Fake Coins or replicas
What is the criteria for determining what a fake coin is?
I have sent three concerns to ebay with real counterfeit coins being sold without stating that fact in the ad.
None of them were found to be in violation of eBay policy.
Its like anyone can sell any coin without it being a real coin. Which I believe is a violation of Federal monetary regulation.
7 comments
ccomic
·1 month ago · EditedI need to take back my comment. It was based on past experience and when I went back to look, it seems that eBay has taken down many of the fake coins I used to check for (1909-S VDB pennies, flying eagle cents, etc.). I guess I need to go look for some forever stamps now :) .
vietcoinscollection
·1 month agoThis site has so many fakes of every description that the only protection you have is yourself.
I've seen many fakes being offered for sale on other coin auctions sites.
It's a problem in all categories of collectables.
I'm always amused when fakes are discovered in the high-end paintings.
They will expose and slap the person on the wrist and make them promise to never do it again.
And the people that bought the fakes (sometimes paying millions of dollars) never come forward.
wodstock
OP1 month agoWhat is eBay’s criteria for fake coins cause when I tell them about one, there is no violation?
eburtonlab
·1 month ago"No listing violation" does not mean that the seller will ship a genuine item, it just means that eBay cannot find a problem with the listing description. eBay has no way of knowing what a seller might actually ship, though.
Buyers should use their best judgement about which sellers to buy from. There are a lot of trustworthy sellers that have proven sales over many years for selling similar items. And also a lot of brand new sellers with no history of selling coins at all. And some that fall somewhere in between.
Pick the trustworthy sellers to buy from; avoid the ones with a pattern of bad feedback from unsatisfied customers for serious concerns; withhold judgement on the new sellers until they have received enough feedback to determine which sort they are.
Always avoid deals that are obviously "too good to be true".
wodstock
OP1 month agoThe picture in the ad shows an obvious fake coin. Worst I have seen. No description stating it’s a copy or counterfeit item. That’s where I have the issue. Policy states the seller must state “coin is a copy” for them to list this item. Plus it’s a federal infraction to sell bogus currency.
eburtonlab
·1 month ago · EditedKeep in mind that eBay is not looking at a picture and comparing it to the real thing. The picture may be an obvious fake to you with your experience, but it may not be obvious to someone else with no particular expertise in that field. And eBay does not have anyone with expertise in every possible field.
And even if eBay did check every image looking for obvious fakes, scammers could easily get around that by using a picture of a genuine item, and still ship a counterfeit.
If a buyer receives a counterfeit and files a "not as described" case, eBay will listen to the buyer and get the buyer a refund. eBay will not necessarily take the word of a random user that is not a buyer of that item and that may actually be a competitor with an axe to grind.
There is no real alternative to buyers knowing what they buy and buying what they know.
roccotacodad54
·1 month ago"Which I believe is a violation of Federal monetary regulation."
Were these coins sold domestically or from a non-domestic source? If the latter our government doesn't have jurisdiction to enforce any regulation(s)..
It's a crappy situation but eBay has no way of telling just on someones word alone.
The important thing is that you get your money back. The fact that you filed for a refund puts the seller on their radar..........