Another Ebay Bogus Listing

More reasons why I'll never buy from ebay. I can't trust it. No way. I'm no where near being able to shop for such stamps, way out of my price range, but stories like this just scare me off from purchasing anything. I do appreciate everyone's insights on what to look for.

I wouldn't let a few bad apples spoil the entire bunch. There are more good sellers on ebay than shady ones IMHO.

Depends what you're buying. The vast majority of sellers and buyers are on the up and up and you've got nothing to worry about. For the most part, "run of the mill" stamps (say those with a catalog value of less than $50 or $100), you can buy with a reasonable degree of confidence. In fact, ebay is probably the single best place to buy those types of stamps, bar none. A full-service dealer may charge you $15 for a stamp with a $20 cat value, while you could probably choose from several options on ebay for $5 or less. And a $20 cv stamp being sold for $5 is not very likely to be faked/forged in most cases.

It's usually (though not always) when you start getting into the more expensive items when you need to be wary. Even if you aren't knowledgeable enough to recognize a stamp that's actually been faked, just knowing that it could be faked will get you a long way. Red flags would be any expensive stamp that has a look-alike cheap variety, early material that is NH and so forth. For that type of material, you're definitely best buying it from a reputable source and/or with a certificate.

I've never really had a bad buying experience on ebay, and I buy at least a couple things a week on average. I'd venture to guess there are far more fraudulent buyers on ebay than fraudulent sellers. At least that's been my experience as both a buyer and seller there.

The real question is "Who would spend $18,000 on ebay on stamps sight unseen?" And the answer is "someone greedy, who thinks they know a lot more then they actually do". They see a lot like this, their eyes light up with $$$ signs, and they get reeled in like a trout. While I agree that it is fraudulent and should not be allowed, I find that I have little real sympathy for the buyer who really should know better then to expect this to turn out in any positive way.

I would be wary of spending this amount of money on an item like this, even with the money back return.

How the heck would any of us know what PayPal has or hasn't eaten? Its not like they would make that info available to any of us.

Check this out, now I think he's selling one of the real stamps from the collection.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stamp-Scott...AOSwud1W~26G

It certainly is the same stamp. Now the question is was the winner a shill ? Or did a buyer back out or perhaps call on the seller to produce real product ?

Actually - All three of his current listings are pictured (on the last page) of the collection that he sold.

https://myalbum.com/album/RVM3lVgM6GIi

Harry

ebay is like any market. THere are reputable dealers and those who aren't. My advice is to only buy from people you trust. I've made some mistakes on ebay and I just don't buy from those dealers anymore. I sell a small number of stamps (generally closer to 99 cents than $18000) and I make sure to provide detailed descriptions, have an unconditional return policy etc. I have seen a number of repeat buyers. I'd like to think that's because they've seen what I've sold and are happy that they get what I said they'd get. I'm not a professional dealer, just a collector trying to develop his hobby. I think you'll find there are some very reliable dealers, some that are truthful but over-priced, and a decent number of people you should never buy from. One danger sign is something that sounds too good to be true. Like a very rare NH stamp - that puts up my warning signs right away. I'd only buy something like that from someone I know. One way to get to know a dealer is to visit a stamp show. Of course those generally only happen in big cities. But many ebay dealers do show up at these shows.

I posted earlier on this thread as "the silly rabbit".
KGB, "Mattel" that was funny!
I am having a hard time not bidding on this
item. I have watched it since this thread
alerted me. It was @ $1.00, and seems to be
at $20.50. Could this be real, after what just happened
with the 18K, crazy sale. Could they need to do a real deal?
They did have positive feedback on this account.
I tried to get a shipping cost and was unable. I also noticed
that the seller asked for additional time to ship!
I may bid just to have some fun.
I will keep those bids on the low side!

I was having some fun with this subject.
My $40.00 bid has been outbid.
You call it greed, I call it silly.
I am just trying understand and have fun with some things.
Let's try and keep it civil.
And to all a good night!

Rimstamps2012, I make ridiculous bids just for fun, and sometimes (rarely) I even win.

Even more rarely, the seller actually ships the item to me.

Here we go again, the seller re-listed it. He says "Re-selling the collection because the buyer did not show signs of life, (also) the payment method, while my accounts were hacked, for now I can not take paypal because I have many steps and paper to do".

I guess I'll have to send him cash. Are U.S. $100's o.k.?