Is Ebay Better?  Is Ebay Safe?

Is it better to buy and sell precious metals on eBay rather than through a reputable online merchant?  Let's consider the following concerns and dispel any false assumptions.

"Prices are usually better on eBay"

We find that eBay is the most "retail" option when it comes to peers selling to each other.  As in real-world "in-person" auctions, when you invite the entire public in to compete on purchasing people usually drive the price up even higher than what some would consider full retail.  And don't forget that sellers have to pad their prices not only for the payment transaction costs but for the exorbitant "final value" fee which can be over 13%.  In fact, just that one fee alone is usually higher than our entire margin on a sale!

In our experience, the only winner in eBay's pricing structure is eBay.

"Coins and other silver items are likely to be genuine on eBay"

eBay as a marketplace has a level of separation between themselves and the individual sellers.  Fake and counterfeit items sell through the platform by the thousands every day.  The only recourse is to argue your case and maybe receive a refund.  Many fly-by-night sellers run burner accounts and just switch identities when they rack up too many cases for selling fake items.  Just search for the number of fake Chinese "American Silver Eagles" available for sale on eBay and you'll see what we mean.

Online coin and bullion sellers will sink or swim by their reputation.  You can't just fold up shop and open a new one in ten minutes.  Online silver dealers must absolutely guarantee that their items are true and genuine.  eBay could never test their items like we can to ensure they are what we say they are.

Your chances of getting fake, worthless silver items are comparatively high through sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and WhatNot.  Your chances of getting a falsely-represented item are very, very low through reputable online dealers.