The somewhat recent news of Northwest Territorial Mint (NWTM) closing down but not before as many as 1,000 customers were stiffed out of perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars cumulatively is what is prompting me to begin this thread. I was not a victim of NWTM's unethical decisions with many customers in this recent significant undelivered goods situation (though I have purchased from them in the past), but I had terrible experiences with some other sellers /dealers that I am sharing so that you can be aware. What you do is up to you. These are my experiences. Being that I live in the U.S., and being that I actually find that eBay sellers offer better prices on many coins (and coin supplies) than do the vast majority of online dealers and LCS in my area....for most of the items I am buying on eBay, I do a lot of coin (coin supply) shopping on eBay. More than 99% of my experiences on ebay with coin sellers/dealers is positive. But I have also had sellers/dealers on/from eBay conduct very disreputable business practices. The first seller I want to expose my experience with is paradisemint . I had purchased 7 coins (7 separate auctions/sales) from paradisemint within the last couple of months. The coins were all 2014 silver proof coins in OGP and the pictures depicted the coins/OGP as in new, excellent condition. No statements were made in the description to indicate or warn that these coins in their OGP were anything but in excellent condition. I received all the coins in their OGP in damaged condition.....to be clear, the OGP was damaged. The coins were shipped in a flimsy padded envelope with nothing else to protect the coins...they were loose inside the envelope. I contacted paradisemint to inform them of the problem and i wanted some sort of resolution to this lot of 7 damaged products that I received. All I received from paradisemint was nasty accusations and a hostile tone, ridiculous excuses, and what came across as filibustering. I eventually settled on asking to return the coins for a full refund including the return shipping since it is the responsibility of the seller to pack items adequately. Still refusing to do the right thing, paradisemint continued to not want to refund my money so I stepped up the case with eBay and eBay naturally ruled in my favor since paradisemint was clearly in the wrong in every conceivable way. paradisemint was made to pay for the return shipping (which they should have agreed to right from the start). In the end, I did receive a full refund....but for what was all that terrible customer service for??? I will never again spend a penny with paradisemint. The second seller I had a problem with is David Wolin , daviwoli0 on eBay and apparently I believe, somehow directly related to Coin Exchange NY, though I am not 100% positive, only about 95% sure that there is a relationship. I purchased a 5 oz. silver bar from this seller on eBay and it arrived fine. I contacted David Wolin and through private e-mails struck a deal to purchase a few more of the same bars to be shipped immediately. I paid as soon as I was invoiced and after about 2 weeks of waiting to see any indication of the item being shipped and after sending 2 separate e-mails to find out what's going on (with no reply to either e-mail), I was forced to dispute the transaction on PayPal. I was then at some point after that, reimbursed my money. But the sort of nonsense disreputable behavior this seller is engaging in has resulted in me not trusting this seller and not spending another penny with him. Like I said, this is my experience...what you do with this information is up to you. If you have similar experiences with these or other sellers/dealers, feel free to add comments. .
Up until recently I purchased solely off eBay but had no problems did you look at the ratings? But I've also found that ebay isn't always the cheapest option for example purchases in multiple quantities.
Yes, I usually never forget to check feedback ratings....both sellers have good feedback ratings on eBay. It is possible that at any point, a seller with good feedback can become a seller who no longer cares very much about good service. I am only responsible for reporting my experience in the hopes that if there is or begins a pattern of poor service, this may serve as an early warning for things to get worse with that seller. And sure, there are plenty of times one can get better prices on bulk purchases other than on eBay....but it all depends. I take advantage of the rare eBay coupon that I might find in my account as well 2 - 5 X eBay Bucks rewards for certain purchases. That can add up nicely over a period and it's basically free money to spend on more silver. eBay rewards sellers for free shipping so in many cases, I get free shipping without having to spend a minimum of some amount as I might have to on some/many dealers' own sites. Then there's always the access to millions of sellers that you have on eBay...there's nothing else like it on the planet. I can buy if I so desired, hard to find Russian coins without ever having to get into a car or airplane. Talk about convenience. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with shopping for a variety of silver/numismatic products on eBay. .
Usually Ebay is a good way to buy bullion. There are some good reputable dealers that sell in Australia with perfect feedback. However, there is a Perth based outfit that can't seem to lift their game. Their feedback says it all. As sometimes they have no stock, or they seem to have a problem walking to a post office to mail their orders. Maybe a swift kick up the bum from my size 12 boot may sort em out. Most of us Ebay sellers seem to be able to hold a perfect feedback record. Just go to the dealers that have a good standing within the Ebay community. Read their feedback, and most importantly read their responses. This will give you a good business profile about that seller. The worst thing a seller can do is abuse a buyer via Ebay messages. That is enough ammunition for any Ebay consultant to favour the buyer (as all correspondence via messages are scutinised by them ).
some people are just not lucky, or some seller are just trying to get rid of their junks... stay only with those that deliver with good intentions.
I have troubling news to report on the producers of the Frazetta statues (and the Eagle statue), Heads or Tales Coins. I have still not received my full order which was placed about 18 weeks ago (more than 4 months). I was last told on March 29 that I should be receiving a parcel by 4/9. I did not. Since 4/9, I have sent 3 emails to Heads or Tales Coins and I still have not received a reply (and yes, I check my SPAM folder). My patience has grown very thin and I am putting this out as my experience and as a potential warning as to serious customer service problems brewing at Heads or Tales Coins. .
Just a moment ago I received an e-mail from Heads or Tales Coin Co. I was informed that the statues should arrive in the U.S. by the end of next week. For those who are interested, I will add an update when appropriate. Also, if and when I am made whole, I will update and add pictures. .
