There are thieves on eBay trying to steal money from the honest people who sell their coins

Having been a victim of a scam artist on eBay i've written this guide to prevent scammers from taking your hard earned money... don't be overly trusting of everyone like i was... please be careful and report any dishonest buyers to eBay and USPS Postal Inspectors.

Just wanted to caution sellers about accepting an order from someone who has a poor feedback record. If other eBayers regularly leave feedback referring to someone as being dishonest you'll need to consider whether you want to complete a transaction with a crook. Just because someone bought something from you doesn't mean you have to deal with anyone who has proven they are dishonest. Sure no one wants to receive negative feedback but if you ship an item you just might lose it to a crook and end up receiving negative feedback... so why risk losing your merchandise?

It would be better to wait a few days until you can then cancel the transaction using the Report An Unpaid Item features that eBay offers as you'll then get credit for the fees eBay charged you.

You might be thinking... how could a dishonest buyer rob me of my merchandise since they paid me with PayPal? Here how:

Crooked buyer claims he never received the order... even if Delivery Confirmation states delivered

1) The crooked buyer could claim he didn't receive it... although your Delivery Confirmation will show it was delivered PayPal will take the buyer's word for it and charge it back to the seller so the dishonest buyer keeps the merchandise and gets a full refund as well. How can you prevent this? If enough money is involved then use the insurance feature USPS offers, whether you require the buyer to pay for this or you the seller pays it... what's $1.35 compared to losing up to $50.00? Paying the $1.35 will give you the peace of mind you'll not have the package lost and you be out for that loss.

Crooked buyer pulls a switch on you... receives a valuable coin and returns a worthless one for credit

2) Let's say you ship an 1883 V nickel that sold for $29.99 plus $1.86 s/h for $31.85 total and the dishonest buyer claims he doesn't like it, files a dispute for an item that isn't what it should be and wants a refund... when he buys Delivery Confirmation for the package and it is returned to you to your surprise when you open the package inside is a worthless 1946 nickel... you lose the $31.85 as PayPal gives it back to the crooked buyer. As a seller you are also out the merchandise and the hours of time spent trying to figure out the eBay system so Safe Harbor is alerted and the crooked buyer is reported to the US Postal Inspectors for investigation that hopefully leads to prosecution.

Investigate a potential buyer's feedback

Toolhaus.org is the quickest online source for finding all of the negative and neutral feedback an eBayer has either given or received in just a minute or two if several thousand transactions are involved.

Be careful... check that feedback before you risk losing your coins.

Not just the negative feedback the seller has received but check into the negative feedback the sellers gives... does the seller sound like a hothead calling other eBayers insulting names? Does the seller state the facts? Does the seller sound responsible?

What payments are safe for a coin seller to accept on eBay?

By 'safe' this means the money won't be pulled out of your account of the whim of the buyer... so a USPS postal money order would be the safest, followed by just about any other money order, a certified check, a bank check and a personal check if you cash it and wait a couple of weeks, or lastly good old cash but you can't state in your description you'll accept it as eBay has a rule againt that. There are other methods available but listing the names of competitors of PayPal wouldn't be appreciated by eBay since eBay owns PayPal and wants everyone to use it, crooks included.

Has something of major concern been left out of this guide?

Since i know i haven't thought of everything... please let me know if i've overlooked something you consider to be important and worthy of inclusion and i'll be happy to add it and give you full credit for the idea with your eBay name if you'd like or if you'd prefer i'll just mention your first name. Your questions, comments and observations are always welcome and i'm only an e-mail away... please use the Contact Member button to reach me.

The glass is half full...

eBay is a wonderful place to buy and sell and you'll meet thousands of great people over your future years of using it... but you'll also run into a handful of pickpockets who try to con you out of your money. A few bad apples in the large barrel doesn't need to spoil the entire barrel if we take the time to report thieves to eBay, USPS Postal Inspectors, and if enough money is involved your local law enforcement for evidence of a complaint that could lead to prosecution.

Happy eBaying...

DependableDennis