Was accused of selling counterfeit, it isn't, and how the guy accusing me lost the auction....

[sin-n-dex]

So this dealer was wanting to bid on an auction of mine so he could certify it and sell it for profit.

Then he starts accusing me of selling a counterfeit. He provided another listing (which ended over a month ago) of the same coin, which turned out to actually be counterfeit. I told him the coin was purchased from a reputable shop (our shop bought a dealer's entire inventory), and we have no reason to believe it's counterfeit.

I must have gotten four messages about this coin being a possible counterfeit from the guy. He kept telling me he wants to buy it, but he wants to be sure it's not counterfeit. Could I check the weight.

Well I did, then I posted it to the listing (Peru 1838 8 Reales) for everyone else bidding to see, and the price shot up from a $50 bid to a $145 bid overnight.

Then the guy pestering me tells me based on the weight, he's sure it's not counterfeit anymore, but now that I've shared the weight with all auction people, everyone else knows it's not counterfeit and he won't have a chance at winning.

Our shop says the coin is worth $150 in the grade it's in, and in the past hour it ended for $420. I've already been paid by the buyer who isn't this dealer that's been pestering me.

If he just asked me questions and left it alone (and believed me when I told him why it's not a fake), I might not have felt the need to share the weight of the coin with everyone on eBay, thus it might not have bid so high as people would have been a little unsure of what they were bidding on.

Well it worked out for me, so long as I get to keep my money after the current buyer receives it.

C.

[chapeau-noir]

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@greatmidwestcoin wrote:

Why post so much about nothing. Just my opinion. People are reviewing posts to help or get help, not chat.

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The OP in this thread is such a perfect example of how human relations work in the mercantile space. Too bad you can't see it.

[sin-n-dex]

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@stevescho wrote:

A similar coin not as nice as yours, sold for $312 shortly before your auction ended.

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I got confirmation from my sources that this sold coin is counterfeit.

I suspected as much, but people who know more about coins than I do confirmed my suspicions.

It's tempting to message the seller, but I think that's looking for trouble. He may even know he sold a counterfeit coin and not care, apparently the guy who accused me contacted him the same day (because he updated his listing with the weight of the coin, same thing I did).

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@greatmidwestcoin wrote:

Why post so much about nothing. Just my opinion. People are reviewing posts to help or get help, not chat.

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I know you're not one of my fans, but there's no need to harass me every time I post something you don't like.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

Maybe I read it wrong but it appears to me you would of ended up losing money if it weren't for this dealer.

Since you listed it in a way people might pass due to questionable legitimacy.

So you should be thanking them. 🤔

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You are right, I wouldn't have thought there were so many fakes that posting the weight would help my sale. Yes, no doubt he helped me. But at the same time he missed out because of his help...

It did occur to me if I get anything that's a little odd in future I should try to provide a bit more information to verify legitimacy to my buyers (plus checking the coin specs on Numista certainly won't hurt, at least I'll know right out of the gate if what I have is suspect.)

C.

[keziak]

I enjoy reading about seller experiences. If you don't like it why read them and complain here?

[keziak]

Probably jealous of your success.

[chapeau-noir]

Hoist by his own petard.

Ooops.

[robbie31415]

I've given up better opportunities all the time.

Especially if I need someone do something completely wrong.  Not saying you did in this instance. But I've pushed sellers in the right direction that gained them more than they would have.

I could have kept silent and capitalized on their errors. Meh I have no regrets.

[sin-n-dex]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

I've given up better opportunities all the time.

Especially if I need someone do something completely wrong.  Not saying you did in this instance. But I've pushed sellers in the right direction that gained them more than they would have.

I could have kept silent and capitalized on their errors. Meh I have no regrets.

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What he could have done is just bought the coin and then checked if it was counterfeit when he received it. Or he could have just accepted my original answer (not weighed properly) and either moved on or gambled. He chose to argue which gave me the inkling to "prove it" to all other potential bidders.

Anyway he isn't sour, he sent me a note this evening congratulating me on getting such a high bid and told me the bidding went too high for his budget. The bidding might not have gone too high if not for him pushing me on the specs of the coin.

I too would keep silent and bid/buy and wait and see what I get... most sellers don't appreciate being told anything anyway. I've noticed some people message me to try to get under my skin and I thank them for the information to help me improve my listing. Then I never hear from them again... the tone that was taken in their original message suggests some kind of attitude, but I pretend to not notice.

C.