Staying off
eBay is
very good advice for new collectors. There is no reason to go there until they have a little more knowledge. The
good coins usually end up
selling for almost as much as anywhere else. The bad coins seem like tempting bargains to the inexperienced. And finally, it is almost the only place where
fakes are a significant percentage of what is offered.
Yes, if you know the seller, it is OK. It is very important, however, to understand that knowing the seller has nothing to do with feedback or anything you can learn on the
eBay website. You must learn the seller's reputation from elsewhere. For a
new collector, I think they should be a well known ancient coin dealer or a member here. It isn't always easy to know who is reputable. I have
had collectors contact me after discovering the
Fake Coin Reports and
NFSL, who
had purchased over and over again for YEARS from the same
fake seller, a
fraud they thought was reputable or even a mentor or friend.