Listing Keeps getting removed for not following "Replica coin Policy"

[ashtoheise0]

About a month ago I made a couple listing of rolls of wheat coins I am selling. I've already made auction and non-auction sales which have been delivered and the buyers have made no complaints. Every Listing I have made have photos I took of real wheat coins which I own. Recently I made a few new listings of single high grade wheat coins with titles like "1954 S Wheat Penny High Grade" and the one posting I put a grade of MS66 and listed PCGS as the grader. They have a self photograde online tool to use which is what I used for the coins. They all weren't listed with grades but I remember listing the one with the grade to compare how it sold.

Not long after the three listings of single coins were flagged as replica coins and the listings were removed. I contacted an agent and they reviewed the issue and made the very same listings available again to be relisted. I relisted them, received bids,  and the next day the same listings were removed again for not following the "Replica coin policy" . I contacted an agent again and they looked into everything, they had me wait for a moment and said he was gonna forward me to a "specialist". I explained the issue to the specialist, mentioning the coins were all real and non of the info I provide is misleading as well as the previous agent looking into it already. She keep me on hold for a while and eventually after we talked for a moment she said that it was a mistake and she apologizes on Ebay behalf. She placed made the same listings available again and said to wait an hour before placing them back up.

I placed the listing back up after an hour and yet again the next day for the third time the listings are struck for breaking "Replica coin policy". This time it didn't only take down the single pennies I have but it also took the listing of the roll of coins I have which has already generated sales and has been put for about a month. I contacted an agent again, explaining the issue fully as well I could. All she did was rephrase the replica coin policy. I told her that It didn't apply since the coins were real and I wasn't breaking any rules. She told me to hold on as she looked into it. I explained that two agents prior already looked into it and placed the listing back up though the error keeps happening. If there was something I could do to change my listings to prevent this I would gladly do so. Mid chat she then told me I can't post replica coins and don't repost or make an appeal to avoid further restrictions. And the second she sent that message she ended the chat. She gave no explanation and just basically hung up on me.

I contacted another agent explained the situation and told him how the last agent hung up on me with no help. All he said was due to all the errors he would contact his manager and told me to look out for an Email within the next  hours. I asked what to do with my current listings, I'm afraid of them getting stuck leading to a ban. And he just said look out for the Email.

I'm not too certain I'll receive an Email so I'm hoping maybe someone with experience in this might be able to help me better. Ill provide the photo's of the listing. If there's anything I can change please let me know so I can fix this issue. I'm also happy to provide any further info, thanks.

[tdumonde2014]

You cannot claim a specific grade in your listing unless the coin has been graded by an approved grading service. You can say "Looks uncirculated", but you can't say " MS 65" unless it was graded by PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or ICG. 

On a side note, how can you claim unsearched rolls when they are in modern wrappers?

[dogchow747 · Accepted solution]

"I put a grade of MS66 and listed PCGS as the grader"

You can not do that. No way no how.

PCGS is a grading company that encapsulates coins (at a high fee) it is the standard along with NGC.

You can post that as uncirculated, but you can not self grade it as MS 66 (not a 66 anyway)

Read the rules on coin grading, it is "ungraded"

Good luck

[bonjourami]

All I can tell you is you are on Ebays radar now, and the bots are targeting them. I wouldnt list them again, right or wrong, if you value your account. Ebays next step will be to permanently suspend you.

[ashtoheise0]

Thank you so much. I understand now. I made a new listing and removed anything mentioning a grading and titled it "1954 S Wheat Penny. Great Condition." - https://www.ebay.com/itm/393749097632.  with "“1954 S Wheat Penny. No official grading. Great Condition.”" in the description. Any chance anyone could review this briefly. I'm afraid of getting banned, sorry. Thank you so much for the explanation. 

[dogchow747]

I will be nice, because I do not think you are trying to scam anyone. You are just uninformed.

This is a PCGS coin from a ebay seller I trust:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363637431698

Its encapsulated and graded by a expert. Don't always agree, but they are experts.

The 1954 and 1951 Lincoln cents you have may be super nice looking and shiny (no being insulting)

But professional graders are the pickiest folks on the planet.

Those are nice, but you can not claim they are professionally graded.

They have bag marks and some corrosive spots.

Great for regular folks who want a nice 64+ coin in their book.

The difference between grades can be just crazy, so that is why graders are on top of the game.

List them as ungraded and uncirculated, for a few bucks a piece with free shipping and see what happens.

Seriously, good luck.

[collectfest]

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@ashtoheise0 wrote:

Thank you so much. I understand now. I made a new listing and removed anything mentioning a grading and titled it "1954 S Wheat Penny. Great Condition." - https://www.ebay.com/itm/393749097632.  with "“1954 S Wheat Penny. No official grading. Great Condition.”" in the description. Any chance anyone could review this briefly. I'm afraid of getting banned, sorry. Thank you so much for the explanation. 

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Leave out no official grading. Puts me off as a customer and sorta riding a line that will not benefit you in making a sale. Those who knows coins can assess your penny by looking at the photos.

Don't get me wrong, I get your issue but I chose not to sell anymore. If you are going to sell on eBay you'll have to follow their rules.

[titipeo]

You would think that eBay customer service reps could have mentioned the grading issue, yet they failed to do so. 4 separate reps, along with the "escalation" supervisors, they all failed to mention this. Yet, the community board was quick in pointing out the problem. SMH 

[dogchow747]

Great job,

I  just might bid on it.

Good job with the cheap shipping.

Only handle it on the sides if possible, put it between 2 pieces of paper when shipping in standard envelope.

Make sure you do not get any glue from tape on it.

A 54s is not a bad date, hopefully other folks see it!

Good luck!

[ashtoheise0]

I placed "no official grading" in fear of me getting it took down again. I removed it though after you explained. I really appreciate that. I'm still new to this but I have no issue following eBay's rules and policies. I'm willing to learn and you guys have helped out a lot with that. Thank you so much for your time helping with this.

[dogchow747]

I put a low bid on it, hopefully to attract attention.

I would price future ones at $1.49 to $1.99 to start for non-circulated?

There are alot of wheat cents up, I do not want your listing to get caught in the masses.

Thanks for being honest and working with the system.

Lots of folks come here and complain about problems they refuse to correct,

The smart ones are wiling to listen.

Good luck!

[jayjaspersgarage]

I have been a coin collector since the early 1970's and have been selling coins on ebay for eleven years now.  Selling coins is a hobby for most of us.  If you track your time and expenses you will find that unless your cost basis is next to nothing for common post WWII coins there really isn't any profit.

The responses stating that getting coins graded is 'very expensive' are not exactly accurate.  How expensive a coin grading is depends on the value of the coin.  You need to have coins valued over a certain amount graded just to attract the best bidders.  I used to sell ungraded coins valued up to about $75.  Once the value topped $75 or $80 I would weight the $17 grading fee plus the grading companies onerous shipping and insurance requirements for each batch of twenty coins I sent in.  

Either you need to join one of the grading 'clubs' such as PCGS or NGC and use the gradings that come with the membership.  I used to pay around $200 per year  for eight gradings and access to their database.  Or you can take coins to a coin shop or someone like myself who can send the coins in for grading.  If you do a decent volume for basic domestic coins the cost is under $20 for each grading.  I generally never sent coins in unless they were valued at over $200 when I used the eight gradings that came with the membership.

Photograde is a fantastic tool for sorting large lots of coins quickly.  

Why they chose to call it a replica coin is beyond me since it is actually a genuine coin.  The violation was in listing practices.  That's water under the bridge as they say.  You learned a valuable lesson and survived to see another day.

Best of luck to you.

[batjacwheats]

I have had the same issues many times in last 3 years. They just removed all my coin listings including PCGS slabbed coins. I feel it is vindictiveness. How else can you explain listings to be totally wiped off the board. I had one listing removed on Saturday. I called CS on Sunday. After being on hold for awhile the rep offered to call me back. Never did. These "Replica Coin" messages are confusing and depressing. After selling the same items with similar descriptions for over 4 years, with no buyer complaints, how can this be justified? Why would you shoot yourself in your own foot by losing the overpriced fees you charge? While allowing dozens and dozens of other sellers to continue. Most with poorer ratings and misleading listings. 

My listing was a Lincoln Cent 1909-s VDB. I purchased the same coin on ebay months ago. How can you remove a listing that was purchase on your site? 

Even after rewriting listing with no mention of my opinion of grade (VF,EF, etc.), it was removed again, and as punishment, ALL my listings were ended. 

Are they allowing a few sellers, who possibly "grease the palm", to say which listings are real and which are fake? How else can you explain this?

Please comment. Thanks.

[intrepidwon-us]

You could have written this about my own recent experience. Coins purchased on eBay but now I get them taken down when I list them. Also other i see other listings Identical to mine and they continue to be sold. I have maintained 100% seller rating. Just don't understand.

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.