I presume I can't ever buy a coin off ebay ever again?🤔

[tony6947]

After sending my first suspected fake coin back, i presume I can't buy off eBay again because if i had two send another suspected fake coin back to a different ebayer, ebay might get suspicious which I understand lol.

 

Would it be rude to ask coin dealers the weight and size of their coin before buying it ?, otherwise I'll have to send it back , because there seems to be too many fakes around .

The chances are they wouldn't physically do it, just get the info off numista on what it 'should' be

[Zhorro]

39 minutes ago, tony6947 said:

After sending my first suspected fake coin back, i presume I can't buy off eBay again because if i had two send another suspected fake coin back to a different ebayer, ebay might get suspicious which I understand lol.

 

Would it be rude to ask coin dealers the weight and size of their coin before buying it ?, otherwise I'll have to send it back , because there seems to be too many fakes around .

The chances are they wouldn't physically do it, just get the info off numista on what it 'should' be

You just have to be careful when you buy off eBay, but a number of people on this Forum do sell on eBay.  You just need to be careful about selecting the person you are going to buy from.  Look at what else they are selling, and look at their feedback.  If someone usually sells second-hand nappies, or is able to provide kids' bikes in any colour you desire, and they only have one very expensive gold coin for sale, then I would give them a miss!  But if a seller has a good track record of selling gold and silver coins, then the risk should be fairly low.  There is still the risk when something is sent through the post, but Special Delivery should just about eliminate this.

[JohnA1]

1 hour ago, tony6947 said:

Would it be rude to ask coin dealers the weight and size of their coin before buying it ?, otherwise I'll have to send it back , because there seems to be too many fakes around .

 

I think it is essential to ask for such fundamental metrics - otherwise it is difficult to make the case that it was not as described.

If they don't bother responding, then you know they are not to be taken seriously

[stefffana]

Hi, Tony.

Asking the seller for weight won't help, to be honest. A genuine and good seller will describe the coin very accurately, a scammer will try to hide the truth, showing eventually a blurred picture on a kitchen scale, pretending that have not a precise one.

Yes, Ebay it is a jungle, a scary market place, a bad famed neighbourhood. But... I LOVE IT !!!

Almost all my silver and gold is from Ebay, but are 100% genuine. My very first purchase of course, was an electronic scale, a caliper and a kit test for silver and gold.

If you have minimal knowledge, you can spot very easy any counterfeits. Do a gravity test for silver coins, rounds and bars, and if you are still in doubt, put some acid. Scratch until you can see the brass or copper. Open a case, make some pictures to prove and you will have money back from Ebay very quick. ( Happened with me few times )

I am buying mostly circulated silver coins, obscure gold proof coins, old solid silver flatware any purity and pre-owned carat gold jewellery.  So far, so good. But I am bidding mostly from sellers who are selling mostly gold and silver, not shoes and t-shirts, with a good selling history. I try also to avoid buying coins well known as heavily replicated. 

Yes, I enjoy hunting in the Ebay jungle, but I know what I am doing.

Cheers, 🤗

Stefan.

[Silverbull]

The Golden state mint have a fantastic reputation for quality 999 Fine Silver rounds, despite what people think of Silver Shield rounds,

I personally have never come across a fake SS round, IMHO people are more likely to fake a Chineese Pandas or American silver eagles

than a silver shield coin. Buy what you like, stack them high 👍🏻 

[Gordy]

12 minutes ago, Silverbull said:

The Golden state mint have a fantastic reputation for quality 999 Fine Silver rounds, despite what people think of Silver Shield rounds,

I personally have never come across a fake SS round, IMHO people are more likely to fake a Chineese Pandas or American silver eagles

than a silver shield coin. Buy what you like, stack them high 👍🏻 

YEP, and SS are banned on here

[Silverbull]

Yes I am aware of the ban, I’m not selling anything, simply sharing these SS rounds. 
I think the ban should include anything that has ever been faked if this is the real reason for the ban. 😏

 

KEEP CALM AND STACK ON.  

Edited June 9, 2023 by Silverbull

[Minted]

I've bought quite a few coins and bars on eBay.  Still early days and learning all the time.  I do enjoy scrolling through eBay pages and finding coins that I haven't come across before.  Don't think I've bought any fakes so far but one or two are questionable.  (They're not magnetic, so that's a good start.)

I would like a Sigma Verifier to quickly check purity of any purchases when they arrive, but I just can't justify the cost compared to my monthly PM budget.  I'd need to buy several silver fakes before it'd pay for itself.

Haven't had to return any PM's through eBay, but I have had to return a few other items that were not as described and they've been helpful each time. 

In all honesty, I doubt it's worth a sellers time to precisely weigh and measure a 1oz silver item so wouldn't ask myself.  Would feel a bit more comfortable asking about a 10oz coin.  

Edited June 9, 2023 by Minted

[TeaTime]

1) Anyone who uses Ebay is doing so in the hope of finding a bargain (overwise there is literally no point in shopping on the site). Most people who are hoping to get something cheap would be reluctant to ask too many questions for fear of alerting the seller to the real value of the item they are selling....

Alternatively;

2) Ebay is a good sight for finding obscure or hard to get in the UK stuff but caution is the watchword. As long as the buyer has a modicum of knowledge about what they are searching for and is diligent then there shouldn't be too many issues. As for sending mis described items back, I have done so numerous times and never had a problem. 

The only time there could be an issue is if the description of the item is so vague that it's difficult to pinpoint any falsehoods - and that takes us back to point 1.

Caveat emptor 😁 

[Bigmarc]

31 minutes ago, TeaTime said:

Ebay is a good sight for finding obscure or hard to get in the UK stuff but caution is the watchword

I think probably 95% of what I buy is because of this. I am cautious and touch wood the only issues I've had is with the royal mail. One thing I've been tempted to do but never done is buy of Facebook groups, for some reason alarm bells go off in my head. 

I have put a couple of wanted items on here in the past but never had any luck but always find it on eBay. 

 

[Chorlton]

When buying on eBay I assume it will have to go straight back due to the risks. To be fair I have had various good purchases on eBay and not sent anything back so far. Pays to take your time to be sure and contact the seller if needed.

[gji25]

18 hours ago, Minted said:

I would like a Sigma Verifier to quickly check purity of any purchases when they arrive, but I just can't justify the cost compared to my monthly PM budget.  I'd need to buy several silver fakes before it'd pay for itself.

depending where you are you could ask a member with a sigma to check the coins/bars for you or send them by post 👍

[Shinus73]

I’ve probably returned more than 100 coins over the years - I don’t think you get put on a naughty list.

[Minted]

6 hours ago, gji25 said:

depending where you are you could ask a member with a sigma to check the coins/bars for you or send them by post 👍

Thanks for the suggestion, I have seen it suggested on here before.  If the forum hired one out I'd probably do that once or twice a year to check in bulk batches.

It's not worth the time & cost for each individual coin though.  With the eBay returns window being only 30 days, chances are it'd be too late to return any fakes.

[Brit2023]

Hi newbie from newbieland here,

I also buy and sell a little here and there and find that even as a seller who lists honestly and accurately on eBay there is always somebody who buys without reading or looking, I just offer an immediate refund…..luckily in 20 odd years on there it’s only happened twice.

on the buying side I’m in agreement…avoid coins from secondhand bbq sellers and the like unless you are 100% positive about what you are buying.

[JohnA1]

A magnet and a scale will weed out many fakes.

When it comes to specific gravity with silver coins, you only have to do it once for each type of coin and then all others will have to be same diameter/thickness as that one (assumming weight is spot on!).

Not easy to justify a Sigma for a small silver coin collection, but when in doubt there must be someone or a shop that can do it for you.

 

Now gold coins are a whole different ball game, a decently-sized stack may justify it as an investment

[HillWalkerDundee]

On 09/06/2023 at 09:16, Zhorro said:

You just have to be careful when you buy off eBay, but a number of people on this Forum do sell on eBay.  

Might I suggest that such members indicate this in their profile e.g. include their eBay URL or in one of the free form text boxes or set up a topic for this.

Edited June 12, 2023 by HillWalkerDundee
Additional comment.

[TradesExchange]

Came across a few counterfeits on eBay one time, hunting for bullion.

Some good advice posted above, and due diligence is the name of the game on that front.

If your Spidey-sense goes off, chances are more research is required on the product, especially "cheaper" or seemingly abundant mints of particular designs, that are flooding the market place.

Here's a link that has some database on known fakes, some may find useful on that note:

https://www.fakebullion.com/

(P.S, the database may not be recently updated so bear that in mind, if comparing and researching possibly newer mints and designs).

[sixgun]

On 09/06/2023 at 12:25, Silverbull said:

The Golden state mint have a fantastic reputation for quality 999 Fine Silver rounds, despite what people think of Silver Shield rounds,

I personally have never come across a fake SS round, IMHO people are more likely to fake a Chineese Pandas or American silver eagles

than a silver shield coin. Buy what you like, stack them high 👍🏻 

i have seen many SS fakes. i personally know one of the scoundrels who has sold them.

[ShropshireTom]

On 09/06/2023 at 12:09, Silverbull said:

Yes I am aware of the ban, I’m not selling anything, simply sharing these SS rounds. 
I think the ban should include anything that has ever been faked if this is the real reason for the ban. 😏

 

KEEP CALM AND STACK ON.  

I know what you mean - but that would leave us with slim and obscure pickings 🤣