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Proxibid and Hibid photo comparison

The
competing auction on HiBid shows seven photos of all coins inside a similar
album.
Which
do you think would get my bid?
I’m
a collector of Jefferson nickels. In this
post you can read about how I comb through albums looking for the 5 or 6
full steps on the reverse of these nickels as they often bring high premiums
and now can be found raw only in albums like these.
Usually
you can snare a set for about $80, including the 1942-45 war nickels composed
of 35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese.
In
other words, an uncirculated set is a great buy.
I’ve
hidden the name of the Proxibid auctioneer because outing that is not the point
of this post. Suffice to say that I rarely bid in this auction anymore because
this seller often omits reverses of coins and usually takes photos of the album
or mint or GSA box and not the coin.
I
am putting the focus on Proxibid,
however. Its “report the item” link essentially does little anymore. I have
patronized Proxibid for a long time, but increasingly I am bidding on trusted
sellers on HiBid because, by and large, they respond to inquiries.
HiBid
auctioneers who do not respond to queries are immediately crossed off my buying
list.
Make
no mistake: There are plenty of inconsiderate sellers on HiBid. And that
platform lacks a Unified User Agreement, which Proxibid has and on which I
count, paying an extra premium. But if Proxibid cannot require the basics, such
as demanding that auctioneers selling coins, well, actually post a photo of
those coins, then I will pay the HiBid 8% buyer’s premium in this case rather
than the Proxibid 15%.
I
also understand that Proxibid wants to keep its auctioneers as clients on the
portal. But if bidders like me, a longtime fan of Proxibid — which is the best
platform still for coins and currency — are migrating to HiBid, well, then,
someone may want to enforce basic requirements.
I
recommend that Proxibid take seriously its “report the item” messages and act
more on behalf of the bidder or, in this case, require the deleting of the lot
in question.