Garden of Lost and Found

[johnwash1]

I don't really expect any eBidders to buy this book, unless they happen to live close enough to me to do local collection (Woking/Chobham, west Surrey). But I thought this might amuse some of you. Do a search on ebid for that title. You'll find two hits, mine, for 99p and from some insane chancer in Belgium, another for about 100 quid! HOW MUCH???

Well, good luck to him if he makes the sale, but since WorldOfBooks and similar can do this book, including postage, for less than it would cost me to send (and I do all my postage at cost or less), I think he'll need a lorra lorra luck!

[theElench]

Did he add MAO?

But seriously, there are always chancers about, often encouraged by the media. All those 50p coins that are supposed to be worth thousands because they're 'rare' but you can find a dozen or more any day of the week on another auction site.

At least he has noticed ebid and thought it worthwhile to cover another base by listing it here?

[johnwash1]

Did he add MAO?

But seriously, there are always chancers about, often encouraged by the media. All those 50p coins that are supposed to be worth thousands because they're 'rare' but you can find a dozen or more any day of the week on another auction site.

At least he has noticed ebid and thought it worthwhile to cover another base by listing it here?

Nope, no MaO on his. MaO on my 99p though. I mean, I don't want to overprice!

Listing it here. It? Yeah, along with 922,065 other books! And in the 4 months he's been here, not a single feedback, so does that mean not a single sale?

It really makes a mockery of ebid having 5 million listings. How many are realistic listings?

OK, when this lovely spell of weather finishes I'm off to list some more items at utterly realistic prices, shoot myself in my own foot prices. Anything to declutter, without using landfill. Perhaps I'm listing too cheap though? They do say, if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't.

Good luck with your lovely glass.

[goldenwonders]

Did he add MAO?

But seriously, there are always chancers about, often encouraged by the media. All those 50p coins that are supposed to be worth thousands because they're 'rare' but you can find a dozen or more any day of the week on another auction site.

At least he has noticed ebid and thought it worthwhile to cover another base by listing it here?

Those rare 50p coins actually sell - just do a sold items search and you'll see, however they are worthless. It's all about money laundering which is rife in more places than we think.

Turkish barbers anyone??
There are 3 in a small precinct near me and each has three/four employees often having a ciggy on their phones - and its all walking distance from a train station renowned for County lines activity - but the police are too dim to see it and the taxman does not care! ...or the pension fund landlords!

This week Serco are offering landlords free repairs and a five year contract if they rent their properties to them... this country is well and truly rogered!

[theElench]

Must admit I've never checked the site itself to see the Sold listings. I just assumed that they went unsold or ended up as NPBs.

You mean money laundering isn't just an excuse for more snooping and hoovering-up personal data from millions of innocent on-line sellers?

Perhaps I'm being a bit thick but what is the point of listing thousands of hugely over-priced items that will never sell?

[Stnenopmoc]

Those rare 50p coins actually sell - just do a sold items search and you'll see, however they are worthless.

Beware the Kew Gardens 50p, whatever the price it will be a fake unless you buy it from a BNTA member. These are the new, old pound coins.

Something is rare if there are ten or less known and you need a provanace. The production rate after 10 goes up logarithmically, so the next step is in the 10's of thousands (excepting gold and proof coins which have much lower production strike levels)

[goldenwonders]

Beware the Kew Gardens 50p, whatever the price it will be a fake unless you buy it from a BNTA member. These are the new, old pound coins.

Something is rare if there are ten or less known and you need a provanace. The production rate after 10 goes up logarithmically, so the next step is in the 10's of thousands (excepting gold and proof coins which have much lower production strike levels)

I understood there were 210,000 (i think) Kew Gardens and I did actually get one some years ago in change and sold it on Obey for about £22 which is pennies compared to what they go for today. With regard to fakes, there are fakes of everything now. I used to seriously collect Hard Rock Cafe pins, and fakes started appearing over 10 years ago so I realised it was time to stop collecting. The latest fakes became 1st class stamps which appeared last year in sheets at crazy prizes. problem is most of this stuff is coming out of China and has gone on to include everything from a Premier league shirt, medicines and drugs right up to a spare part for a 747 ! The real irony is they produce genuine parts for Boeing and wonder why fakes appear, same with HRC pins and even Premier league shirts - never going to stop now!

[goldenwonders]

Must admit I've never checked the site itself to see the Sold listings. I just assumed that they went unsold or ended up as NPBs.

You mean money laundering isn't just an excuse for more snooping and hoovering-up personal data from millions of innocent on-line sellers?

Perhaps I'm being a bit thick but what is the point of listing thousands of hugely over-priced items that will never sell?

Anything is an excuse for snooping and manipulating things to get information about us. Take the latest request for a NI number on Obey - a government t requirement they say - so why has Vinted, Facebook or eBid not asked for it???

I always do searches of items sold have done for years and these 50p sales at mad prices are not new - been happening for some time. It legitimises money coming into an account. The money is then clean but can have arrived from illegal activity. This is happening all over the country and it’s difficult to prove illegal activity. the only thing I don’t understand is why choose a coin that is not rare when they could put a photo up of anything that is rare and it would be more convincing - suppose it could be someone could ask to see the item that was sold and they would not have it?

[Stnenopmoc]

the only thing I don’t understand is why choose a coin that is not rare when they could put a photo up of anything that is rare and it would be more convincing - suppose it could be someone could ask to see the item that was sold and they would not have it?

That has been done, sites ( mainly from Far East, India or hijacked accounts) selling lots of dissimilar expensive things for just below going rate, pictures stolen from elsewhere. This is a scam where you need to keep your wits about you. If it looks like a bargain (1) always check the FB (2) see what else they are selling, if that rare Stratocaster is the only thing like it out ot of 200 listings and everything else is wildly different to each other; for example an expensive road breaker, a rolex, a Graff diamond necklace and they are all expensive, avoid it and run, then report to eBay. For fun ask for them to send you a picture of something not showning the list pictures, like a serial number.


The 50ps are collectable, surprisingly. So gullable people will buy the fakes unknowingly, genuine collectors as space filler, or unscrupulous collectors / dealers as a 'probably real' within a larger collection. If the seller is selling more than one of the same thing that is collectable, use caution, check the other listings and use common sense.

[johnwash1]

I find it hard to believe that buying 50p coins for a wildly inflated price is an efficient way for the buyer to launder money. To help the money launderers we could list £20 notes with some spurious reason they're collectable, for £30 each.

As you say, use caution. And common sense, that most UNcommon characteristic. How did it ever get called that?