally annotate the auction with my objection. So the high value claims group will have an easier time to side with the buyer when it comes to resolution. Let's hope that the buyer figures out that they are fake (he should). Pretty disappointing.
  4. This is so frustrating. I myself narrowly escaped a $10,000 loss on an eBay transaction a couple of weeks back by invoking the eBay Guarantee for lost/stolen objects, but I still had a couple of sleepless nights. Now I am trying to protect someone from getting burned, but it sounds to me that the auction will run its course and they will deal with the fallout later. I actually took the time to chat with eBay about it. If you are interested read below: 2022 - 08 - 01 08:27:19 UTC EBay Agent I see here that you are having an issue/concern regarding an auction , I will be more than happy to help you. 08:30:27 UTC member Expat . I am a coin collector and this guy is trying to sell three totally fake Krugerrands. They are so bad, they could be from a chewing gum machine. Absolutely 100% FAKE. He is trying to scam someone out of almost $3000 and it's not going to end well. A lot of people have reported this auction again and again over the last week, but eBay has not reacted at all. Now the auction is coming to an end and a buyer will get majorly screwed 08:30:52 UTC EBay Agent I see, I appreciate you bringing this to our attention, so that we can deal with this immediately. 08:34:01 UTC member Expat Sure. We are just trying to protect a bidder and keep eBay clean for all of us. 08:34:31 UTC EBay Agent I hear you, and I apprecaite you for reaching out to us regarding this. 08:34:52 UTC EBay Agent Since you mentioned you already reported this, rest assured that action will be taken. 08:34:55 UTC EBay Agent We are working hard on identifying, reporting, and removing listings that violate our policies from our site. All of this, in order for our members to feel safe and continue to trust eBay with their online purchases. However we can't do it alone, that is why we truly appreciate our member's help. 08:35:29 UTC EBay Agent I can tell you the range of action that we may take: from warnings, listing removals, and restrictions, up to an account suspension. 08:36:45 UTC member Expat Great. So why is the listing still up with 8 hours to go, if it was reported last Wednesday/Thursday for the first time by multiple members? I guess I fail to see eBays actions in this matter. Five days for people to bid ona fake is kind of long...? 08:38:16 UTC EBay Agent I hear you with this, in order to make sure that ebay is fair as well we are making sure that all information provided is investigated. Nothing to worry rest assured that action will eb taken once decision is made for this listing. 08:38:45 UTC EBay Agent Rest assured as well that buyers will be protected if proven this item is fake. 08:41:15 UTC member Expat So I take it the auction will run it's course and if the buyer finds out he got duped, he is protected. Hmmm - I am just saying that we could save everybody a lot of heartache by stopping this from proceeding. Nevermind. I just wanted to make you aware. 08:43:20 UTC EBay Agent Appreciate you for getting in touch, rest assured that action will be taken care for this report.
  5. Reported the listing twice over the last 24 hours. Such a shame. Also messaged the guy, but no answer.
  6. Yes, I've heard about a smashing costume party at some seaside resort a bit earlier with the same general theme. 😁 BTT, not a bad day for the precious metal hoarder today, especially platinum. I keep telling you guys to buy it...
  7. The VAT issue in Europe is a shame, that would be a serious no-go for me. You all need to be more assertive about not wanting to pay taxes - in particular - to the British government. I recall that we wrote a pretty strongly worded letter to them about the subject back in 1776, and they've pretty much left us alone since then. But BTT, overall, I think Platinum is cheap, and most people only look at the industrial use in ICE (Diesel) catalytic converters. There are so many more applications in scientific instruments, health care, computer parts, etc. And that's not even thinking about future applications. Don't look at it necessarily like a store of value, it's more a gamble on GDP growth and the industrial sector of the worldwide economies performing well. And while (I think) it's 4 x as rare as gold, it trades at half the price ... I had to get some. I purchased 30 oz in coins in June and July, and 4 oz in assay cards today. Spot at $869 plus 3% premium. I just couldn't say "no" to that, and now I have over one kg in the box. Let's see how it reacts to the Fed's interest rate decision and GDP numbers this week...........
  8. I couldn't agree more. Not only is the struggle of putting cash into the "right" investment getting more and more difficult, the feeling of having something physical to hold in your hands is a great benefit of bullion. I had a phase with Rolex watches, but about 3 years ago I started with gold. My goal was 1oz/week, so my collection has been growing quite steadily. Added some platinum and the occasional Silver Dollar on the way, but most of it is gold. Should things go really sour, it will probably preserve some of its value, and if things go well, I'll just give it to my son when it's my time to go. Either way, I feel good about it. On the other hand, if I keep this pace, my retirement will be planned out, and I can try and find the next obsession... Keep on collecting!
  9. Gentlemen, a couple of thoughts regarding your comments: - Yes, the "It's COVID" excuse is as bad over here as it is in Europe. Any degree of incompetence, bad planning, or service reduction is excused with this. It's getting ridiculous. - This has also posed the problem for the postal service packages, as the mailman signs for everything himself. Fortunately, I treat our mailman right twice a year (Christmas and his B-Day), so he makes the extra effort to ring the doorbell and shows me the package before signing for it. When he is on vacation, I don't order anything that gets delivered US Postal. No joke. - It may be that eBay is the easiest place to commit a risk-free fraud or scam. I'd like to stress that I am not the scammer here. I am sure there are people out there who would commit a crime for 10k, but I'm not one of them. I consider it a marketplace, sometimes challenging, and I try to get what I paid for. That's it. - I feel for the seller to the extend that they have to deal with the administrative hassle. But they state that every package is fully insured. So either they lie about that and "take the occasional loss" against the savings on insurance, or they are insured and will get reimbursed by their insurance with the help of my pictures and the police report. This has to be a regular occurrence to them, given that they probably ship 500+ packages a day across all sales platforms. - I agree with Lawrence that the seller did fall short of my "you are covered" expectation. Their answers in the message system sounded like pre-written, standard answers. It's probably not their first rodeo. I certainly would have wished for more and better communication with them. But I heard pretty much nothing from them. - Yes, ebay will eventually side with ebay. I like that statement. But there is a risk in that assumption: Does eBay have more to lose by alienating a power seller with 100,000+ transactions per year, or by losing a retail customer who generates maybe $50k worth of revenue. - Last, I agree that the sellers position weakens the moment I sign for the package. But given the eBay marketplace, even if the package were untampered with, you need to be able to verify the content for accuracy. For that, I need to receive and open the package. And the eBay Money Back guarantee allows for that. So the seller (and their insurance carrier) must be aware of this step. Cheers Chris
  10. Lawrence, I appreciate the questions, and will gladly provide more detail: so when your bank or creidt card company gives you 5.75 back on your first $2500 = $143.75; do you really believe they are giving you this for nothing? No. And I know where it comes from. It comes out of their marketing budget. The credit card is from Bank of America, and if you are one of the "Diamond Tier" members with Merrill Lynch (owned by BofA), they will give you a 75% bonus cash back on their standard 3% cash back for the first $2,500 every quarter. It's a way for them to generate more client revenue and bind the client closer to the overall banking relationship. Later, you mention getting 2.5% cash back. Is this after the 5.75%? Who gives you the "cash back"? ebay, your bank, credit card company? you have not made this point clear. This is for everything else, and has nothing to do with BofA and their "Diamond Tier" requirement - this one is available to anybody in the US without a cap. My standard credit card is a Wells Fargo Cash rewards card with unlimited 2% cash back plus 0.5% unlimited from Capital One Shopping on eBay. Yes, they work together. Here I am pretty sure that it comes out of the 2.75% fee that they charge the vendor. Next, do you know what percentage premium you have been paying Yes. About 2% over spot on my quarterly purchases and around 5% over spot on the others (for American Eagles). I'll illustrate with a simple example: Spot is currently $1,745. BGASC is currently the cheapest direct seller in the US at $1,845. That's 5.7% over spot, while Liberty Coin currently sells them for $1,884 on eBay. That's 8% premium over spot. If I use eBay and pay for the coin with my BofA card and the Cap One App (for a total cash back of 5.75%) I end up paying $1,776. That's 1.8% over spot. Anybody on eBay can use a 2% WF card and the Cap One App (for a total cash back of 2.50%) and end up paying just short of $1,840. That's 5.3% over spot. Please share your view here. Is that too much? Where else should I look? Did you leave negative feedback statiing clearly what happened? If not, why not? Once eBay steps in and voids the entire transaction, you cannot leave feedback anymore. The purchase becomes nonexistent in your purchasing history. At least this one did. And I am hesitant to mark the seller, as I am pretty sure that they had nothing to do with this. I had purchased from them 14 times in the past with no problems. You indicated suspicious behaviour by your Fedex delivery driver. did you ever follow that up with Fedex, or the local police? If not, why not? The local policed closed the file the minute I got reimbursed by eBay, because I don't have a loss anymore. They keep the record though and "collect more cases", as they put it. Regarding FedEx, I did not have any contractual relationship with the carrier or any say regarding the selection of services. The carrier (FedEx) was selected and paid for by the seller. The contract is between them, I just have a claim against the seller. Both, the seller and eBay advised me that it would be the senders obligation to engage (and eventually sue) the carrier if an item gets lost. As the recipient, you can ask (!) them for information, but as soon as things get hairy, they become absolutely tight lipped. It's all between them and their customer (the seller) and the seller's insurance policy at that point. A number of other question occur to me, but that's probably enough for now. I am more than happy to answer whatever comes to your mind. Martin
  11. Stu, It's somewhat strange: The same bullion dealers that sell to you directly, will also sell on eBay. However, factoring in a 2.5% cash back credit (easy to get through their card over here), it is most of the time cheaper to go through eBay. Furthermore, given my experience, a direct deal with a bullion dealer would not have resulted in the same outcome. Bullion dealers very clearly state in their fine print, that once you sign for it, the risk is your - without exception. So while it does sound strange, in my case eBay is touch cheaper and offers the added layer of protection through their Money Back Guarantee. Don't get me wrong, I have no idea how that makes sense on the side of the dealers, but it somehow has to. I am normally a supporter of "cutting out the middle man", but in this case, I am at a loss as to why it works better this way... Martin
  12. For the benefit of anybody ordering from eBay (in my case eBay US), I'd like to share my story and the resolution: I order regularly on eBay, mostly 1oz Gold coins (preferably Eagles and Krugerrands). I started mainly because if use my credit card, it basically refunds me 5.75% of the first $2,500 every quarter, so that's how I gained my first experiences with buying on eBay. Over the last couple of years, I increased my buying on eBay successively and arrived at 100+ coins in deliveries ranging from $2k to $15k in value. Most were shipped USPS or FedEx with no problems ever, and since I purchased exclusively from the big sellers (Liberty, BullionExchange, DBS, etc.) all coins turned out to be real, at least that's what my Metalyzer Pro said. I grew confident that this way works for me. Fast forward to May 2022, when I placed an order for 5 American Gold Eagles for just short of $10k through eBay with one of the previously mentioned large sellers. The seller was apparently changing around logistics, so the package did not leave their HQ in California, but was dispatched from a warehouse in Dallas TX and handed to FedEx. I followed the package to FedEx's Memphis sorting facility, when it suddenly went MIA for a day over the weekend. I didn't think much of that, and 24 hours later, the package re-arrived at the Memphis hub and was dispatched to my local sorting facility and out for delivery two days later. When FedEx home delivered the package, it was "half-handed" to me by the driver, we both held on to a side each, while I was signing on his little gizmo, using the package as support. Once I had the package fully in had and turned it around, I saw that the other side of the package had been cut open at the filament sealing tape, and had been taped back shut with simple clear tape. I already knew what must have happened, so I took some photos and opened the package, which turned out empty. The FedEx truck was already gone by that time. Please note, I am not accusing anybody in particular, but either the seller's warehouse tampered with the package before shipping, or someone else did, while the package was in the carrier's possession. I am not judging which one is more likely, I am merely stating the two possibilities. I called the seller who did not pick up the phone. So I immediately called eBay and opened a case with them. They were helpful and tried to calm me down, reiterating that I was protected by the eBay-Guarantee. The seller ultimately answered to my case in the eBay messaging system, requesting photos and eventually telling me to wait for one to two weeks until they get feedback from FedEx on an inquiry that they launched. I contacted eBay again and they told me I had to wait four days to give the seller time to find a resolution for me. I also asked if I should file a police report, and eBay support told me that this would not be necessary. I did not follow those instructions and reported the theft to our local Sheriff's office. Two detectives came out to collect the box and fingerprint it, and they also gave me a police report number and contact details. Of course, nothing happened from the sellers side, and I called eBay back after four (business) days. I was then told that they (eBay) would now escalate the case to their High Value Claims Group, a special group for these kind of cases. Their inquiry was going to take another four business days, they would have to investigate the buyer and seller for previous claims and the circumstances surrounding the claim. I kept in touch with the High Value Claims Group every day, asking if they had found out anything, offering any help I could provide. One day before their deadline, a Supervisor in that group asked me if I had filed a police report. I told her that I did, even though the lower level eBay support told me previously that I did not have to. She said that the report was extremely helpful and took down the number and the contact details for the local Sheriff's Office and told me that she would call them and verify my claims. I waited for the four days to pass exactly, then I called eBay. Within half an hour, I had the woman from the High Value Claims Group calling me back, saying that she just hung up with the Sheriff's Office and she verified everything that had happened exactly as I had told her. They decided the case that very same day in my favor. I received a full refund from eBay to my credit card about 24 hours later. I never heard anything from the seller. My assumption is, that eBay "ate" the loss in the end, and I am probably blacklisted by the seller for future purchases (I haven't tried again since then). What do we learn from this? 1) Inspect EVERY package on ALL sides BEFORE signing. Be religious about this. If it looks in any way suspicious, refuse to accept it, let it go back. Your risk BEGINS when you take possession of it (i.e. sign for it). 2) Take photos of high-value packages as they arrive, or even better a video of receiving and unpacking. eBay advised me to do so in the future. 3) The seller on eBay is not necessarily your friend. They may try and hang you out to dry over their investigation with the carrier. eBay is your advocate, they can make (and force) a decision in a case. 4) Immediately file a claim with eBay, not Paypal, not your Credit Card Company, not your bank. You can do so in a second step. 5) Right after, file a police report, no matter what eBay says. You are the victim of a crime, it's in your best interest. 6) Be proactive, be in eBay's face daily in a constructive way, offer any help you can provide, make sure they know you are the victim. Get to know the person that is handling your claim. 7) Try not to have a second loss (I am speculating here), they keep records of all this happening. Final thought: The all-in-all 14 days it took to resolve this issue were no fun. While the end result is good, you may have a sleepless night on the way. I did not enjoy that. But eBay's Money-Back-Guarantee worked as promised and they did the right thing. Kudos and thanks for that to eBay. I luckily got my money back and have started to buy stuff on eBay again, although less valuable to begin with. My LCS is happy about that. But eBay knows that this buyer's trust is at the core of their business model, so I think that's why they in the end decided for the innocent buyer. Lastly, I still feel strange about someone "taking/stealing my stuff" somewhere, and it bugs me that some lowlife thief somewhere is running around with 5 Eagles of mine, probably feeling as cool as Clooney in Ocean's 11. I hate the feeling of being victimized. I am now completely OCD about getting packages directly from my mailman, and about checking anything from any carrier for signs of tampering. I hope none of you ever has to go through this, but if you do, maybe my experience can help. Martin
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