How do they do it?

knovak1976

Just received an email from one of the coin dealers I buy from. They have a silver proof set available for $37 less than what the mint sells them for. How are they able to do this? I quit buying proofs/unc sets from the US Mint for just this reason. Why pay full retail when sets show up elsewhere for substantial discounts later. Something just doesn’t seem right about this. Kind of like how some sellers have TPG coins for sale for way less than we can even get them graded for sale on eBay…and these are reliable dealers……Am I missing something here?

alefzero

I don't kmow for certain about this case, but market makers of other Mint products get early releases, discount prices, and other perks. They also have discounted certification/grading and preferential eBay fees. It is basically impossible to compete against those players in fresh silver eagles as an example.