Wide Range In Buffalo Nickel Prices On Ebay?

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Author	Replies: 10 / Views: 1,314
Schwanke Valued Member United States 242 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 02:59 am OK. So I have like no clue about the value of things in coin land. I probably over pay for what I like all the time and don't even know it but I figure "Hey. I can afford it." and b "I feel fine about it." which is the two things that really matter to me. Still I like to be prudent when getting into something where I really don't understand the economics so I don't totally waste all my money. More waste = less fun for nearly anyone. When I started buying proof halfs, ikes, presidentials, saccas I noticed they were mostly going for about a dollar a half, 2 dollars a dollar, so I found a nice vendor that I trusted his grading on and bid on a bunch and came home with what I think is a nice new start to a new collection that might be worth more then I paid for it in a few years. I am thinking about doing the same with Buffalo nickels however I don't seem to be able to 'see' what affects the value on ebay. I always price based on "price + shipping" because shipping is a cost and I think on average most people bid that way unless they are bulk buying from one person. With that in mind, that 'price' for buffalo's on ebay seems to range from as low as 11 cents to over 1 dollar. Is there a 'steal' price where a a Buffalo nickel is worth that no matter what and some of these people are getting away cheap because of low demand at the moment or is there really that big of a difference of value depending on different factors? If its based on lots of factors would it be offensive to have a conversation on all of these factors (Or is there already a forum post on it and I missed it?) The coin itself looks rather interesting and I think I could have fun developing a collection of them from various years and values. I also like to collect 'extras' and as I hone my collection give the 'extras' away as tips and toys for various people that might find them interesting. I do know in small markets the peaks and valleys of supply and demand can make for some great investing by the common person. (I've seen this in certain toy market's where one toy sells for 40$s one time a year and 60$s other and if you know when to buy sell you can make some quick cash.) But I wouldn't think that Buffalo nickles are that small a market? Thanks for the help! Feels good to be back. :) Report this Post to the Staff

coinzip Valued Member United States 104 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 03:02 am Welcome back..... Report this Post to the Staff
basebal21 Bedrock of the Community 13014 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 04:26 am If youre paying a dollar or two youve done fine imo. If your really wanted to put in the effort you could find some of them cheaper than 2 bucks but unless you have an LCS that stocks them for that it would take some time and effort and even the LCS youd be spending money on gas. Considering the sellers have to pay for shipping compared to http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/price...icesgd.shtml the prices on ebay for the low grade buffalos are fairly suppressed with how flooded it is with listings. Report this Post to the Staff
Schwanke Valued Member United States 242 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 09:19 am Those numbers in the columns on your link basebal21 are dollars? I am assuming that because I couldnt see a 5cent coin from 1938 being worth 1cent lol. :D Wow then ebay really is flooded. If ebay is so flooded why doesn't that page reflect that? Generally ebay drives market values because its so cash flow oriented. To me someone could just go and bid 50cents on the first 1000 listings and turn around and sell them for a dollar or more ea to someone. Cant get my head around the discrepancy from ebay to the numis site. Though thanks for the site I'm book marking that. Report this Post to the Staff
supgog Pillar of the Community Israel 2420 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 10:00 am Quote: Generally ebay drives market values Market value is not well defined, as it varies from one place to another. Since many countries around the world tax bullion, ebay pricing for ASEs are much higher than LCS. Meanwhile, raw collectable coins often sold on ebay for less than what you can get them at the LCS for, since the market is making a "risk premium", i.e. the buyer is taking a risk that the coin is not genuine or that it doesn't look as good as the picture. This is why, for example, high res, sharp pics in auctions usually yield higher prices, as risk premium is lower. Edited by supgog 03/17/2013 10:01 am Report this Post to the Staff
Schwanke Valued Member United States 242 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 10:54 am Ahh that makes sense. Hence why its good to read the feedback. I was digging through feedback on some of these "unsearched rolls of Indian Heads" and one guy for example had a bunch of feedback from multiple people where they claimed that the seller had taken a normal roll, rolled culls and then scuffed it for the picture to make it look old. Obviosly a higher "risk premium" as you would have to fight with ebay to get your money back if you could even prove it was a violation of the listing. ebay is good on the whole 'keepin it real' side of listings being fake but I've never had to fight about something like gold being real or a coin being real or whatever. I've looked into some of these sellers that seem to list the same the listing 5 different ways but they are all pretty much the same listing for stuff like 'estate' sales of lots of coin and bullion and flake and what not and even then they have had feedbacks that have been like the clad was fake or the nugget wasnt really gold or whatever. don't know if those people ever filed a claim with ebay or not. I do know that I noticed one of the 10gram clad bars I bought a couple years ago from this one seller back before I really had any idea of any value of the junk gold stuff had a serial number on it and I checked and its the same serial number as all of his photos of 'different' bars. So obviosly thats a gimic. Yeah I can see how "risk premium" really turns into buyer beware. I could invest 100 dollars in seemingly worthwhile coins and turn around and 5 years try to sell them and they are worth pennies because they are fake. Thanks for the input! I am keeping an eye out for unsearched rolls and gunna check feedback and the like and see how it goes. Report this Post to the Staff
basebal21 Bedrock of the Community 13014 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 2:18 pm Quote: If ebay is so flooded why doesn't that page reflect that? Generally ebay drives market values because its so cash flow oriented. ebay really only drives market values for ebay. Some things you can get cheaper on ebay something are pricier. Common items are almost always cheaper because theyre too many listed and not enough buyers. ebay isn't the only place numis gets its prices from for the guide and a guide is just that, its not perfect just a ball park. That said I do like to use ebay prices as a general guide buying in person since if I can get it cheaper on ebay why not just do that? Quote: Cant get my head around the discrepancy from ebay to the numis site. I don't really see any discrepancy since they start at .99 cents on ebay and the lowest in the guide is a dollar. Report this Post to the Staff
cheezyfryes Valued Member United States 359 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 2:56 pm My LCS has a big bucket of Buffalo nickels and sells them for 30 cents a piece. Most have nice readable dates & features. Report this Post to the Staff
j-win Valued Member United States 360 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 3:10 pm A dollar a piece if it has a date? Maybe a little less or more? I have no clue how much uncirculated Buffalo nickels go for though... wish I knew what was a good price for a couple of them. Report this Post to the Staff
basebal21 Bedrock of the Community 13014 Posts	Posted 03/17/2013 3:46 pm Quote: A dollar a piece if it has a date? Maybe a little less or more? I have no clue how much uncirculated Buffalo nickels go for though... wish I knew what was a good price for a couple of them. Depending on the date thats possible, for some dates thatd be a steal. As long as youre not paying 5 dollars for common date low grades the potential savings is very minimal if youre talking a dollar or two. If you like it for a buck or two I would personally get it. Report this Post to the Staff
Schwanke Valued Member United States 242 Posts	Posted 03/18/2013 09:19 am Unless I've gone crazy again when I searched completed listings of Buffalo nickels on ebay I saw numerous listings for less then 99cents. Some as low as a 11 many around 50s and 60s. As an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1937-Buffal...em4ac01d5522. This one looks 'decent'. There are others. Though admittedly many of them are no dates there are many that have dates or atleast partial dates enough to know what year it is (first two digits might be worn). Regardless I'll probably use 1 dollar as my standard so I get a nice selection of low grade coins as my first experience with the occasional lucky draw. Report this Post to the Staff
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