Question about ASE and AGE pricing on Ebay

[Clad the Impaler]

Hi everyone. I've been watching ASE and 1/10 oz AGE pricing on Ebay these last 2 days. Scored one ASE for $29.02 w/ free shipping yesterday. At todays spot price, that's about $5 over spot. ASEs have been selling in the $29-$33 range, and 1/10 oz AGEs have been selling in the $155-$163 range. What's a "good deal" for these? How much over spot should I pay? I've been trying to bid $27-$29 for the ASEs and $142-$150 for the 1/10 oz AGEs (I can't afford 1/4, 1/2, or full oz AGEs). I'm aware that bidders often overpay for stuff on Ebay (saw a bidder pay $9.95 for a 1/10 oz silver round yesterday!!), but it seems like I can't get a good deal no matter how hard I try. Am I just too cheap?? Anyway, lemme know a "decent" amount over spot for the ASE and 1/10 oz AGE coins/rounds (looking for 2013; mint mark doesn't matter). Still hoping to score a great deal.....thanks.

 

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[Herb Boyd]

It seems you have been doing a good job of tracking premiums...in this market, spot plus $5 on ase is the usual rate...free shipping is a bonus that is hard for any retailer to give (or match) Keep your eyes open for any deals, but demand is good. Try a local coin show and odds are you will see the same price structure.Keep in mind most dealers try to buy most dates ase at spot plus $1...

 

[Clad the Impaler]

It seems you have been doing a good job of tracking premiums...in this market, spot plus $5 on ase is the usual rate...free shipping is a bonus that is hard for any retailer to give (or match) Keep your eyes open for any deals, but demand is good. Try a local coin show and odds are you will see the same price structure.Keep in mind most dealers try to buy most dates ase at spot plus $1...

Thanks Herb. I saw a completed BIN auction where a family w/ a medical emergency sold a 1/10 oz 2013 AGE for only $99 w/ free shipping!! Betcha this thing was listed for a whopping 5 minutes, if even that long....why can't I ever find deals like that Gotta go back to work tomorrow, so today's the last day to scour EBAY....still trying to get a 1/10 oz AGE for $147.99 w/ free shipping....I keep getting outbid...

 

[SilverHoarder07]

Have you checked out bullion dealers? Provident has BU ASEs for about 3.50 over spot right now. Save yourself some time Nd trouble.

2013 1 oz American Silver Eagle | Buy US Mint Silver Eagles

 

[Clad the Impaler]

Have you checked out bullion dealers? Provident has BU ASEs for about 3.50 over spot right now. Save yourself some time Nd trouble.

2013 1 oz American Silver Eagle | Buy US Mint Silver Eagles

Yeah, I checked 'em out yesterday. You obviously didn't read the part in my post where I said I got a 2013 unc ASE yesterday for $29.02 WITH FREE SHIPPING. Provident wants to charge me $5.95 for shipping, bringing the total price to over $33, which is over $4 more than the total price I paid on Ebay. Please note I take shipping charges into account when pricing my pms. I look at the TOTAL price (pm + shipping costs), not just the pm price alone. Provident (or other pm dealers) aren't necessarily cheaper than Ebay. Also, many pm dealers have minimum order requirements (you can't just order 1 coin at a time).

 

[Herb Boyd]

The large print giveth......but the small print taketh away

 

[TreasurePirate69]

Yeah, I checked 'em out yesterday. You obviously didn't read the part in my post where I said I got a 2013 unc ASE yesterday for $29.02 WITH FREE SHIPPING. Provident wants to charge me $5.95 for shipping, bringing the total price to over $33, which is over $4 more than the total price I paid on Ebay. Please note I take shipping charges into account when pricing my pms. I look at the TOTAL price (pm + shipping costs), not just the pm price alone. Provident (or other pm dealers) aren't necessarily cheaper than Ebay. Also, many pm dealers have minimum order requirements (you can't just order 1 coin at a time).

And your time? What about your time? What is it worth? What about the possibility of getting fakes? If you get one fake ASE because you are buying off of eBay what happens to all of your supposed "savings"? One fake ASE wipes out the savings of 15-20 other eBay ASE purchases.

If you want to shop eBay then that is your prerogative. But it is a very common mistake that people make to believe they are somehow saving lots of money when they spend countless hours scanning eBay and bidding for "deals" that are only a dollar or two better in price yet much higher in risk. If you are buying one ASE at a time then you probably really aren't saving anything per se. And 20 years from now when you go to sell that ASE are you going to really care whether you paid $30 for it or $32? Probably not. Not to mention it is much harder to even keep adequate records when you are buying multiple lots off of eBay so you probably won't even know what you paid for a given ASE 20 years from now.

It's the classic "bending over dollars to pick up pennies" routine. Again, if that is what you love to do then knock yourself out. Some people thrive on the thrill of the chase and if that's what they want to spend their time doing then I have no problem with that. But some people (like me) would prefer to just order what they want without some of the risks that often go along with buying on eBay. Finally, if you are only able to buy in onesie-twosie quantities then yes, shipping is going to be significant. It might make more sense to save up and buy much larger quantities at a time to average that shipping cost out across multiple items.

Yours is a very common technique and attitude toward buying PM's. Nothing wrong with it per se as long as that is what you like to do. I am simply pointing out that your supposed "savings" come at a price. I personally prefer to deal with a reputable dealer and not worry about nickel and diming myself. Then again, I typically don't buy bullion in onesie-twosie quantities.

 

[centfladigger]

I went to my local stamp and coin shop and bought some ASE`s yesterday, he charged me $28 for cash sale. I have ordered from some of the internet sites and $5.95 was the lowest shipping I was charged, Gainsville coins( which is a local storefront for me) charged $11.60 for shipping. So, I will either drive there or go to my local coin shop to purchase. the local coin shop said people are bringing in Silver everyday, I always look for bigger names silver bars that the internet sites charge more for

 

[Clad the Impaler]

And your time? What about your time? What is it worth? What about the possibility of getting fakes? If you get one fake ASE because you are buying off of eBay what happens to all of your supposed "savings"? One fake ASE wipes out the savings of 15-20 other eBay ASE purchases.

If you want to shop eBay then that is your prerogative. But it is a very common mistake that people make to believe they are somehow saving lots of money when they spend countless hours scanning eBay and bidding for "deals" that are only a dollar or two better in price yet much higher in risk. If you are buying one ASE at a time then you probably really aren't saving anything per se. And 20 years from now when you go to sell that ASE are you going to really care whether you paid $30 for it or $32? Probably not. Not to mention it is much harder to even keep adequate records when you are buying multiple lots off of eBay so you probably won't even know what you paid for a given ASE 20 years from now.

It's the classic "bending over dollars to pick up pennies" routine. Again, if that is what you love to do then knock yourself out. Some people thrive on the thrill of the chase and if that's what they want to spend their time doing then I have no problem with that. But some people (like me) would prefer to just order what they want without some of the risks that often go along with buying on eBay. Finally, if you are only able to buy in onesie-twosie quantities then yes, shipping is going to be significant. It might make more sense to save up and buy much larger quantities at a time to average that shipping cost out across multiple items.

Yours is a very common technique and attitude toward buying PM's. Nothing wrong with it per se as long as that is what you like to do. Herb and I are simply pointing out that your supposed "savings" come at a price. I personally prefer to deal with a reputable dealer and not worry about nickel and diming myself. Then again, I typically don't buy bullion in onesie-twosie quantities.

As far as Ebay fakes go, I'm not worried. I've purchased several ASEs off Ebay over the years, and none have been fake. Just scored another one this morning for only $28.50, and, again, free shipping. I buy from reputable pm dealers who are power sellers and well known. All have 98% or better positive feedback. A few of these power sellers even have 100% positive feedback (NOT an easy feat for any power seller). Many of the pms I bid on are ALREADY graded and slabbed by pcgs or ngc, and I doubt they would be slabbing fakes. Yes, there are fakes out there I'm sure, but I think you (and other people) are a bit too worried about 'em. If a pm seller is pushing fakes, I'm sure their acct would be yanked/suspended pretty quickly, and I don't think they'd have 98% or better positive feedback. Now as far as cleaned raw coins go being passed off as unc or bu, that's a different story (I saw plenty of suspicious ones yesterday alone).

 

[TreasurePirate69]

As far as Ebay fakes go, I'm not worried. I've purchased several ASEs off Ebay over the years, and none have been fake. Just scored another one this morning for only $28.50, and, again, free shipping. I buy from reputable pm dealers who are power sellers and well known. All have 98% or better positive feedback. A few of these power sellers even have 100% positive feedback (NOT an easy feat for any power seller). Many of the pms I bid on are ALREADY graded and slabbed by pcgs or ngc, and I doubt they would be slabbing fakes. Yes, there are fakes out there I'm sure, but I think you (and other people) are a bit too worried about 'em. If a pm seller is pushing fakes, I'm sure their acct would be yanked/suspended pretty quickly, and I don't think they'd have 98% or better positive feedback. Now as far as cleaned raw coins go being passed off as unc or bu, that's a different story (I saw plenty of suspicious ones yesterday alone).

So how do you know that a graded and slabbed ASE isn't fake? You do realize that they are making very convincing fake PCGS and NGC slabs now. And since it is in a slab you can't weigh or measure it. So unless you can spot a fake slab then you are going to be out of luck.

Also, the issue of fakes alone is not the problem. You appear to have completely ignored the rest of my post. Even if there were no possibility of getting a fake off of eBay you still aren't really saving anything. You seem to be boasting that you found one or two ASE's for $29 or less with free shipping. You "scored" these through hard work. Yet I can go out right now to Provident Metals and order 10 ASE's for $283.15 which includes shipping. That's $28.31 each which beats your $29 and $28.50 finds and I didn't have to spend any of my life bidding or hoping. If I want to buy 20 of them the individual price after shipping goes down to $27.69. No work involved here. Just click a couple of buttons and I know they are going to get here in perfect condition.

Again, if you like the eBay thing and like the thrill of "scoring deals" then go for it. We all have things we do in our lives for fun. Heck, I go out and swing a metal detector for two hours and come home with a whopping 29 cents to show for it. That's ok. I do it for fun and for the thrill of the hunt. And I don't have any illusions that I'm somehow going to strike it rich through metal detecting.

 

[Clad the Impaler]

So how do you know that a graded and slabbed ASE isn't fake? You do realize that they are making very convincing fake PCGS and NGC slabs now. And since it is in a slab you can't weigh or measure it. So unless you can spot a fake slab then you are going to be out of luck.

Also, the issue of fakes alone is not the problem. You appear to have completely ignored the rest of my post. Even if there were no possibility of getting a fake off of eBay you still aren't really saving anything. You seem to be boasting that you found one or two ASE's for $29 or less with free shipping. You "scored" these through hard work. Yet I can go out right now to Provident Metals and order 10 ASE's for $283.15 which includes shipping. That's $28.31 each which beats your $29 and $28.50 finds and I didn't have to spend any of my life bidding or hoping. If I want to buy 20 of them the individual price after shipping goes down to $27.69. No work involved here. Just click a couple of buttons and I know they are going to get here in perfect condition.

Again, if you like the eBay thing and like the thrill of "scoring deals" then go for it. We all have things we do in our lives for fun. Heck, I go out and swing a metal detector for two hours and come home with a whopping 29 cents to show for it. That's ok. I do it for fun and for the thrill of the hunt. And I don't have any illusions that I'm somehow going to strike it rich through metal detecting.

If you are familiar with pcgs and ngc, you know that there is a feature on their web sites where you can enter the serial numbers of slabbed items and you will get the info for said item(s). If this info doesn't match up, you can report it immediately to the respective grading service. If a serial number checks out, I highly doubt forgers have access to authentic pcgs or ngc labels and slabs, so a forgery would likely have a bogus serial number that wouldn't match up. I trust pcgs and ngc (along with many other dealers and collectors worldwide), and believe that the chances of them missing a fraud are minuscule at best.

Also, I'm well aware that buying ANYTHING in volume/bulk will get you a lower per unit/item price...DUH...that's consumerism 101.

You aren't understanding that not everyone here has an extra $300 or so just sitting around to buy pms with. For some people, $300 is A LOT of money. Since we can't afford to buy in bulk, we buy individually here and there.

To be honest, even IF I had an extra $300 or so "just sitting around", I wouldn't use it to buy pms (I can think of much more important/critical things to spend it on).

Let's face it, if you're wealthy enough you could probably buy a ton of pms from a buddy of yours for a teeny bit over spot (IF you have the $$ for bulk/volume/quantity purchases in the first place).

IMHO, most pm dealers (such as Provident and apmex) give off a "vibe" that they aren't really interested in the "casual" or low volume purchaser, preferring instead to deal with wealthy clients who can afford to buy pms in volume/bulk (can't blame the sellers for this, as they probably make more $$ on bulk purchases anyway).

 

[TreasurePirate69]

If you are familiar with pcgs and ngc, you know that there is a feature on their web sites where you can enter the serial numbers of slabbed items and you will get the info for said item(s). If this info doesn't match up, you can report it immediately to the respective grading service. If a serial number checks out, I highly doubt forgers have access to authentic pcgs or ngc labels and slabs, so a forgery would likely have a bogus serial number that wouldn't match up. I trust pcgs and ngc (along with many other dealers and collectors worldwide), and believe that the chances of them missing a fraud are minuscule at best.

Also, I'm well aware that buying ANYTHING in volume/bulk will get you a lower per unit/item price...DUH...that's consumerism 101.

You aren't understanding that not everyone here has an extra $300 or so just sitting around to buy pms with. For some people, $300 is A LOT of money. Since we can't afford to buy in bulk, we buy individually here and there.

To be honest, even IF I had an extra $300 or so "just sitting around", I wouldn't use it to buy pms (I can think of much more important/critical things to spend it on).

Let's face it, if you're wealthy enough you could probably buy a ton of pms from a buddy of yours for a teeny bit over spot (IF you have the $$ for bulk/volume/quantity purchases in the first place).

IMHO, most pm dealers (such as Provident and apmex) give off a "vibe" that they aren't really interested in the "casual" or low volume purchaser, preferring instead to deal with wealthy clients who can afford to buy pms in volume/bulk (can't blame the sellers for this, as they probably make more $$ on bulk purchases anyway).

You should google for info on faked PCGS and NGC slabs. The forgers DO have access to the web sites and the forged slabs usually DO have valid serial numbers. Not hard to do.

The fake coins issue is just one of many reasons why I don't buy off of eBay. As I've shown, you don't have to look too hard to find PM's outside of eBay for better or equivalent prices from sources that are reputable and repeatable. I won't belabor the point any longer.
Thanks for letting me rant. Good luck.