I keep getting outbid for a Victoria coin

[copper123 1,513]

Take that with a pinch of salt (how exactly does he know the entire history of a coin worth relatively little)

[Davethepitch 8]

I thought the same but it was only after several emails he told me where he had it from and I thought why would a penny spend so much time in Sweden.

 

 

[Peter 615]

Just done a quick search on BIN Vicky 1d's.

Plenty of choice.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Penny-/98763/i.html?LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

[Peter 615]

Ditto George V

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Penny-/141120/i.html?LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

[Rob 3,152]

Which is why eBay is such a drag. 99% of this material needs to be melted which would be good for the environment and good for numismatics. With everything priced at 99p it sets the bar for people's expectations on price.

The world has a long way to go before there is a shortage of low grade material. I know I send tens of kgs to the pot every year and that is just a drop in the ocean. In fact, it makes you wonder at which point it is worth not melting. A while back I acquired a virtually full run of bronze pennies (missing 1869, 1870, 1926ME and 1950), mostly in fairly dire condition with the best Vicky no better than fine. Given the undesirable state of most, I bulked them up with a load of across the board 20th century to get rid of a few kilos, it had no bids despite only asking for scrap + fees + shipping + 10% as a starting price. My scrap man was happy to do a BIN with no time wasting eBayer to worry about.

I would have no hesitation in limiting things to one relist before scrapping, or just cutting out eBay altogether as future policy. Sure I'll check for the odd obvious rarity, but that aside it really isn't worth the time and effort. A washer for 99p including postage is a waste of time for everyone. With the cheapest shipping method possible, after fees it leaves 11p to be divided between the scrap metal value, packing and cost of getting it to the post office. The cost to the environment is considerably greater than 11p.

[Davethepitch 8]

Maybe it is me but I think some people ask sily prices for postage and packaging and I had one the other month and it was an envelope with a bit of cardboard in with the coin sellotaped to it and postage was about £2.50 but more fool me for buying it

[Rob 3,152]

Just now, Davethepitch said:

Maybe it is me but I think some people ask sily prices for postage and packaging and I had one the other month and it was an envelope with a bit of cardboard in with the coin sellotaped to it and postage was about £2.50 but more fool me for buying it

This is a common but misguided complaint which I have itemised previously. I will do so again.

For the seller to cover themselves against claimed loss is a minimum £1.85. You cannot reasonably protect the contents within a 5mm thick packet for most items, so large letter is required. It would only be 20p less in any case as signed for letter rate. Cost of a Jiffy bag is 15-20p. Cost of printing out the invoice is 5p. You are already at £2.05 minimum. If you are VAT registered you are required to charge it on shipping, so the cost is now £2.46. Is 4p over cost really that excessive? To cover your eBay and Paypal fees would actually require a charge of about £3.20 or so. alternatively you can cover your fees and take the risk on shipping, but either way these are expenses that need to be covered if you are selling. Nobody sells to help the buyer - they do so to make money and there are two sides to a balance sheet or set of accounts.

As I have long maintained, people on eBay are unrealistic in their expectations, and frankly the place is best avoided.

 

[Davethepitch 8]

When I sell anything on eBay I either take the loss on postage if it costs extra and refund the difference if it costs less.

 

[azda 979]

On 28. April 2016 at 9:32 AM, copper123 said:

The one thing everyone tends to forget is that it only takes two people to fancy a coin on flea bay and a bidding war starts - often with a high grade example its three ,four or five that are having a go .

 

This phenomenon isn't just on eBay, this will go for any auction house online or otherwise.

[copper123 1,513]

20 hours ago, Davethepitch said:

I thought the same but it was only after several emails he told me where he had it from and I thought why would a penny spend so much time in Sweden.

Maybe it just liked saunas

 

 

 

[Davethepitch 8]

1 minute ago, copper123 said:

Maybe it just liked saunas

You are possibly right pity he does not like my piedforts £1 coins i am trying to sell.

[copper123 1,513]

The sad thing is the days of cheap postage are now over and the post office will not be there in the future offering what it did in the past "a cheap service to every person in the uk"

Even Magaret  Thatcher refused to stick the knife in with the post office

The post office is now a commercial organisation just like any other offering a rapidly declining product to everyone at an ever increasing  cost  (remember the railways everyone - that is now run on a similar model)

[Rob 3,152]

You can have cheap infrastructure charges if you have full employment or close to, contributing to the state coffers via taxation through which they were subsidised. Now we don't make very much and the potential workforce is partly idle. But that is the quid pro quo for cheap foreign goods being available to all and which buyers seem to lap up insatiably. Government funding is now directed to education, benefits and healthcare. Everyone wants that too, with a major disconnect in the way much of the population perceives the relationship between taxation and spending priorities. The pot is only so big. Maybe we should spend less on education, benefits and healthcare so that once again we can have cheap rail travel and postal services. Whichever way the pie is divided, someone will be unhappy.