Is Ebay's Authenticity Guarantee for $500-Plus Coins Good or Bad?
Summary: certifiedcitynet expressed concerns about eBay's new authenticity guarantee for $500-plus coins, highlighting potential delays due to required verification with PCGS and predicting negative impacts on both sellers and buyers. janet9988 and other participants debated the change, comparing it to similar authentication processes for other items. Several discussants, including certifiedcitynet, emphasized issues with shipment times and security, citing personal experiences with delivery services. Others shared differing opinions on the authenticity guarantee's benefits, leading to a mixed reception among participants. Concerns about customer dissatisfaction, logistical delays, and the viability of coin sales on eBay were prominent themes.
On August 18, Ebay started to roll out its authenticity guarantee for $500-plus U.S. coins, even those already certified by CAC, NGC, and PCGS! This new policy could add weeks if not months to delivery times. What customer will be willing to wait that long? We have had buyers who ordered on a Friday night and then opened a dispute with Ebay on Monday morning because the coin had not yet been delivered even though all involved businesses had been closed for the entirety of the interim.
Forcing coin dealers like us to first ship CAC, NGC, and PCGS coins to PCGS for verification is an unnecessary waste of time and effort, and an insult to all reputable coin dealers. These slabbed coins and their images can already be validated by entering their serial numbers at the respective slab websites. Ebay claims a "two-day turnaround time" for verification at PCGS but that does not count the time that PCGS will take before logging in the coins, which can take up to 30 days or more for coin slabbing in our experience. Nor does it consider transit time from the seller to PCGS, which in our case has been taking seven to 10 days for Priority Mail plus, again, the time it takes for PCGS to log in the shipments (up to 30-plus days).
We use 27 security features, such as GPS trackers and sophisticated warning labels, on every package shipped. But none of these safeguards will be used when PCGS ships our coins to buyers in PCGS's thin, flimsy envelopes that invite damage and theft. We anticipate many stolen coins and damaged slabs as a result. What an aggravating and unnecessary disaster.
We believe that this new authenticity guarantee will cost Ebay many legitimate sellers and enrage and discourage buyers who might have to wait weeks if not months longer for their beloved rare coins to be delivered.
What was Ebay thinking?
alien_coins
·5 days agoI want some checked for sure. High end Morgans that can be counterfeit. Got some silver not listed from China but shipped from China. Fake and ebay didn't care just send back.
My coins are usually NGC cause world. CAC is really picky. PCGS did grade a world coin that NGC stopped grading and that cost me shipping. PCGS just emailed me they wanted them in Thick holders ok fine UHR
I just tried to verify a high price ICG coin and SN not found. Good thing I didn't buy that rare ICG MS70. ICG all over feebay. Where is this Authentication? Had a rare Morgan delivered today no Authentication. It;s the other that worries me as feedback of fake gold coins sold...ebay don't care cause seller "Didn't know it was fake"
shado-x
·6 days agoAuthentication Guarantee is Expanding......Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo1 More lower sales to avoid it. lol How about the US Postal Service high postage rates won't expand and will be lowered.
richardnevada
·1 week agoI agree with Certifiedcitynet's pertinent observations. As I see things, the problem is not with the honest sellers. The problem is that eBay continues to honor the crooked/lying buyers that open disputes that are without merit. Once a buyer stings a reputable seller (yes, it absolutely happens!!!) eBay continues to allow the buyer to remain a member, and terrorize more honest sellers in the process. Personally, I'd like to see eBay grow a spine and protect the sellers as opposed to appearing greedy by honoring the crooked buyer.
Another major problem in my opinion is the massive influx of counterfeit coins being listed from sellers in China, Africa, Asia, and now these sellers appear to be exporting their fakes to new business IDs in the US. But, when you tell eBay that a coin is a counterfeit, eBay ignores the alert.
So, at this point, I will simply say, "SELLER BEWARE"!!!
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoAnother problem with this new Ebay program is that PCGS uses only FedEx when returning coins to us. FedEx never delivers directly to us; they always use the fake excuse that they had too many deliveries on that day and requires us to waste up to two hours retrieving our packages from a pharmacy that inexplicably holds them. What does a pharmacy have to do with FedEx? Plus, this pharmacy is notorious for teen takeovers, robberies, shoplifting, and very lax security. They store our valuable parcels out in the open where anyone walking by can steal them. Also, FedEx claims that our packages are never eligible for redelivery. Why? Despite its flaws, USPS is a million times better than FedEx could ever be. And much cheaper.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoNote that the supporters of the new coin authentication program who have posted comments hereon list $100-and-under coins or do not even sell coins at all. Yet, they feel that they have the expertise and insight to competently opine about the subject. Trust me, you do not.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoUPDATE: We have already lost two steady customers over the new authentication program even after we said that the delay might add as little as 10 days extra (in theory).
oldwestgold
·2 weeks agoWill PCGS(eBay authenticator) allow NGC-certified coins to go through if PCGS does not certify them presently? In other words, NGC has been certifying a certain line of coins for decades, but PCGS does not presently.
I asked on eBay chat, and they stated that PCGS "should" mainly confirm if the listing matches what the coin has been certified for.
richardnevada
·1 week agoI think you'd be wise to take the information received from eBay chat with a grain of salt. My experience has been that the so-called eBay "Help Agents" often provide information that is inaccurate ... or worse. In my case, I received eBay chat information that was incorrect, relied on that information, only to lose close to $500 of silver. Ebay would not stand by what their own "help agents" told me.
Be careful relying on eBay "help/Chat" information as it may not be accurate.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedWhy is it taking 7-10 days for Priority packages to go from you to PCGS? It's just a regular address in a good-sized city, so there's no reason other than some freaky screw-up for a Ground Advantage package to reach them in 2-5 days, let alone Priority.
Are ALL your shipments taking so crazy long, like to places other than PCGS?
oldwestgold
·2 weeks agoYes, it can take up to two weeks from Ohio to CALI via USPS Priority. I find no diff between the two services anymore. I am a retired Postmaster of 33 years. Just my experience having to go through the worst distribution plant in the US - Detroit.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoOf course any shipment CAN take weeks or months for that matter. But the Op specifically said their shipments to PCGS take 7-10 days, meaning no less than 7 days, and I am asking them why, and if all their shipments take so long.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoPriority Mail shipments from my Philadelphia post office to PCGS consistently take seven to 10 days for delivery although they can take much longer. What is worse is PCGS's use of FedEx for returns to us. FedEx is a million times worse than USPS and does not even deliver to us, always using the fake excuse that they had too many packages that day. We are then forced to waste up to two hours driving to a pharmacy that inexplicably holds FedEx packages.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoWell I'm the Queen Of Hating FedUp so no argument there. But I can't understand why you would routinely see such long USPS ship times from Philly to Santa Ana. Sure the coast-to-coast distance would be a factor, but not as big a factor as 'what' the start and end points are.
Like if you were having scheduled pickups from a house on a rural dirt road in backwoods PA and PCGS were in a likewise 'obscure' location, then long transit times would make sense. But you're going right to the post office in a postal HUB city, shipping to an address in another hub city, and with Priority it's ALL flying (whereas GA might be flying or could have some trucking).
So I'm not accusing you of dishonesty, but there must be something seriously wrong with either your post office or the one in Santa Ana.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoMy dishonesty? Why would it benefit me to delay Priority Mail, which often sits in my post office for three to four days before it is scanned out? It then suffers further delays when it gets to big cities in CA. But, again, USPS infinitely trumps FedEx, the trashiest delivery service on Earth.
gurlcat
·1 week agoDude. I literally said I was NOT accusing you of dishonesty, LOL!
In fact, it appears you verified what I actually DID suspect, that your post office is the problem. That's unacceptable -have you tried reaching out to your local postmaster?
oldwestgold
·1 week agoI understand English just fine. I provided an answer, no different from the one you did. Other than I have 33 years of working in the Post Office, and you don't.
gurlcat
·1 week agoYou say that every time -I bet my great-great-great-grandchildren will be born knowing that someone called oldwestgold worked in the post office for 33 bleepin years. 🙄
But I couldn't even begin to count the number of changes it has undergone in the 8 years since you retired, so your incessant flex about the time you worked there is all but pointless. It's like someone saying they were an eBay seller since 1999 but if they haven't sold in recent years it's like a whole other platform than it was back then.
oldwestgold
·2 weeks ago · EditedI have a submission to PCGS right now that is 2 1/2 months old with nothing being done. Now I understand why. Looks like NGC will be reaping a lot of future PCGS submissions. I won't be sending anything further to PCGS if avoidable.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 weeks agoCounterfeit slabbed graded product has appeared in other categories where Ebay has required Ebay Authentication.
I have seen folks reporting counterfeit product which mimics the major coin grading services.
My own experience with Ebay Authentication has not shown long delays. The error rate for rare product is no worse than PSA. BUT sloppy listing practices which fail to itemize defects can cause delays or orders cancelled because the buyer will not accept the defects properly noted by the Ebay Authenticators.
I found myself more sensitive to use more words when providing condition information in my listings in categories where Ebay authenticates.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoWhat "experience with Ebay Authentication" could you possible have? You list mostly $10 to $50 items with merely one $500 item and another at $600. You know nothing about the coin business or PCGS. This new program will easily add two weeks or more to total transit time. Coin collectors do not want to wait two days for delivery much less two weeks on top of that.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 weeks agoI have set Terapeak record prices with some of my non-sports card auctions.
My fixed price auctions are well below the authenticity requirement.
This is a lull season for my auction sales.
I have never claimed to know the details of the coin business, but I do know that coin dealer's poor reliability in the past led to the creation of third party grading, and that when the coin business turned to crap, the third party graders expanded to grading sports cards.
I was an adult and interested in other collectibles when grading was part of an attempt to avoid the destruction of a popular hobby.
certifiedcitynet
OP1 week agoYou have no experience with COIN authentication by PCGS, which is a different firm from the card authentication company used by Ebay. PCGS's "two business day turnaround" for coin slabbing takes up to 30 days or more in my experience, so there is no reason to believe that their authentication service for already-certified coins would be any faster. Even if it actually is two business days turnaround time, which can translate to five calendar days counting weekends and holidays, it is extra time that a buyer must wait, added to the seven to 10 days transit time from our post office to PCGS via Priority Mail. And, of course, include the time that an order takes to go from PCGS to the buyer and you are looking two to three weeks or even longer even if everything goes as planned. Rare coin buyers are finicky, demanding people who want instant gratification; I doubt that many will be willing to endure such a long wait.
oldwestgold
·1 week agoMy PCGS submission is at 3 months with no activity.
oldwestgold
·2 weeks ago · EditedAbsolutely a terrible idea, as I recently had my first experience with Authenticity Guaranteed. The result? I lost a repeat great customer because of it. Thousands of dollars lost in future sales.
Firstly, we all know certified coins have already been authenticity-approved. That's why they go through being certified. Yes, eBay is showing AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEED already for NGC and PCGS slabbed coins! WHY?!?!
Another is that years back eBay APPROVED certain grading companies that could be trusted. They blew that out of the water recently by allowing pretty much ANY company claiming to slab a coin to be added to a listing.
This program is redundant and WILL cause negative results. A delay in shipping is the first one. Second is having people review for authenticity on some coins who do not have a clue as to what a coin may be. CLUELESS.(ignorant) Yes, I have a file folder of photos of PCGS certification errors. I mean, seriously, what will their authenticator state once they hold a slabbed coin? "It looks good?" Because that's all they can say. But WILL this be the only thing mentioned in the authentication report? Will they give an opinion of the grade of the coin, the value, the metal content? Most of those are just opinions. Even the PCGS Coinfacts website is rife with errors.
It's an absolutely dumb idea and will be the downfall of selling coins on eBay. eBay should concentrate on the few sellers out there offering scam listings and enforce their existing rules and regs. But no. Let's create more chaos.
Lastly, how will the coin sent by the seller be insured after it leaves the eBay authenticator service? My third-party insurance company requires a coin to be double-boxed and to meet certain other mailing conditions. I highly doubt the authenticator will just tape up the two boxes and forward them on. Once leaving the authenticator, will eBay assume liability for any damage or loss?
deltilogical
·2 weeks ago · EditedI'm curious if the grading services now get to harvest the Ebay customers data from the forced procedure? Shouldn't the seller get some revenue for that if that is the case, or do the grading companies sign agreements to not add the ebay buyers data to their database. Do the ebay sellers even get to know who the buyers are or is it all greyed out?
deltilogical
·2 weeks ago · EditedThere are just too many links that need to be managed - a few weeks of bad weather and holidays and buyers are going to be angry. Once the seller hands off the coin to USPS and it is scanned, is Ebay then the custodian and responsible for it? I'm constantly reading about the scan issues with the ebay mailers on this board.
This should be great for coin shows, marketplace and whatsup!
They are trying to create trust based on a forced situation"There’s no opt-in or opt-out." I don't see to see the part about the fees - grading services don't work for free nor do they repackage and ship for free.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedAG is free, so is the extra leg of shipping.
But you're probably right that a lot of coin selling will go back to in-person. Funny thing about that, I've seen countless dealers and collectors in coin groups reminisce about how much they missed the old coin show/club days, before eBay became the main go-to.
oldwestgold
·1 week ago · EditedAnyone selling coins as a dealer understands that person-to-person will never return. Brick-and-mortar coin shops were done a few decades ago. I co-ran one of the largest for years. All they get today is people bringing in scrap and bullion to sell. Even at coin shows and large conventions, you are extremely limited in material. I can travel to a 300+ dealer convention and barely find one California gold for sale. I can go online and find many. Same goes for anything in the way of coins. Club and coin shows are happening almost every weekend in the US. I used to run one for years. Anyone can Google coin shows and get a list of what and when they are in your area. Large conventions are also everywhere. The ANA Money Convention was last week in Pittsburgh.
jnjtra
·2 weeks ago · EditedYou should love it.
No chance of an INAD or a scam on an expensive piece. Authentication is the only reason I'm willing to sell high value cards on ebay instead of consigning them to a more costly auction house.
Plus, any late shipment complaints you can deflect to ebay.
It's just another way eBay is making their marketplace more safe and serious buyers will value that. Serious sellers should too.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoThis new policy will add a delivery delay of at least 14 to 21 days. It will take seven to 10 days for a shipment to get from our post office to PCGS via Priority Mail in my experience. And another perhaps seven to 14-plus days at PCGS for their "two business day turnaround" joke of an estimate. Also, Ebay will continue their current policy of refunding a buyer's money if he opens a case for an order not received within three days from the date of the dispute, even if a coin is in transit, which will result in the customer getting a free coin at the seller's expense. To add insult to the long-wait injury, none of our 27 security features will be used when PCGS finally sends our coins to the buyers, so thefts and damaged slabs will abound. We may end up listing only items valued under $500 rather than endure the aggravation of selling pricier items.
jnjtra
·2 weeks agoThat is literally how none of this works. All you have to do is get your item safely tracked to the authentication center and you're protected from all claims including INR and INAD. eBay doesn't care about your 27 "security features" (preposterous statement) and never has. This change is literally safer and less scammy for you. If it gets damaged after authentication you would be protected.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoSpeaking of "preposterous", you are laughable uninformed. Our "27 security features" have resulted in ZERO losses out of thousands of packages sent over the years. I have no interest in Ebay's (or your) opinion about our security features. My point was that PCGS uses NONE our ingenious security features and their shipments of our coins will likely result in many thefts and damaged slabs.
As for "All you have to do is get your items safely tracked to the authentication center", oh, is that all? It will add many days to the delivery delay (minimum seven for transit time) as will PCGS's ridiculous claim of a "two-day handling time", which every seasoned submitter knows means weeks, not days.
But then again, you know everything because you sell $5 items yet I know nothing even though I have a $200 million monthly selling limit on merely one of our Ebay stores.
floridapanther1
·6 days agoThis is to jnjtra and janet9988. Why are you two inserting yourselves here? Why are you commenting on coin sellers concerns? jnjtra doesn't sell coins and janet doesn't seem to sell anything.
I'm way behind in my reading and I am only a small volume coin seller. But I know a lot about coins and third party grading. This new procedure makes zero sense on any level. I simply don't understand the problem eBay thinks it is addressing by routing already graded and certified coins and funneling them all through an existing third party that could be thousands of miles away from both the seller and buyer. What problem is being corrected? Let's say I am buying an 1889-CC Morgan Dollar. Nice coin. In an NGC holder and graded AU-53. Sweet. I can take the information off of the holder and go to the NGC web site and find the coin. 100% confidence it is real. Where else has it been? By spending a little time on a few different web sites I can determine if it has sold at auction in the past and if so, when and for how much. What does all of that mean? It means that a lot of experts have seen the coin and they trust that it is what it claims to be. The coin has been seen and it has pedigree. So what problem is eBay solving for?
When I sell a coin, I pack it quite well. I buy new boxes in a couple of different sizes, I use bubble wrap and paper and I take my time and I pack things well. I pack them the way I want coins that are coming to me to be packed. I have a listing right now to sell a commemorative coin from the year 2000 that is worth $1500-$2000. Now I know this doesn't have to go to PCGS (yet) and I never want it to. I have owned the coin set since it was new. The box and contents are as clean as they were the day it arrived from the US Mint in early 2001. The last thing I would want after selling and packing that coin for shipment is to have some Yahoo ripping open my box and removing the package and coin to inspect it. The only person I want touching the package is the buyer. The damn thing is pristine. I don't want it squeezed or crushed or bent or dropped. You can say it won't happen but.... it will. Because it always happens. And adding another series of steps into the food chain- shipping, distribution, opening, touching, packing, shipping- will only lead to some number of errors that aren't occurring today. It is inevitable.
I know you couldn't care less. I simply wish eBay could tell me what problem they see that they think they are solving with this change.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoSee if this helps.
https://community.ebay.com/forum/announcements-57928/topic/introducing-authenticity-guarantee-for-coins-470520/
janet9988
·2 weeks agoEbays Authenticity guarantee has been around for years for lots of other items and worked fine.
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoNever for rare coins and never with PCGS, LMAO. This will be a disaster on steroids. Delivery from my post office to PCGS via Priority Mail takes seven to 10 days in my experience and waiting for PCGS's "two-day turnaround" will add another 10 to 30-plus days (also in my experience for actual slabbing) for a total additional waiting period of 20 to 40-plus days plus the time that shipments take to get from PCGS to the buyers. rare coin buyers are too impatient to tolerate this long delay.
bdmh-enterprises
·2 weeks ago · EditedeBay uses the card grading company PSA for the card authentication. Despite PSA being massively backed up with 6-12 mo turn around for regular grading, my authenticated cards go through in a matter of days even if the customer adds grading too. Hopefully eBay will have a deal with PCGS that will allow for similar expediation of the authentication process.
ETA: Also, authentication is one of the few real seller protections on eBay. Losing an impatient buyer here and there is probably worth the piece of mind that you won't ever loose out to a fraudulent return on a $1k coin..
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks ago"Days" is still too much extra time for already-slow USPS deliveries. Plus, shipment from PCGS to our buyers will not have the 27 security features that we use on our packages, including GPS trackers, tamper-resistant tape, heavily reinforced packing, video recordings that verify contents when packages are sealed, fingerprint and DNA collectors, and sophisticated warning labels. Thus, we expect numerous thefts, damaged slabs, and disgruntled customers replete with negative feedback.
drnusbaum
·2 weeks agoHow have your "27 security features" ever helped you in the past from a customer claim ? None of that affects ebay policies.
Slow shipping sounds like a separate problem, are you in a terrible location ? Does PCGS not have a location closer to you ?
certifiedcitynet
OP2 weeks agoWhat are you even talking about? My point was that when we ship coin oorders directly to our customers, they NEVER get stolen or lost when we use our 27 security features. PCGS does not use ANY of these features and ships fragile slabs in thin, flimsy envelopes that invite damage and theft.
drnusbaum
·2 weeks agoHow do your security features prevent them from getting lost or stolen ? That makes no sense. Most of the things you listed have nothing to do with preventing loss/theft.
And if it does get lost or stolen, ebay doesn't care about any of your security features, only the ebay policy. And the Authenticity Guarantee is an ebay policy that totally protects you, no loss or theft possible from your perspective.
You could argue it's worse for the customer, but
1) Again, I don't understand how your "security features" help anything.
2) I find it hard to believe that a professional coin grader does not ship expensive graded collectibles in secure packaging, in fact it seems absurd to claim, especially when Ebay has made a contract with them to protect a massive value of merch sales. Perhaps you just have a difference of opinion on what is "secure" packaging, but if the PCGS company is successful they're probably doing fine.
oldwestgold
·2 weeks agoI just lost one repeat customer, which will result in thousands lost in future sales. He was not happy with the delay and the process. I agreed.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoHe literally told you he would not buy from you again? Did he not realize it will be the same for any coin of high value, no matter which seller he buys from?
oldwestgold
·2 weeks agoYes, he hates the new authenticator program. This was my first experience.
drnusbaum
·2 weeks agoIf he's refusing to use ebay then he'll find seller websites off ebay. Shrug.
shado-x
·2 weeks agoI simply do not sell items that require it. Once tried to sell Lebron James sneakers, and this "Ebay Authentication Guarantee" popped up which I didn't ask for. Closed the sale page and listed it for 99 cents with Free postage. Sold for 80 bucks, got to send it myself, buyer happy-----so was I, found the sneakers on the side of the road.