Great Collections

[Afterword]

They seem to be doing very well. Any thoughts?

[physics-fan3.14]

They have built a reputation on good customer service. They offer generally good quality, collector coins. They sort of fit in the middle between ebay and heritage - good, solid coins. I've sold a few things there, and they've gotten good prices with prompt payment. 

[LINCOLNMAN]

I've had excellent experiences with them as a buyer and seller. They ship purchases the next day (assuming one pays same day), pay sellers very promptly, do a good job with photos, show good judgement when it comes to submitting coins to CAC (your option as a seller). Fees are modest compared to HA and SB, for instance. Haven't sold any $1k+ coins with them but have had good luck with mid-range collector coins, same buying. Better quality coins seem to do very well. They've been a good source when completing sets that include common coins. Only caveat is on the sell side with common coins. If you buy these close to list on eBay, you'll take a beating selling them on GC; however they will handle them for you if you're cleaning house, pretty handy.

[Zebo]

I like them. I bought a few coins and had excellent service. Fees are reasonable. The only complaint is that their starting prices on the series that I collect are too high. I passed on many because to the high starting price.

[Star City Homer]

Been on both sides of the equation with them and have always been happy with them.

[Afterword]

They seem to be growing at a healthy pace, both in terms of quality and quantity offered.

[kidrootbeer]

I did get the Largest Known Strike Through on a Bust Half as a regular coin on there a few years ago

[numisport]

Have bid on one coin there a few weeks ago. As usual I was outbid by a dealer with deep pockets. I don't know if they offer an agreement to buyers to 'make offer to owner' like Heritage does but I suppose it will come in time.

[Afterword]

I hope they keep things simple and avoid features that are not necessary. Flash requires cash and hence higher premiums. Keeping costs and premiums down and having a quick turnaround time are Great Collections strengths.

[coinman_23885]

It looks like business is booming for them.  I wonder if they plan on keeping their fee structure in place as Stacks-Bowers increases its buyer's premium (and Heritage and Legend will likely follow suit).

[mommam17]

Great place to buy, sell and look. Everything fast and easy....

[Afterword]

 

 

19 hours ago, coinman_23885 said:

It looks like business is booming for them.  I wonder if they plan on keeping their fee structure in place as Stacks-Bowers increases its buyer's premium (and Heritage and Legend will likely follow suit).

 

Greed is a powerful corrupter. It can easily make one forget why they became successful in the first place. It happens all the time.

The problem with raising their premiums in lockstep with the others, rather than doing so only out of necessity, is that they become unnecessarily more susceptible to being undercut themselves. Their increasing volume in both buyers and sellers, which translates into higher quality coins and a wider variety to choose from, should keep them solvent for some time to come.

Then again, I do not run a business or have a business degree, so I am just speculating based on knowledge I do possess, which is my idea of fun.

[PocketArt]

Nothing but good to say about Great Collections- I hope they don't change a thing.  I was very pleased with this purchase from last sale.  

[Afterword]

Nice coin. Do you leave the Great Collections sticker on the slab because you believe it will be of benefit when it comes time to sell?

[PocketArt]

1 hour ago, Afterword said:

Nice coin. Do you leave the Great Collections sticker on the slab because you believe it will be of benefit when it comes time to sell?

Thanks!  No, I remove the sticker.  I used images of my purchase from Great Collections site- forgot to leave credit on photo's so I apologize for the confusion.  

[Amazon]

Love them. Never had an issue with them.

[bstrauss3]

I've bought from them and more importantly I've talked and emailed them. Ian is incredibly responsive.

[World Colonial]

I have never bought from them but consigned twice recently.  I only collect world coins, so my experience differs from most here but I was pleased with their service.  As for the prices, all over the place versus what I thought the coins were "worth" but I don't see that I would have done much if any better on eBay and most of what I sold wouldn't have been feasible to sell anywhere else.

[KMAG100]

While I have not sold any through them yet I have purchased from them for several years.  I have always like their turn around times, and the world coins I collect I can usually get them at real good prices as compared to ebay.  Yes, they do start some of the world coins  high, but I always assumed that may be more the seller wanting a certain starting price. I have also found them to be very accurate with their in hand assessment of coins that I have sent emails on and won.  I have talked to Ian several times on the phone, and he has always been very willing to talk about what ever topic I called about.  He left a great impression with me.  This is one of my favorite coins I got off GC. 

 

[World Colonial]

4 hours ago, kmag said:

While I have not sold any through them yet I have purchased from them for several years.  I have always like their turn around times, and the world coins I collect I can usually get them at real good prices as compared to ebay.  Yes, they do start some of the world coins  high, but I always assumed that may be more the seller wanting a certain starting price. I have also found them to be very accurate with their in hand assessment of coins that I have sent emails on and won.  I have talked to Ian several times on the phone, and he has always been very willing to talk about what ever topic I called about.  He left a great impression with me.  This is one of my favorite coins I got off GC. 

 

The consignment form provides the option to set your own reserve or leave it to GC.  For those I listed which were mostly of lower value, GC set starting bids of $.99.  I suspect these are the lots you have won at low bids because several of mine did so, including prices far lower than I would have thought likely or knowingly sold the coins for.  Overall, I lost money on these sales but the absolute amounts weren't material.

By the way, that's a nice WLH you have there.

[Zebo]

1 hour ago, World Colonial said:

The consignment form provides the option to set your own reserve or leave it to GC.  For those I listed which were mostly of lower value, GC set starting bids of $.99.  I suspect these are the lots you have won at low bids because several of mine did so, including prices far lower than I would have thought likely or knowingly sold the coins for.  Overall, I lost money on these sales but the absolute amounts weren't material.

By the way, that's a nice WLH you have there.

I must run into those that have a high reserve because I can purchase the same grade and condition, often times for much lower at Heritage, Goldberg or Ebay. GC is in line with some of the foreign auction houses, however. I may try consigning a few to see how they perform. 

[Coindude]

They have the best pictures of any of the major auction sites.

[LINCOLNMAN]

23 hours ago, World Colonial said:

The consignment form provides the option to set your own reserve or leave it to GC.  For those I listed which were mostly of lower value, GC set starting bids of $.99.  I suspect these are the lots you have won at low bids because several of mine did so, including prices far lower than I would have thought likely or knowingly sold the coins for.  Overall, I lost money on these sales but the absolute amounts weren't material

As I posted earlier, this is the only drawback selling through GC, I had the same experience as WC. This isn't a criticism of GC at all. The prices realized were realistic considering that the audience tends to consist of dealers and more advanced collectors. I have a number of high-end but common coins that I bought to complete various sets, but which now mainly take up space (as slabs tend to do). As a collector, these may best be sold (eventually) on eBay if I wish to recoup most of my cost. In the meantime, I've decided to simply hang onto these coins and enjoy them. Else, one gets the feeling, justified or not, that one is giving these coins away.

[World Colonial]

6 hours ago, LINCOLNMAN said:

As I posted earlier, this is the only drawback selling through GC, I had the same experience as WC. This isn't a criticism of GC at all. The prices realized were realistic considering that the audience tends to consist of dealers and more advanced collectors. I have a number of high-end but common coins that I bought to complete various sets, but which now mainly take up space (as slabs tend to do). As a collector, these may best be sold (eventually) on eBay if I wish to recoup most of my cost. In the meantime, I've decided to simply hang onto these coins and enjoy them. Else, one gets the feeling, justified or not, that one is giving these coins away.

There are a few wish I had kept but mostly not.  As you stated, a large number of slabs take a lot space and I don't want to bother with it especially when I am not prioritizing the coins anymore.  I also didn't want to go through the hassle of listing them on eBay and either practically give them away while still doing the administrative work.  Or having them sit endlessly for months or years trying to get my price.

The most I have ever paid for a coin - so far - is $1200, though I have several that either are or ended up being worth more or a lot more than this amount.  However, since I have decided to focus almost exclusively on one broader series (three pillar denominations from multiple mints), I will by default increase the value of coins I buy going forward and decrease the number since I still only buy better grades, generally AU or better. 

I have already put the proceeds into eight pillars which I would far rather own than the coins I sold, with money to spare.  Of these eight, all but one are extremely difficult to buy, in similar grade or otherwise.

[Afterword]

When browsing Ebay are there any Great Collections advertisements, or does Ebay even allow their competition to advertise on their site? 

18 hours ago, LINCOLNMAN said:

The prices realized were realistic considering that the audience tends to consist of dealers and more advanced collectors.

Both of which are knowledgeable of coin pricing and can make an informed decision. Do you prefer to sell the coins in question on Ebay because you believe the buyers to be less informed? Buyer beware?

[LINCOLNMAN]

34 minutes ago, Afterword said:

When browsing Ebay are there any Great Collections advertisements, or does Ebay even allow their competition to advertise on their site? 

Both of which are knowledgeable of coin pricing and can make an informed decision. Do you prefer to sell the coins in question on Ebay because you believe the buyers to be less informed? Buyer beware?

Not necessarily less informed, although that's likely the case. What I said was less advanced. It takes time for a new collector to find their way to GC. Further, a new collector is more likely to need the more common coins for whatever series they collect. Lastly, a collector who wants to fill the "easy" holes efficiently and is less concerned about price or picking "just the right" coins, can accomplish their goal quickly using eBay. All this = more demand. Having said this, WC is right on about the hassle of eBay. Sold a bunch of Lincolniana a few years ago, mostly several hundred raw medals and tokens. For such material eBay is without question a boon for collectors IMO. Kind of enjoyed the experience but I'm not sure I would do it again soon.

[Afterword]

1 hour ago, LINCOLNMAN said:

Not necessarily less informed, although that's likely the case.

Thanks.